The Prince's Mark

Chapter Thirty Five

Climbing the tower took even more out of Tracou than it had previously. Before, he had at least had a good night's sleep. Now he found himself desperate for air early in the climb. He also yawned repeatedly, but that didn't help him catch his breath.

At the top, Tracou's legs quivered. He sat down, leaning against the cold wall of the tower, and panted.

"No stamina at all," Pendaer sneered.

Tracou ignored him. He had been right to deny Pendaer food the night before and he shouldn't have given him any this morning. Maybe then he would have some understanding of the stress Tracou dealt with.

The serving girl who had brought them upstairs had some decency at least. She hovered over him, eyebrows knit together, and kept mumbling what sounded like comforting words.

When Tracou felt ready, he stood, and gave the girl a thankful nod. Pendaer didn't even get a second glance as Tracou entered Yash's room.

After the pile of food from yesterday, Yash managed to be even less predictable than he had the day before. What did he want? Would he demand something from him as if he had already paid for it? What if he really wanted something illicit?

Hundreds of possibilities flitted through his mind—most of them ending with him not getting the keys at best and thrown into a cell below the castle at worst. His stomach churning, he made it all the way to the chair he had sat in yesterday before he realized that he was alone.

The ugly feeling in his stomach grew larger. This was his chance! But how long did he have? He couldn't just poke around in someone's office like it was nothing. He had no excuses ready if he got caught.

Tracou let out a slow breath. He didn't have to physically look. His wand, still in his sleeve, would be enough. Keeping his eyes on the thick curtain hanging from the ceiling, Tracou sent out a magical feeler. The tendril inched around the room. This feeler had no weight to it and couldn't be seen, but a good fright could cause Tracou to tense both himself and the magic, making it physical and a problem.

Moving as cautiously as he could, Tracou focused on Yash's desk, the one that still had a map of Dezmer resting on top of it. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, though, so any bit of metal like a knife or the drawer knobs had to be examined thoroughly.

Then the curtain moved.

Tracou's entire body clenched in alarm and the tendril solidified, the tip falling to the bottom of one of Yash's drawers with a small tink. Pursing his lips, Tracou cut off his magic.

Yash strode into the room, wearing both a pleasant smile and gorgeous silver clothes. Food had been nice, especially considering Mirthal, but he would have welcomed a nice bolt of fabric as well. Yash's clothes appeared stiff like they hadn't been broken in yet.

"Dezmek Tracou! I see you've made yourself comfortable."

Tracou looked down at himself. "Is that all right? Should I be standing?"

"Of course not!" Yash moved over to his desk and sat on it, carefully pushing the map out of the way. "Is that what the Aodehsh demand from you? Poor thing."

Shifting in his seat, Tracou grimaced.

"By the way, I heard that you chose that man to stay rather than the woman. Did he threaten you?"

"N-No, but he's the one with my wand."

"So he did threaten you! Shall I have him detained?"

"Not yet." He hesitated. Yash opened his mouth, likely to ask him why. "I-I wanted to thank you for the gifts yesterday," he blurted out.