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Chapter Six

T he guards were upon me before I could even consider running—not that there was any place for me to go. The cavern was a wondrous tomb, not an escapable one. I tripped over the lamp when they seized me, clanging it into a golden helmet.

“I knew I heard something inside! How did she even get in here?” the guard hissed as he twisted my arm behind my back, not noticing the sparkling ring on my finger. “Did one of the royals leave the vault open?”

Where was the man who’d let me in?

“Let’s just get her out, quickly!” the second guard said as he shoved me toward the exit. “The sultan will have our heads if he finds out we left our posts.”

They dragged me out without even bothering to look me in the eye. I looked around for the mysterious man who had sent me on my quest, but he was nowhere to be found.

Fantastic. Fooled again .

Going from the dim glow of the cave to the brightness of the wall sconces in the palace made my eyes ache.

I was glad the guards were practically dragging me, because my legs were feeling wobbly again.

The taste of the musty cave air left my mouth, replaced by the scent of burning incense and clean air as they guided me back to the palace’s main level.

My toes curled in my sandals as I pictured my new fate. Would I be returning to the dungeons? Executed for trespassing in the king’s vault? What would happen to Kipu if I never came home? Would Jean look after him? He had always liked Jean better.

The palace halls were busier than when I’d first passed through. Whatever event the princesses and noble ladies had been attending seemed to have concluded, leaving the hallways filled with rushing handmaidens and chittering ladies.

“This way.” One of the guards jerked me down a side hall, directing us away from the bustling guests. “Get her outside.”

I searched the faces for my ex-employer. It was unlikely that he would come to my rescue, but I at least wanted to kick my sandal at him for getting me into this situation and then abandoning me .

My thumb brushed against the band on my stolen ring, sending a pulse through my fingertips. It may not have been magic, but it was still the most expensive jewel I’d ever swiped. If I didn’t feel so weak, I might have had a chance to escape with it.

The hallway grew less busy, and my heart raced faster, threatening to make me lose consciousness.

The colorful tapestries on the wall blurred together, like a watercolor painting that had been left out in the rainy season.

I felt sleepy, but not in a natural way.

My legs were no longer in sync with each other, and my eyes were drooping.

Not now, fight it.

I slowed my breathing, sucking air in through my nose and pushing it out through my mouth in slow counts of three.

It helped, but I still wasn’t sure if I was lucid.

In fact, there was no way I wasn’t seeing things, because when we turned a corner, a familiar pair of amber eyes looked at me through an unfamiliar person.

Adir? No... That can’t be...

The guards stopped so quickly they nearly displaced my shoulder. The jolt shook my senses, knocking me awake enough to regain my composure. My heart rate slowed enough to let the dizziness fade, but I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing .

The man in front of me looked exactly like Adir, but at the same time he couldn’t be more different.

His warm eyes and sun-kissed smile were the same, but his frizzy hair was replaced by smooth, combed locks that looked glossy and soft.

His cloak and white tunic had been swapped out for a regal blue button-up with a gold vest that matched the jeweled turban on his head. He looked like...like a...

“Prince Adirion!” The guard pushed me to a kneel, far enough down that I could nearly kiss Adir’s polished shoes.

P-prince Adirion?

Perhaps I had fainted after all. This had to be a dream. There was no chance that the Adir I rescued in the bazaar was the same man with custom-made shoes that somehow smelled like roses.

“Gentlemen.” The prince addressed the guards, and his voice nearly made me swallow my tongue. It was him...I couldn’t forget that voice. “Might I inquire what you’re doing with this young lady?”

I could feel his eyes on me even while I ogled at his shoes, my hair around my face, curtaining my head so he couldn’t see my bewildered expression. Had he recognized me from the market ?

“She...” The guard gulped, then pulled me upright with a tense grip. “I’m sorry to admit, but she was caught breaking into the royal vault. She’s a thief.”

Adir met my eyes, the look sending me back to our moments on the inn’s rooftop. I heard his breath catch, the word thief staining his eyes as he looked at my expensive attire. I wanted to disappear. He was the prince , and I was a filthy street rat caught scurrying in his golden halls.

“She will be executed by morning,” the second guard said, causing my stomach to plummet. “After questioning, of course. The sultan will want to know exactly how she managed to infiltrate his vault, especially since only those with royal blood can open the lock.”

Royal blood? But wait, that would mean...

“Absolutely not.” The prince’s voice was stone cold, his posture stiffening to the point where I almost couldn’t recognize him as the man from the streets. “You won’t lay another finger on my guest.”

My mouth dropped open, once again considering if I’d fallen and hit my head at some point.

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness?” the first guard asked. “Guest?”

“Have you not noticed the other princesses occupying the palace?” Adir folded his arms. “She received an invitation just like all the others. Release Princess Kya of...Kipu-ron, at once!”

Kipuron? Oh dear…I’m still dead, aren’t I?

“The Princess of Kipuron?” The second guard blinked at the first, a mortified look crossing his face. “I think I’ve heard of that kingdom before...”

“You have?” I looked up at him, earning a confused look that startled me back into the moment. “Uh...I mean, you better have! We’re well-known for our...parrots.”

“Parrots?” The first guard raised a brow.

“Yes...” I bit my lip. “Parrots.”

The guards looked to the prince, who, to my relief, nodded.

“Parrots,” he said confidently.

The guards reluctantly released their grips on me, but they didn’t back away just yet. “I apologize, Your Highness, but I still fail to understand why one of the princesses was inside the king’s vault.” The first guard continued to glare at me, and I felt my voice slither back down my throat.

How am I supposed to explain that?

“Simple, I let her in,” Adir said, placing a polite hand on my shoulder.

“Princess Kya’s caravan was attacked by bandits, hence why she arrived alone and with no supplies.

The sultan agreed to let her peruse the vault for anything she might need to replenish what she lost.” He turned to me, his kind eyes remarkably deceiving.

I almost believed the story myself. “I’m so sorry you were interrupted, Princess.

Were you able to find anything you liked? ”

He squeezed my shoulder gently, urging me to respond.

“Y-yes,” I squeaked, pausing to clear my throat. “I was admiring a lovely oil lamp, but I’m afraid I dropped it when your guards escorted me out.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” he said so sweetly, I felt my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth.

“You two.” He snapped at the guards. “Go back and fetch the lamp for the princess at once. Have the servants prepare a suite for her as well. Unless you want to bother the sultan with the details of your mishap first?”

“No, Your Highness.” The second guard bowed. “A thousand apologies.”

They both disappeared with quick steps, leaving me and Adir behind in a tense silence that finally broke when he let out a deep sigh.

“That was close,” he said with a sink of his shoulders. “Are you all right? I didn’t ever expect to see you here.”

“Me?” I stumbled back a step, allowing all the revelations from the last five minutes to catch up with me. “What about you ? I thought you were a servant at the palace! But you’re a...you’re the... ”

“The prince?” He smirked. “You’re hardly one to talk. I thought you were a humble commoner, but here you are looking like a dazzling princess.” He gestured at my gown, his eyes taking me in like I was another priceless jewel in the vault.

“It’s just a dress, I’m not—a” My breath caught, and all the blood drained from my face as the word princess hung unspoken in the air.

My wish...

I curled my fingers around the ring, my heart pulsing in my thumb as I pressed it against the warm band. It couldn’t possibly be real...I wasn’t actually a princess, the prince only made up a lie to save me.

“How did you get inside the palace? And why do you look like a princess?” Adir inquired with a much more hushed voice, taking in my glitzy attire. “Is it a disguise? Were you really trying to break into the vault?”

“No, no, that’s not why I came here,” I said quickly, tucking my hand behind my back as I tried not to let my panicked thoughts consume me. “The dress is a long story, but I was arrested for possessing the bracelet you gave me. The guard thought it was stolen.”

And also the other two bracelets… which were indeed stolen, but that made it sound like it was my fault. Which it was… but he didn’t need that reminder!

“What?” He pressed a hand to his forehead. “Kya...I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for that to get you into trouble. I should have known better than to put you at risk like that.”

He paced the width of the hall for a second, his brow knit together. I kept my ring tucked behind my back, unsure why I felt the need to hide it from him. This was what he was looking for, wasn’t it?

It’s what Adir was looking for...I don’t know why Prince Adirion would want it, if it’s even real.

“Come on, let’s get you out of the palace before anyone else sees you.” Adir held out his hand to me, a determined gleam in his amber eyes. “I’ve already caused you enough trouble, let me finally fix it.”

I stared at his hand, feeling my own twitch behind my back.

It would be so easy to accept it. To show him what I’d found and stick around to share everything I’d experienced with him.

I wanted to tell him more about the vault, about the strange man, and Jimerella.

But looking at his princely attire and the secrets he’d kept made my hand too stiff to move.

“Ah, Adirion, there you are, nephew.” A deep voice cut off my thoughts.

I noticed Adir’s petrified look before I had the chance to turn around.

The dark shadow that slinked over me held the exact same eerie presence as when it had found me in the prison cell, and I could already feel his eyes prying at my trembling finger.

I glanced over my shoulder, my heart stuttering as I looked up at the man who had sealed me inside the cave. “Who’s your lovely companion?”