Page 119 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne

“And you won’t want to help us,” Fitz replied, “since it will mean defeating your father.”

I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the bars. “What do you plan to do?”

Fitz tilted his chin up and proclaimed, “We’re going to break the curse on the Grimnight Forest and renew the defense spell.”

“Bane won’t be included,” Maximus said, his eyes downcast, “but everyone else will be safe.” His jaw clenched with determination. “We’ll erase the evil from this place.”

What did he mean ‘erase?’ My father may be incompetent, but he still had a lair full of minions who would fight back. And Wilde was sleeping upstairs. If they fought him,someonewould get hurt: Wilde, or one of them. It didn’t matter. I couldn’t let that happen. “Wait!”

None of them looked back at me—not even Delilah—as they ran straight toward the fight I’d tried to save them from.

Concerned Parents Vs. The Cursed Forest

“You shouldn’t wear the armor, Kit,” Kit mocked as their sword swung through the air.

“It hampers your movement, Kit.” They raised their arm to block the lunging ghost wolf. Its mouth clamped down on their arm, its teeth unable to penetrate the heavy metal. They shook their arm until the wolf’s body collided with a tree. It dropped to the ground, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

“You can’t see with the helmet on,Kit.” Another wolf lunged at them and Kit kicked it straight in the ribs. For a moment, their foot met solid flesh, then it faded away as the ghost disappeared.

“I said your nameonetime!” Rick protested as he warded off his own lupine pursuer with a two-pronged rod that spewed red electricity.

“The rest were implied!”

“Is this really the right time to argue?” Brendon asked with a grimace as he waved a torch through the air, keeping two more wolves at bay. His back pressed against Rick’s for full circle defense.

“Since the wolves prove I’m right and Rick is wrong, yes, this is the time for it.” Kit finished dispatching the circle around them and lumbered over, clanking with every step.

The last few wolves that had been harassing Rick and Brendon yelped and ran away, conceding ground to the larger, louder monster in their midst.

Kit shouted in triumph, then promptly tripped over an arching root. Their arms pinwheeled wildly in the air, and Rick and Brendon each grabbed one to hold them up. In the end, the armor’s weight was too much for them, and all three collapsed in a bruised heap on the forest floor.

Rick groaned. “We are too old for adventures.”

“Speak for yourself, I’m doing great,” Kit replied, pushing themself up with immense effort. They panted and tried to wipe the sweat from their brow, only for their gauntlet to clank awkwardly against the helmet. “I can … do this … all day.”

A howl in the distance warned them that the wolves had found reinforcements.

“But maybe we should move on.”

Heavy armor was not easy to run in. Kit couldn’t even hope to keep up with Rick and Brendon, who had to slow down and double back multiple times to prevent losing each other.

“Just dump the armor!” Rick yelled after the sixth time.

“Nooo I need it!”

“Bullshit. Neither Brendon or I have it, and we’re just fine!”

“But what if the next monster isbigger?”

“How are you going to fight it if you’re exhausted from lugging that shit around?”

“He’s right,” Brendon said. “You’ll be forced to sit on the sidelines, watching as we either fail or triumph without you.”

Kit slowed to a stop. “Dammit.” They half-collapsed, grabbing onto their knees for support. After a moment of deliberation, they held up one arm. “Get me out of this shit.”

They promptly got Kit out of that shit.

Kit pouted down at the discarded pile of shiny metal. They held the helmet in their hands, stroking the dented dome. The armor was too heavy to carry with them, so they would have to abandon it. “I courted my wife in this armor.”