Page 161 of The False Prince (Ascendance 1)

A flash of anger crossed Roden’s face, but he backed off while I shook hands with Tobias.

“I think you’re supposed to be the king,” Tobias said, smiling. “The stars are shining for you tonight.”

He must have felt the note I placed in his palm when we shook hands, and he hid it well when we pulled our hands apart.

The ride to the castle was very quiet between Conner and me. He had started our ride by trying to quiz me on any last-minute details. I assured him that I knew everything I had to know, and told him to let me have my silence.

I watched the castle rise into view as we approached. I hadn’t been there in four years, and when I left, I had never expected to see it again. It was one of the younger castles in the surrounding region and, as such, had borrowed heavily from other countries’ architecture. It was built of the large granite blocks from the mountains of Mendenwal and used the round, heavily decorated turrets of Bymar rather than the plain and square turrets common elsewhere. Like Gelyn’s architecture, the heart of the castle was tall and layered, while its wings were long and square. And small ledges extended beneath the windows. To the people of Carthya, it was the center of their government, a symbol of the king’s power, and a sign of the prosperity we had always enjoyed. To me, it was home.

However, it quickly became apparent that we were not the only ones trying to get through the gates. A dozen carriages were ahead of us in line. One by one, a castle guard spoke to someone in the carriage at the front of the line. A few got through, but most were turned away.

Conner leaned his head out the door and signaled to a carriage that had been refused entrance. “What’s happening?” he asked the occupant.

“Can’t say exactly. Whatever I said to the guard, though, he waved us away. Can you imagine such rude treatment? I happen to have the long-lost son of Carthya, Prince Jaron, with me!”

I started to lean forward to get a look at him myself, but Conner pressed me back into my seat.

“Do all these carriages hold the missing prince?” Conner asked.

“There are several frauds, I’m afraid. Several carriages contain nobles invited to the castle to greet whatever king is named tonight, and they are allowed through. But my boy, er, the prince, is with me, so they have chosen poorly.”

“Let us hope the correct boy is crowned tonight,” Conner said, and then wished him well as our carriage moved forward. When we were alone again, Conner added, “His boy looked nothing like Prince Jaron. The guards must be screening for possibilities here at the gate, letting only the most probable candidates through. Don’t worry, Sage, your resemblance is close enough to get us through.”

I wasn’t worried.

But when we reached the gate, Conner learned the truth about the screenings.

The guard looked at me and arched an eyebrow. At least he was impressed. “Who is this?” he asked Conner.

“Prince Jaron of Carthya, as you can plainly see. He must be presented at court before a new king is named.”

“I’ve seen many Prince Jarons tonight,” the guard said. “Have you anything else to say?”

This was a request for a code word. It was an old tradition amongst the royal family to have a code word in the event that an impostor ever tried to enter the castle, or if we had to enter the castle while in disguise. The guards at the gates of the castle were the only other ones who knew the code word even existed. If Conner had known the code, he would have asked if the queen planned to wear green at the dinner tonight, because it was the only color he had brought to match her dress. At least, that had been the code four years ago.

All Conner could do was shake his head.

“I’m sorry,” the guard said. “You may not enter the castle tonight.”

“But I’m Bevin Conner. One of the twenty regents.”

“Then what I meant to say is that you may enter.” The guard flashed a glare at me. “The boy with you may not.”

“He is Prince Jaron.”

“They all are.”

Conner yelled at Cregan to turn our carriage around. “Fools!” Conner hissed, swatting at the carriage door with his hat. “Are we defeated so easily?”

I leaned back in my seat. “There’s a secret way into the castle.”

Conner stopped his swatting. “What? How do you know?”

“I’ve used it.”

“You’ve been inside the castle? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You never asked. There’s a river that flows beneath the kitchen. As food is prepared, the garbage is dumped into the water and the river carries it away. The river is gated, but there is a key so that the gate can occasionally be cleared of larger obstructions.”