Page 5 of The Mage and His Stolen Prince
The clerk glared at me until I left her shop. At least I’d made an impression onsomeonetoday, even if it was the wrong person.
It didn’t matter. Since Plan A didn’t work, I’d move on to B. I’d seek employment at the castle. Best case scenario, I’d have a few weeks to befriend Trey before he left for Misfortune. Worst case scenario, he’d leavebefore I could fabricate another chance meeting. Even then, I’d at least know where he was heading next. Last time, they traveled to Woe first, so I could try to beat them there.
No matter what, I had to keep telling myself that Treasure and I would meet, fall in love, and I’d have everything I always wanted.
And if it didn’t work this time, I would try again.
Chapter Two: Wilde
Five Years Ago
The Lord of Grimnight’s Evil Lair
Receiving the Official Tour
“What do you think?” the lord demanded. He stood in the doorway of the throne room, hands steepled, fingertips tapping against each other in evil mage approved fidgeting.
I surveyed the room from a safe distance. It was my first official day as his apprentice and the last thing I wanted was to embarrass myself by tripping over the roots sprouting through the floor. Two rows of benches ran parallel along the length of the room, leading the eye toward the back. There, a massive tree twisted itself into an ominous throne. Every branch and twig had an end sharp enough to skewer anyone in range.
“That’s where I sit,” the lord said eagerly. Then he cleared his throat and straightened to his full height of five feet and eight inches. His bright blue eyes flicked to the top of my head, mentally measuring, and then smirked when he confirmed he was taller.
At seventeen, I still hadn’t hit any impressive growth spurts. A few years ago, when I was stuck around five feet, I’d consulted a mage about ways of altering my appearance. He’d happily shown me glamours and other spells, but nothingpermanent. The best ‘permanent’ solutions he could offer were high heels and proper nutrition.
The lord shuffled a little closer to me, back to his evil-mage-fidgeting. “Well?”
“Imposing,” was the only word I could think of, so it was the only word I gave him.
“Isn’t it?” he asked gleefully, an evil laugh bubbling into his voice.
“But …”
The evil laugh choked off and his shoulders slumped. “Yes? What is it?”
“How do you walk across the room without tripping?”
He blinked rapidly in incomprehension, then tossed his head back and laughed. “Oh, I don’t walk. I dothis.” One moment, he stood next to me. The next, he appeared sitting on top of the throne.
I winced, expecting the branches to impale him, but nothing happened. He tossed one leg over the other and placed both hands on the throne’s arms, sitting as casually as if the thing had been made for him. Since he was theLordof Grimnight, I supposed it had.
“Teleportation is—” he shouted. The words were muffled, snatched out of the air by the other trees sprouting across the room before they reached me. He teleported back to the entrance. “Teleportation is one of the few skills—I mean, one of themanyskills I excel at. Because I am a great and terrible evil, so of course there’s a whole long list that I will teach you … once you’ve … earned it.” His sentence slowed down as he fought his way through it.
“Thank you, sir.”
He shook a finger in my face. “You shall address me as master, his lordship, or some variation that highlights my wickedness. Understood?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Excellent.” He clapped his hands together and surveyed the room again. “The first task you must complete as my apprentice is to clear out this room.Ican teleport, but myaudiencewill need to walk. Can’t have them tripping and breaking a leg. The pain would distract them from my grand malevolence.”
I straightened, waiting for his instructions. What spell would he teach me? And more importantly, would anyone else be helping me? So far, the lord was the only person I’d met in the lair, but someone else should be here too. Someone it’d been a very long time since I’d seen. The whole reason I’d chosen this mage as my master.
The lord snapped his fingers, and an axe appeared in his hand. “Here.” He passed it to me. “The plants fight back, so try not to die.” Then he turned on his heel, cloak flaring around him dramatically, and walked away.
Was that it? That couldn’t be it. He had to be forgetting something. “Wait.”
His shoulders twitched and he turned around, eyes narrowed in displeasure. “Understand this, Wilde:youdo not givemeorders.”
I lowered my head in contrition and murmured, “Please, Master, I have a question.”
