Chapter 10
The Irk
Asoft, whooshing sound echoed through the air as Matthias winnowed onto the balcony of his room. Suddenly appearing in the palace was risky, even in his room, for that matter. Snake or Jes could be sneaking about his private chambers for all he knew. To keep his secret, Matthias instead winnowed to a place that would be empty before entering the castle.
He’d been gone for almost three weeks and, as he suspected, upon his return, all was as it should be. The continuous sound of clanging metal still rang through the Kingdom.
Looking from the balcony, he could see the palace gardens filled with courtiers and noblemen, all trying their best to impress one another with tales of grandeur. Rolling his eyes at the pathetic souls, he stepped into his room. He found it empty.
Striding across the floor, he gently eased the door open. The hall was also empty. Of course, his father was nowhere to be seen.
If he really wanted to find his father, all he had to do was go down to the dens. The king would be there amongst his minions, watching them build weapons for the war that only existed in his head. Something Matthias himself had no interest in.
Locking the door behind him, Matthias was as silent as possible while heading towards the kitchen. He’d only returned to gather the food that he couldn’t hunt or harvest himself–some extra clothing wouldn’t hurt either. Matthias didn’t need to take food from the kitchens; he could easily live out in the woods with Bones, hunting and foraging, but it was easier to appear now and then to keep the servants’ chatter to a minimum, not wanting to draw attention to himself negatively.
If he was honest, he felt surprised that no one had come looking for him. Yet, he was glad for no unwanted interruptions. These last few weeks at the cabin had solidified his dream of getting rid of this place, of finally finding peace and solitude somewhere else. But the fear of the unknown and what lay beyond the comforts of the palace walls currently kept him inside the realm of Oscuro.
Slipping inside the kitchen, he glanced about to find minimal people, a few cooks, and the odd servant. No one paid him much attention as he walked to the large open pantry and started rifling through jars and small wooden crates. He took a few small loaves of bread that looked like they’d seen better days, and some tinned sardines. Bones would enjoy them.
He was about to leave the pantry when he spied something wrapped in cloth. Opening it revealed fresh cheese. It felt like forever since he had freshly made cheese. Placing it in his pocket, he left the pantry.
He circled the large bench in the middle of the room, surveying the produce upon it, choosing a bunch of carrots, four small green apples, and two figs. One cook eyed him for a second and offered him a small smile, but said nothing as he went back to the pig roasting on the fire.
Matthias took a canvas bag from a hook by the door and placed all the items he collected into it. Grateful that no one spoke to him, he left the room. This would do him and bones a few more weeks before he would have to come back to the palace and gather new items. He also made a mental note to purchase some seeds the next time he went into town.
He walked the dreary halls back to his room, wings tucked in tight. The lock jangled loudly as he unlocked the door to his room. The canvas bag he was carrying dropped on the bed as he rummaged through his cupboard for a few sets of clothing. He could take a lot more with him on this trip as he wouldn’t be flying back, he would just winnow.
Matthias shoved the clothing into the bag and closed the cupboard doors, pondering for a moment on whether to bring the fur blanket on his bed or not. Deciding against it, he took the bag from his bed and placed it over his shoulder, carefully avoiding the sensitive tips of his wings.
As he was about to winnow out of his room, the door creaked open and Snake stood in the doorway, leaning against it, an insufferable smirk plastered across his face. Matthias cursed silently under his breath–he’d forgotten to lock the door again.
“Hello Prince of Darkness . . . it’s been a while. Where have you been hiding, with your tail between your legs?”
The king’s advisor filled the atmosphere with an invisible taste of doom. It followed him wherever he went, and Matthias tried to avoid him at all costs. Snake was older than him by fifty years, making him one hundred and fifty-nine, but still looked youthful in his appearance.
The blond-haired Thorn had been by his father’s side for as long as Matthias could remember. Snake had always hated him, most likely because he was the true-born son of the king.
Something Snake would never be.
When Matthias was a young boy, he wanted to like Snake. He could have been the big brother he never had, but Snake had other ideas. He treated Matthias as if he were nothing but a pebble in his shoe. Always dismissing him, speaking over him, or completely ignoring him. Time after time, the prince tried to win the favour of the king’s advisor, but he was left disappointed.
That disappointment turned into resentment.
Snake was always weaving his way between the king and Matthias, telling on him for the mistakes he made and feeding his father the constant lie that Matthias was just a troublemaker.
Once Matthias was a young adult, he tried to speak up for himself, which resulted in beatings from his father—who didn’t take kindly to the backchat.
Snake never came to his aid, only ever standing off to the side, grinning as if he enjoyed watching. The first time it happened, Matthias swore to engage as little as possible with Snake again.
Matthias’s lip rose in one corner as he glared at the blond figure before him. “Get out of my room, Snake.”
“Well, technically, I’m not in your room. I’m in the hall.”
Matthias took a step towards Snake and snarled. “You’ll be through a wall in a moment.”
He knew he could take the viper on in the fighting rings and win, but this argument was wasting precious time.
Snake laughed out loud. “Such violence, for someone of high status. I simply asked where you had been for the last few weeks. No need to rip my head off.”
“You ask questions when you’ve no right to their answers. So, I’ll say it again—get out of here before I actually rip your head off,” Matthias growled at him.
“Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me? Stay and talk for a while. We could talk about that pathetic prisoner that you let free. Your father certainly wasn’t pleased about that petty act of yours. It’s too bad, for a Lightner she was definitely a feast for the eyes. Don’t you think so? All that luscious dark hair, flawless skin—not to mention that backside. I just wanted to take a bite out of it . . . literally.” Snake smirked and Matthias refrained from lunging across the room to wipe it off his face with brutal force.
“I hadn’t noticed.” Matthias bit back.
He knew if he gave Snake any inclination that he found the woman even slightly attractive, the bounty on her head would triple. Snake would make sure of it.
“Well, if that’s the case, if I ever come across her again, maybe I will take a bite. Taste that delicious skin in my mouth. I’ll sink my teeth into her warm flesh until she screams my na—”
Matthias didn’t let Snake finish his sentence before he lunged at him and grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket. “If you want to live, I suggest you shut your mouth . . . or I’ll shut it for you.”
Snake let laughter ripple from his body, his teeth gleaming in the dull light. “Calm down, prince, I didn’t realise this was such a touchy subject for you. Is there a chance you want to find her and keep the enormous sum that’s been placed on her pretty little head all to yourself?”
Matthias shoved Snake backwards as he let go of his jacket. “It’s not a touchy subject. I’m just sick of hearing your voice. And no, I don’t want a dime from the king. Now I assume you came to spy on me so you can feed my father more lies. Either way . . . get out of my face.”
The blond-haired male took a few steps backwards. “Of course not, Your Highness. I only ever have wonderful things to say about you.” Snake chuckled as he looked Matthias up and down. “Don’t have too much fun while you’re gone. Or don’t come back. Either is good for me.”
Snake didn’t wait for Matthias to reply as he sauntered down the hallway. Matthias fumed as he watched the advisor disappear around the corner before he slammed his door and locked it, pocketing the iron key. Not wanting to waste another second, he winnowed from his room.
Within moments, he was outside the cabin in the woods. Far enough from the palace that he could finally breathe. Stepping inside, he was greeted by a thrilled Bones, who pounced on him instantly.
“Down boy. You’re too big to do that.” Matthias grinned as he scratched the wolf on the head in greeting.
Dropping the bag from his shoulder to the small, square wooden table in the corner of the room, Matthias sighed in relief. As he unloaded its items, Bones whimpered, sighting the cans of sardines stacked on the wooden surface.
“I know, you’re starving. Here, have these.” Matthias reached inside his leather boot and pulled out a small knife to carve the can lid open. He emptied its contents into a small dish by the door and smiled as Bones devoured it with haste. As he watched the wolf scoff his food down in a few mouthfuls, he knew it was time for something heartier than just fish. “We will hunt for some fresh meat tomorrow.”
Matthias sighed as he placed the apples, figs, and carrots on a shelf in the cupboard. Once he’d done so, he gathered a clean plate from the sink, some bread, and the cheese he’d taken from the palace kitchen. After seating himself by the fire in his armchair, he closed his eyes for a moment, drinking in the peace.
Bones finished his meal and came to sit by the fire, his tongue slapping at his jaw in delight. Matthias smiled at him and ate his meal of cheese and bread, washing it all down with the ale he kept stashed in a chest.
This was it.
In that very moment, he’d decided, this is the life he would live; his father could do whatever the hell wanted with his blasted kingdom and fantasy war, and Matthias could live peacefully in the woods, with his dog and his songs to keep him company.
After the unwanted exchange with Snake, and seeing that no one really noticed that he’d even been missing, he threw caution to the wind and decided he would go. He had some gold, which would last him a while. Maybe he could purchase a boat and head off onto adventures upon the oceans—who knew what lay beyond the shores of the Drayton Sea?
Old tales passed down through time spoke of places yet to be discovered. That’s what he wanted, right? To be free from his father’s constraints and live a life free of his harsh ruling?
At the thought of leaving, something tugged in his chest, an invisible thread that pointed like a compass to a place he knew he could never enter. Staying here in the woods was probably the better option. Maybe his father would forget about the woman after a while and she would be safe again.
A pang of guilt washed over him. He should have told her about the bounty when she appeared at his cabin, but the words wouldn’t form. Her presence was an odd comfort to him and even though he knew her life was in so much danger, he hadn’t told her, for fear she’d disappear, never to be seen again.
Some bread and a half block of cheese later, Matthias finished his meal and packed the leftovers away. He pulled his secret keeper from his jacket pocket and opened it halfway. Lyrics and music note combinations covered the page in black ink.
Matthias sat and pondered the next verse to the song he was writing and his mind travelled to the chestnut-haired woman whose eyes danced with light. “Adalia,” he whispered her name, and Bones lifted his head to look at his master. “What? I can’t admire a beautiful woman?” The wolf huffed and lay back down.
As much as he hated to admit it, the way Snake had spoken about her lit a fire somewhere deep inside him he hadn’t known existed. The foul language made Matthias’s blood boil. And the thought of Snake touching her made him see red.
The prince let his mind wander to her face, those pink rose lips . . . so kissable.
He hadn’t kissed a woman in forever. He’d taken women to bed, but it had been quite some time.
It always seemed they were only ever after one thing–his title, and that one thing was the part of him he hated most.
Matthias couldn’t imagine ruling one day, and his mind was far away from choosing a suitable queen.
His thoughts shifted to her again, the way her eyes travelled over his body the first time she served him wine. Was she looking at his tattoos, perhaps? Or maybe she was torturing him with her mind.
A spark flickered and rekindled the fire deep inside of him. His wings twitched as they hung over the side of his armchair, and it brought a smile to his face. It had been a very long time since they’d responded that way to the thought of a woman.
That movement gave him inspiration for his song. Matthias wrote a few words down in the secret keeper before picking up his veslo. He plucked away at the strings and a melodic tune filled the air. Testing out his new lyrics, Matthias allowed his voice to float through the cabin as he sang.
“But I don’t dare close my eyes ‘cause that’s when the monsters prowl.
Will you save me? Or am I doomed to lay waste in this hole?”