Page 6 of To Catch a Prince

The entire thing didn’t last more than an instant, the fraction of a second, yet it was still imprinted in his mind - he recalled it with more clarity than any other memory, although it had been threecenturies.

“A lot of courage,” Argon noted. “You didn’t flinch.Good.”

The Prince got up, ruffled his hair and returned to his affairs. Vincent would never again ask about Shadow. He’d felt it. He knew it. He would have lived a happy life had he never felt itagain.

But there was no denying it. Shadow was here now, surrounding him and hisguard.

Vincent was about to give the order to retreat to the gates, when they saw it. A light in the darkness, so clear, despite the distance. It was miles away, but from Norda, they could see far into theLakelands.

“Kross,” he called, cursing himself for his limitations. This light ought to be checked and he couldn’t do it. “Would you fly toit?”

The large man started to shift into his light green scales, when a shimmery wave emanated from the light; shimmery, yet dark all the same. There was no questioning what thiswas.

Shadow. Pure Shadow, heading right tothem.

“Go, go, go!” he shouted, jumping on Kross’ back. The rest of his men started to shift, but they were too late; the force hit him before they could do anything aboutit.

Vincent stared in horror, feeling helpless and foolish. Why had they guarded these walls without a mage at their side to prevent this sort of thing? His men were all going to die with him because of his oversight. There were so few mages who could trump a dragon. In his arrogance, he hadn’t accounted forthem.

But the Shadow took no life that day. It could have, effortlessly,perhaps.

Instead, it hit something else, something that was far more precious: the golden, immaterial wall erected at theirborder.

Any friend of their realm, and perhaps the occasional fiend without real evil in their heart, could cross it. That was how they’d ended up infested with orcs, some rogues, and other undesirables in the past. But no actual army, or real threat, could have just walked into the Kingdom of Farden with the intention to harm its people, thanks to thatwall.

But just like that, their only defense against evil was gone, swallowed bydarkness.

4

The Tutor

Talia hadn’t stopped smilingallday.

She’d never gone to school before, unlike some of the eleven other young mages who had been chosen to be Blessed along with her. School, in Malek, was for children of poor farmers. They were instructed by teachers who didn’t know much past the borders of their own village themselves. It was a good establishment, and necessary, too, but people who hailed from families such as hers were educated at home by their parents and renowned tutors brought from all corners of theKingdom.

Now, Talia wished she’d gone to a school in her youth. The atmosphere was positively enchanting to her. Although some of the other mages looked at her funny at first, she’d won themover.

“Just look at this!” she’d said at supper the previous evening, gushing over the multi layered cake they’d beenserved.

“It’s just a mille-feuille,” Guillaume rolled his eyes, acting like she was making a fuss ofnothing.

She’d smiled and confessed, “There’s only one baker in the town where I’m from. My family travels to treat some of the nobles from all around the west, but it’s normally just my parents and my sister. Trust I’ll be excited by everything I see for the next few weeks. Sorry, you’ll just have to put up withme.”

Guillaume had been one of those who’d regarded her with suspicion at first; why, she wasn’t quite certain, but, by the end of the night, he was making sure she tried the best desserts. “You can’t skip the mousse, trust me on that one, littlehick.”

‘Little hick’ was to be her name amongst her peers, who took pity on her unrefined self. Xandrie always said Talia could charm a stone; it appeared she may not have beenmistaken.

Two girls knocked on her door that morning, bearing silkengifts.

“Your gray dress is depressing. Put it away and throw this over yourunderskirts.”

“Oh, I couldn’t,” said she, but then Laya unfolded the dress she’d brought with her. Trudy shook the bundle of fabric in her arms, too, revealing acoat.

The girls were like her, mages, not fancy princesses, and the gifts they’d brought with them were of the practical kind. The dress was of a similar shape to what Talia was accustomed to wearing, but the deep, dark red wild silk, embroidered with silver trees, simply made her drool. The coat was black, with a pointed hood and many pockets. It was also lined withfur.

“It’s too hot down in the province of Riverun for me to ever wear something like this,” Trudy told her. “Mother had me pack it for the capital, but it’s also rather warm here. You may have more use of it in the west. And, well, your coat looks like you madeit.”

She had to grimace. “My sisterdid.”

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