“I am … but the field”—he paused and looked down the hall—“it’s destroyed.”
I shook my head. “What? No—we fixed it last night.”
Pushing past my father, I walked through the narrow hall, letting out a wide yawn. He must’ve been mistaken. I exitedonto the porch and was knocked back by the newly obliterated field. It was worse than before. Branches from trees dangled limply, hanging on only by strings of what remained of the shredded wood.
My knees buckled as utter shock filled me to my core. I grabbed the wooden railing to keep myself upright. A murmuring crowd had formed along the fence line. Repairing it again with magic would be impossible with so many seeing the devastation in the light of day. I might’ve been able to produce a vegetable here or there, but fixing the entire area in one go was out of the question.
“Big storm last night, eh?” a deep voice called from my right.
I turned to see Prince Sutton’s guards standing at the edge of the crowd. Fisher looked away as Hunt chewed on an apple. I’d wanted to stab a dagger through him the night of the ball, but I was pretty certain I could detach his head from his body with my bare hands now.
“It’s better than the last time I had one,” Hunt said, raising the apple core before chucking it into the annihilated field. “Unfortunate situation, really.”
Legs wobbling, I moved to the fence. My feet stung as I walked across the row of destroyed crops. “Are you responsible for this?” I looked at Fisher, but he avoided my gaze.
“Dare you accuse the Rivale Guard of tampering with someone’s livelihood?” Hunt looked down at me.
“I do!” I snarled back. My body trembled with rage, skin nearly bursting open from the magic threatening to rip out of me.
“Audryn,” Fisher softly interjected, “Prince Sutton sent us here this morning. The field was like this when we arrived.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Benton rushing through his field of still-standing wheat. He bounded through as if he weren’t a two hundred pound man, and was merely a dancer skipping through a field of daisies.
“What in the Divine happened?” Concern filled Benton’s face.
“I don’t know. It was fine and then”—I threw out a hand—“it wasn’t.” I swung my hand at the two guards. “And suddenly these two appeared.” My eyes narrowed on Hunt, who was casually picking food from his teeth with a small stick. He flicked it through the air, discarding it in the mess.
“At Prince Sutton’s request,” Fisher started, “we were sent here?—”
“What does he even want?” I said, cutting him off.
“Well, he wants you. He wants you to join him at the castle.”
“Not happening,” I snapped. “Don’t you see my life is in shambles?”
“Yes, well, he said we are to secure your safety,” Fisher continued. “We’re to remain stationed with you until he orders otherwise.”
“Or until you agree to go,” Hunt chimed in.
“This is fucking ridiculous.” My chest heaved as the implications of their presence poured into my mind. Not only could I not repair the field, but I wouldn’t be able to use magic to produce enough to feed my father and friends. “What time do you leave?”
“We’re working in shifts. You’ll have two guards stationed day and night.” Fisher blew out a breath, pushing a strand of ash blonde hair from his eye.
“You’re stuck with us, Pumpkin.” Hunt chuckled to himself. “Speaking of, did you grow any of those? I’d love a pie—maybe you can bake us one.”
I stomped into the house. If they wanted to stand outside all day, they were welcome to. But I wouldn’t offer food, drink, or the use of my bathing room; they were on their own. The least they could do was monitor my already damaged property. Maybe the offenders would be dumb enough to return.
“What are we going to do?” Benton followed me in and shut the door behind us.
I shook my head, furious about my life’s new reality.
Over the next several hours, the three of us weighed the options. My father said he would look for a job, hopefully finding something not requiring him to stand. The sentiment was nice, but the likelihood of finding a position to match his needs was slim. The best and ultimately only option was for me to find a secondary job during the day while the crops reproduced naturally.
Restoring each vegetable and fruit would take months, even that was a generous estimate. I’d never seen my mother not use magic in our garden, so I couldn’t be sure of the exact timeframe for the land to heal.
I selected the nicest dress I owned and went to every tavern and inn within our area. The two guards trailed behind me the entire time. Fisher followed quietly while Hunt seemed to explore every which way he could annoy me. Not only did he bother me, but he also harassed every prospective employer. It was no wonder I had zero job opportunities by the time my search concluded.
When I arrived at the tavern in the evening, the customers eyed the guards cautiously. I’d asked them to wait outside, but both outright refused. Apparently, my residence was the only location deemed safe enough to be left alone. When I informed them I didn’t want their services, they were quick to correct me—they served the prince, not me.
