Page 45 of A Thieving Curse

THE DAY WAS warmer than Raelyn had expected. The forest was alive with spring. Squirrels chittered, birds called. Young, yellow-green leaves and tight flower buds sprouted from branches. The air smelled of fresh pine and damp earth.

She trailed along after the prince, often falling behind as she took everything in. The way the light filtered through the dense trees and cast patterned shadows on the rocky forest floor. How some trees grew in curves and odd directions to fight older, larger trees for a share of the sunlight.

The cursed prince checked branch-covered holes, hidden nets, and cages of woven branches. They were all empty, so he inspected them to make sure they were in working order. It was strange and almost surreal to see him crouched on the forest floor, frowning at a trap as his tail flicked over dead pine needles and leaves left over from last autumn. He kept his wings folded, and the bottom ends angled inward and crossed each other so they wouldn’t ram into the ground when he knelt down. He didn’t seem to even notice them. No more than one noticed their own arms or legs.

They didn’t speak as they walked, but Raelyn was fine with that. She had things she wanted to ask, but they were difficult questions. If he got angry, she’d rather be back at the cave.

She sat down every time he stopped to check a trap to give her sore ankle a break. A few times, she wondered if there was some way that she could leave her family a sign to follow. But she knew the chances of her family searching Mount Klainar were slim. She wouldn’t want the prince to catch her leaving clues, anyway, not when they were finally getting along. And if Henry was as conniving and cruel as the prince said, marrying Tristan would be a disaster. It might be better for Eynlae if her family didn’t find her.

The idea hurt, so she focused on enjoying being free of the cave. At least Gareth and her parents were safe. That soothed much of the ache in her heart.

“Are there really monsters deeper in the mountain?” she asked, partly to make conversation, but also because she wanted to know he hadn’t lied.

Alexander didn’t look up from the knot he was tying. “Yes. Some tunnels lead to caves that open onto other parts of the mountain, and various creatures use them. But there’s…foul-smelling things far down some of the tunnels. I didn’t dare discover what they were. Most beasts fear dragons, but we blocked those passages with spikes and nets, just in case.” With a final tug on the rope, he stood. “Come on.”

Eventually, Raelyn realized they’d been walking some time since the prince last checked a trap. She tried to determine if they’d perhaps turned around and were covering the same ground again, but most of the forest looked vaguely the same to her.

She finally spoke. “Any more traps?”

“No.”

Irritatingly cryptic.“Are we going back, then?”

“No.”

Raelyn pursed her lips. She’d decided to trust him, but they were in the middle of the forest alone, headed away from the only other people she knew of. “Then where are we going?” she asked, trying not to sound nervous. He’d promised not to hurt her.

“You’ll see.”

A few minutes later, the prince rounded some trees and stopped a few paces in front of her. “Ah. Here we are.” He motioned her forward. She moved around a bush and stopped next to him.

“Oh…” She gaped at the scene in front of her.

They stood on a cliff. A few feet ahead, the ground ended. Rocky, tree-covered mountains rose away from them in layered slopes of emerald, jade, and copper shot through with granite. A turquoise lake far below sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. A light breeze brushed her face. Prince Alexander moved forward and sat on the edge of the cliff, his legs dangling over empty air. In the distance, snowcapped peaks towered over everything like gigantic sentinels.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.

Alexander patted the stone next to him. “Come on, Princess.”

She eyed the cliff edge warily. “That…seems unsafe.”

The prince laughed. “Only if you jump or something crazy. But don’t worry. If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

“I don’t know—”

“Aw, fine. Be boring.” He stood and faced her with a grin. “I, on the other hand”—he backed toward the precipice—“like to live life on the edge.” He stepped off the rock, and she gasped as he fell.

Raelyn couldn’t say why, but her heart clenched as he disappeared beneath the ledge. She rushed forward, her breath catching, and heard a leathery snap.

The prince shot up past the precipice and wheeled backward. His massive wings beat the air, then steadied as they caught a draft and he soared over the open expanse in front of her. With his wings fully extended in the sunlight, she realized they were glossy, the black so deep it had a blue tint. He tucked his wings and rolled to the side. With another sharp snap, he extended them again. For a moment, he hovered in place, his eyes dancing. He dove to the side, his wings folded against his back. Her eyes widened as he plummeted.

His wings sprang open and caught a draft that pushed him higher. Alexander grinned as the wind tugged at his clothing and hair. He flew down toward the lake, then banked back around and spun upward, high above her. Raelyn watched, astonished. And, oddly, jealous. The way he moved was mesmerizing. He looked so free.

He had made the most of his curse; found something beautiful in the ugliness.

As he descended and approached the ledge, his wings slowed. She backed up to give him room, and he walked onto the stone, his wings folding behind him.

His irises glowed slightly in his flushed face, but not in a menacing way. He just looked…alive. Jubilant. He leaned forward, panting. “What. A. Rush!”

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