The sun was getting higher, and I was starting to wonder when they’d return. With all the commotion in the palace and extra people wandering around the city, I wouldn’t be surprised if the herd had moved to the far side of the forest. I picked up a stick and broke it into pieces to keep myself busy. The guards were relaxing in the clearing and passing around a flask.

I tossed the stick's remains aside and stood. “I’m going to the creek.”

They didn’t acknowledge me. I found it odd but not unexpected. They had been sent to watch over the mortals, not me. I followed a narrow trail through the trees. I slid down the slight decline to the creek below. I was tempted to walk home. The worst thing my father could do was slap me again, and at this point, it would be worth it. 

I picked up a handful of stones and tossed them into the water. Branches rustled. My head snapped toward the sound. 

“Here!” I called so they’d know not to shoot.

No one responded to my call. Lenik had better not have been serious about Lexen being a lousy shot. I didn’t think they’d loop around to this side, but it was still making me nervous. I didn’t want to be mistaken for a deer. I dropped the remaining rocks and turned to leave when I heard a muffled cry. 

What was that? I swallowed hard and moved closer. Another soft cry echoed through the trees. My hand went to my waistband, and I yanked out the knife. Was someone else out here? I struggled for a moment to get the sheath off. I dropped it on the ground before moving across the stone to the other side of the creek.

“Here!” I called again. 

The crying grew louder. I crept into the woods and saw a hint of color ahead. I spotted the young man lying on the ground with his shirt nearly torn off.

I put the knife away. “Disgusting bastards.” 

The attacker must have heard me and ran off. I bet it was a mortal.

I stepped forward. “Are you hurt? I have a horse. I can get it and—”

I heard the twang of a bowstring and watched his body jolt against the ground when the arrow pierced the man’s skull. My breath caught, and the world slowed. I couldn’t look away from the green and gold feathers on the end of the arrow. 

“Holy shit,” I breathed. Covering my mouth, I came back to my senses. “Guards,” I breathed. I turned to leave. “Guar—!”

A knife was pressed to my throat as Lord Langston covered my mouth. He backed me into a tree and smiled. 

“I found you—the pretty bird who needs his wings clipped.”

“You, you murder him,” I breathed, noticing two other mortals in the woods. One was holding a bow.

“Oh no,” said Langston. “I believe that was Lexen Daituk. That is his arrow. It has the colors of the Daituk lordship.”

I stared into his nearly black eyes. “How? Why?”

The lord smiled. “Your father told me there was some concern about Lexen’s aim.” He turned to the body that had blood pooling around it. “I found one that looks like you, don’t you think?”

I glanced at the elf and back at the man in front of me. “Release me. You have murdered a citizen of Thaloria. My father can demand your head.”

He leaned into my ear and lightly kissed it. “You don’t understand, my prince. That was supposed to be you.”

My mouth fell open, and I struggled to respond. “What?”

The lord brushed stray hairs away from my eye. “Your father set this up. The man is so deranged that he’s willing to kill his heir so he can marry your sister off to a mortal. He will spend his life curating the perfect half-blood to be his heir. He’s been talking about it for days. He wanted me to kill you, and in return, one of my sons will marry Cena. But why would I waste such beauty?” He ran his hand along my hair. “I have so many places to hide you.”

“You’ve bewitched me.” Smiling to himself, Langston brushed his hand against my face. “For the last few days, I could only think about taking you for myself. You even started visiting me in my dreams.

I recoiled, repulsed at the thought.

“Your father wants you dead, but I couldn’t let that happen.” He pressed his lips to my cheek. “So behave, or I’ll change my mind.”

I shook my head. “You’re lying. My mother— she’ll never believe it. This will never work. She’ll know that’s not me.”

Langston laughed. “We don’t plan on leaving the elf here. Your father told me about a pack of wild dogs and where I could find them. They’re going to chew on him a bit, so we’ll be needing these.” He tugged on my clothes. 

I gripped the front of my shirt.

He shoved me toward the body. One of his men raised his bow and aimed it at me. 

“Go on.” The lord waved his hand.

“None of this makes sense,” I stated. “You're lying. My father will never go as far as to kill me. I have the blood of Lumeria! He needs me, or the kingdom will cease to exist.”

The mortals grinned at me.

Langston’s head fell to the side as he gave me an amused smirk. “Follow the trail into the woods and stop by a creek. Alric has a habit of going to it when he gets tired of waiting. I’ll tell my men to leave the moment Alric wanders off. Aim for the head; we can’t afford a second arrow when we’re trying to make it look like an accident.” The lord chuckled. “That’s what King Arkin said. Do you believe me now? I should have asked him to write you a sealed letter with your death decree inside, but I don’t want him to know that I plan on keeping you alive.”

I peeked at the body before shutting my eyes tightly. How could my father go this far? I know I wasn’t a skilled fighter or even a decent one. I wasn’t the smartest, but I tried. I always tried. My hands were shaking as I struggled to keep it together. 

“I need your clothes, your highness.” Langston leaned against a tree. 

I shook my head. “You can just kill me. I’m not giving them to you.”

He sighed. “We can’t have two dead elves found in the woods. No one is going to miss a prostitute, but it doesn’t come across as an accident when bodies start piling up.”

I didn’t move. Why was this happening? I was able to leave and find out what this shitty mark on my back meant. Where was Allseceen now with his fucking knives? I straightened up and became aware of the metal pressing into my hip. 

“Let’s hurry this up,” said the lord. “We don’t need Lenik and Lexen returning too soon.”

Backing away, I kept a firm hold on the front of my shirt. I had to find a way to escape.

“You either take them off, or I’ll remove them for you—the earrings as well. We need to make this convincing.”

I remained still. The lord took a step forward, making my breath catch. I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head. I tossed it on the ground and took out my earrings. They joined the pile.

“The boots,” said the lord. “His shoes are a little worn for a prince.”

The man’s shoes had been patched multiple times. He was clearly doing what was needed to survive. He didn’t deserve to die like this. 

“Now!” ordered the lord. “For having such big ears, you’d think elves would be good at listening.

Glaring at him, I took off my boots and stopped before removing the rest.

“Everything, Alric.”

Looking away, I let out a deep breath.

“Oh, you are your mother’s son. Stubborn to the very end.” He marched forward.  

I turned my body away from him. 

“Knock it off.” He grabbed my shoulder. “I’m saving your fucking life.”

“I don’t need you to fucking save me.” I grabbed the knife and slashed it across his chest. 

The lord lurched back as blood gushed from the wound. I dashed into the trees and heard the thud of an arrow hitting a tree near my head.

“Don’t fucking kill him!” yelled the lord. “He’s a damn elf with a knife. Catch him! Bring the little bastard back! If he makes it back to the palace, we’ll all lose our heads. Gildorn will see to it.”

I raced through the creek and crawled up the incline. Stumbling through the woods, I arrived at the clearing, gasping for air. The horses were gone. I wanted to cry, but didn’t have time. My father was really trying to kill me. I scanned the area and spotted the trail Lenik and Lexen had taken earlier. They would help me. Lenik wouldn’t go against the gods. His father was too worried about acquiring their wrath to betray me. I ran down the trail with the sounds of footsteps beating against the ground behind me. 

“Here!” I called. “Here! Please help—”

Pain erupted from my arm, and I hit the ground. I clung to my upper arm with an arrow sticking out of it. It hurt. My sight was getting blurry as I crawled through the dirt. 

“Here!” I screamed. 

“Shut up.” The man hit me in the head with his bow. “We weren’t going to hurt you if you cooperated, but now look at you. Fucking mess.”

I touched my forehead and stared at the blood covering my fingers.

“Stop bitching. You’re not going to die. Elves heal too fast to die from this.” He yanked on my wounded arm.

I cried out and went to push him off. His hand fell away before I could. An arrow with blue and gold feathers was sticking out of his chest. The man staggered back before falling to the ground. 

Lenik lowered his bow. “Lexen, get the horses. It seems my father had a reason to be worried.”