Page 48 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne

“None of us are useless,” Fitz began.

“You’re not useful!”

I grabbed Delilah’s collar and yanked her back before a literal catfight could break out. Looking the mayor in the eye, I said with a straight face, “We’re in this together.”

Like a smart man, he chose not to press the issue. “Good luck.” He walked away without another word.

“He definitely thinks we can’t do this,” I said.

We all turned our attention to the forest. The tree branches stretched seeking fingers toward us, ready to snatch us into their depths. Knots and hollows in the trunks formed ghostly faces, eyes wide in fright, mouths open in silent screams. If we waited long enough, could we watch the trees hunt us down?

Determined to be our strong leader, Fitz declared, “We’ll prove him wrong.”

As eager as everyone was to begin our quest in earnest, we needed to properly prepare ourselves before entering the forest. Magic and the treetops blocked out the sun, making the forest’s depths as dark as night even at noon. Carrying lanterns or torches would occupy one of our hands, limiting our fighting options, so we had to immediately dip into our potion stock.

Angelica reached into her bottomless bag and pulled out five purple bottles. “According to the shopkeeper, one dose should improve our night vision for up to two weeks. Fitz, yours might wear off sooner, but we have extra bottles.”

I popped the cork and sniffed the potion inside. It had a pungent, earthy scent, like mud and mushrooms. Wrinkling my nose, I downed the whole thing in one gulp. Usually, I only ever drank health potions, which were moderately sweet and easy to swallow. This one was slick and slimy, completely coating my mouth and throat. “Ugh! That’s worse than swallowing cum.”

Four pairs of eyes slowly turned to stare at me.

“Uh, I mean …” Before I could think of a correction, everyone cried out in alarm. The sunlight burned our newly sensitive eyes, and everyone scrambled to find some way to block it out. Fitz held a book up to his forehead, Delilah flipped her hair into a fluffy curtain, and Angelica scrambled to stand in Maximus’ looming shadow. Maximus and I both opted to hold our packs over our heads.

“Are we going to be blinded by the sun until the damn potion wears off?” I demanded.

“No,” Angelica said. Then added a slightly more hesitant, “I don’t think so …”

“We did this out of order,” I complained. “We should have done the night vision potion last.”

“Whining won’t help anyone,” Fitz said. He removed his glasses with his free hand and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Let’s get this over with. Everyone double check your packs, then let me know when you’re ready.”

I lowered my pack and squinted through the bright light as I checked the contents. Bedroll, three changes of clothes, a miniature first aid kit, two canteens with fresh water, a money pouch, and two weeks’ worth of food.

Angelica’s pouch held most of our supplies since it compressed all the items into almost weightlessness. It hung off her belt, a thief’s perfect temptation.

“Maybe someone else should carry that for you,” I said, nodding toward the pouch.

She arched an eyebrow. “I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own supplies.”

“Oursupplies, you mean. You’ve got the extra food, the potions, the research books, even a spare pair of Fitz’s glasses. What happens if you drop it, or someone takes it from you?”

She placed her hand over the rapier hanging on her other hip and confidently stated, “No onewill take it from me.”

Why was I arguing with her? The old man wouldloveit if she lost our supplies due to her own negligence, and no one could blame me. “Fine, do whatever you want.”

“I always do.”

I settled my pack on my shoulders and shrugged them to test its weight, then swung my upper body in a circle and bent at the waist. While doubled over, I looked through my legs to find Maximus watching me.

Does he suspect something?I searched his face for some sign he knew who I was, that I was leading them into a trap, but only saw mild curiosity. Belatedly, I realized I was still hanging upside down and awkwardly explained, “Just making sure my pack is secure.” Then straightened and looked at the forest.

With the night vision potion, the trees seemed less foreboding. The shadows were thinner, gray instead of pitch black. The overhead branches no longer resembled clawed hands. The white stones blazed brighter than before, guiding people directly to the center. It was as close as we would get to a clear path.

“What now?” Angelica asked, pursing her lips. “Do we just … walk in?”

“You could run, if it would help,” I said. “Might attract those ghost wolves the farmer mentioned though.”

“Princesses donotrun.”