“Get in the carriage.”
“Release me!”
I snatched the front of his shirt in both hands, while Lars very wisely opened the carriage door. I threw the prince inside. I couldn’t close the door on the further yelling because of the chain, which I pointed out to Lars.
“What the hell, man? Why’d you chain us together?”
“It’s perfect. Don’t worry.”
“You could’ve chained him to anything?—”
“It’ll be brilliant.” He opened the door again. “Get in there.”
Solaris was crouched inside like he was just waiting to pounce and gouge my eyes out if I stepped inside. Maybe I could wrap the chain around him a few times.
“Are you going with us?” I asked Lars.
“Nope. Can’t.”
“Then who’s going to drive, hmm?”
He shrugged and gestured for me to get in. “I’ll have one of the boys do it. They’re just going to follow you anyway. Nothing else to do.”
Yeah, okay, I hadn’t considered fighting the color boys off during the entire journey, but it was possible they were that dedicated to their prince. I was going to have to keep the sword on him the whole time.
Or make them think I was.
“Pinky!” I hollered. I didn’t know the rest of them at all, but he seemed like the least problematic at the moment. “Get out here and drive the carriage.”
I pointed the sword in at Solaris, coming damn close to poking his nose with it. That took the snarl off his face.
“Please don’t hurt him,” Pinky said behind me. “He’s not so bad.”
“Not so bad?” I eyed him, my lip curled in disgust. “Those are not the words anyone should say to describe a leader.”
Pinky’s sigh was so loud as he walked over to the front of the carriage, like I’d taken away his favorite teddy bear.
“The rest of you,” Lars said, “go get your horses and follow along. Do anything to Mister Crowne here and he’ll slit your prince’s throat.”
Solaris groaned like a teenager and flopped onto the bench seat facing the back. Arms crossed and slouching, he looked pissed off but that bit of cooperation gave me hope that I wouldn’t spend the entire journey threatening him at sword point.
Lars shooed me up into the carriage, dropped a bundle of cloth on the floor by my foot, and closed the door with a final-sounding click. I could hear him out there ordering the other colors around, while I watched Solaris frown-pout and stare out the window. I got the feeling he was going to give me the silent treatment, thinking that was a punishment.
Silly Sol. I liked silence.
Chapter 5
Before we got moving, Pink came up to the window on a horse and said, “Francis is going to drive since?—”
I had to stop him. “Who’s Francis?”
“Oh, um…” He glanced toward the front of the carriage. “He’s wearing blue?”
“Ah. The one who’s nuts were crushed by an angry citizen.” I nodded since that made sense. “Yeah, that’s fine if he needs to sit up there.”
“His horse is tied to the back, and the rest of us will ride alongside the carriage. I assume we’re going to the castle?”
Not that I wasn’t glad that the color boys weren’t attacking to rescue their prince, but why weren’t they attacking to rescue their prince?
