Page 28 of Contested Crown

“There it is!” She snapped another photo, then gestured for Cade to take my place. “Your Highness.”

Cade stood in place and let her adjust his hair, fixing the black glasses before she stepped back, taking three photos. As she returned to her computer, her fingers quick on the keyboard, Cade’s eyes focused on the wall, and he frowned.

“What are those?” His words were sharp, more command than question.

Krista’s eyes went wide, and she blinked, as though coming back into herself. She followed Cade’s gaze.

“Gifts from clients,” she said, just hesitantly enough that I knew there was something more to it.

Cade walked across the room, staring at a wall covered in delicate spellwork. Some of them looked like his own tattoos, vines or weapons. Others were even more obscure, raindrops and waves.

“This is discarded magic.” Cade turned, his eyes narrowed. “These are from mages.”

Krista looked at the wall, her eyes tracing over it as though seeing it for the first time. She looked at Cade again, frowning.

“Why would they have given it to you?” Cade’s voice was a demand, sharp. It tugged something inside me—I had almost forgotten what it was like when Cade gave orders. I felt something burn around my neck, the invisible collar that wasn’t there anymore.

Krista walked up to the wall, touching one of the waves. The green magic curved, moving for a half second before stilling.

“Cade, what’s wrong?” I asked. Krista was still staring at the wall, either her high or her secrets keeping her from speaking.

“You remember what I told you? Cutting off a piece of your magic would be like cutting off a finger. You would only do it if it was important or if someone demanded it of you.” Cade’s eyes were narrowed on Krista suspiciously, and I saw the problem.

“Was this part of their payment?” I asked her.

She shook her head slowly, pressing her palm to a feather that twirled in an invisible wind.

“No,” she said, “it wasn’t part of the payment. It was a gift. They were all gifts.”

“Why would so many mages have given you a gift like that?” Cade asked, the chill in his voice so familiar I shivered, practically feeling the arctic waters around me.

“Because I’m the one who got them out. I’m the one who got them freedom.” Krista turned, looking over her shoulder at Cade, her eyes half-lidded. “I’m the Underground Railroad, Prince Bartlett.”

ChapterTen

Itraced my eyes over the wall, unable to count the number of mages that had left pieces of their magic behind.

“The Underground Railroad?” I asked finally.

“Isn’t that why he’s running?” Krista jerked her thumb at Cade, her nose scrunching, brows drawn together in genuine confusion. “Because of the bounty?”

For a confused moment, I could only think of the money Declan had placed on my own head. “The bounty on me?”

Both of Krista’s eyebrows went up. She whistled, turning to face Cade more fully. “Woah, yeah, I guess I never thought hewouldn’tknow. Ha. I thought all the mage houses knew. My mistake. I thought you were… Sorry. I’m still really high.”

“Explain.” Cade dragged out the word, biting it until it became a serrated edge.

“House Morrison has a bounty out on any mage. They’ll pay top dollar for an unaffiliated mage. It’s caused a big scramble in the city.” Krista blinked, shaking her head as though willing herself into sobriety. “Me and some others have been helping mages that don’t want to play house politics get out.”

“Where are they going?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t ask. If I was guessing—which I don’t like to do—if I was a powerful mage and I didn’t want to be part of one of the houses, I would head to where they can’t reach.” She raised her eyebrows significantly, but I didn’t know enough about house politics to know where that would be.

Cade worried his lip between his teeth. “Anyunaffiliated mage?”

“Yeah. Big ones, small ones. Young, old. They don’t care as long as you’ve got magic on your skin.” Krista held up her own arm, bare of magic. She brought her hand close to her face, then pulled it back, pupils taking up the whole of her iris. “Okay, I’m going to go get started on your IDs and maybe have a snack. I should not have smoked that second bowl on an empty stomach.”

She left us alone in the room, and Cade approached the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “And these are only the ones who found their way to your friend.”