Alex slowed Tempest's pace and let William catch up. "Keep your eyes open, all right?"

"Do you really think it might be a trap?"

"Did you eavesdrop on my conversation with my father?"

William stared at him, outraged. "No! I used logic; you're here to protect me, which means we could get in trouble. If someone wants to ambush us, they could do it on the road."

Alex hated admitting it, but beneath the gloom and sharp tongue, there was a very keen and pragmatic mind. "You're smart."

"I'll take that as a compliment. How far are the hunting grounds?"

"About half a day's ride."

William groaned, and Alex smirked.

"Don't tell me your ass already hurts."

"My back," the mage corrected. "I didn't think it would be worse than riding in a carriage."

"You've never ridden before? Really?"

"I don't like animals. Besides…" He looked away, as if uncertain whether or how to continue. That flash of uncertainty piqued Alex's curiosity.

"Besides what?"

"Nothing."

"You were about to say something."

"It's not important."

Alex twisted his lip, grabbed the mare's reins, and tugged. The horse neighed in annoyance and shied sideways.

William paled and grabbed onto the horse's neck, as if afraid he might be thrown off. "Are you crazy?"

"If you don't answer, I might set her loose." He would never actually do it, but there was no reason the mage had to know that.

William bit his lip and turned away, a curtain of ink-black hair falling over his eyes. "Besides, I wasn't allowed to go out."

"Your parents didn't let you leave the house?"

"No. But that was fine with me. There were always too many people outside for my taste."

Alex loosened the reins, and the mage straightened. For some reason, he regretted insisting. Spending his childhood locked indoors couldn't have been pleasant, even if he claimed otherwise.

"Why?"

William blinked. "What?"

"Why were you always indoors?"

"Well… for health reasons."

"Were you sick?"

"I am, more or less." His poison-green eyes darkened. "There's no cure for my condition."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't." William's voice was sharp as a blade. His gaze pierced him again. "Don't treat me like I'm fragile. I don't want your pity."

Alex nodded. He couldn't fully understand, but he knew how much it hurt to be considered weak or incapable. William was not fragile, just as Alex wasn't a frivolous, useless prince.

"If you need anything, just say so. I'll help however I can."

The mage frowned. "You don't want to know what my condition is?"

"Yeah, but I won't insist. You know your limits better than anyone, so I'll trust you."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Alex smiled at him, but William looked away. Nothing seemed to make him relax, but that was fine. After all, in a few days, they would part, maybe for good.

A stomach growl cut through the silence.

"I… um…" William stammered, and his ears turned bright red. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I'm a little hungry. Can we stop?"

"You didn't have breakfast?"

"I was too busy with preparations and forgot."

Alex raised his eyebrows. He was truly absurd. "If you had told me before we left, I would have had something prepared for you. The palace cook makes delicious flatbreads."

"I didn't want to bother."

Alex softened his expression. He was strange, but for some reason, he almost found him endearing. On second thought, it couldn't have been easy for William to be thrown into a world he wasn't used to.

"There's an inn up ahead. We can stop there."

"Thank you."

"Does Caedos need to eat too?"

William looked surprised. "Spirits usually don't eat; when they do, it's just for indulgence."

"And what does he eat? Mice?"

Surprise turned to dismay. "Your Highness, he's not a snake."

"He looks like one."

"Not at all. Caedos has wings; he's a type of dragon."

Alex raised his hands. "But he has a snake-like body."

William sighed. "I didn't think you were so afraid of reptiles."

"Only the ones that crawl."

"Caedos flies, so it shouldn't count, should it?"

"Is that sarcasm?"

William pressed his lips together in annoyance, and Alex laughed.

Half an hour later, they reached the inn and stopped near the stables. Alex dismounted and approached the mage to help him down, but William shook his head.

"I can get down on my own."

He tried to swing his leg over, but the mare shifted. The mage lost his grip and slid off the saddle. Alex grabbed him before he hit the ground.

A tingling ran through his palm, and William stiffened. He had felt it too; Alex was certain of it now.

The prince helped him to his feet. "It seems she doesn't like you much."

William looked away and wrapped his arms around himself. "I'll see if they have an empty table. Can you take care of the horses?"

Alex nodded, secretly happy to have an excuse to step away for a moment, and watched him walk away. As soon as he was alone, he looked down at his gloved palm.

That feeling… he should have found it annoying. Instead, it was pleasant. A kind of tingling he had never felt before.

Could it really be magic?

He clenched his fist.

But why did he feel it only when touching the mage?