The prince hesitated, placing his silverware down. “The king—my father—wanted the people to dislike me. He tried to keep my existence a secret, but when that failed, he had to make it so that no one would ever expect to see me claim the throne and or recognize me if I tried.” Asterious chewed his lip. Caramyn sensed there was more.
"So, you really did kill for him? Is that part true?”
“Yes. But not because I wanted to…mostly.” His eyes flickered in the candlelight as he gave a fleeting, hollow smile. “Though I can’t say there weren’t the odd few who deserved it.”
“Couldn’t you refuse if you believed someone was innocent?”
“Sometimes that’s far easier said than done.” He spoke through a tense exhale as he tapped the edge of his plate with a fork.
The heaviness in his sigh signaled to Caramyn that she should probably stop while she was ahead. If she pushed him too far, she feared he’d simply end the conversation and leave like last time. She decided to change the subject, at least until she could circle back to her deeper questions.
“Why did you ask me to dinner?”
“Because…I’ve been thinking.” Asterious swirled his fingertip around the rim of his chalice. “And I wanted to tell you that confining you to your chambers was a lapse in my judgment. I’m granting you freedom of this court. But understand that leaving the grounds would be difficult, so I wouldn’t advise trying.”
“Difficult? Is that a threat?” Caramyn repeated, thinking of the demon wolf she encountered the night before. Was he referring to that? Was it some sort of castle guard he hadn’t mentioned? If she asked him about it, he’d know she already tried to escape, so she kept her thoughts silent.
“Not a threat. A warning. You see, there are things that lurk through these witchlands. Creatures once summoned by the Lightborn to guard these lands from enemies. Let’s just say it would be in your best interest not to encounter them.”
Caramyn’s chest tightened as she feigned an unbothered nod. “Noted. I appreciate the…advice.” She paused to take a bite. “You know, this almost seems like a charming attempt at an apology.”
“If that’s what you want it to be.” Asterious continued, tilting his head with a curious spark in that one metallic silver eye. “Just keep in mind as you roam this castle, that there is one area that you must stay away from…for your safety. You must not go near the West Wing Hall.”
Caramyn raised an eyebrow as she dug her fork into the quail meat on her plate, picking through the tiny bones with her fingers. “What are you hiding there?”
“Nothing at all.” Prince Asterious’ voice was soft as silk. “But it’s very dangerous. You’ve seen how that side of the castle is nearly destroyed. It could come crumbling down upon you in a matter of seconds with one wrong step.”
She didn’t entirely believe him, but she let him carry on and pretended to accept his explanation for now. She had to make him trust her so he wouldn’t redact her newly given freedom. “So, I can go anywhere else. Does that include the library? And the stables?” she asked.
“Yes, and yes. But you can’t run away on my horses.” The prince sneered. “Remember?”
“I know.” Caramyn met his mocking laugh with a glower. “I simply want to see the horses. If I must be stuck in this dreadful place with you, I at least want to do something of interest. I want to learn more about them. Perhaps…how to ride. With real skill, not just sitting up there.”
Asterious leaned back in his chair with a half-smile, almost as if impressed. “If that would please you, it’s fine with me. My horses are more loyal to me than everyone in this court combined. My stablemaster, Terrin, uses methods from the ancient traditions, and they result in magnificently steadfast animals. I’d certainly trust those horses to keep you in line.”
“Then I look forward to meeting them,” she said, pretending this was the first time she’d ever learned of Terrin’s existence.
She glanced down. Her fingertips were a glistening mess with oils from the meat she’d picked through. Normally she wouldn’t care. Safe in her cottage, she’d tear into her dinner without a second thought. But for some reason she wanted to appear more refined here. She wiped her fingers with her napkin, a hint of embarrassment creeping in. Why did she feel this way in front of him? She shouldn’t care what he thought, but she did. “I suppose you want a thank you.”
“If that’s as close to a thank you as I can get, I’ll accept it.” Asterious curled the corner of his lips into a smile, as though entertained by her.
Damn that handsome, devilish smile.
“It still doesn’t change the fact that you kidnapped me.” Caramyn played with the napkin in her hands under the table, twisting it back and forth.
“I could say I’m sorry for that, if that’s what you really want. Since you refuse to let it go.” Asterious leaned forward, placing his hands on the table with a smirk. “But really, if I had left you out there in the Shadow Woods, you think you would’ve survived? You would’ve been dead within another hour.”
Caramyn hesitated before answering, still turning the cloth napkin between her fingers. She almost found it comical how he underestimated her. “I suppose it is rather strange. We all know the Shadows don’t tolerate anyone crossing the forest.” By feigning innocence, she was turning the conversation back now. Throwing out bait to see if he would reveal his reason for being in the Woods in the first place. “Why do you think that is? Do you believe the stories? Of ghosts and witches and all that?” She casually took a sip of the wine.
The prince tilted his head. “I once did. When I was a child. But now I have a theory of what they are.” Caramyn perked up, her spine straightening as his words gripped her. It terrified her to think he might know the secrets of her Woods better than she knew them herself. He went on as she stared at him, unable to look away or even blink. “I imagine the wraiths are the spirits of the Shadowbloods that were killed there at the making of the Veil.”
Caramyn shuddered. She’d often thought of the blood spilled in the Woods when the human and Lightborn armies infiltrated it, wielding their elemental magic against the Shadowbloods in retaliation for the death of the Vaerwynd King.
She never thought to consider that perhaps those ghostly Shadows might’ve been those same spirits. She lifted her chin, remaining her composure to keep him talking. “And why do you believe they prowl the Woods? Surely beings as powerful as Shadowbloods would have a more dignified afterlife than playing ghosts in a haunted forest.”
Asterious gaze dropped to his lap, his eyes somber. “Not if they’re guarding something.”
“You say that like it’s a certainty more than just a hunch.” Caramyn urged him to go on, her fingers scraping the underside of the table nervously. Desperately.
