Page 62 of Castle of the Cursed
Following his triumph, the prince is locked away at the castle, and the king has him more protected than before. As word spreads of his son’s strength, more enemies come to test it. The king and his military keep protecting the boundaries of their realm, going to war with army after army, while the prince continues his studies at the castle, in preparation to rule.
Yet the longer he’s caged, the greater the prince’s discontent grows. Thought bubbles show that while he sits on the throne, he dreams of being out on the field of battle. His heart hardens to everyone around him, until he loses interest in everything. The last frame is a drawing of the prince’s silhouette in a white box, surrounded by emptiness.
I turn the page.
This new spread has fewer boxes, so the pictures are bigger, and there’s a line of text at the bottom. The drawings show a series of figures being brought before the prince to face his ruling on various disputes—the details aren’t spelled out, but that doesn’t matter. Not a single subject leaves the castle with their head.
The text reads:
El príncipe es más temido que el rey. Él es responsable por tantas muertes y mutilaciones en su reino como su padre en el campo de guerra.
I work out the translation quicker than I expected: The prince is even more feared than the king. He is responsible for as many deaths and mutilations in his kingdom as his father on the field of war.
I flip the page.
A detailed portrait of el Príncipe de Hierro takes up the whole paper. My eyes trace over the dark hair, deep eyes, and flawless features many times before my brain registers the meaning.
I’ve met the Iron Prince.
I call him Sebastián.
My hands and nails are caked with dirt when I return to the castle.
I open the door to find Sebastián waiting for me in the entryway, and I stumble back, startled by the sight of him.
“What happened?” he asks, studying my fingers.
My pulse quickens. Does he know? my heart seems to be asking. He can’t know, answers my mind. Night hadn’t yet fallen when I left the castle.
Still, I flash to the drawings of the subjects he beheaded when he was Prince Bastian, and I know I should be honest. If he learns what I’m keeping from him, he’ll kill me for sure…
And yet. Sebastián doesn’t remember that version of himself, and I intend for it to stay that way.
So instead, I push back thoughts of the Iron Prince and all the violence he’s inflicted and say, “I—I tripped.” Then I stride past him to wash my hands in the closest bathroom.
“It is the full moon, and your aunt is not back.” He seems too preoccupied by that to pick up on my new secret. “You should not be venturing out after dark until this lunar phase has passed.”
I think I’ll wait to tell him about the black smoke’s invitation to meet at the woods at midnight.
“I’ve been thinking,” I say as I dry my hands on a towel, “that just like we studied the limits of the black smoke, we should also study the spell’s limits on you. That might help us see something we’re missing.”
Plus, I need to know your exact limitations, in case your memory returns and you become a threat to me, is what I don’t add.
“How do you propose we do that?” he asks as I step out of the bathroom.
“Let me just get my journal—”
Sebastián disappears and reappears in the span of a breath. He moves so fast, it’s dizzying. Then he hands me my pen and Dad’s leather journal.
I haven’t had a chance to write in it yet, and I open the blank book to a random page, bring it to my nose, and take a deep whiff. The papery musk hits my head with a rush, like a drug.
“Should I leave you two alone?” he asks.
“Let’s start with the front door,” I say, turning away to hide my grin. Who knew the shadow beast could be funny?
“What would happen if you tried to walk outside right now?” I ask once we’re in front of the entrance again.
Sebastián complies by turning the handle, but it doesn’t budge. He melts into shadow to go through the wood, but nothing happens. I twist the handle myself, swinging the door open, and he materializes on the threshold, staring out into the night.
