Page 149 of Somber Prince

Could I call it that? There had been no agreement, no discussion of the terms. I had no reassurances like a formal treaty would’ve brought. The queen could turn against me, just as easily as she had changed her mind in my favor this time.

“For now,” I added.

For now, my warriors quickly dispersed of the remaining desert dwellers. For now, we were safe.

What lay ahead remained to be seen. Whatever relationship I’d had with the queen before had deteriorated beyond repair. For some unexplained reason, she let me live. But I could never forgive or forget the torture under the scorching sun I had endured or her willingness to sentence me to death.

“Well, let’s go home then?” Oskura shrugged.

Dawn kneeled by a dead desert woman on the ground. Reaching behind her breast plate, she pulled out a crushed cluster of yellow flowers.

“Here it is again,” she exhaled.

Oskura leaned closer, squinting at the flower. “Golden hyacinth. It’s common in some parts of the desert.”

“How common is it, really? If we search them all, I bet that every one of these people has this flower on them.” Dawn rose to her feet, turning to me. “What exactly does the juice of this plant do?”

“It’s relatively harmless on its own. It’s even added to some healing potions, I heard. The danger lies in the various nefarious spells that it can be used with.”

“You mean it’s harmless for fae?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“How about humans?”

I sucked in a breath and forgot to release it, struck by that question and what it implied.

“Humans…”

“Right.” Dawn tossed the flower aside, then wiped her hand on her skirt. “Some things affect us differently than you. Like wine, for example. You can’t get drunk on it, but we can. Every time I saw a desert dweller, they had this flower on them.”

Oskura frowned, mulling over Dawn’s words.

I wished I could alleviate their concerns, but it could no longer be dismissed as mere coincidence. Dawn was right. The flower had some purpose we weren’t aware of.

Oskura shifted on her feet uneasily, placing a hand on the handle of one of her swords in its sheath.

“Let’s get you both back to Teneris.” The general gestured to the men to bring a camel for Dawn and me.

The one we rode before had its wound treated and was back on its feet. But it was best to give the wounded animal a rest from carrying riders for a while.

I drew Dawn into my side, relieved to feel her body next to mine.

She tilted her face up to me and smiled. “Let’s go home?”

“Home.” I leaned down to kiss her.

Whatever came, I was going to keep my treasure safe.

Epilogue

DAWN

“This way, Your Highness.” General Oskura ducked to fit under a low door frame that led us into a narrow corridor one floor below the palace.

This was nothing like the room where I was held the day of my arrival in Alveari Kingdom. The dark walls and packed-dirt floor left no doubt this was a dungeon where the Prince of Teneris held those who had wronged him or his people.

It also served as a reminder that the man, who could be poignantly gentle and heartbreakingly vulnerable with me, was a mighty ruler with means to administer harsh punishment to those who disobeyed his laws.