Gathering his secret keeper and his veslo, Matthias placed them in a large leather bag before fumbling through his cupboard for some spare clothes. Taking off for a few days or a week would be a wise idea. He glanced around his room quickly before shutting the door behind him.
Bones trotted silently behind as they made their way through the cold palace halls, Matthias wincing with every step. Many courtiers passed him, but paid him no mind. He was sure none of them cared about him enough to know of his comings and goings, so it was of no consequence to him. Matthias adjusted the straps of the bag around his wings, grateful his father hadn’t touched them with his wrath.
Stepping out into the cool night air, the prince patted Bones on the head. “Race you there.”
The white wolf growled in response and Matthias shot into the atmosphere, cracked ribs and all, his big black wings stretching gracefully into the evening sky. Bones loved to race Matthias through the dark woods to the small cabin located a few miles away from the palace. It was situated at the far southeast of Oscuro, very close to the Veil.
No one really ventured out this way, besides the odd hunter looking for deer or light game.
Here in this part of Oscuro, it was a vast stretch of forest, reaching its hand out towards the ocean. It was the only place in allof Oscuro that was quiet and eerily peaceful. So Matthias knew he and Bones would most likely have the area all to themselves.
Looking down, Matthias grinned as he watched Bones dart through the painted canvas of shimmering trees, glinting under the light of the full moon. The glow of the palace faded behind him as he moved towards his destination.
Far ahead was a mountain range that looked as though it grew directly from the sea. Matthias smiled at the dark shards protruding from the ocean and wondered what it would be like out there. Maybe he should just keep flying until he reached it and see for himself. Bones probably wouldn’t appreciate that, though.
His furry companion looked like a streak of white paint against the surface of the ground. He’d been around for many years, Matthias’s only friend through this life. When he found him as a small pup along the shores of the Drayton Sea at the far south end of Oscuro, he was near death. Matthias had kept him in his room, out of the eye of his father for a reason.
After his father had snapped the neck of an injured bird, he’d found when he was only six years old, Matthias was determined not to let the wolf meet the same fate.
Matthias dropped as he neared the cabin, landing on the ground with a thud just as Bones skidded to a halt. Grinning through pain as it shot across his ribs, he praised the wolf through gritted teeth.
Turning, Matthias surveyed his surroundings.
Moonshadow oaks and glimmering willows glistened all around him. Taking in a deep breath, he savoured the cool night air before they both headed inside the cabin, where peace and solitude awaited.
Placing his bag down on the small wooden table, he sighed and reached for the black iron kettle, filling it with water before placing it over the fireplace. Crouching down, he grabbed wood and sticks from the storage basket to his left and built a crackling fire.
Moments later, he was cupping a hot drink between his hands as he sat in front of the fireplace. Matthias closed his eyes and let the warmth of the flames seep into his bones. The image of the Lightner woman danced across his mind and he let himself linger on her face for a moment before he shoved the thought back.
He shouldn’t be thinking about her.
The last time he’d let a woman into his heart, it hadn’t ended well. She’d left him for another man. Proof once again that Matthias himself was unloveable.
Morning light melted through the window and warmed the room. It was the second day at the cabin, and Matthias had done nothing but write songs, tend to his wounds, and drink his sorrows away. A steaming cup of hot tea balanced on the arm of his chair and Bones lay on the floor in a small patch of sun.
The prince wondered how long it might take for his father to realise he was gone—if he knew at all. It wasn’t odd for Matthias to disappear for a few days at a time, and his father never questioned where he’d gone upon his return. Sometimes Matthias got the feeling his father didn’t even know his son had left in the first place, but this time, it could be different.
The beating he’d taken for setting Adalia free felt different. As if the king was toeing the edge of eruption, like a volcano wanting to burst forth, pouring lava from its mouth, destroying all who stood in the way.
Matthias felt a pang of guilt at the thought of the Lightner woman he’d set free.
Did he do that, though? Set her free? Or had he accidentally sealed her fate with the bounty now placed on her head?
Pushing his father and the woman from his mind, Matthias reached for his veslo beside the fireplace and strummed a tune on the instrument. In between writing some notes into his secret keeper, his voice floated into the air as he sang. Bones dozed at his feet, and all was peaceful.
Matthias never shared his music with anyone, only playing it for himself or Bones if he was patient enough to lie there and listen.
The love of music had come from his father, who’d played music since Matthias was a babe, and, as much as he hated to admit it, music was a comfort to him. He picked up his first instrument when he was just four years old. It had been a part of his soul ever since.
Bones lifted his head and growled softly. Matthias silenced his instrument. The wolf stood and faced the door, his gaze focused on something beyond the wooden barrier.
Something—or someone—was outside.
Matthias wasn’t stupid enough to wait to find out. Placing his veslo and book down silently, he rose from the chair and moved to the window, its glass streaked and unclear. Whatever was out there, it was clever—hiding amongst the shadows in the watery morning light.
Matthias allowed himself a few seconds to decide what he should do.
He could take Bones and head out the back door to find solitude until the trespasser left, remain silent and hope whoever it was would leave, or he could face whoever was out there.
