doing his best. Throwing the ink had been stupid.
Lying on his stomach he buried his forehead under his arms and let the warm sun comfort him. It was so hot, and so bright. He could take it now, but for the first few days Outside he had been blinded, had had to wear dark glasses because his eyes wept and watered. And then all those long weeks until his skin had lost that white pallor, those days of washing and delousing and the endless medication Jared had made him take. Weeks of patient lessons from Claudia in how to dress, how to talk, how to eat with knives and forks; the titles, the bows, how not to yell, spit, swear, fight.
Two months ago he had been a Prisoner without hope, a starved, ragged thief and liar. Now he was a Prince in Paradise.
And yet he had never been more unhappy.
A shadow darkened the red light behind his eyelids.
He kept them tight shut but the scent of the perfume she wore came to him clearly; the rustle of her dress was loud as she sat beside him on the low stone parapet. After a moment he said, 'The Maestra cursed me, did you know that?'
Claudia's voice was cold. 'No.'
'Well she did. The Maestra, the woman whose death was my fault? I took the crystal Key from her. Her dying words were "I hope it destroys you". I think her curse is coming true, Claudia.'
The silence went on so long that he raised his head and looked at her. She had her knees up under the peach silk dress and her arms hugged around them and she was watching him with that concerned, annoyed look he had come to know. 'Finn...'
He sat up. 'Don't! Don't tell me I should forget the past. Don't tell me again that life here is a game, that every word you say and every smile, every gracious bow is a move in a game. I can't live like that! I won't.'
Claudia frowned. She saw the strain in his eyes. When the fits came he always had this look. She wanted to snap at him, but instead she made herself say quietly, 'Are you all right?'
He shrugged. 'It was coming. But it's gone. I thought... I thought when I Escaped there would be no more fits. All those stupid documents. .
Claudia shook her head. 'No t them. It's Keiro again, isn't it?'
Finn stared ahead. After a while he said, 'Are you always this sharp?'
She laughed. 'I'm the pupil of Jared Sapiens. Trained in observation and analysis. And,' she added bitterly, 'I'm the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. The game's finest player.'
He was surprised she had even mentioned her father. He pulled a blade of grass and began to shred it. 'Well you're right. I can't stop thinking about Keiro. Keiro is my oathbrother, Claudia. We swore loyalty to each other, loyalty to death and beyond. You can't even guess what that means. In the Prison no one can survive alone; he looked after me when I didn't even know who I was. He watched my back in a hundred fights. That time in the cave of the Beast he came back for me, even though he had the Key, even though he could have gone anywhere.'
Claudia was silent. Then she said, 'I made him find you. Don't you remember?'
'He would have done it anyway.'
'Would he?' She gazed over the lake. 'From what I saw, Keiro was arrogant, ruthless and incredibly vain. You were the one who seemed to take all the risks. He only cared about himself.'
'You don't know him. You didn't see him fight our Winglord. He was amazing that day. Keiro is my brother. And I've left him in that hell, after I promised to get him Out'
A group of young men were strutting from the Archery Court. Claudia said, 'It's Caspar and his cronies. Quick.'
She jumped up and hauled one of the boats to shore; Finn stepped in and took the oars and she scrambled after him. With a few strokes they were safely out in the stillness of the lake, the prow rippling among the lily-leaves. Butterflies danced in the warm air. Claudia lay back on the cushions and stared up at the sky. 'Did he see us?'
'Yes.'
'Good.'
Finn watched the effete youths in disgust. Caspar's red hair and gaudy blue frockcoat were
Lying on his stomach he buried his forehead under his arms and let the warm sun comfort him. It was so hot, and so bright. He could take it now, but for the first few days Outside he had been blinded, had had to wear dark glasses because his eyes wept and watered. And then all those long weeks until his skin had lost that white pallor, those days of washing and delousing and the endless medication Jared had made him take. Weeks of patient lessons from Claudia in how to dress, how to talk, how to eat with knives and forks; the titles, the bows, how not to yell, spit, swear, fight.
Two months ago he had been a Prisoner without hope, a starved, ragged thief and liar. Now he was a Prince in Paradise.
And yet he had never been more unhappy.
A shadow darkened the red light behind his eyelids.
He kept them tight shut but the scent of the perfume she wore came to him clearly; the rustle of her dress was loud as she sat beside him on the low stone parapet. After a moment he said, 'The Maestra cursed me, did you know that?'
Claudia's voice was cold. 'No.'
'Well she did. The Maestra, the woman whose death was my fault? I took the crystal Key from her. Her dying words were "I hope it destroys you". I think her curse is coming true, Claudia.'
The silence went on so long that he raised his head and looked at her. She had her knees up under the peach silk dress and her arms hugged around them and she was watching him with that concerned, annoyed look he had come to know. 'Finn...'
He sat up. 'Don't! Don't tell me I should forget the past. Don't tell me again that life here is a game, that every word you say and every smile, every gracious bow is a move in a game. I can't live like that! I won't.'
Claudia frowned. She saw the strain in his eyes. When the fits came he always had this look. She wanted to snap at him, but instead she made herself say quietly, 'Are you all right?'
He shrugged. 'It was coming. But it's gone. I thought... I thought when I Escaped there would be no more fits. All those stupid documents. .
Claudia shook her head. 'No t them. It's Keiro again, isn't it?'
Finn stared ahead. After a while he said, 'Are you always this sharp?'
She laughed. 'I'm the pupil of Jared Sapiens. Trained in observation and analysis. And,' she added bitterly, 'I'm the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. The game's finest player.'
He was surprised she had even mentioned her father. He pulled a blade of grass and began to shred it. 'Well you're right. I can't stop thinking about Keiro. Keiro is my oathbrother, Claudia. We swore loyalty to each other, loyalty to death and beyond. You can't even guess what that means. In the Prison no one can survive alone; he looked after me when I didn't even know who I was. He watched my back in a hundred fights. That time in the cave of the Beast he came back for me, even though he had the Key, even though he could have gone anywhere.'
Claudia was silent. Then she said, 'I made him find you. Don't you remember?'
'He would have done it anyway.'
'Would he?' She gazed over the lake. 'From what I saw, Keiro was arrogant, ruthless and incredibly vain. You were the one who seemed to take all the risks. He only cared about himself.'
'You don't know him. You didn't see him fight our Winglord. He was amazing that day. Keiro is my brother. And I've left him in that hell, after I promised to get him Out'
A group of young men were strutting from the Archery Court. Claudia said, 'It's Caspar and his cronies. Quick.'
She jumped up and hauled one of the boats to shore; Finn stepped in and took the oars and she scrambled after him. With a few strokes they were safely out in the stillness of the lake, the prow rippling among the lily-leaves. Butterflies danced in the warm air. Claudia lay back on the cushions and stared up at the sky. 'Did he see us?'
'Yes.'
'Good.'
Finn watched the effete youths in disgust. Caspar's red hair and gaudy blue frockcoat were
Similar Books
The Lazarus Plot
Franklin W. Dixon
A Promise Of Home (A Lake Howling Novel Book 1)
Wendy Vella
Never Forget: A Novella in the Echo Platoon Series
Marliss Melton
The Only One
authors_sort
Soft Target
Mia Kay
Super Trouble
Vivi Andrews
The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook
Matt Dunn
Sweet Temptation
Leigh Greenwood
Vengeance Bound
Justina Ireland