Page 19 of The Spy

There was no way anyone from Yaroi would put him up in such luxury.Even bland-white luxury was still better than the cell and quick execution waiting for him should he ever set foot in Yaroi again.Which meant he had to be either in Namin or Toval, most likely Toval, since that was the direction they had been heading last he remembered.Of course, he had no idea how long ago that had been nor whether something had happened to derail their journey.For all he knew, they could be in the secretive enclave that was the country of Zafindere, a country high in the mountains.

Ama really hoped they weren’t there, and though the chances of that were low, the mystery of where he was continued to churn through his mind.He wanted to get up and go find someone to fill him in on everything he’d missed, but when he shifted position to move the blankets out of the way, a lock of his very blond hair slipped down into view.

He had decided— No, he hadswornto himself.Hanging on that whipping cross, enduring the sharp agony of each magic-enhanced slice of the whip across his back, he had promised that if he was able to escape he was done pretending.Ama would finally tell the truth about himself to the people who mattered to him.He’d wanted to tell Braxton everything, but then Karl had appeared and telling Karl everything now felt more important than ever.

Karl had an innocent demeanor, but he hid a life and a mind that was anythingbutinnocent behind his facade.His eyes were such an amazing shade of golden brown, as if the golden shade of royal magic had mixed with something to become so much stronger.Hidden in those eyes was the same knowledge of the darker side of the world Ama had, based on things they had both experienced as children that led them onto the paths they had chosen.Ama became Braxton’s spy.Karl became Fen’s.

But… Ama let out a sigh, sliding that lock of hair between two fingers before resolutely tucking it back behind one ear.His life as a spy was now over.Thanks to the debacle in Yaroi, Yaroi knew all about Ama the spy.Every shadow he tried to slip into to continue his work would have a Yarokian assassin waiting for him.Ama the spy therefore had to vanish forever, replaced with a new identity.Or, in Ama’s case, an old identity he had hidden away a long time ago.

As Ama had told Karl back in the woods when he washed the dye out of his hair, for the first time others could see he was both a prince of Namin and Toval, nephew to Queen Carmillian through his mother and to King Aurelius through his father.His magic proved that connection.He could only see the present and always knew when danger was lurking ahead.That had helped him greatly as a spy and proved his connection to the Namese throne.The Tovalian royal power was the ability to summon weapons.Fen and Braxton could pull swords out of nothingness; Ama could summon a small dagger.His power was diluted, the perfect example of why royal families did not intermarry their children born with the royal power.

Ama could continue to hide his power, but assuming his birth identity meant he could not hide his features any longer.His golden-colored hair proved his Namese heritage, distinctive to the royal family thanks to their golden magic staining their features, and his face looked too much like his father’s.Anyone who remembered what traitor Prince Randolph looked like would easily recognize Ama.

All of which boiled down to the fact that he needed to know where he was and who was with him before he started wandering around looking for answers.He needed to be patient and wait for someone to come to him, after which he would hopefully know what was going on.

Ama fell into a light doze as he waited.Since he didn’t have a clock, and the light through the window was heavily filtered by the blinds, he had no idea how much time passed.When someone knocked lightly on the door, he jolted awake.

Whoever knocked didn’t bother waiting for him to call out, letting themselves in while he was still blearily blinking sleep out of his eyes.Two people walked in, the second gently shutting the door behind her.

“Karl,” Ama said, breathing out in relief as Karl smiled at him, as bright and happy as Ama remembered.“Does this mean we made it to Etoval?”The woman behind him was older, but she also looked vaguely familiar, which meant she had probably been part of the coup in Namin somehow.

Karl nodded.“We crossed the border two weeks ago and made it to Etoval last week.Alina here had to put you in a magically induced coma to help you recover, but she said you’re well enough to leave the healing ward now.”

“As long as you don’t do anything to overexert yourself,” Alina added, wagging her finger firmly at him.“It took a lot for me to put you back together.I won’t be happy if you end up right back here because you do too much too soon!”

“I suspect I won’t be allowed to do anything much,” Ama replied, pointedly tugging at a lock of his hair.

“They announced your return to Etoval two days ago, when Alina decided it would be safe to slowly wake you,” Karl explained.“You had been hidden away to protect you from your father and because of your connection to the future queen of Namin, but now that her rule is secure, you’ve decided to return to court again.We’re pretending you were here as a baby, and no one remembers because the royal family went to great lengths to erase you to keep you safe,” Karl added with a rueful grin.“You should expect some indelicate questions about what it was like living in a tiny farming village, but we figured keeping the rest of your story as close to the truth as possible would be easiest for you.”

“I see,” Ama replied.Any chance of his influencing the decision to announce him was gone, but in the end what Karl had explained was probably the best option.Ama suspected Aunt Millie’s involvement.

“Queen Carmillian told us your real name, by the way,” Karl added, rubbing the back of his neck as he confirmed Ama’s suspicions.“She was worried Yaroi might know you by Ama, but she said they won’t know Casmir.Uncle Braxton said you would hate it, but you would also understand you didn’t really have a choice.”

Ama—no, he was Casmir now, exactly as he had promised himself he would be—Casmir sighed.“He was right.I hate it, but I see the utility.I guess I should just be glad they were so willing to accept me, considering who my father was.”

“They took me in too,” Karl replied with an easy shrug.“I’m a nobody off the street, yet they willingly adopted me into their family.They even sent me to escort you around the palace as proof that you had full royal support.”

“On that note,” Alina said, cutting in, “it’s time for you to take Casmir to his new room.”

Karl nodded.“Yeah, that’s why I’m here.I’m supposed to show you the way to the royal wing and your new room, and then, it you’re feeling up to it, bring you to afternoon tea and then dinner.”

“Here are your clothes,” Alina added, holding out a cloth-wrapped package Casmir hadn’t noticed she was holding.“We’ll wait outside while you get changed.”

Casmir took the clothes from her and waited for Karl and Alina to leave before he started changing.Too much had happened in the last five minutes and Casmir didn’t know which thought to dwell on first.Maybe the fact that he had slipped so easily into mentally calling himself Casmir.Ever since the day Randolph had returned to their village and Casmir had needed to go into hiding as Ama, no one had called him that.He had been Ama for so long that sliding into becoming Casmir should have been difficult, yet here he was, accepting it so easily.

Maybe it was his promise to be his real self, or maybe the fact that he had apparently spent two weeks in a coma.Or, maybe it was Karl’s awkward yet understanding smile when he had called him Casmir for the first time.Somehow Karl’s presence made everything feel easier for Casmir.

The pants were blue but embroidered at the pockets with yellow flowers.The shirt was white, but the jacket was also blue with yellow flowers.It all fit well enough Casmir wondered if someone had come to measure him in his sleep.Soft, brown ankle boots completed the outfit.

He pulled open the door and stepped into a wide room in the shape of an octagon.Two rows of beds filled the center of the room.Doors and cabinets covered the walls.Karl and Alina were waiting beside a pair of open double doors on the far side of the room.Casmir joined them.They said goodbye to Alina, and Casmir followed Karl into the rest of the castle.

They walked side by side through the hallways, Karl pointing out landmarks and anything interesting as they went.Casmir didn’t have the heart to tell Karl he had been here many times before, concealed in the uniforms of various employees as he snuck around to report to Braxton.Being here as himself, without having to hide, was strange though.Casmir suspected he would feel like that for a long, long time.

The healer’s wing was on the other side of the palace from the royal wing.They walked for a long time.At first, Casmir focused on trying to dispel the strangeness and then he moved on to simply enjoying this chance to spend some time with Karl.

Something about Karl drew Casmir in.Yes, Karl had saved Casmir from certain death, and yes, there were some wonderful hidden depths to Karl that intrigued Casmir, but what drew him was something more—Karl’s smile, shy yet knowing and Karl’s swagger that said he had some sort of high-level weapons training, though he had literally just finished school to be a baker.He was a dichotomy of opposites, and Casmir wanted to know more.He wanted to know everything about Karl, and… Casmir swallowed hard, remembering the way he’d started to feel from the first time back at the pond in Yaroi, when Karl had helped him bathe and wash his hair, wanting to invite Karl closer and wanting to open up to tell Karl all about himself.Casmir craved giving Karl everything he wished Karl might one day give him.

He forced those thoughts aside, shoving them to the back of his mind.Now wasn’t the time to be distracted.He was the mystery prince once hidden away and now returned to claim his birthright.The rest of the castle and the court must be ravenously curious, and Casmir wouldn’t be surprised to learn someone planned to take revenge on him for the terrible things his father had done.He needed to pay careful attention to his surroundings and not be distracted by impossible wishes.

---