The Fallen Prince

I grab Leo by his shirtfront and jerk him close. “Navar and I are nothing alike.”

Leo’s gaze shifts to my suddenly glowing brand. Never again will I be able to deny I’m angry, not when it glows silver bright on my arm. Leo nods, causing his hair to fall into his eyes. “You’re right. Sorry.”

My gaze locks with Leo’s for a second longer before I let go with a tiny push that has him stumbling backward a few steps. I hurry forward, disturbed by what he’s said.

I am putting Kera first because her need is greater than everyone else’s.

We come to the edge of town. Beyond the fields, the forest stretches out dark and foreboding. A menacing cloud seems to have settled over Teag, but still, I prefer it to the false light that once pervaded the place.

That strange overconfidence I felt when I’d first stepped into Teag washes over me. “You want to know my plans? I’m going into the woods to find one of the tunnels. It’s where Bodog feels safest.”

“You don’t have to go. He’ll come back. He always does.”

“Not in time and not here. These people hate him about as much as they hate me. They imprisoned him.” I take a deep breath. Getting worked up isn’t helping. “I have to go to him. Make him feel safe enough to take me to Kera, or at least point me in the right direction.” Tension causes the muscle in my cheek to jump and I eye my friend. “You’ve got a choice, Leo. You’re either on my side or you’re not.”

Leo’s back snaps military straight. “That’s messed up. I’m here, aren’t I? Even after what happened to Pop. See anyone else crazy enough to follow you?” He pauses for a split second and then says in a hard but honest voice. “You don’t because I’m your only friend.”

We face the forest; me stiff, Leo hurt.

I close my eyes and take a deep, calming breath. I’ve never had a good friend. Leo’s constant faith in me makes me nervous. I’m waiting for him to bail, but that’s no excuse for how I’m treating him.

“Sorry.” It’s a word that sticks in my throat. I rarely say it, and never to another dude.

“Damn right you’re sorry. You’re lucky I’m the forgiving type.”

I put out my hand. “Thanks.”

He takes it and we shake. The air is suddenly lighter. The future not so dark. “I’m not good at this,” I try to explain.

“Good at what?”

“Saving the world. The choices I have to make. But I’m trying.”

Leo slaps my back in that way all dudes show their bros affection. “You’re okay.” Once again, he’s serious. “What do you want me to do?”

“Honestly?” At his nod, I tell him what worries me only because it can directly affect him, and I don’t want him getting hurt. “Find Lucinda and make her behave. We don’t need any more problems.”

“You don’t trust her, do you?”

I laugh, though there isn’t any humor to it. Only a weird kind of dread I’m not sure Leo understands. “Deep down, do you?”

“She can be high-strung…”

“Understatement,” I fire back.

“She’ll do what I tell her.” The quiet confidence he shows is so Leo and so misguided.

I press my lips together and try not to say anything, but he’s got to start seeing reality. “I know you like her, but she’s not human. We’re like catnip to her. Fun to play with for a little while, but in the end, all she’ll do is walk away when we need her the most.”

An optimist through and through, Leo just smiles and points at me, determination clearly on his face as he backs away. “I’ll find her and you’ll see. You’ll be glad Cin is on our side.”

“You’ve nicknamed her sin. That’s called a subconscious warning.”

He laughs and I watch him lope back into town, wishing I could have his carefree outlook on life. His promise rings in my ears as I cross the open fields and enter the forest. It’s not like I hate Lucinda. I can’t stop thinking about the first time I met the Lutine. She wasn’t remotely helpful and did more harm than good. On the plus side, she did give me my sword, and she retrieved it from the dungeons when I needed it the most. On the minus side, as soon as she believed Leo was safe, she left the battle without a backward glance. Because of that, people she could have saved died. How can Leo expect me to trust her after that?

Thankfully, Lucinda is nothing like Kera. No girl is. It’s only been a few hours since I last saw her, but it feels like forever. I have no idea where she is or how she’s doing. The only thing I know for sure is that she’s alive. I would feel it, deep in my gut, if she died. I know I would.

Tromping through the underbrush, searching for any sign that one of Bodog’s tunnel entrances is near, doesn’t lighten my mood. I feel like I’m wasting time. Why did he have to run off like that? Near a low-branched tree, I nudge a slightly protruding section with my foot. It gives. Finally, I’ve found one of his tunnel entrances. I start to dig around it, pulling at the grass, when a slight stirring catches my attention. Within the bushes I see a pair of eyes staring back at me. “Bodog?”

The little man nods and puts his finger to his mouth.

“What?”

He points in the opposite direction. Something has obviously spooked him.

When I straighten, a shiver runs down my spine. About fifty feet from where I stand, the form of a man merges with the shadows. The shape is familiar. Very familiar.

The guy moves. A shaft of light touches him. The stocky build. The spiked blond hair. A slight stubble clings to his square jaw.

“Jason?” I can barely get his name out.

There’s no dead-man tinge to his wide face. It’s strong, in that familiar head/neck/shoulder fusion so many wrestlers acquire, like the front end of a battering ram. He swaggers forward, and I clearly see the menacing frown he’s wearing. I’m having a hard time believing what I’m seeing, yet his aggressive manner registers, and I widen my stance.

Jason stops a few feet from me and looks me up and down, and his dark frown eerily transforms into a big grin, one that doesn’t meet his eyes. “Miss me, Dylan?”

“You’re alive?” I don’t know whether I’m happy or terrified by that fact. He was definitely dead the last time I saw him. How can he be alive?

A bitter laugh claws from his throat. “A lot you cared.”

One second his sword is neatly tucked in his scabbard, the next it rings clear and he’s moving…fast. Unnaturally fast.

I barely manage to dodge the sharp point. Once I do, I call vines from the ground and tangle his feet, which gives me time to back up and assess what’s happening.

Bodog squeals from the bushes, and I turn to see the pux swarm from the forest. He bats at the little imps with his stick as they chase him into the woods and away from me. I can’t help him. I’ve got bigger problems in the form of an angry bull who’s somehow managed to grow horns.

Jason slashes at the vines, and in no time, he’s free. His cold blue eyes land on me. “Whatever you’ve got, get it ready, because you’re going to need it all before I’m done with you.”

Okay, this is a serious case of misunderstanding. I don’t draw my sword. He’s my friend. We can talk this through before it comes down to hacking each other to pieces. I back up, my hands up, palms out. “I came back. I promised you I would.”

With a flick of his wrist, the sword he holds does a series of fancy twirls in the air, hissing as it spins. He stops it expertly.

Whoa. That’s not normal. The guy can throw a mean headlock or flip you to the mat like a pro, but rip the air with a sword? Something’s definitely different about Jason.

He glares around the blade, his face twisted with hate. “Do you know what it’s like to be dead one moment, then brought back to life only to find you’re buried alive?”

Before I can comment, he answers his own question in words that rumble hotly from his chest. “I’m claustrophobic. I couldn’t rip my way out of there. For seven days—seven days—I was trapped in a coffin you made. Why’d you bring me back just to leave me?”

“I-I’m—”

I try and wrap my head around what he’s saying. With one blast of energy, I killed everything within a mile,