Shortly after they’d finished their afternoon meal on the third day, Captain Ryze appeared at Hugo’s cell door.
“Get up and dust yourself off. The king wishes to see you.”
Hugo and Everand jumped up at the same time and rushed forward.
“Just Hugo?” Everand demanded.
“He didn’t ask for you,” Ryze answered as he inserted the iron key into Hugo’s door.
Hugo flashed Everand a weak smile even as he tried to brush the dirt and hay from his filthy clothes. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” The words might have wobbled as they left his dry mouth. A chill seemed to dig into his skin, biting to the bone.
Everand clutched the bars between their cells so tightly, his knuckles turned white. He tried to return Hugo’s smile, but it didn’t stick, and there was no chasing away the fear from his wide blue eyes. “It’ll be fine. Remember your promise to me. Behave. Do as he says.”
“I will. Don’t worry. I’ll return soon, I’m sure.”
Just before Hugo stepped out of the cell, he darted across to Everand and smashed his face against the bars so he could steal a kiss.
“Gods, three days trapped together and you’re still disgusting as ever,” Ryze complained.
Hugo winked at Everand and strolled out of the cell with the captain. “And why do I feel that your husband and wife gave you a very amorous welcome when you returned home from your mission in Frostbourne?”
Ryze’s lips twitched, likely fighting a grin as some memory flashed through his mind. He got control of his facial expression and slammed the door shut behind Hugo. “That’s none of your concern. Do I need to bind your hands, or are you going to be obedient?”
“I promise to behave,” Hugo replied. He walked through the dungeon, the captain at his side. There were dungeon guards at regular intervals who watched him as he passed.
As they climbed out of the lower levels, Hugo inquired, “Have you heard anything about the men you had to leave behind in Branem?”
“Hoping they’ve all been executed and their heads set on pikes along the castle wall?”
“What? No!” The captain’s words made Hugo stumble on a step. As he was about to tumble back, Captain Ryze’s powerful hand caught his elbow and set him on his feet. “Why would I think that? I don’t want to see anybody hurt. I thought that as their captain, you must be worried about them. It’s been almost three days since the ball. There has to have been some news, right?”
Ryze stopped in the middle of the hall, his dark-brown eyes narrowed on Hugo, making the jagged scar on his left cheek dig into his flesh. Standing so close in the bright afternoon light, Hugo could see that Ryze wasn’t as old as he’d thought. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but there was a light sprinkling of gray at his temples and the weight of worry resting in his eyes. In contrast, there were also hints of laugh lines around his mouth that were likely the result of two loving spouses.
“But we’re enemies.”
Hugo wrinkled his nose. “Only because two old kings got into a spat over the same woman. I don’t have a grudge againstyou, and I can’t imagine that you have any real hatred for me. I’m notthatannoying.”
That ghost of a smile returned, and Hugo felt his hope buoy.
“Besides locking us up in a cell, you haven’t tortured the prince and me. The food has been quite nice and filling. The extra blanket is much appreciated, too. I know things could be much worse.”
Ryze grunted and resumed walking. He said nothing for a couple of minutes. Just as Hugo had convinced himself thatRyze thought he was a complete idiot, the grizzled captain spoke. “An emissary from Branem provided a full list of names of all the people being held. King Hubert also released one person as a show of good faith. He reported that all my men are being treated well. A physician has healed the wounds they sustained in the fighting.”
“That’s a relief.”
They fell into silence as they continued down the hallway. The palace was busier and more brightly lit now, allowing Hugo to see more of the details of the beautiful castle. Many people wore dark-navy, severe-cut uniforms similar to what he’d seen the king wearing, leading Hugo to believe this must be closer to the military dress uniform, which was interesting considering King Hubert opted for fashionable suits. Servants wore a pale-gray uniform. He spotted a few other people who wore what looked like everyday fashion, and yet it was so different from what he saw around Frostbourne.
“Would it be possible to wash up before seeing the king?” Hugo inquired.
“No.”
“Please. It’s been days since I last washed. This isn’t appropriate.”
“Trust me, I know. I can smell you.” Hugo glared at Ryze, and the bastard grinned, revealing the most adorable dimple in his right cheek. “King Victor demanded to see you right away.”
Embarrassment burned in him, but there was nothing he could do about it. The king had to know what condition he would be in. Between the kidnapping and being held in a cell, there was no way he could come out smelling anything other than overripe. If King Victor had a problem with it, he’d have to let him bathe.
At the end of a long hallway, they slipped into a large room similar to the study he’d first seen the king in. Except this one was twice the size, with a long table off to the side, and wherethere had been books in the other room, there were now swords and a giant map of the world.
