Chapter 16: 16_Risky bets

“Yes, sure,” Ivar was still mocking cluelessly.

“Look here!” She threw aside the bed covers and marched over on bare feet. As soon as she reached the table, she shoved her hand out before them. “These rings symbolize my royal status.”

Still and silent, Thoran looked at the three rings on her index finger. He raised his eyes and met her gaze, noticing how she boldly made eye contact like she wanted to see his reaction to this little revelation. He kept his expression flat, refusing to give her that bit of satisfaction. Her eyes said, ‘Well, criminal? What do you think of that?’

“If you’re saying you’re a royal and you’re from Gadon,” said Ivar. “You should have four rings. Not three. Nice try.”

She looked startled, flustered as she glanced to and away from Thoran. “I did have four rings! I lost one, but I had four!”

Ivar grew unsure. One look at Thoran and the grave look on his face was enough to convince him. With his mouth silently opening in shock, he stepped slowly away from the table. “Is she telling the truth, Steel? She’s…. she’s royalty?!” He immediately muzzled his own mouth with one hand to keep the matter secret.

“Yes, I am,” Amethyst said, lowering her hand. She kept her gaze on Thoran’s, hoping that wasn’t a smug glint in his eyes. He had nothing to be smug about. “I’m leaving now, but this isn’t over. I may have failed to gain my kingdom’s safety through battle, but I’ll be warning my father about your plans to attack us. You won’t get away with any of this.”

Having successfully wiped the smugness off his face with the threat, she spun on her heel for the grand exit. Amie paused, eyes darting discreetly across the floor. Where were her shoes? Her knees were shaking, she had to escape whilst she still had the upper hand.

He was calmly watching her, arms crossed over his chest. “Odd. You seem to really believe you can leave.”

She froze. Slowly, Amethyst looked at him, the confidence in her eyes waning. “Of course, I can…”

“Steel,” Gunn said hesitantly. Surely not. He couldn’t be thinking of keeping this princess hostage. And she wasn’t just any princess too, she was Kendrick of Gadon’s daughter. Having her with them could allow them to be traced, it was far too risky.

Silently, Thoran stood. Turning to walk past Gunn, he met his gaze and Gunnar recognized the ‘Trust me’ look he was given. Muttering a curse, he shoved back his hair and turned away.

Thoran made his way to Amethyst. “The first time I saw you, I told you… I would be taking more than just your castle if I saw you again.” A princess from Gadon? How perfect. She was now his to keep, it would make his revenge even sweeter.

She was watching him in tense silence, hoping this wasn’t going in the direction she thought it was.

He stood before her and tilted his head a degree to the right. “This is, what, the fourth time I’m seeing you? Even you must admit I’ve been generous. It’s time I make good on my word.”

“But…” Huffing in flustered uncertainty, she glanced around at them. “You don’t mean to keep me here?”

“You’ve been trying hard to get my attention,” he told her. “Congratulations. You *have* it.”

“I don’t want it anymore.”

“But you said you wouldn’t stop until you fought me? Until you restored your pride and protected your kingdom? Don’t you want a chance to do that? Or will you return in defeat, your tail tucked between your legs?”

The provocative words made her go still, her gaze glued to his scornful expression. Swallowing hard, she tried to ignore the words. It was hard to, especially when those were the very words she’d been trying to silence in her own mind. “You can’t keep me. My sisters must be looking for me as it is, they will trace me and then you’ll really have problems.”

“If that’s true, you have nothing to worry about,” he said. “Me keeping you is a favour of sorts. They’re patrolling the areas, searching for the thieves. There’s no chance you could escape all those law officials on your way home. You’ll get arrested the moment you leave. Your sisters must be right on your trail, you can confidently use the time you have left here to acquire your kingdom’s safety before they find you and take you home.”

Gunnar and Ivar exchanged looks. It was impossible to tell whether or not Thoran was serious about this. He couldn’t be, there was no way they could spare Gadon. King Kendrick was someone who they absolutely had to target. He could not be spared.

She was falling for it. Lowering his head, Thoran stared at her through the hedge of his dark lashes, a slow smirk curving his lips. The expression looked sinister and shifty even to Amie, but she couldn’t help thinking it over. He made perfect sense. Still... it was like making a wager with the devil.

“I…” She bit her lip. “I’ll be given the battle I want?”

“Oh, you no longer have a choice in the matter. I accept your challenge. You *will* fight me and you better win, *prencessi.”*

Trepidation trickled its icy waters down her spine, but Amie clenched her teeth against it. Running away wasn’t the solution. She had to do this. “Fine. We battle, I win and you guarantee my kingdom’s safety.”

Her overconfidence was amusing. “Sure. All you have to do… is win.”

Something told Amethyst that making a deal with this man was the same as signing a contract drawn up by Satan. There were no pros, only cons. Ready to face every sly trick he planned to use head-on, she stuck out her hand. “Deal.”

Thoran’s eyes dropped to the delicate hand thrust out toward him and a quiet scoff blew out of his nostrils. He took her hand, swallowing it up in his.

The contact sent a completely unexpected bolt of electricity up Amie’s arm and she looked down at his hand with mild shock. He took the chance to jerk her toward him, hearing her gasp. She looked up at him, her head shrinking away as he lowered his to murmur, “Good luck, poppet.”

********

“Compensate me!”

Milana and Cyrus exchanged looks, identical expressions on both their faces. It was clear that they agreed. This lady was out of her goddamn mind.

Slowly, they turned to look back at the lady in the throne-like chair with her extravagant hairdo and her excessive make-up.

“It’s only right, dears!” Lady Hadgar was saying frantically. “She’s your sister!” She pointed a long-nailed finger at Milana. “Look here. That girl joined forces with *criminals!* Came into my castle and *stole* from me!”

Milana’s face was gracefully still, but Cyrus saw her right hand clutching the left tightly in her lap. “It cannot be, Lady Hadgar. My sister is as innocent as they come. She’s the biggest justicar I know, she’d fight for a stranger on the road. She’d never stand for such unrighteous behaviour.”

“Well, clearly she has!” spat the old woman, the bright blue eyeshadow above her eyes creasing as she grimaced. “Shocking to hear she’s a princess, galivanting about with ruffians like Steel, of all people! King Kendrick’s the real victim here, to have raised such an errant daughter!”

Back straight and hands neatly in her lap, Milana forced herself to remain silent, gritting her teeth with the effort.

On the total contrary, Cyrus’s fiery green eyes glared darkly at the woman before him.

“You compensate me, or I will make sure I take this matter to your father. And as for the wench’s whereabouts, I don’t know and I don’t care!” Lady Hadgar spat, looking crueller with each word she spoke. “I’m a frightening woman, Princess Milana! You don’t want… to get on my wrong side.”

Milana was poise and grace in the face of aggression, but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes that, to anyone who knew her well, would be the only warning sign needed.

There was a blade-filled fan in the sleeve of her gown. Milana was momentarily arrested by the fantasy of pulling out her fan, blowing a few cool wafts of air at her own face before flicking her arm, sending the bladed fan straight into the old woman’s neck. She shook with resistance against her anger.

Luckily, she didn’t have to do anything at all.

“Princess Milana,” Cyrus said beside her, his voice icier than ever before.

Snapped out of her thoughts, she looked at him.

“Please, take some time to look at the artwork in the hallway outside this room. I have some matters to discuss with the lady.”