Page 30 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne

“If we were only buying common goods, the market would be fine, but Angelica brought up potions and weapons. For those items, we’ll need to go somewhere else. There’s a good place, about an hour’s carriage ride from here. If we leave now, we’ll have plenty of time to shop and return home before dark.”

Delilah giggled and bounced to her feet. “Yes! Finally! I’ve always wanted to go to Windermere Plaza.”

“Uh, and what is Windermere Plaza exactly?” I asked.

“It’s the largest shopping center in the Desolated Lands!”

Within the hour, we’d piled into a single carriage. Five was a tight fit, but Fitz insisted that part of the purpose of this excursion was to bond, and we couldn’t do that if we split up. He was less enthusiastic about the idea when Delilah, Maximus, and I took one side of the carriage, leaving him to sit with Angelica.

Her coral skirts spread out around her, taking up two-thirds of the bench, shielding her personal space.

Unwilling to risk her wrath, Fitz squeezed himself into one corner.

Cramming three people onto one seat wasn’t any easier. Delilah’s small stature was negated by Maximus’ broad shoulders. He tried to take up as little space as possible, tucking his legs against the bench and folding his hands politely in his lap. His shoulder still firmly pressed against mine.

How did I end up in the middle?

The first ten minutes of the journey passed in physically and socially uncomfortable silence.

Eventually, Fitz cleared his throat and asked, “Would anyone like to play a travel game?”

Angelica rolled her eyes. “Will the whole quest be like this? Silence or awkward overtures of friendship?”

“If you simplyacceptmy overtures, it won’t have to be.”

“What kind of game?” Delilah asked.

“We could,” he trailed off, lips parted as if ideas would simply leap into his mouth of their own accord so he could spit them back out. “Count cows?”

We all looked out the window onto the cobbled city streets.

“Zero,” Angelica said. “Do I win?”

“Fine, someone else come up with something.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, closed my eyes, and leaned my head back against the carriage. The argument faded into the background, replaced by the muffled sounds of horse hooves on stone, the clatter of the carriage wheels, the bustle of traffic.

The weight of my missed night of sleep covered me like a warm blanket. I drifted off before they decided on a game to play.

Drool oozed from my lips, sticking the fabric beneath my cheek to my skin. Half-asleep, I lifted my hand to wipe it away.

“Here,” a soft voice said, then a gentle cloth cleaned the corner of my mouth.

My eyes snapped open, and I jerked upright. Only the heavy weight on my lap kept me from tossing myself off the carriage seat. I looked down to find Delilah using my lap as a pillow, her tail wrapped around herself.

Across from me, Angelica slept with her head back and her mouth wide open. The snores coming from her were like rocks grinding against each other. Both of her feet were kicked up, treating Maximus’ lap like her own personal footstool.

On the other side, Fitz was curled into a tight ball, chin tucked against his knees. If it hadn’t been for his heavily askew glasses, I would have sworn no one could sleep likethat.

I glanced back at Maximus, the only other person awake right now. Since he wasn’t wearing a jacket, a dark stain spread over his white shirt where I’d leaned against his shoulder.How long did he let me drool on him?

“Guess everyone was tired,” I said. “Did you sleep?”

He shrugged.

Does that mean ‘yes’ or ‘no?’

“How long until we reach the plaza?”