Apprentice (The Black Mage, #2)(66)

"Well, tell Alex if he really cares he will keep his opinions to himself. This isn't a mistake. I don't tell my brother how to go about his relationships – gods only know he's made far more mistakes than me." I immediately regretted the choice of words when I saw the flush on Ella's face. "I didn't mean you!" I amended quickly. "You are the one good decision he's made!"

Ella pulled away, putting more space between our horses. "If anything, Alex's mistakes should tell you he has a point. He knows how a man thinks, he knows how they act, he-"

"Alex isn't Darren," I interrupted. "Alex doesn't have any idea what it is like to be a prince!"

Ella stared at me, hard. "Do you?"

I swallowed and felt my cheeks go red. "More than him!"

Ella sighed. "I wish you would hear your brother out, Ry. I've done my best this whole time to keep my opinions to a minimum but you should at least consider Alex's. He's your brother."

"When he apologizes I will talk to him."

Ella groaned. Alex and I had been feuding for weeks – ever since he blew up in a rare moment of anger and told me I was a fool for leaving Ian and that I was even more so if I thought Darren would ever leave Priscilla. "You've got some fancy notion in that big head of yours," he'd said, "and I'm here to set you straight. You can't have everything, Ry, and this one is out of your reach."

"I'll try and talk him around," Ella said finally. "He wasn't right to say those things to you." She attempted a smile. "You know Alex just wants the best for you, even if he is making a mistake in the way that he goes about it. I think he remembers what I told him about Blayne, and then that time when Darren hazed you during your first year… it's hard for him to forget that. He's your brother, and your twin, and I know more than anything he just wants to protect you."

I glanced to the right of our procession where the Restoration apprentices rode. I recognized Alex's telltale sandy brown hair and broad shoulders near the back. I straightened in my saddle and glared straight ahead. I'm nobody's fool. You'll see, just give it a week. This one isn't out of my reach.





****





I had just handed off my reigns to the palace hostler when I felt something soft pressed into my hand. I glanced down at my palm and was startled to find a piece of paper folded neatly on top. I closed my fingers over the note and looked for the shaggy-haired stableman but he had already disappeared while the rest of his men continued to collect the horses from the remaining apprentices.

Curious to see what the paper said, I hurried to my assigned chambers, locked my door, and then read the note:

R,

Meet me at the palace gardens in one hour. Wait near the statue of Morteus. Look for an old hag with a long, gray braid.





-D


I snorted at that last bit. What in the name of the gods was Darren up to? I hadn't expected to see him until he talked to his father, and an hour was hardly enough time to have such a serious conversation. We couldn't be seen together beforehand, so what was he planning?

I made a quick attempt to wash from the morning travel (the palace servants wouldn't see to the apprentices chambers until much later that day) and then fumbled around my luggage for the right thing to wear. I held out the dress I had worn to the solstice ball, but it was far too nice and I had no idea what Darren had planned. Would I even see him at all? He wanted me to find an old woman so there was no point in dressing up for him. Ultimately I decided on a simple blue cotton dress that wouldn't draw attention. I pinned my hair back in a makeshift up-do and then left to find the gardens.

When I arrived at the statue there was a hunched figure in a red cape with a long, gray braid sticking out the side of her hood. I approached her nervously. "Ma'am?"

The figure spun around and I gasped when the person withdrew his hood, chuckling. It was Darren wearing a wig, pressing one finger to his lips as he beckoned me forward.

"Darren?" I croaked.

"Gran," he corrected with a grin. He pulled the hood back low over his face and grinned at me. "Are you ready for a real tour of the palace?"

I scanned the gardens anxiously. "What if someone recognizes you?"

"The only servants who know this disguise are loyal. The rest?" He snorted. "They are too blind to see who is right there in front of them."

"What about your father? Don't you need to talk to him?"

Darren shook his head, still smiling. "The king can wait." He drew a deep breath. "The second I tell him my intentions I will be yelled at from dawn until dusk." Darren took a step closer and took my hand in his. "Before I subject myself to that I'd like to spend time with the girl who convinced me she was worth it in the first place."

My cheeks burned. I still wasn't used to Darren talking to me like… like I was special to him. Like he was in love with me.

"Ah," he said, "there's that charming blush I was hoping for. I was beginning to think you didn't care at all."

I raised a brow. "Priscilla paraded you around in front of me for three months, what did you expect me to do?"

He grinned. "So you were jealous."

I glowered as he led me forward. "Of course I was, and don't think I didn't see you kiss her back! Was it really necessary to-"