Her friend gave me an awed, wary look I knew all too well. Princess. That’s what they saw when I approached. “Hi,” I said. Before I could get out another word, both of them stood and bowed. I didn’t get this treatment as much during class time but after, it was like someone changed the rules. I went from being their equal to their “royal highness”.
“That’s not necessary,” I said quickly. “Anyways I was impressed with how you took down that boy in class today. And that line, ‘welcome to the academy’ was great.”
She beamed and her friend looked at her like, what did I miss?
“Thank you, Princess Visteal. I wanted to impress everyone since I was first up,” she said, still smiling and I wondered if it was because of what she did or that her princess was giving the compliment. The students at the academy in Delhoon, where I’d gone since I started, lost their sense of awe unless they were new, though they were still respectful. Here it was starting all over. Most of the students didn’t know me personally, even from my own kingdom.
“You’re Warlord Asger’s niece?” I asked. I was surprised I hadn’t met her already if this was true.
“Yes, one of her many nieces. Aunt Athena has four brothers and two sisters. My father is the youngest sibling.” She slowly sat back in her armchair. “I always wanted to go to the capital Delmar for a festival or party but Aunt Athena always took a cousin of mine. I’m one of the youngest.”
“Maybe this year we can go. I plan on going home for the Fall Festival which usually coincides with my birthday.”
“That would be fun,” she said, her big brown eyes seemed to light up. “This is my friend Freya, by the way. From Arohem as well.”
“Nice to meet you, your highness,” she said. She was short like Lora, really thin unlike either one of us, and had shoulder-length golden brown hair.
Legacy came up beside me and tugged on my braid. “What ya doin’?”
After that the small group of us talked for an hour about anything and everything. I had a feeling we’d all be close this year. The conversation ended when cats roamed in to fetch us for dinner.
∞∞∞
I sat on the opposite side of the table this time so I didn’t have to turn to see the other two kingdoms. With my glass of water in hand, I found myself searching for Zyacus again. I couldn’t help myself. And there he was talking with that same girl he had been flirting with last time. She kept touching his arm and I’d seen that look in her eyes before. Were they a couple? From an outsider’s perspective it certainly seemed like it. I tore my gaze away wondering why I even cared… I didn’t care, I decided.
When I turned my attention to Taz across the table, I froze in surprise. That boy from the infirmary who helped me, sat beside him. I’d removed my bandages earlier and had since healed but I noticed his eyes roaming over my arms.
“You two know each other?” I asked, trying to keep the disdain from my voice but failing.
“I met Vyce in class today,” Taz said. “He said none of his friends came here so I told him to sit with us.”
How convenient. I managed to not say the words aloud but it was a struggle. So I turned to Legacy who was making googly eyes at Aric from across the room. I noted that he wasn’t looking at her though. I didn’t know why but I felt like she should keep it cool, slow, with him for now. We really didn’t know anything about him, and that skull mark on his wrist disturbed me, even if he was polite and a gentleman thus far.
“We’re meeting tonight,” she said with a stupid grin.
“When?”
“After dish duty,” she said, pushing food around on her plate. “He only had dish duty yesterday, unlike us.”
“Have you asked him about the mark?”
She glared at me as if I was suggesting something terrible. “No.”
“Don’t fall too hard for him just yet,” I said quietly.
Narrowing her eyes, she shifted slightly away from me. “Are you jealous or something?” She asked a little too sharp for my liking. “You’ve always wanted to meet him and now he likes me.”
My cheeks flushed and I set my glass down. “No, it has nothing to do with that. Do whatever you want.” I pushed away from the table and stamped out the side door into the warm evening air. The red sun drenched the sky in pinks and purple as it lowered toward the horizon. With no destination in mind, I walked along a red-brown dirt pathway. The crickets chirped and evening birds sang in the treetops.
I didn’t understand why Legacy would suddenly get snappy with me. If she liked the prince I wouldn’t go near him in that way even if I found him charming. She was my best friend and I would never hurt her feelings or risk our friendship over a boy.
Lost in thought, I was near the end of the property before I knew it and came up on the lake. Have I really walked over two miles already? The sun was almost down; darkness and the cool crispness of night lingered in the air.
I became hyperaware that I was utterly alone, even the birds and bugs had gone silent. The hairs on my arms stood on end as a feeling of icy dread crept under my skin. Or was I alone? Rustling in the trees nearby drew my eyes but nothing appeared. I had my practice sword, not my real one I realized, but I had daggers and magic.
“Is someone there?” My quiet voice loud in the silence.
A feral noise unlike any animal I’d ever heard before, ripped from the shadows of the trees. Something wild—lethal, a creature not of this land. I took a step back, drawing the dagger from my boot. It was thirteen inches and sharp enough to slice through bone.
Maybe it was the creature that killed the horse. Sweat beaded on my back as my eyes searched the darkness. My magic surged under my skin, reacting to my pounding pulse.
“What are you doing out here alone?”
My heart nearly seized and I whipped around, slashing at whoever stalked me.
Zyacus jumped back, but my blade sliced through his top, exposed his skin and a thin red line developed from his sculpted chest to millimeters above his navel. He sucked in air through his teeth which sounded like a cat hissing.
“Prince,” I breathed. I waited for the blood to pour down his—ugh, totally perfect body, but it didn’t. We both stared at the cut, me shocked and him assessing the damage. “What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that?” I demanded my chest heaving up and down. “I could have killed you.”
Touching his chiseled abs—er, stomach, his fingers came away bloodied. “I came to—” the softness of his face hardened. “What are you doing attacking me with that dagger?”
“I didn’t know it was you!” I still gripped it tightly. “There’s something…” I looked into the trees where I’d heard that growl. “I heard something—thought there was something deadly out here. That’s why I struck without looking.”
His eyes lifted to the shadows several yards away but he was more concerned with the slice I’d given him. With his palm glowing, he slowly moved it over the wound and I watched it close up. Magic-born do not do this type of healing often. It takes too much energy to heal a wound which is why we have potions and salves but his magic stone made it easier for him. With it, spells didn’t drain the user’s energy, the stone had a power of its own. It had its limitations; some stones were stronger than others.