“He does. He’s been gathering information for a year now. Their deaths were too suspicious. Our little journey to keep you safe will allow me to collect more of the information our king needs.”
Faust pursed his lips. Emoris had control of everything, even the throne. Konrad was planning something big. Faust observed Rene, certain he knew more than he let on.
Rene pulled out a book and flipped it open. “You only have to ask the right questions, Your Highness.”
Faust frowned. This wasn’t a lesson. “Did my brother send our family away because he knew Emoris would try to kill them? Why leave me with him?”
Rene flipped a page with a small smile. “He sent Princess Olivia away with his personal knight, Lukas, because he feared she would be killed. The so-called accident was meant to kill them all. That is not hard to deduce, Your Highness.”
Faust scowled. “What about Takis and his son—Nik and his son, too?”
“He feared your brothers and their children were next, yes,” Rene said. “Takis’s duty is to protect the children of the crown while Nik . . . well, you know his reputation.”
“Some blamed Arleen’s death on Nik, saying one of his flings had the carriage ambushed,” Faust said. “Are you telling me that is all a ruse?”
“Oh no, he’s flirtatious.” Rene turned another page. “He is also looking for information.”
Faust sighed. As usual, Konrad didn’t tell him any of this. “You still did not answer one thing. Why did Konrad not send me away with Takis?”
Rene remained silent for a while. He closed his book. “Emoris moved before Konrad could enact his plan. He thought he could protect you himself and regrets not sending you away with Prince Takis, but you are away now. You are to become Lord Arcus and meet the king again in Roltan.”
“What is he planning?”
Rene shook his head. “You must wait and see. Now get dressed. I want to move to a proper room. Your clothes are in that carton over there.” He pointed to a stack opposite of Faust’s bed. “I am surprised you found the letter in all this.”
“Konrad left a hint only I could find.” Faust set the glass down and walked over to the carton. He took off the top and raised his eyebrows. Glasses and four magic stones rested on the top of some rather fine clothing. He inspected the glasses.
“Those will change your eye color to blue when you wear them, Your Highness. The guild has become quite crafty.”
Faust smiled. They were always so inventive. He picked up the clothing and stared at the bottom of the carton. “Rene, why are there haircutters in here?”
Rene grinned.
Faust paled.
Chapter Four
Faust moved a piece of his short hair behind his ear, grumbling.
“It’s not that short, my lord.” Rene smiled and passed Faust an earth stone.
“It is,” Faust complained, taking the stone. His hair was just past his neck when it had been to his hips. He missed his long hair, but it was for the best. He must be unrecognizable at first glance. It gave him a short ponytail look instead and made him feel far more boyish and younger.
“Your hair will grow back,” Rene insisted. “It has been a few days already, you will become used to it, but now it is time for your concentration drill this morning. We’ll be disembarking at the next town. I do not wish for a repeat inspection with a Volant when there is no way of escaping.”
Faust sighed, pushed his magic into the earth stone, and let it float above his hands. He closed his eyes and focused on the small block of wood between them. He forced it to change shape, move, and rotate.
“Good, my lord. Always concentrate and never pour too much magic into anything. The knights did not need to die that way, regardless of their attempt on your life.”
Faust let the stone drop in his hands, the green glow fading. “I did not mean to.”
“The king wouldn’t have permitted them to live.” Rene lifted his own earth stone. The block floated and shuddered with a creak as it reformed into the Kingsley crown. “Your magic ran rampant. It changed the armor back into its molten form, and the flames took to their skin in your panic. With more concentration, you could have simply tightened their armor and crushed their lungs. Fire has always been volatile for you and the king. You must use more caution and pick another stone when possible.”
Faust closed his eyes. The fire stone had been the strongest in the area around him, and fire surpassed what any knight could’ve made with an earth stone.
“You did what you needed to survive. Do not forget that.” Rene let the block return to its natural state. “We will conduct these drills throughout our journey and move to combat later.”
“Did my brother order this?”
“The king wants to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you. Those who fear you will never truly trust you,” Rene said with a wave of his finger. “Stone users hold great power over those that cannot use them. Not everyone is born with the ability to harness magic, and even less rise to the status of a king.”
Faust sparked his stones, watching the water, sky, earth, and fire stones float above their heads. “A king candidate can use four stones and has the right to rule a kingdom but must obey the sovereign deities Emoris and Lathil above all else.”
“That is correct, my lord.”
Faust huffed. “You have told me this for years.”
“A refresher lesson will not kill you.”
Faust resisted the urge to roll his eyes and willed his stones to his hands, letting his magic quiet. “And what else are we reviewing this fine morning, Rene?”
“Who are the current king candidates?”
“King Konrad and myself, but no one knows about me.”
“Correct,” Rene said. “To all kingdoms, you are a prince in name but bear no right to the throne of Alios. We have many to avoid on our travels, so, humor me. Tell me how Emoris and Lathil control the three kingdoms of Alimphis. I must confirm you can distinguish who we need to avoid since you have a tendency to explore on your own too often.”
Faust sighed. If he weren’t cooped up in the castle all the time, maybe he wouldn’t.
Rene removed his monocle and began to clean it. “We will not leave this room until you do.”
Sometimes he hated that Rene was his teacher. “The sovereign deities, Emoris and Lathil, make the leaders of Roltan and Windilum report new laws to the King of Alios so he can regulate them. And the deities implemented a law that only king candidates are considered true kings because they can use four stones. Thus, only Alios has one,” Faust said. “So, even though the King of Roltan is a three-stone user, the deities don’t see him as a real king.”
“Correct,” Rene said. “But Emoris and Lathil see Windilum even less as rulers because the kingdom is run by two Blood Dukes who can only use two stones each. Windilum never agreed on a temporary king.”
Faust scowled. He hated that. Windilum was a powerful kingdom, one that deserved as much respect as the rest of them. “Emoris and Lathil made the system heavy-handed in Alios’s favor, and it works for now, but my brother despises it. As do I. And that doesn’t even cover the problem of those Emoris and Lathil blessed with their markings, giving them even more magic. They rule through fear.”