Lee held up a piece of parchment, and I tried to cry out when I recognized it. He must have taken Thom’s final words to me from my pocket at some point this evening. I felt Thomas’s heavy gaze on me.
Lee laughed again. “This istoogood. Thom, I’m embarrassed on your behalf just reading this.”
His stare turned cold and cutting. “Enough.”
A flame appeared in the corner of the letter. Just as quickly, the fire was put out, smoke writhing in the air above it.
“You forget that I’ve scored higher than you in every class we’ve taken together,” Lee demurred. “I just don’t have a crown on my head, so people don’t notice me.”
Thom hung his head.
“With a few adjustments, this letter shall explain your heartache for me.” Lee’s gaze returned to his vial. “I’ve been designing a special potion for our future Grand Mage. Granted, it’s had a fewhiccups along the way, but I’m fairly confident in this batch. And since we have a commoner—” his eyes flashed to me, “—why don’t we let you go first?”
“No,” Thom said.
Lee paused. “Are you volunteering?”
Thom’s gaze bore into me. I found the courage to meet it, and through the spell that strangled me, I wished I could finally confess my feelings right here, right now, right when it might be my last chance.
His eyes filled with grief. “Yes. I am.”
Lee’s face split into a grin. “Excellent.”
He took a syringe and plunged it through the vial’s opening, the cool liquid disappearing inside the bronze tube. “Luckily, you are perfectly positioned for this experiment.”
Thom grunted, his gaze locked on mine.
I love you, I tried to tell him with my eyes.
I love you, you arrogant, awkward man…
His expression softened as the needle penetrated his upper arm. Lee slowly inserted the potion into his bloodstream.
And I imagined him saying he loved me too.
Black smoke began to emit from the injection site, slowly at first before consuming the area. Lee coughed, backing away as the prince was enveloped. I tried to scream, pulling at my wrists and legs, both tied to the chair. The smoke slowly dissipated, leaving nothing in its wake.
The chair sat empty.
And suddenly, a frog hopped.
“Incredible!” Lee cried out with a cackle. “It turned out even better than I imagined.”
“What did you do?” I tried saying, but only a cough-like noiseerupted from my chest.
“Sorry, something’s wrong with your voice.” He snapped.
“What did you do?” My voice scratched, but anything was better than the silence.
“It’s a simple transformation potion,” he said. “Enchanted to help its drinker fit where it belongs. They fade into the background of their own making.”
I looked as Thomas hopped around. “Can’t he undo it?”
Lee laughed. “Magic doesn’t undo. Itmakes. My potion made him into a frog. He can finally join his friends at the pond. Maybe he’ll even realize he’s nothing special—he’s just like the rest of us.”
Magic does undo, you twat, I wanted to say. But the less he knew, the better.
“The King will know.”
