Chapter One Wilde
Thirteen Years Later
A Shopping District Somewhere in “Bane”
Waiting
What do you do when you’ve lost everything?
Fight tooth and nail to get it back. I thought the fight would involve more magic, sword play, and blood, but I found myself hunched over a lukewarm coffee and half-eaten pastry, searching the busy street.
The crowds were thicker than I’d anticipated, full of people I’d never met.
I frowned at every unfamiliar face. Who are you?
How did you get here? I didn’t have time to linger on their unexpected presence when I finally spotted a flame of red hair.
Treasure Banes exited a clothing store, a half-dozen bags on each arm, and paused on the sidewalk.
He tilted his head back, his eyes slowly sliding shut, and basked in the sun as if he hadn’t felt its warmth in years.
A content smile stretched across his pink lips even as his brow furrowed in confusion.
Another man followed close behind and touched Trey’s shoulder, gently guiding him out of the entrance so he wouldn’t impede the other shoppers.
I’d seen this man before, recognized his dark hair and bronze skin, the black cloak that would have fit into my master’s—former master’s wardrobe.
Frederick Woeful, Prince of Woe and Prince Consort of Bane, amateur mage of questionable alignment, and one of Trey’s many fathers.
Rick carried only one armload of shopping bags and insisted on taking some of Trey’s burden.
I watched the interaction intently, trying to understand their relationship.
Both of their smiles were soft and familiar, and they moved like they were comfortable with each other, matching pace as they walked down the street.
Right toward me.
Showtime.
I stood up and fussed with my collar, flipping up one side so it looked haphazard, frazzled, like someone who needed help. I calculated the angle, deciding on the perfect spot along the sidewalk, and stepped toward Trey—
“Sir, you haven’t paid yet.”
I paused and blinked in surprise at the young server. Her lips were pursed in displeasure, hands on her hips, a little notepad in her right one.
“What?”
“For your breakfast.” She nodded at the table, the food and drink I’d left behind.
When was the last time I’d paid for anything?
Evil mages stole what they wanted and taught that lesson to their apprentices early.
They only paid their bills under duress, or when other evil entities were involved.
Apprentices and minions received their salaries, or the mage risked a mutiny, and evil mages always paid their rent on time.
Landlords were their own kind of evil, one that even mages usually respected, if only as a nod to others in the profession.
The waitress’ shoulders slumped. “Don’t tell me you can’t …” Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, seeking an explanation for my hesitation—holes or stains on my clothes, signs of neglect to fuel her pity. People like her were the only reason I’d survived as a child.
I didn’t have time for her assessment. Trey and his father had already passed the ideal spot, and if I didn’t act quickly, I’d lose my opportunity.
“No, I’m sorry, my head is somewhere else.
” I hadn’t looked at the prices on the menu, so I guessed what a single coffee and pastry would cost and handed her a few coins.
She glanced at the coins with a neutral expression, neither scolding me for paying too little, nor ecstatic over a generous tip.
I accepted her apathy and hurried down the street, squeezing through a couple who scowled at me as their hands separated.
No matter where I looked, I couldn’t find red hair.
Had I lost them already? What was the most logical route they would take back to the castle?
Carriages were prohibited within the shopping district because of the narrow roads and heavy traffic, so they would have parked somewhere farther away.
I needed to reach them before they entered the carriage, or I’d lose my best chance.
There. Up ahead, turning to the left.
I ran through the crowd, mentally rehearsing my lines.
My performance needed to be natural, but also inevitable.
Evocative but not so outlandish as to garner scrutiny.
I’m so sorry! No, no, I was just … I’m looking for my dog.
The leash snapped, and I … gods, I’m worried I won’t find him again.
Then, because Treasure had an annoyingly good heart, he’d offer: Do you want me to help you search?
And I’d demur, but in the end, he’d convince me, and during the search we’d exchange pleasantries, names, perhaps a little bit of our backstories.
Just enough to plant a seed, for him to think of me, from time to time.
It wasn’t the fastest method, but it was enough for now.
I’d already waited thirteen years for him, what were a few more?
Outright running through the streets helped me reach Trey faster, but it also drew more attention. People shouted in annoyance when I bumped into them, some even tried to grab me and see the confrontation through. I ignored them, whipping around the corner—
Thump!
And collided with someone.
The impact sent us both sprawling. Shopping bags scattered everywhere, their contents spilling onto the cobblestones. A knee to my stomach knocked the breath out of me. All my rehearsed lines gusted away in a wheezed, “Ow.”
The person beneath me shifted slightly, lowering their leg so I could breathe.
As they moved, I felt solid muscles, a lithe and maybe familiar body?
With effort, I raised my eyes, hoping this was the moment I’d planned.
But instead of sky blue, the eyes I stared into were deep brown and narrowed in discomfort.
“Are you alright, Dad?”
A hand reached out, covered in freckles. The last time I’d seen it, it’d been covered in his own blood. I grabbed it in a daze, allowing Trey to pull me to my feet. He glanced at me, and I held my breath, but he showed no recognition.
There shouldn’t be, of course. I’d gone to great lengths to ensure that he would have a fresh start. Yet I couldn’t suppress the icy sting of rejection spreading through my chest at being so cleanly forgotten.
Once Trey confirmed I could stand on my own, he helped his father up next.
“Well, someone was in a hurry,” Rick said, his voice pinched as he caught his breath. He and Trey both looked at me expectantly.
I stared back. What was my line again? “Sorry, dog.”
What the fuck was that, Wilde?
I turned and ran the way I’d come before either of them could ask. When I rounded the corner, I entered the first shop I saw and hid in the aisles. The store clerk barely glanced at me before returning her attention to the customer at the counter.
Treasure didn’t pursue me. Why would he? I wasn’t a mysterious stranger brought to him by fate, someone he could see himself forming a connection with. I was a crazy man who’d plowed down his father, muttered nonsense, and then disappeared. He wouldn’t think to himself ‘I hope I see him again.’
I banged my head against the nearest shelf. The clerk paused her transaction to scowl at me. I scowled back. Of the two of us, she was the one who didn’t belong here.
The casual meeting in the street didn’t work, so I had to come up with a new plan.
The next best thing would be to find employment in the castle, but I had no idea how much longer Trey would remain in Bane.
The shopping bags seemed to be filled with a mixture of travel supplies and new clothes.
Trey and his fathers had probably already discussed the need to renew the Kingdom Defense Spell, which meant he would leave for Misfortune any day now.
It’d been easy to track Trey’s movements the first time.
First, he’d reported every development to the master.
When that no longer worked, he’d accepted a magical device I’d made that allowed us to communicate and me to track him on his quest. I had none of that now and could only rely on my own skills.
The clerk glared at me until I left her shop. At least I’d made an impression on someone today, even if it was the wrong person.
It didn’t matter. Since Plan A didn’t work, I’d move on to B.
I’d seek employment at the castle. Best case scenario, I’d have a few weeks to befriend Trey before he left for Misfortune.
Worst case scenario, he’d leave before I could fabricate another chance meeting.
Even then, I’d at least know where he was heading next.
Last time, they traveled to Woe first, so I could try to beat them there.
No matter what, I had to keep telling myself that Treasure and I would meet, fall in love, and I’d have everything I always wanted.
And if it didn’t work this time, I would try again.