“Thank you, Tal,” she said in a hushed voice. “My grandmother and Emmeric told me what you did for my village, and I want you to know that should you ever need anything from me, please ask, and it’s yours.”
Talon ruffled her hair in a brotherly manner. “Aw, Smalls, youdolike me.”
“Honestly might be the only Athusan I like.”
Tal looked over towards where Emmeric still slept, his arms thrown over his head, mouth parted slightly. He smiled forlornly. “He’s really not bad, you know. I think you two had a rough start.”
Iyana snorted. “Tell me, why in the name of the old gods are you best friends with such a grumpy pants?”
Talon laughed, causing the others to jolt awake. He wiped a tear from his eye. “Grumpy pants. I love it. I’ll make sure to call him that from now on.” Iyana returned his smile and lightly shoved him with her shoulder. “Seriously, though, we’ve known each other since we were born. Our parents lived next door to each other. We’re only a couple months apart in age, and we’re both only children. So, naturally, we grew up more brothers than friends or neighbors. When Em’s parents died, we were fifteen, and he moved in with us. We balance each other well. I help lighten him up, and he’ll tone me down.”
“I don’t really think you need toning down,” Iyana said.
“I’m assuming that’s a compliment,” Talon said jokingly. “But there are times which call for seriousness, and sometimes I have difficulty both recognizing those moments and reigning in the humor.”
“Well,” said Iyana, “I like you the way you are.”
Talon didn’t respond to her praise, instead nodding towards Emmeric again, who was now heading towards them. “Don’t write him off just yet, yeah? Give him a chance.”
Iyana didn’t have an opportunity to reply before Emmeric reached them, dark hair tousled with sleep, eyes half-lidded. He stretched his arms high, yawning. The lower portion of his toned abdomen and the deep V dipping into his pants were exposed. Iyana turned away quickly, not wanting to be caught ogling, but Talon noticed and winked at her.
“Morning Tal. Mouse,” said Emmeric with another yawn. He yanked Talon’s bacon right out of his hands.
“Hey, I was gonna eat that,” Talon protested.
“Too slow,” said Emmeric, waggling the strip of bacon at him.
“You’re going to pay for that, old man.” Then he launched himself towards Emmeric, tackling him to the ground. They both rolled around, wrestling, jostling for the piece of bacon. Never mind the other—Iyana counted—ten pieces still sitting in the pan. Eventually, the tussling stopped, Emmeric triumphantly holding up his winnings. The food, like the two men, was now covered in dirt. He ate it anyway.
Men, Iyana thought, rolling her eyes.
By this time, the other three in their party had reached the fire. Zane was much more solemn than the others.
“We’ll reach Athusia today,” the prince said, looking pointedly at Iyana. “Prepare yourself.”
Chapter 19
Zane
As their group of six crept closer to Athusia, Zane became more unnerved about the situation and what his father intended with Iyana. Emmeric and Talon shared his concerns. The normally jovial Talon became more subdued, and Emmeric’s face pinched with tension. Iyana, either out of a show of courage or because she was ignorant of her situation, seemed wholly unaffected. She still chatted with them all, and Zane hated that he found her charming. She very well could be dead in a few days, and he did not want to develop an attachment to a prisoner. He’d never been able to sway his father away from killing anyone in the past. In fact, if he thought she meantanythingto Zane, even if he liked the jokes she told or the sheen of her dark hair, Uther would be more inclined to kill her.
Zane had learned this lesson the hard way. So, for the past ten years, everybody had meant absolutely nothing to him. It was why he didn’t remember any of his guards’ names. If he had so much as an inkling of friendship, or a crush, he did everything in his power to ensure the person was removed from his vicinity. It had gained him the reputation of a brooding asshole, a bastard, a womanizer stealing the virginity of any fair maiden who so much as glanced at him, then casting them out into the night. He hated himself for it, but it was easier that way. Safer for both him and anyone who wandered too close to him.
The edges of Athusia were sleepy farmlands, the people working hard to earn their living, the dwellings few and far between. Pungent smells of horses, cows, and goats filled the air, mixing with sweeter scents of baking bread and ripening fruit. Moving closer to the city, smaller dwellings were pushed closely together, and wallswere shared with no room for alleyways. Dilapidated houses filled the outer ring of Athusia, with broken windows, roofs falling in, entire sections of siding missing. Yet these still housed whole families, sometimes composed of multiple generations, and Zane knew they were grateful to at least have some semblance of a structure around them. They easily could have been one of the many homeless people wandering through the outer rings of the city, begging for the scraps of scraps. These people had nothing to give away—they were all starving—yet they attempted to care for all their citizens. The stink of human shit and piss wafted over the group, with nothing sweet here to be found. It was loud in this portion of the city. Mothers yelling at children, children shouting to each other, drunkards generally losing control of their volume.
Zane hated this part of Athusia. It was a stain against the entire city, but the emperor did nothing to help their situation. No, he used it as an example for the wealthier houses.Look how good you have it. Look at how easily I could take it all from you.There were some former nobles living in this outer ring, stripped of their rank and fortunes, all because they had upset Uther in one way or another. Zane knew at least one family was here for treason; the patriarch of the house was caught plotting a coup. And he’d never forget the one poor family sent to the edges because the father had disagreed with Uther during a meeting. Their four-year-old daughter had cried silent tears, clinging to her mother’s neck, as she and her parents were escorted out of their home, all their belongings seized by the crown. A new family had moved into their house not two days later.
Zane peered over at Iyana to gauge her first impressions of the city, and they didn’t appear to be great. Although she lived in an extremely isolated village, with not much money, they at least all had well-built homes and food in their bellies. None of their people struggled. Her nose scrunched against the odor, but there was sympathy in her eyes as she viewed the wraith-like children on the streets. He saw her ask Emmeric something—he couldn’t hear what—but Emmeric shook his head and it only seemed to make her sadder.
Fortunately, they were soon entering the middle ring of the city. This was where many of the merchants and business owners lived. The homes were nicer, more spread out, some with small gardens or yards. Peals of children’s laughter rang out from a school down the street. These families were able to afford basic luxuries, likesending their children for an education, giving them a huge leg-up in life. If they knew how to read and do arithmetic, they’d be able to prosper themselves.
“What isthat?” Iyana asked, pointing to the large, oval stone structure located between the middle ring and the inner ring. Loud shouts and cheering were heard even at a distance.
“It’s the arena,” said Emmeric. “It’s where we play our national sport.”
“It’s huge,” she said, awestruck.
“Emmeric is actually pretty good at circle run,” Talon chimed in.
