The Wayward Prince (The Redfern Legacy Book 1)

by N. C. Hayes

  I thought of the past few weeks and every time I thought I’d misplaced something, only to turn around and find it. Every time I’d haggled in the marketplace and gotten my way, or when I turned up a copper short and the fishmonger told me not to worry, giving me my order free of charge. Each time, I would return home to tell Gideon of my luck and he’d frown, saying nothing. I scowled at the memories but didn’t reply. Instead I asked, “So, will we arrive at our destination today?”

  “No.” Aydan stuffed our supplies back into the pack, taking my now empty teacup from me and shoving it in as well. “We’ll be walking for a few days still. Once we pass through this territory, I can effuge the rest of the way without being detected.”

  “And where exactly is our destination?”

  “Sylvanna,” he said. “My home is there.” I wracked my brain, trying to remember the maps from Gideon’s library. Sprawling Medeisia with Xarynn to the north and Sylvanna to the west, its palace matched only by the grandness of its Nautian twin. The books called it—

  “The garden city?”

  Aydan nodded. “I served as emissary there for quite some time, and now I’m a council member, advising my lord and lady.”

  “Priamos and Solandis,” I recalled. According to the stories, Lord Priamos and Lady Solandis had ruled the city-state of Sylvanna for the last thousand years. “Why don’t they know that you’ve come to collect me?”

  “Better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Aydan replied, unconcerned. “They’ve kept their territory safe these past centuries by being cautious and strategizing well. There wasn’t time for caution or strategy in this mission.”

  “I’m sorry to have put you in such a position,” I said. “I don’t want you to be punished for helping me.” He waved me off.

  “It’s nothing. We just have to be careful that we aren’t seen for now, and once we arrive in Sylvanna, I’ll meet with my lord and lady and explain everything. If anything, it will be a slap on the wrist. They have a bit of a soft spot for me.” I opened my mouth to question him further, but Aydan stood and threw the pack over his shoulder. “We need to get moving,” he said firmly. I joined him in taking down the tent and rolling the bedrolls to fit inside the pack. He extinguished the fire and covered what remained in dirt, removing any evidence of our stay, before he pointed toward the tree line and started walking. I followed.

  ~

  Aydan had not been exaggerating when he said we would be walking for days. It took hours to get from our campsite to the tree line, and from there we walked along it, stopping only when the sun went down. On our second night together, he told me we could not light a fire for fear of being seen by anyone patrolling the area. Each night, we took our shares of cold rations and went to bed in the dark, me in the tent and my new companion on his bedroll a few feet from the entrance. He told me it was better not to talk much in case we were overheard by passersby or potential Ayzellen trackers looking for us, but I suspected whatever patience he’d had for my questions had run out. Now he rarely spoke at all, usually only to indicate when it was time to stop for the night.

  On the fifth day, still hours from sunset, Aydan decided to stop early.

  “It’s going to storm,” he said. I looked at the sky. Clouds gathered, but it remained bright blue. “I’d rather set up camp now than when rain is pouring down on us.” I nodded, too tired to question. “We can light a fire for a bit before the sun goes down,” he added. “There’s not much chance of anyone seeing the flame while it’s light out.”

  That perked me up. “I’ll gather some wood,” I offered. The thought of real warmth excited me. Each night had grown colder since we fled Nautia, and my clothes were proving inadequate. My once-blue apron dress was filthy, the hem looking like it had been dyed black. There’d been no time for grooming, other than a quick splashing of water on our faces when we stopped to fill the canteen. I was fairly certain that my braid was becoming a long, single knot. Hygiene was the least of my frustrations, however. My body ached and my mind had begun to wander for most of the day, wondering where Gideon might be, if he was alive. Wondering if Aydan could even be trusted, or if I was being led into even worse danger. But mostly, I just wondered when we would be done walking.

  “Stay close to the tree line. It’s easy to get turned around in there if you’re unfamiliar.”

  “I’ll just be a few minutes,” I told him. He started unpacking and setting up my tent, which he had been kind enough to do for me each night, despite the fact that he did not deem it necessary to say more than a handful of words to me during the day.

  I made my way beyond the tree line and into the darkened forest. It was not as dense as it appeared from the outside, but the branches of the towering trees blended into one another to block out most of the light that should have been pouring in at that time of day. The rocks on the forest floor were covered in bluish-green moss, quite like the rocks in Nautia. We must not have been so far away from my village that plants grew differently. I wasn’t sure if that was a comfort or not.

  I took my time there, gathering large sticks and small branches, tucking them beneath my arm. It was maybe ten minutes before I heard a twig snapping from a short distance away and I ducked behind a tree. I pressed my back into it, hoping that it was indeed wide enough to hide my body. My chest heaved as I waited, counting the seconds and listening for more footfalls, hoping that whoever was there would pass by without incident. After nearly a minute, I peered around the side of the trunk and gasped at the source of my fear. In a clearing, perhaps fifteen yards away, stood a doe. Her head was bent low as she nibbled on what must be the last few bits of greenery she would find before winter set in.

  I watched her for several minutes. Deer were hard to come by in Nautia; most of us simply trapped rabbits or raised hens if we wanted a supply of meat. I had never seen one alive, only ever catching glimpses of my neighbors’ kills the few times they’d been lucky enough to get one. I wondered if her den was nearby, but my thought was interrupted by my own shriek when an arrow flew from the other end of the clearing and struck the doe just behind the shoulder. She fell, dying instantly, and a man emerged from some shrubbery, walking swiftly toward me. I realized I had both dropped my firewood and stepped out from my hiding spot, and was standing in plain sight on the edge of the clearing.

  “Miss, are you all right?” he called when he had nearly reached me.

  “Yes,” I said breathlessly. “I just wasn’t expecting your arrow.”

  “I’m sorry to have startled you.” He slung his bow over his shoulder. I crouched to gather my wood back into my arms, and he bent to help me. Once we’d gathered all that I’d dropped, I turned to take my leave.

  “I’ll leave you to your task, then,” I told him. “Thank you for your help.”

  “You know, it’s not a good idea for a woman to be out here alone. I can escort you back to your camp.” His words were polite, but his tone and the way he looked at me then made me tense.

  “I’m not alone,” I started, only to be interrupted by a sharp voice from behind me.

  “Shaye.” Aydan approached swiftly. His hood was up and I noted a small dagger in his hand. “Are you hurt?” he asked, looking me over.

  “I’m fine.”

  “I heard a scream.”

  “That was my fault, I’m afraid,” the hunter said. “The lady was watching the deer and I shot it. Startled her, it seems.” His eyes landed on the dagger. Aydan sheathed it.

  “Let’s go,” said my companion. I’d just turned to follow him when the hunter grabbed my arm.

  “Miss, if you don’t want to go with him—”

  “Let go of me—” I tore my arm from his grip. Aydan was there in an instant, standing between us. The movement caused his hood to fall back, revealing his face and the mop of wavy black hair on his head. The hunter’s eyes widened.

  “Collect your kill,” Aydan demanded roughly, “then go home.”

  “Yes—yes, of course. Of course.” T
he hunter bowed his head slightly. Aydan pulled a coin purse from his pocket and let it jingle a few times.

  “For your discretion,” he said, pressing it into the man’s hand. “Go.” The hunter pocketed the money and turned back toward his deer. Aydan took my hand and led me through the trees, back to the spot where he had started to set up camp.

  Once we were there, he immediately started throwing supplies into the knapsack, rolling up bedrolls and dismantling the tent. I silently packed away the kettle and canteen.

  “Aydan, I-I’m sorry—” I started quietly.

  “We need to put a few miles between us and that hunter.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “He knew my face. He’s probably on his way to alert the King’s Guard of my location.” Aydan put the bag over his shoulder.

  “You paid him off,” I said.

  “They’ll double it,” he replied. I wondered what he had done, to find himself hunted so fiercely by the Medeisian king. “Come on, we’ll have to skip the fire. We can cover more ground before the sun goes down.” I cast one last mournful look at my pile of firewood and followed.

  ~

  We were able to walk for another hour before the rain started pouring down upon us and we had to do exactly what Aydan had been trying to avoid: set up camp in the rain. I helped him hammer tent stakes into the ground while freezing water dripped into my eyes, blurring my vision. When we finished, Aydan tossed the knapsack inside and we both clamored in. We wiped the water from our faces, shivering as we caught our breath. We took a minute to settle ourselves before we both seemed to realize that we were about to share the tent for the night.

  “When the weather calms down a bit, I’ll be happy to return to a spot outside—”

  “Oh, don’t be such a martyr.” I rolled my eyes, though in the darkness he could not see me. “Just take your boots off. I don’t want you getting mud everywhere.” Without another word, Aydan obliged and laid his socks flat on top of them so they could have a chance of drying overnight. He placed everything neatly by the entrance and laid out his bedroll beside mine. We each crawled into our respective spaces and, despite our miserable conditions, tried to fall asleep.

  Chapter Five

  The storm woke me a few times during the night with lightning cracking overhead and thunder booming after. It was past midnight when the rain stopped and finally allowed me to sleep soundly. When I felt myself being shaken awake in the tent, I didn’t hold back my string of curses as I rolled to face the tent wall.

  “Wake up,” Aydan hissed at me, jostling my arm again. This time I sat upright, startled. It was bright outside. Too bright. We’d slept too long. Aydan was hastily shoving his feet back into his boots.

  “What?” I asked, reaching for my own and following suit.

  “Listen to me,” he said, voice low and serious. “Everything is going to be fine. Let me do the talking.” He waved a hand over my head, and I felt cold spreading from my crown, down my body, to my feet. “That should disguise you well enough to start.” I grabbed my braid and saw that I was now blonde. But if he was using magic, that must mean—

  “By order of King Zathryan, come out with your hands where I can see them,” called a male voice from outside the tent. “Keep calm, and please note that magic will be met with silver.”

  Aydan swore softly. “Do you trust me?” he breathed.

  Did I? He was a sorcerer. Everything I had ever been taught about Medeisians told me that they should never be trusted, that they were dangerous, and a constant threat to the well-being of mortals. The knowledge that every word he’d said to me so far could be a lie sat in the back of my head, whispering to me each night as I went to sleep, and yet, when I looked at him now, his eyes filled with concern as he waited for my answer—despite all logic, I realized that, yes, I did trust him.

  And even if not, what other choice did I have?

  I nodded and Aydan leaned forward, placed a hand on either side of my face, and kissed my forehead. This time, tingling warmth followed the path from my head to my toes, followed by a slight stinging sensation, like I’d rolled naked through a patch of nettles. It subsided quickly enough, but there was no time to ask what had been done this time, as the voice came again. “Sir, you are commanded by His Majesty to show yourself—”

  “All right, all right,” Aydan called, tone flippant and unfamiliar. He emerged from the tent. “Can’t give a man a moment to get his pants on.”

  “Your companion as well, sir,” I heard the man add.

  He reached a hand back through the flap for me and said, “Come out, my dear. No need to be frightened by these brutes.” I let him pull me into the bright sunlight, where, when my vision cleared, I saw no fewer than twenty armed guards surrounding us, half of whom were on horseback. They wore gold armor bearing a rampant winged lion and carried multiple swords, some even with bandoliers of daggers strapped across their chests. My eyes flicked to Aydan, who was smirking at a handsome, tawny-haired young man standing a few feet before us.

  Was he about to fight all of these guards? Guards who were armed to the teeth, not to mention what magic they must wield . . . Could Aydan take them all on?

  “The king requests your presence at Castle Ayzelle immediately—”

  “Request denied,” Aydan cut him off. “It was kind of you to deliver the message, captain, but we’ll just be on our way.” He took my hand just as a guard grabbed my other arm and slapped my wrist into a cuff, which immediately locked. Almost instantly, it began to itch, irritating my skin, which erupted in hives. I yanked at it, but the cuff would not budge.

  “Stop!” I gasped.

  “Remove it,” Aydan growled.

  “His Majesty has ordered that unauthorized travelers be brought before him. I’m sure he’d be quite curious to see who was traveling with you—”

  “His Majesty must be terribly bored if he wishes to start his day with the interrogation of peaceful travelers.” Aydan glared at the captain, who held his stare. Without looking away Aydan said to me, “It seems we’ll be paying King Zathryan a visit after all, my dear.” He clenched his jaw, then added, “Lead the way, captain.”

  The guard stepped between us before removing the cuff and gripping his own hand over my wrist. My stomach swooped and instantly we were standing before a tall gate. I twisted, searching for the rest of the guards, but we were alone. Before I could take my hand back, he fastened the cuff back in place. I blinked and more guards appeared, Aydan in tow. He stared wide-eyed at the gate, then at me—at the cuff on my wrist. I saw he now had a cuff as well.

  The last of the guards arrived, minus those riding horseback, the captain gripping the arm of the man next to him. He approached the gate and knocked three times, and it swung open with a slow creak. A stone path lay before us and, in the distance, what must be Castle Ayzelle.

  It was not as large or ornate as the Grand Palace of Nautia, but a castle all the same. High, towering masses of dark gray stone, albeit there were no stairs leading to watchtowers or clear windows at any high points on the building. Somehow, knowing that there was only one floor made this castle less intimidating than the Grand Palace at first glance. But inside this castle was the King of Medeisia. The king of sorcerers. I froze.

  The guards shoved me forward and I almost lost my balance before Aydan was beside me, catching me under the arm. He kept his hand on mine. “We’re going to be fine,” he murmured.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, trying not to move my lips too much. “I never should have talked to that man—”

  “It’s not your fault. Whatever you do now, try not to speak. If we’re lucky, the king will ignore you and focus on me.”

  “What’s he going to do to you?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” He squeezed my hand as we walked. “It’s going to be fine.”

  “You know, the more you say that, the less I believe you,” I said. He huffed a humorless laugh while I scratched at the cuff on my wrist. “This thing bur
ns.”

  “It’s silver,” he explained quietly. “Inhibits the use of magic.” I scoffed. Aydan cocked an eyebrow.

  “I thought that was a myth—”

  “Quiet, you two,” the guard next to me snapped. Aydan scowled at him, but we both stopped talking. He squeezed my hand again.

  We were escorted down a stone path, surrounded by the armed guards. We’d only been walking for a few minutes when we reached the entrance to the castle: a great stone arch with beautiful carvings depicting the same winged lion from the guards’ armor—seated with a regal air, then rampant, then salient, with a pair of fighting lions meeting in battle at the apex of the arch. If I hadn’t been so terrified, I might have stopped to study them more closely. We passed underneath and found ourselves inside the entrance hall. The walls and floors were made with the same dark stone. The floors were covered with enormous rugs in deep blues and golds, while the walls held intricately woven tapestries on opposite sides of the corridor. To my left was the sun, and directly across from it, the full moon.

  “Halt,” said the captain. We stopped outside of a huge door. The captain opened it and entered, leaving it ajar. We stood with the other guards, waiting for instruction. Aydan reached for my hand once again, and I wasn’t sure if he was comforting me or himself this time. The captain appeared again and said, “Enter.”

  Chapter Six

  My legs were made of wet sand. A hand pushed me forward and I forced myself not to stumble. Aydan let go of me as we stepped into the great hall. It was enormous; my and Gideon’s entire house wouldn’t take up even a quarter of the space. The walls were windowless, decorated instead with more long tapestries of more winged lions, and sunlight poured through three skylights spaced along the high ceiling.