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River had never spoken much to any of the princes, and never thought he had been missing much, but even if he’d been quite friendly with the brothers, this visit would never be anything but baffling.
The door of the room was already closed, and River decided to hear what the prince had to say, so he let go of him, then asked, “Explain.”
The prince put a hand on his neck. “What’s wrong with you? Do you alway try to kill people who want to save you?” Was Venard expecting him to apologize? He truly didn’t know fae well.
River smiled as he got up. “An unfortunate habit, I know… How do you propose to help me?”
“I want a deal,” the prince said, still lying on the floor.
“Aren’t you in luck? They are my specialty.” River had no clue what that prince could want, and didn’t understand why he was here, but made an effort not to show any mistrust or bewilderment.
Venard got up slowly. “I’ll get you out of the castle,but—”
“Out of the room is enough.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Your magic has been compromised, fae.”
“Would you have any idea why?”
“I only know what my mother said. She says even if you manage to break out of the room, you can’t leave the castle by disappearing.”
River raised an eyebrow. “She told you that?”
The prince looked down. “I overheard it. Much better.”
That could be true or not, and they could both be manipulating River, maybe even working together. And then there was the deal with the king—a deal that was practically worthless by now. There wasn’t much point in continuing in The Iron Citadel without his magic—it would be too risky. River had already gotten a lot of useful information and could try to return once he was sharp again.
“Great. Get me out of the castle, then.” River smiled. “What’s your price?”
The prince swallowed, seeming nervous. “I want to learn about that magic. The magic that made my brother alive again. I want to learn it.”
River was almost reminding the prince that he was a fae, not a necromancer, but it was better not to confess he couldn’t help him much in case that was the only thing he wanted. Instead, he said, “I could offer you better things, prince—”
“No. I want to know what that magic is. I know you don’t know how it’s done, but you can sneak around. You can figure it out.”
River considered his words, then said, “That’s a fair deal. You let me escape, and in turn, I’ll tell you everything I learn about this magic.” This was a crappy offer, because byeverything he learned, he meantnothing,since there was no incentive for him to go looking for those answers. Still, it was always a good idea to start negotiations with the bare minimum. Anyone with a wisp of sense would see that, but River had to figure out the prince’s baseline of negotiation.
Venard nodded. “Good. Thank you.”
Really? Like that? River should feel happy the prince had agreed so easily, and even thanked him, which meant an open debt. Instead, he felt underwhelmed that he didn’t get to twist some truths and entangle the prince with verbal traps. But then, River had to escape, not practice his deal-making skills. Keeping his face neutral, he said, “I guess you’ll show me the way?”
“Yes.” The prince’s voice was weak, hesitant. Then he repeated, as if making up his mind, “Yes.” He turned back to River. “We need to be fast, and once out of this room, silent.”
River nodded. It was highly unlikely that a human would be faster or more silent than him, but this was not the time to argue that. Venard had a key to open the only door in the room, and then, from the queen’s closet, he opened another secret door. From there they stepped into a narrow, dark hallway, lit only by a candle on the floor. After taking the candle, the prince whispered, “Emergency passages.”
River knew the Iron Citadel was full of all kinds of concealed and secret corridors, but didn’t know them well, since he had better, faster, and safer ways to move around the castle—when his magic worked, of course. In fact, this was a good time to check if it was true that he was weakened. He tried to slip away, but nothing happened.
The prince then added, “This is not soundproof.”
Right. Silence. They kept walking and then the thin hallway got wider. Eventually they reached a place where there was a hole with a rope in its middle. If someone walked here without a light, they could easily plunge to their deaths, since there was no end in sight to it. The prince placed the candle on the floor, by the edge of the hole, then reached out his hands to the rope. Great. So they were indeed going down.
River watched the prince grab the rope and slide down. Perhaps he could find his own way. Maybe it was a better idea than following Venard. Who knew?Thatcould be a trap. On the other hand, they had a deal. The prince had to know enough about fae to know better than to break it. So after a second of hesitation, River grabbed the rope and slid down, jumping away some six floors down, after Venard.
This floor had some distant light coming from sconces, and another candle on the floor, which the prince picked up. He then looked at River and nodded in approval. “Great reflexes, fae.”
“Did you expect any different?”
“No. Had it been anyone else, I wouldn’t have taken this passage. But this is the fastest and safest way. And I have to show you something.”
