She waited until the heavy door was closed and the footsteps faded away. “Itoldyou not to go wandering around.”
I told Wren the entire story, from my stupid beginning to the painful end, including the marks across my chest. Whatever Talia had put in the bath had helped, but Wren insisted on daubing a cooling balm across it, and that helped numb the sting.
When she’d put the balm away again, we sat quietly for a moment.
“Are you really okay with this?” she asked.
“No. I don’t want to rely on a Lys’Careth. And I don’t want to live in a prison.”
“Then let’s walk out of here. He can still keep a guard on the manor. We’ll just have to be careful.”
“Wren, I’m not sure I’d survive another fight with the practitioner.”
“It was that bad?”
When I nodded, she swore and wrapped her arms around me, like her strength might be enough to protect me from harm.
“What token did the prince give you?”
I pulled it from my pocket and showed it to her.
She took it and turned it over in her hand. “Oh, the fun we could have.” The words were a whisper, and there was plenty of longing in them.
“There’s a treasury,” I agreed. “But he asked me not to go in there. I told him I was a thief.”
Her gaze snapped up to mine. “What? Why would you do that?”
“So I don’t get too comfortable here. Or with him.” I looked at her. “He says he wants to be a different kind of prince.” I glanced up at her. “You think that’s possible for a Lys’Careth?”
“He’s not a complete arsehole. But royals have rules; he’d have to break a lot of them.”
“I’ll tell you the entire story when Luna gets here”—because I was certain she’d come—“but I think the practitioner would have tried to kill whichever prince came through the gate. And another prince may not have cared if I survived.”
“It’s a big, fucked-up circle,” Wren said. “You kill people to take the throne, and then you’re the target of assassination. How is that worth the trouble?”
“I don’t think it is, but then no one’s dangled a crown in front of me. That probably makes a difference.” I held up the token. “I’m excited about the possibility of seeing a crown—full of shining gemstones.”
She made a sound of agreement and looked me over. “At least he cleaned you up.”
I slipped an arm into hers. “Come eat some cakes and let me tell you about the royal bath.”
We ate all the cakes—and the rest of the food—like we were at a fancy party and not sealed into a Lys’Careth palace. But hunger had to be sated, and I felt better—and less wobbly—afterward.
The room stayed chilly despite the warmth outside (or in my chest), so we started a small fire in the hearth and sat on thefloor nearby to warm our feet. It was getting late, and I was sure the Lady would expect Wren to return. But I didn’t want her to leave. We’d slept in the same room together nearly every night for a decade. I wasn’t sure I’d like sleeping alone, much less in this cold and cavernous palace.
“We need an escape plan,” Wren said. “In case things get dangerous, or he gets dangerous, and we need to get you out.”
“He said I could walk out.”
“Maybe that’s the truth. Maybe not. More likely he’ll let you go, and send Galen to follow you. It’s better to be prepared.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic. “Suggestions?”
She frowned. “You can’t scale the palace wall. It’s sheer and too high. But I’ve heard a rumor. The river runs under the wall on both the north and south sides; there are iron gates where water and wall meet. But supposedly they’re broken.”
I snorted. “Says who?”
“I heard garrison soldiers talking about it last night. They hunted in the prince’s wood when the palace was empty.”
