Cage of Deceit(63)

“As far as politics are concerned,” he said, his smile gone, “you’ll have to guide me. It will take some time to get a feel for how things are done here in Emperion.” He reached in the basket and withdrew another pastry, handing it to her.

“No, thank you,” she said, and he put it away.

Mulling over his answer, she liked the fact that since he wasn’t overly opinionated, it would be easy to mold him into the type of ruler she wanted him to be. However, when she was truly torn on an issue, he wouldn’t be able to offer her steadfast advice. At least her mother and father would continue to guide and support her.

As she sat there next to Odar, she felt as if something was missing. Even though he was handsome, well mannered, and friendly, there wasn’t a connection between them. With Grevik, she immediately knew she could tell him any and everything. They shared common goals and interests. The same was true with Madelin, Marek, and Mayra. They’d been friends since they were children, and she trusted them implicitly.

How was she going to marry Prince Odar and share a bed with him? As a child, she had always imagined falling in love and having an intense desire to be with that person. Right now, she didn’t even want to travel to Fren with the prince. What would they talk about?

“Would you like to ride further upstream and see what we find?” Prince Odar asked.

“No, thank you. I need to return to the castle.” She wanted to see how her father took the news of her not being able to marry Odar until she traveled to Fren to meet his parents.

She stood and mounted her horse. Deep breaths. Her relationship with the prince would work—it would just take some time for their friendship to develop. Right now, she had more important matters at hand than dealing with Odar, like facing her parents and saving Grevik.



Nearing the stables, Allyssa saw her father blocking the alley doors. She slowed her horse and dismounted, handing the reins to the stable-hand who came running out. Darmik didn’t even glance her way—his focus was solely on the prince.

Odar swung his leg over and jumped off his horse. “Your Majesty,” he said.

“We need to talk,” Darmik said, his voice hard. “Come with me, now.” He turned and stalked away.

“Thank you for the ride,” Odar said softly to Allyssa before hurrying after the emperor.

Curious as to what would happen now that the marriage contract was signed but the ceremony couldn’t take place until she went to Fren, she hastily followed them along the stone path leading to the castle.

Her father swung around to face her. “I’m going to speak privately with the prince,” he said in a clipped tone. “Jarvik is waiting in the training room for you.” He grabbed Odar by the arm and dragged him down the path.





Allyssa entered the training room. She assumed Jarvik wanted to work with her to ensure she was prepared for her meeting with the assassin tonight.

“I hope you have a solid plan,” she said.

Jarvik was sitting on the ground, stretching. “Have a nice ride?” he asked, a bit of hostility to his voice. He had on plain pants and a loose shirt. His hair was tousled, making him look handsome in a rugged sort of way. Bloody hell. Her face warmed. She couldn’t afford to think of him that way. As he stood up, she couldn’t help but think of how his beauty shone in a different way from Odar’s. While the prince’s was on the outside for all to see, the squire’s was hidden deep inside of him.

“You’re staring at me,” Jarvik stated. “Is something wrong?”

Allyssa shook her head, tongue-tied for once.

“Since the assassin managed to capture your friend, I want to go over some basics with you to ensure you’re not kidnapped as well.”

“I know how to fight,” she replied.

“Yes, but I’ll feel better if we go over a few things.”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

“We’ll focus on hand-to-hand combat first,” he said, placing his hands on his hips. “Most likely, the assassin will be armed and you won’t, so you’ll be at a disadvantage.”

“How long have you been here?” Allyssa asked. Jarvik had a sheen of sweat covering his forehead.

“Not long,” he answered. “I’ve just been punching the practice dummy over there.”

“Why?”

His eyes flickered to hers and then away. “It helps me think.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “Let’s get to work.”

“Very well,” she said, pulling her hair back and quickly braiding it.

The setting sun shone through the windows, casting a soft light on Jarvik. “Let’s pretend the assassin comes up behind you, like this,” he said, putting his arm around her neck and placing his other hand on her hip. “What would you do?”