The Thief and Prince

Chapter 21: Regretful Words

"My men will not let you leave here alive," Santiago says, "With or without my word to spare you. Whatever you decide, I suggest you do so quickly and take your leave before the bells toll."

Crispin pauses and shrugs, "Can you leave behind your keep in another's hands? Someone you trust?" he asks.

Santiago shakes his head, "Every man here believes that the world is his and what it holds is there for the taking," he explains. "If I do that my title is gone and so is your lands."

Pressing his lips together, Crispin sighs and finally sheaths his blade before turning to his sister. "So you refuse to come back home with me? Is that it? Nothing I can say or do will change that?" he asks, placing his hands on his hips.

She frowns and snakes an arm around Santiago's waist, "My home is with him, Crispin. I'm sorry."

Crispin steps forward, sizing Santiago up. He then places his hand on the hilt of his blade and I catch him by the arm, fearing of what might be going through his mind. "Leave her Crispin. She's made up her and we can't change it. We need to leave," I say, my voice soft and gentle. He shakes my hand off roughly and I feel a pang in my heart at his rejection.

"Do not tell me what I need, thief. Who are you to think you have that importance?" he ask in a cold tone, not even sparing me a glance. His words are sharper than a knife and cut even deeper. I know he is only saying it out of anger, but I cannot hide the pain on my face. "You are just some girl my father hired to bring my sister back. That obviously isn't going to happen."

My mouth drops open slightly and I shake my head in disbelief. Turning away, I walk out of the room and stand in the hall, waiting for them to make up their minds.

Is that all he sees me as? Some girl that was hired on by his father? Of course, I knew better than to get emotionally involved and now it has come to prove that I was right. "But he is only upset. Give him time," a voice tells me in my head, but I choose to ignore it allowing the fractures in my heart to consume me. My eyes begin to sting and I close them, willing the silent tears to disappear.

"Stupid," I think, "It was stupid of you to think of him other than anything but a friend."

"He didn't mean that," Amiri says, meeting me in the hall. Laria must still be in the room, acting as Crispin's bodyguard though I'm positive he doesn't need one. "He's just angry,"

Opening my eyes, I wipe my tears away on my bloodied sleeve and shake my head, "Doesn't matter. He's right in a sense. Just didn't have to go about it like that," I say, shaking my head.

Amiri gives me a sad grin and places his hand on my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "He cares deeply for you Cora. When he comes back to his senses he'll realize how much of a wanker he was and he'll apologize for how he treated you. He's just-" he begins, but Crispin brushes by, knocking his shoulder against Amiri's with Laria following suit closely behind.

"We're leaving," he states coldly. He doesn't bother to step over the bodies that lie in one massive pile on the floor and instead, uses their torsos and legs as stepping stones.

Amiri looks at me and only shakes his head and we quickly follow behind. As I begin to descend down the staircase, I steal a look behind us and see Rose weeping into Santiago's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Cora," Laria barks, reminding me that we must leave quickly, and I turn away, heading down the stairs. We make it unseen through the city—no longer attempting to be discrete. When we arrive at the stables I see that the slave kept his word and has saddled our original mounts before making his own exit.