Page 116 of The Mage and His Stolen Prince
“Delilah Woeful,” Wilde said, his voice amused and light. “Thank youso muchfor bringing the royal champions here.” His hand closed on the scruff of her neck and lifted her up, up, up into the air.
“What do you mean? Wilde, what’s going on?” All her words came out in pitiful meows.
“I couldn’t have done this without your help, so the least I can do is give you a front row seat.”
She’d been so preoccupied with the throne that she had missed the small cage sitting next to it. Gold metal wire shaped into a tall bell, with a red velvet pillow stuffed into the bottom, the edges spilling out between the bars.
“That is abirdcage!” she yowled in outrage.
He opened the door and stuffed her inside. The second he released her, she scrambled for the door, but he’d already closed and locked it. She swiped a paw at his retreating hand, scratching a thin red line along the back. The sight of blood welling to the surface made her triumphant at first, then sad as she realized she’d hurt someone she’d thought was a friend. “Why are you doing this?”
“Meow all you want,” Wilde told her, his tone flippant. “No one can understand you anyway.”
“Please! Just tell me this is part of the plan! That you didn’t really betray us!”
Wilde sat on the throne again, returning to the same relaxed, slightly bored pose. “Patience, kitten. The real show will start soon.”
Royal Champions Vs. Evil Minions: Round One
Late Afternoon
Skulking Around a Formerly Cursed City
Waiting
“Delilah should have returned by now,” Fitz said, his eyes locked on the back entrance to the Lord of Grimnight’s lair. About ten minutes ago, there had been a lot of commotion, and then the guards had changed shifts. Twenty-three minutes after the hour seemed like an odd time for a change. Was someone late or early? Were the guards needed inside?
Maximus’ expression darkened. It’d already been quite dark, ever since Trey had separated from them, but now Maximus would have looked right at home in the evil lair. “She trusted him,” he said with no other explanation.
Fitz sighed. “That means we’re going into this blind.” They’d begun this quest with five champions and a mage and now it was only the three of them. “Angelica, maybe you shouldn’t—”
“Shouldn’t what?” she asked, eyes narrowed and fingers toying with the dagger on her belt.
Fitz snapped his mouth shut, hiding his stupid tongue between his teeth. He only spoke again once she’d removed her hand. “Draw it out as long as you can but try to win.”
“Ialwayswin,” she snarled.
Against her own personal guards and in refereed competitions. Fitz didn’t want to start infighting in what little was left of their group, so he kept that thought to himself. “See you inside.”
She nodded once and snuck around the corner, distancing herself from Fitz and Maximus to keep them out of the line of fire.
Fitz turned to Maximus. “You ready?”
Maximus’ jaw tightened. “Why are we doing all this? The Lord of Grimnight caught Delilah already and we have no idea what he’s done to Trey. We shouldn’t risk Angelica just for a distraction.”
“Because otherwise it’ll be three-against-fifty?” Fitz shook his head. “We can’t storm the lair and challenge him to a duel. We’d never defeat him that way. He tricked us, don’t you want to turn the tables on him?”
The clash of swords echoed from the distance, their signal that Angelica’s distraction had begun.
Fitz and Maximus remained in a low crouch as they approached the lair. When they reached a back entrance, Maximus pulled out his tools and quickly picked the lock. They braced themselves for a tell-tale screech, but the door opened smoothly, its hinges freshly oiled. They pushed it open and peeked inside.
A guard walked through the hallway, their back to the door for now. When they reached the end, they rounded the corner and continued their patrol.
Fitz and Maximus snuck inside, slipping into the closest room before the guard returned. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, revealing a completely stripped office. The two-toned walls indicated where file cabinets had once been, recently removed and stored elsewhere. There wasn’t anywhere to hide, so if the guard returned and checked all the rooms, they’d be screwed.
“This is a stupid idea,” Maximus snapped, keeping his voice low.
“I didn’t see you coming up with a better one!” Fitz’s voice rose a little too loud and he forced it back to a whisper. “Gods, you all leave the planning to me, then complain the second we hit a rough patch.”
