Page 56 of Kingdom of Locks

“It does make sense,” Aurelia argued, her eyes on her mother.

Amell nodded. “It’s the biggest crisis we’ve seen in decades. My father is overseeing the response himself. He’s camped at the prison right now.”

“The king?” Aurelia gasped. She shook her head. “No wonder Cyfrin was annoyed about it all.” She looked at Mama Gail, a hint of dryness in her voice. “Is His Highness allowed to sit now?”

The older woman grunted her assent, and the three of them sat.

“Please just call me Amell,” the prince said, with a disarming smile. “It’s so much simpler.”

“If you’re a prince,” Mama Gail cut in unceremoniously, “you should have all the resources we could need to get out of here.”

“That was my hope as well,” Amell responded gravely. “But my inability to communicate your situation to anyone does complicate things. Given the nature of the protections on this place, military force won’t help free you. And I’m not versed in matters of magic myself, so I’d be dependent on our Enchanters’ Guild to find a solution. How to achieve that without telling them the details of your plight has me in a puzzle.”

“Well, at least you can still get in,” Aurelia said brightly. “That’s much better than nothing.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Amell smiled. “And I fully intend to find a solution. If I can’t break the magic that’s silencing me, I’ll have to find a way around it.” He flashed her a grin that made her stomach flutter strangely. “I’ve always been good at finding a way around the rules.”

“I’m sure,” Mama Gail cut in dryly.

“Oh Mama,” Aurelia said, reproachfully. “He’s been as good as his word so far.”

“I reserve the right to be skeptical,” the older woman said unapologetically. Her eyes were still on Amell. “I come from Albury, so I don’t have a great deal of trust for royals.”

Amell grimaced. “That’s understandable,” he said heavily. “If you’ve been stuck in here for seventeen years, you’re probably thinking of the former king. I never met him myself, thankfully, but by all accounts he was a hard and cold man.” He brightened. “But his son is king now, and he’s much more reasonable. Since his marriage, he’s considered almost kind.”

Mama Gail looked surprised. “Albury’s king is married?” she demanded. For some reason she glanced at Aurelia. “I must have missed that day’s news.”

Amell nodded. “He was married immediately after his curse was broken. The girl in question broke the curse, and it seems they fell in love in the process.”

“That’s nice,” said Aurelia brightly.

“And it explains how I missed it,” Mama Gail mused. “Cyfrin was very interested in that curse.” Again she threw a look at Aurelia. “He took to keeping his news book with him, instead of leaving it here.” She frowned. “Such a shame there’s no way to access old announcements.”

Aurelia saw that Amell looked confused, and she hastened to explain. “Cyfrin has an enchanted book in his study that mirrors the royal announcements of each kingdom in Solstice each day. Mama Gail checks it most evenings.”

“That’s handy,” said Amell, sounding intrigued. “I’m surprised he doesn’t lock his study.”

Aurelia chuckled. “He doesn’t think he needs to. There’s an enchantment designed to keep us out, by name, but he doesn’t know Mama Gail’s real name, so it doesn’t work on her.”

Mama Gail shot Aurelia a sharp look, and she shrugged. “It’s not like I can tell him your real name by accident.”

Amell was looking uncertainly between the two suddenly tense women, and Aurelia brushed the old argument aside. She didn’t know how long their visitor—the prince!—would stay, and she didn’t want to waste a minute on unrelated matters.

“You might not be able to tell anyone about us, but you can bring us news, can’t you?” Her eyes widened. “And items, even.”

“Yes, I imagine so,” said Amell. “What would you like me to bring?”

“What wouldn’t we like?” Aurelia countered, delighted. She turned to her mother, their moment of conflict forgotten. “We could ask for anything!”

Amell chuckled. “Well, within reason. I suppose it has to be something I can carry.”

“Well, Mama Gail?” Aurelia pressed, hoping to elicit some enthusiasm from the older woman. “You first.”

“Well…” Mama Gail hesitated, her voice a little gruff. “I was very fond of cheesecake.”

“Done,” Amell said promptly. He turned to Aurelia. “And you?”

“I don’t know,” she laughed, feeling almost giddy with excitement at the vista of opportunities opening before her. “I don’t know what I’m missing, because I’ve never known anything that’s not in this tower. I suppose some new books would be nice.”

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