The False Prince

“Roden couldn’t have made these notes either,” Conner said. “It must be Tobias.”



“Ask him, then.”



“I think not,” Conner said. “I believe I’ll let Tobias rest secure in the belief that he’s in the lead for my decision. The more confident he is, if he authored these pages, that overconfidence will guide him to expose himself.” Conner chuckled, and then added, “I’m sure this secret is safe between you and me, correct?”



He didn’t wait for a response and I offered none. Conner stood and walked over to me. He lifted my face and inspected it for cuts or bruises. “You’re none the worse after a stay in my dungeons. I hope the experience humbled you.”



He took the blank expression on my face as an answer and continued, “You’re a difficult young man, Sage, but I suspect that comes from your lack of discipline and supervision, which means I can train it out of you. I’ve heard that down in the dungeons, you told Mott you would be my prince. Is that so?”



“You need me.”



“Why is that?”



It took a few seconds to collect my breath to answer. “Tobias and Roden can’t convince the regents. I can.”



“So you’ll be their prince,” Conner said. “But will you be my prince?”



Slowly, I nodded. Conner smiled and said, “You have one more week to prove it to me. Sleep today and you’ll resume lessons tomorrow. Now go get some rest.”



He never asked me about the rock, but he got what he really wanted. I had promised to be his prince.



Once they got me into bed, Errol attempted to take care of my back, but I fought him so much that at one point after I awoke, it was Imogen who sat beside me.



I mumbled a hello to her. She shifted her eyes to identify Errol in the room, standing against a wall and looking irritated. So I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.



The next time I awoke, Imogen was using a warm damp cloth to clean my face. It was getting darker outside, though only a few lamps were lit yet. I looked around the room, but we appeared to be alone.



“Where’s Errol?” I asked.



“Gone. For now.”



“So they let you out of the kitchen to play nursemaid?”



“No one else would come. Not after the way Errol described all the trouble you were giving him.”



“He made it hurt worse.”



She frowned. “I’ll try to do better. Let me look at it.”



“Don’t. It’ll look bad and then you’ll have to pour this stuff on it.”



“That stuff is alcohol and it’ll keep infection away.” She helped me roll onto my stomach, then lifted up my shirt and pulled at the bandage. There was silence as she looked at my back. It didn’t even sound as if she was still breathing. “Oh, Sage.”



“It’s just the one cut.”



“Which looks awful. But you’re covered with bruises too.” She lightly traced a finger across my back.



“Your hand is cold,” I mumbled.



“Your skin is hot.” She unknotted and loosened the bandage, then said, “The wound has sealed, which is good, but I’ve still got to use the alcohol.”



I groaned and buried my face in my pillow. She applied alcohol to a towel and pressed it against my back, apologizing the entire time. When she finished, I focused on steadying my breathing while she reknotted the bandage.



“The servants say you did this for some little rock,” she said. “They had us search everywhere, but nobody can find it. Where’d you put it?”



“What’s your reward if I answer that?”



Imogen drew back, offended. I apologized, but the damage was done. “I’m no spy. It was just a question.”



“If you knew, maybe they’d try to get the answer from you too.”



“You’re the only one in the entire world — Conner included — who truly gives a devil’s inch about that rock.”



“Gold.”



“Whatever it was, you’re crazy to defy Conner that way.”



“Only one week more. Then everything will change.”



“Didn’t you learn anything in the dungeon? Nothing will change as long as you’re living under Conner’s rules. You’ve got to find a way to get out of here.”



“If he chooses me this week, I could get you away from here too.”



She hesitated, then said, “You’re delirious with exhaustion.”



“I’m not.”



“You are,” she insisted. “Sage, you are, trust me on that.”



“If I were the prince —”



“Whatever title they give you, you’ll always be a servant to Conner. You’ll always belong to him in some way, which means you’re in no position to make that offer. Now enough of this; you have to eat something. Can you sit up?”



With Imogen’s help, I got to a sitting position. She offered to feed me, but I said I’d rather do it.



“After becoming prince, I could trick Conner,” I said after I’d taken a few sips of a warm vegetable broth. “Free myself of his influence. Then you could —”



We were interrupted by Tobias and Roden returning to the room. They stopped in the doorway and stared awkwardly at me.



“Thought you’d never see me again?” I asked.



“It’s like looking at the dead,” Roden said.



“We didn’t think Conner would bring you back here,” Tobias said. “Not after what you did.”



“It’s okay for him to steal from me, but not for me to take it back?”



They didn’t answer and stared at Imogen as if they wanted her to leave before anything more was said. I finished the rest of my soup and handed it to Imogen. She shook her head stiffly at me, then gathered up any items not needed and quickly left the room.



“It’s irrelevant for you now anyway,” Tobias said, sitting at the desk. “You’ve missed so much of the lessons, there’s no way you can catch up, not even to Roden. Conner will choose me.”



“How do you know that?” I asked.



“No, it’s true,” Roden said, obviously dismayed. “Conner made it very clear at supper tonight that I’ve been a disappointment to him and you’re too unstable. He didn’t say anything at all about Tobias. If he had any problem with him, he’d certainly have said so.”



“Tobias isn’t strong enough to be king,” I said. “You and I have proven ourselves. Has he?”



“I will.” Tobias’s face was already red, and I suspected it was going to get redder before he was finished. “Don’t challenge me on that and don’t get in my way.”



Pretending I couldn’t detect the threatening tone in his voice, I casually leaned my head against the wall. “This is your chance with Conner, then. Be strong. Be bold. Tell him about all the notes you’ve made. Show them to him and prove just how smart you’ve become.”



Tobias glanced over at his stack of papers. Worry lines creased his forehead as he asked, “Have you been in my papers?”



“What good would that do me? I just think those notes would show off the results of your studies, prove to him that you have plans of your own.”