“If a single one of you,” she said in a menacing tone, “thinks I won’t turn you in for threatening the prince, you better think again. I won’t have my home besieged by soldiers just because you can’t use your damn words to talk through a problem. I’ll take every last one of you down to protect my children.”
I found myself wanting to get out of her way and I wasn’t even the aggressor here. Those who were seemed to feel the same as, after some grumbling, they slowly dispersed. Hydris came back to earth and slipped his hand into mine. I held on.
“Thank you,” he said to her. “I really don’t know what tax they’re talking about, but I’m very sorry that they’re so upset.”
She shook her head at him andtsked. “Clean up your court, Your Highness, or this won’t be the last time your people want you dead.”
A man came over and helped her to a stool under a tree. I looked down at Hydris.
“You have to know,” I said, “that the tax they’re talking about is one Mannix issued in your name. You know that, right?”
He looked guilty as hell and nodded. “I’m sure he has a reason.”
“Look at these people, Hydris. It’s obvious they don’t have much.”
He wouldn’t look.
I let go of his hand.
“She’s right about you needing to clean up your court, and you should start with the lords and ladies ruining it right under your nose.”
I checked on Milo one more time—still inside the tent—before approaching the nearest person to keep up with my cover story. “Hey, I’m also here to get some grass for the royal stable.”
The guy’s gaze flicked over toward where I’d left Hydris. “Uh, I’m not sure?—”
“He’s not the one who’s going to eat it, right? Would you really cut off Silver Sparkle?”
He sighed. “I mean, no. But?—”
“Sarosh told me you’re the best grass-growers around. I can’t go back and tell him he was?—”
“Okay,” he said with some attitude. “Take it easy. We’ll get the grass for you.”
I gave him my best smile as he walked away. While I waited, I sat on a nice big boulder well away from the creepy lake and stared at the tent. I really needed to see Milo come out of there on his own steam.
The soldiers of Winter were all standing with their backs to us now, and it felt deliberate. Hydris had said his brother hated him, but I had to wonder if it was actually Mannix who the Winter Prince hated.
When Hydris wandered over, I gestured to the soldiers and said, “Does your brother know about Mannix?”
Hydris didn’t look over there as he shrugged. “Maybe? He told me I should make a council to help me run everything.”
“But instead of helping you, you just gave them every power and walked away.” I realized now just how disappointed I was in him.
“No, I didn’t!” He glared at me, hands on his hips. “I made Mannix too good at being a leader. I shouldn’t have given him so many strong qualities when I…” He seemed to fizzle out right in front of me. “When I’m not strong enough to rule over him,” he whispered.
“I think you could be the one in charge, if you tried.” Before he could say something contradictory, I asked, “But what do you mean when you say you ‘made’ Mannix? When you chose him? Appointed him?”
“I literally made him.”
I pulled back, disbelieving. “Like he’s your son?”
“No,” he said on a laugh. “I just…manifested him. I thought about the qualities he should have and he…became. I did that with all of the first generation citizens. That’s just how it’s done.”
“Oh. Huh.” That was the weirdest thing I knew about this place. “And the second generation?”
“Children of the first.”
“Like boy meets girl and nine months later there’s a baby?”
