Page 5 of The Crownless Prince

“Wait,” he whispered.

They remained still for several more moments, until he was certain no one was in the room. He let out a breath, suddenly very aware of every place where their bodies touched as a result of cramming his tall frame into the wardrobe.

“Sorry.” Sheepishly, he removed his hand from her mouth. “Needed to be sure the door closing wasn’t a trick.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.” Adriana pushed open the wardrobe doors, and Marcus squinted against the sunlight streaming in through her open window.

They both moved to get out at the same time. His foot caught on the hem of her dress, and they tumbled out of the closet. She half swallowed a scream and clutched the front of his long tunic, dragging himdown despite his flailing efforts to catch himself.

His palms slammed painfully into the rug on either side of Adriana’s blonde curls as he collapsed on top of her, and she released a muffled “Oooph.” They both froze, their faces inches apart. His eyes locked with her hazel ones, and for a moment, he forgot to breathe.

Adriana’s pink lips parted…

Heat crept into his face, and he scrambled off her. “Sorry.” He brushed his long strands of dark hair over his shoulders, using the excuse of straightening his tunic over his legs to avoid looking at her. It was getting harder not to kiss her, but was eight months and fewer than a dozen meetings enough time to start kissing? Besides, he wasn’t sure how to ask if she was interested in taking that step, too.

“Well.” Adriana slipped around him on her way back to the small table and motioned toward the stacked deck of playing cards. “Shall we?”

Dust shook loose from the rafters as the tower quivered, and a low creaking, rumbling sound filled Marcus’s ears. Edwin had gone white as a sheet, and he rushed over and seized Marcus’s arm.

“We should…should…” Edwin’s throat worked.

“You can’t guard me from an earthquake.” He’d meant it as a joke, but the words came out strained.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, the trembling ceased. Thetower went still, as if nothing had happened. They stood frozen for several heartbeats, but no more tremors came, and the tower went silent. Marcus took a steadying breath, then pried Edwin’s painful grip off his arm.

“I’ve heard stories about the earth shaking,” Edwin whispered. “I wasn’t entirely sure if they were true.”

Marcus chewed on his lower lip. “I think it would be the first time here…but it seemed strange, somehow. Almost like the building itself was shuddering.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Does an earthquake make sense?”

They looked at each other, Edwin’s troubled expression mirroring Marcus’s confusion.

“Doesn’t matter,” Marcus said. “Regardless of the cause, it might have affected the integrity of the tower.”

“Meaning?”

Marcus grinned. “Meaning it might be weakened. We might have a chance to escape.”

His eyes widening, Edwin looked around the room. “What do we try? The windows? The door?”

“Considering the bars are soldered into the stone, the door might be easiest and will quickly prove if the magic was affected or not.”

Edwin nodded. “If the wood doesn’t chip, we’ll know nothing has changed.”

After some debate about how to get started, Marcus attempted to pry the iron strap hinges off the door with a butter knife. When theknife wedged under the lower strap, he looked up at Edwin in stunned disbelief. Much straining later, they ripped the nails out of the wood and pulled away the lower hinge, leaving chips and scratches on the planks.

“The spell is gone,” Edwin whispered.

Marcus nodded, still gaping at the bent hinge. After all these years, they could be free. He should be elated. Instead, dread crept through him.

“Do you think…my father…” He gulped. “He said until he orders the tower opened, or…”

Compassion softened Edwin’s countenance. “Maybe he gave the order, and someone will be here soon. Or he might be testing you to see if you’re strong enough to escape.”

“Maybe.” Marcus opened his mouth, about to ask if Adriana would be happy to see him again, but Edwin wouldn’t know, either. Instead, he rose from his crouch and rolled his shoulders. “Back to work.”

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