Page 80 of Song of the Shadow Prince
In the darkness, he finds his chance.
Sing the ballad,soft and low,
Of the prince who roams in the shadow’s glow.
A legend wrapped in the night’s embrace,
A hidden prince in a hidden place.
The song endedand a chill ran down my spine at the mournful tune. This was probably the last place I would expect this kind of song to be played, but it appeared that I was the only person paying attention to the singer. Suddenly, the hair on the back ofmy neck stood on end. I was about to turn around when I heard his voice.
“Enjoying yourself?” Damien came around to sit beside me.
I turned to face him and grinned. “Immensely. Why you wouldn’t allow me to come along is beyond me.”
“That’swhy.” He pointed to my cup of water. “Don’t drink it.”
I frowned, then picked up the cup and sniffed it. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Whenever women, especially beautiful women, come into The Gilded Serpent, they’re recruited, and not usually voluntarily.” He slightly raised his chin so I could see his face under his hood. “There’s probably something called maypop in your drink. An odorless, heavy sedative. With one drink, they would have forced you into a contract of servitude.”
My eyes widened as I grabbed the cup of water and looked at it again. “I was about to get roofied?” I gasped. “Son of a bitch!”
“I told you to wait for me outside, but you didn’t listen,” he growled. “Let’s go before they come searching for you.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” I hurried to stand, not even protesting when Damien reclaimed my hand and escorted me out of the brothel.
As we walkedthrough the Southern District back toward the Northern District, Damien still hadn’t let go of my hand. It made me chuckle. He was acting really weird lately. When he thought I was Arya, he couldn’t stand my ass, but now that he knew I was Cat, I didn’t knowwhathe was thinking.
“I heard your song,” I said. “Back at The Gilded Serpent. The song of the Shadow Prince.”
He grunted. “Obviously, the people of Elaria don’t have anything better to do than make up songs.”
“A lot of it seemed… true,” I whispered. “Aren’t you worried the emperor might hear it?”
He shrugged. “He probably already has. Nothing goes on here that my father doesn’t know about.”
“So he knows about you sneaking around the mainland?” I questioned curiously.
He peered over at me and shook his head. “No, he doesn’t know about that part. He would execute me without blinking if he learnedthattruth.”
We moved silently through the empty streets, Damien's grip on my hand almost vice-like. It was strangely comforting, despite his brooding silence. The empty streets of the Northern District, bustling during the daytime, lay silent and shadowed, adding a layer of tension to our late-night journey.
“You seem tense,” I remarked, trying to pierce the quiet with a gentle probe. The dim glow from the sporadically spaced streetlamps cast eerie shadows, making the quiet more profound.
He shot me a quick glance, his face shadowed under the hood of his cloak. “When am I not?” he murmured.
“I think it's more than just a song,” I continued, not ready to drop the subject.
Stopping in his tracks, Damien pulled us into the shadow of a tall building, ensuring privacy even in the deserted street. “You’re right, Cat; it’s not just words. It’s a catalyst that could ignite a lot of unwanted attention. If certain ears catch wind of it and start putting pieces together…” He trailed off, running a hand through his hair and knocking the hood off his head. “I’ve managed to stay beneath the radar, but Elaria is a fortress of secrets and lies. One wrong move, and it’s not just me in the firing line. It’s also my uncle… and others.”
“Royal Prince Bai?”
He nodded. “He has been responsible for me all my life. If I go down, he goes down with me. Any mistake I make is his mistake as well.”
I thought about the song and who could possibly be behind it. “Do you think the song came from the fae?” I asked, thinking about my own song that I was chasing after.
Damien frowned. “What makes you ask that?”
