Heir of the Gods

Ch. 40: Playing with Shadows

When the walls of the castle came into view, Elias let out a sigh of relief. His breath clouded in the air, his bad knee throbbed in agony as he kicked his heels into his horse's sides, urging the animal into a trot. His mount picked its way gingerly across the icy cobblestones, just as eager as he was to get out of the cold.

He tugged at the collar of his greatcoat as snow began to trickle from the leaden clouds. At the sound of hooves on stone, the door to the gatehouse opened, golden firelight spilling across the black ice on the paved road. A guard stuck his head out to peer into the growing gloom.

"Who goes there?" the guard called lazily, doing his best to keep the door as close to its frame as he could while still being able to see outside.

Elias pulled the collar away from his face so the guard could see him more clearly. "It's me, Arrius. Open the gates, would you?"

"Of course, sir," the man said, sounding bored now. This had been their routine nigh onto two weeks now. The door to the guardhouse was closed and, after a minute spent shivering atop his horse, there was the clank of chains and a groan of metal and wood as the gates opened.

He urged his horse forward, slumping a little in the saddle. Fatigue pulled at his bones, making his eyelids heavy.

The long days down at the docks, dealing with the headache of searching ships and surly captains, were beginning to really take their toll. Elias still wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't just asked to be sent back to his armada, which was currently in the tropical Delphian Sea.

But Prince Malitech had personally requested Elias be the one in charge of searching all northbound ships for stowaways—a new policy of the king's. 

He had put Elias in charge of a handful of his private guard, and they had been busy searching each and every ship from stem to stern. It was, of course, no secret who the prince and king might be searching for. 

Elias didn't really understand their reasoning. Surely the princess wouldn't be so foolish as to linger on her father's front doorstep. She was too clever to be caught so easily. But that didn't seem to discourage the prince. Nor did the dozens of complaints that came daily from the various captains and the harbormaster.

The cold weather made the Black Crests recalcitrant and slow, and they had only gotten through fully half of the ships that had been scheduled to depart today. He knew he would pay for that tomorrow, when the behind-schedule captains would be less than helpful in their search.

Not that their cooperation was needed. It was just nicer when he didn't have to deal with angry crew members breathing down the necks of volatile Black Crests. Either way, the ships still got searched.

So far, they'd found nothing more interesting than a few barrels of contraband wine, and he didn't expect them to find much else. 

He hoped they wouldn't find much else. 

Elias had so far avoided asking what, precisely, they were going to do if they caught the princess aboard one of the ships carrying troops and supplies to Brunia. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Dread welled in his throat as his mind began wandering through the possibilities of what Malitech might do if she was found. Almost immediately on the heels of that feeling was disgust. At her. At himself. Even after her rejection, he couldn't seem to stop caring for her. He couldn't stop loving her any more than he could stop breathing.

What an unforgivable fool he was.

The stables finally came into view, his horse picking up its pace at the promise of a warm oat mash and a cozy stall. Once they got to the yard, Elias called for a stable boy, dismounting stiffly when one finally skulked out to care for his mount. He gave the horse a pat on its neck before he began the long walk to the castle.