“Not all the time,” Ryan said.
“All the time,” I said. “I mean, have you seen him? He’s pretty much the hottest thing to exist. Of course people will randomly come up to him on the streets to tell him they can swallow an ear of corn to the hilt without choking.”
“Did you s-say c-c-corn?” Caleb asked, eyes wide.
“Still,” Ryan said. “You have to admit, that’s slightly impressive.”
“Maybe you can go back and tell her yourself,” I told him sweetly. “And while you’re at it, ask if you can stay with her because you suddenly don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Please. Like you would ever let me go.”
“I have no one but myself to blame for you.”
“And don’t you forget it,” he said as he grabbed my hand and held on tightly.
We turned down a side street in a part of the City I’d never been to before. The houses were ramshackle, not quite reaching the modesty of the street we’d just left. They weren’t anywhere near the conditions of the slums, but we were in one of the oldest neighborhoods of the City, and the road beneath our feet was cracked, and the houses loomed above us, curling over the street, the sidings in need of a good coat of paint. I looked up, and the sky above was still bright and blue, though it was starting to become streaked with pinks and oranges along the edges as sunset approached. We still had plenty of time, and I told myself the chill I felt down my spine had everything to do with my overactive imagination.
We turned down one more street deeper into the neighborhood. The road was a dead end, with houses that looked a little shabbier. I didn’t know if what I was feeling was pity or worry for Caleb and Christie, but I decided that if the situation looked dire, I would do everything I could to help them. Perhaps Morgan would know something that could help the little girl we were going to meet. I didn’t like it when people suffered and I could do something about it.
We stopped in front of a house at the end of the road. It was missing a few shutters on the windows, and the roof looked as if it needed to be replaced. It was a single story with a small porch, the wood of which was slightly splintered. The door was bright red, a shocking contrast with the drab surroundings.
Caleb stopped in front of the house, looking up at it, wringing his hands again. I was concerned he would rub his skin raw, so I dropped my hand on his shoulder. He looked startled as he glanced at me, a thin layer of sweat above his upper lip. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” I said, taking a guess at what worried him.
I seemed to be right, as his shoulders slumped. “I-I— It’s just that y-y-you’re so fancy,” he muttered. “And we’re n-not.”
I glanced back at Ryan, who had a concerned look on his face, brow furrowed. “Can I tell you a secret?” I asked Caleb.
He nodded, eyes wide.
“I’m not exactly fancy,” I said, squeezing his shoulder. “In fact, I came from the slums.”
“Y-you did?” he asked, sounding awed.
“I did.”
“As did I,” Ryan said, taking a step forward.
I thought it quite possible that Caleb was going into shock. “B-b-b-but—”
“You aren’t always where you come from,” Ryan said. “It’s about the path you choose for yourself.”
What a sap. I loved the royal shit out of him.
“Exactly,” I said, already planning on finger-blasting the fuck out of Ryan once we got back to the castle.
He smirked at me as if he knew what I was thinking.
Bastard probably did.
“O-okay,” Caleb said, sounding as if he were gathering his courage. “Okay. L-let’s go inside and—”
He scurried forward, up the stairs, faster than I would have expected him to be able to move. The door was unlocked, and he pushed it open. It creaked on its hinges, and there was nothing that came from the house. No magic, no warnings, nothing. We weren’t stupid, not with everything that had happened. Ryan’s hand was on the hilt of his sword, and I breathed in long and slow, but there was nothing. It was just a house.
I smiled at Ryan. “Ready?”
He nodded. “Let’s go make a little girl’s day.”
And we followed Caleb up the stairs and through the door.
We stood in an entryway, the wooden floor creaking underneath our feet. Off to the left was a large room with dirty windows letting in weak sunlight. There were wooden chairs scattered about and a chest of drawers against the far wall. A stone fireplace took up the other end of the room, the interior blackened with ash and soot.
Farther down the hallway appeared to be a kitchen of sorts, and off to the right were three doors, two of which I thought led to bedrooms, the third probably to the bathroom.
Candles were lit and lining the hallway, casting a sickly yellow glow and creating shadows in the dusty corners.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
Caleb shut the door behind us.
We turned to face him.
“Parents home?” I asked as he reached up and locked the door with a heavy finality.
He shook his head.
“Just your sister.”
He sighed, rolling his shoulders as if ridding himself of the tension. When he looked back up at us, there was a strange glint to his eyes. I frowned at him as Ryan gripped the hilt of his sword.
Caleb leaned back against the door, eyeing Ryan and me coolly. When he spoke, gone were the nerves and the stutter. His voice was smooth and melodic, almost like liquid smoke. “I honestly didn’t expect this to work.”
I groaned. “Gods. There is no sister, is there?”
The smile that curled his lips had a nasty curve to it. “No, Sam. There’s no sister.”
I raised my hands and clapped slowly. “Well played. Tugging on the heartstrings. That was rather devious.”
Ryan drew his sword, the steel scraping against the scabbard. “You’re going to want to step away from the door.”
“Was that an order, Knight Commander?” Caleb asked, looking unmoved by Ryan’s threat.
“For now, it’s a suggestion. But the next time I have to tell you, I won’t be as polite.”
“Oooh,” Caleb said, shivering dramatically. “That just gets me down into my nether region. No wonder she sees in you what she does. I thought she was just crazy. But what do I know.”
“Who?” I asked, the green and gold starting to skirt along the edges of my vision.
“In time, Sam,” Caleb said. “First, I need to tell you a little story.”
“Oh my gods,” I groaned. “Are you fucking serious?”
Caleb looked startled at my outburst. “Excuse me?”
“Somehow you infiltrated the castle, became part of the page program, waited until just the right moment, got us in your clutches, and now you’re going to ruin what I admit is a pretty awesome and dedicated plan by monologuing. Dude, you totally just lost any and all credibility as the diabolical mastermind I was making you out to be. For shame, Caleb, for shame.”
Caleb seemed a little flustered at that. “It started almost two years ago when—”