He cast a look at Theo as, working swiftly, he tied the rope around a tree close to the cliff’s edge, then looped it around his middle.
“No, lad, I’ve no skill in magic, but I don’t need it to help your sister. Stand back now.”
The next thing Theo knew, the stranger was walking himself backward down the cliff. A small crowd had gathered by now, more people abandoning the carbuncle hunt to see what was going on.
Xavier was nowhere to be seen.
When the man reached Miriam, he scooped her into one arm, the muscles of the other straining as he started to walk back up the cliff. Several of the onlookers rushed to the other end of the rope, hauling on it carefully to help the ascent. Within moments, the stranger had reached the top, safely depositing the trembling princess onto the grass beside her brother.
“Miriam, are you all right?” Theo knelt next to her, squeezing her shoulder as the enormity of what had just happened started to hit him.
She nodded, hiccuping. “That was so scary, Theo.”
“I know.” He looked around, searching the darkness for Xavier. There was still no sign of him.
“What do we do now?” Miriam asked. “How will we get home without the horse?”
The horse. A sick feeling settled in Theo’s stomach as he remembered the sight of the poor creature’s body sprawled on the rocks below. Miriam must have seen his face, because she let out another hiccup.
“I’m sorry, Theo.”
He shook his head mutely. This wasn’t her fault. It was his. He was the one who’d killed the horse. That beautiful stallion. He’d been so sure he could find a carbuncle favor and get the horse for himself. And instead…
The sick feeling threatened to choke him, and he pushed himself to his feet.
“Come on. We need to find Xavier.”
Any hope of escaping inconspicuously died as he realized that one of the people hovering around was the head groom of the viscount who was hosting the royal family. Theo saw the recognition that flashed into his eyes, and he knew they were lost.
Sure enough, by the time Xavier appeared several minutes later, the group was in an uproar at the realization that the unaccompanied children were the prince and princess. The trip back to the manor was a nightmarish blur, Miriam crying most of the way and Xavier more frustrated than alarmed.
Theo’s next moment of sharp awareness came when he found himself standing before his father, Xavier at his side. The queen was with Miriam, who was being examined by a physician for any injury from her ordeal, and the king had sent everyone else away. It was just the three of them, and the expression on his father’s face was possibly the worst thing Theo had ever seen.
“I barely know where to begin.” The king’s voice was calm, and it was more terrifying than shouting would have been. “You stole horses? Theodore, I didn’t expect this from you.”
Theo shook his head frantically. “No, Father, I wasn’t stealing. The viscount said I could ride it. He said—”
“I know what he said, Theodore,” King Madoc cut in. “He said you could ride it around the manor, during the day. And then I told you that you weren’t to do even that.”
“I meant to bring it back.” Theo’s voice came out a whisper.
“But you didn’t, did you?” his father said harshly. “You killed it. I’ll have to pay the viscount for its purchase now, but it’s a shameful waste, Theodore. It was a fine creature.”
Tears pricked at Theo’s eyes, and he fought valiantly to stop them from falling. He couldn’t let his father see him cry—he knew he was too old for such behavior.
“I have never been more disappointed in my life,” the king went on, his eyes passing between his sons. “In both of you. You disobeyed me, you took something that wasn’t yours, and you endangered your sister’s life. Miriam was almost killed.”
“We didn’t want Miriam to come,” Xavier said hotly. Theo couldn’t imagine where his brother found such spirit in the terrible moment. “I said she was too young.”
“Whereas you are old enough to know better,” their father said with a snap. “You are my heir, Xavier. You cannot conduct yourself in this way. I’ve had enough of your defiance and your anger. You will learn to behave in accordance with the responsibilities of your station.”
“Why should I behave with responsibility if you refuse to give me any responsibility?” Xavier demanded, still unchastened. “You can’t have it both ways, Father.”
“You will not speak to me like that.” The king’s anger was burning hotter by the moment, and Theo wanted nothing more than to slink away and hide. “Time and again you show yourself unworthy of responsibility. You almost got your sister killed tonight. And Theodore also could have been seriously injured.”
“Xavier isn’t responsible for me,” Theo said quickly. “It wasn’t his fault that I was out there.”
“Of course it wasn’t,” Xavier said. “And Miriam is fine, Father. You accusemeof being dramatic.”
