Magus Potentae

The processor sighed.
"After last night's escapade, the king decided that he was being far too lenient on the rouges. From today on, all rouges are to undergo a weapon check, and then be put in the dungeon."
She smiled in an almost sadistic way.
"Now then sir, put your belongings on the table, if you please. If you do not cooperate, I will have Magi Narrel do it for you."

With each word, Narrel's mouth dropped an inch further to the floor. They couldn't do this! It was far too unfair. The king couldn't simply lock people up for not joining him. The worst part was that there was nothing she could do about it. She had forced Taiju to come here, believing that it would be no more than an inconvenience for him. She had seen the dungeons before. They themselves weren't that bad, but the people that worked them were cruel at best.

"Hold on a second," she said breathlessly, "I-in that case, this Magi was brought in under false pretenses. I was unaware of this law when he was captured, and therefore gave the rouge untrue information."
She doubted that this would help, but she had to do something. The processor just laughed.
"Are you to tell me that you would not have captured him had you known? Careful Narrel, that sounds dangerously like treason. Now then, I won't ask you again, rouge. Put your belongings on the table."

Taiju scowled at the processor, gritting his teeth to the point his jaw ached. He was about to make a retort, but in the end, again decided that it was best not to argue. With jerky movements displaying his anger, he tossed his bag onto the desk, then knelt down. He produced a knife from a hidden sheath inside his boot, then tossed that up on the desk too.

"There," he spat bitterly. "I even gave you, willingly, the only weapon that I ever carry. Are you happy now, or would you like to make some other stupid demand from me? Because I'm sure I don't have a choice there, either."

He crossed his arms and waited for other instructions from the processor, whom he fixed with the most bitter glare he could manage. This was supposed to be an easy process. That was what Narrel had told him--then again, he had no reason to believe Narrel, either. He probably should have known better, and now regretted doing anything she had asked of him willingly.

Narrel leaned back against the wall, and rubbed her temples. None of this was going right. Despite his angry attitude, he was action surprisingly well. That was good. At least it might make his processing go easier. She shook her head as the processor went through all his personal belongings. This wasn't right. The kingdom just kept getting more and more corrupt. She didn't know what to do. Her previous plan had been long-term. Now things were getting worse, she would have to search for a way to make things better sooner. But first things first - she had to find someway to help this Magi she had just condemned.

The processor finished searching the boy, and put all of his belongings in a box.
"Follow me, please," she said. It wasn't really a request. Narrel tagged along, wanting to make sure that she knew the dungeon layout. "You will be kept in here until you decide to swear your allegiance to the king." Narrel winced. They really were trying to take free will away from the Magi. Her kind was turning more into slaves that hired hands.

They were brought to the lowest levels of the dungeons, which up until today had been unused. They were so deep underground that no shred of sunlight could ever hope to find its way down there. She recognized some of the guards. Every one had an offensive Magus, and a bad reputation. This place gave her the shivers.
"As the arresting Magi, I request permission to put the prisoner in his cell," she announced suddenly. the processor merely nodded, bored. Narrel took Taiju by the shoulder, and escorted him into the cell.
"I'll get you out of here, I promise," she whispered for his ears alone. "Don't do anything rash. I've no doubt these guards would kill you without second thought."
With that, she slammed shut the iron gate, and headed back up into the light.

Taiju watched with increasing disgust as the processor went through all his belongings. There wasn't much in the bag; two extra shirts, another pair of pants, a tied cloth containing some dried jerky and bread, and, surprisingly, a sketchbook and set of pencils. In the end, he gave up his pocket watch as well, knowing it would have gotten taken whether he wanted them to have it or not. He didn't like knowing that all his things were with someone else, but he didn't have the choice.

He walked in brooding silence down to the cells with them, his hands in his pockets. He made no protest to being led into his cell, where he sat back against the wall and slid down to the floor. He ignored the processor and Narrel after that; he didn't believe anything Narrel said. He didn't have a reason, and he berated himself repeatedly for letting himself get into this at all.

He should have reacted, he told himself. Sometimes, waiting and hoping to get things out with perfect logic just wasn't going to work. He put his head in his hands with a sigh. By the sound of it, he was going to be here for an eternity or two; he, after all, would not swear anything to the king. If he had to starve to death in the cells, then so be it.

Narrel paced her room. She had been given the rest of day off as a reward for bringing in the rouge. Which was good, because she needed time to think. Over the years, she had gotten very good at judging people. While a lot of rouges would join up with the king rather than face life in prison, she had a feeling that this Taiju would not. He seemed far too stubborn for his own good. Which meant that if she didn’t want his fate on her conscience, she would have to break him out, somehow. And she would have to do it without anyone knowing it was her. She shook her head. It really seemed impossible. Somehow she would have to get past the guards. . .

Then she had an idea. She smiled, glad for once that she was a Magi. She called up her Magus, and gently shifted certain plates in the ground. The friction she caused would create a small earthquake in just a few hours. Of course, other Royal Terrae Magi would feel this, and warn the whole castle. Jailers would be brought up to safety. She seriously doubted that they would bother with saving the prisoners. That would leave them unguarded. Of course, she had to make sure that they would be safe, so she used her Magus to strengthen the stone around the dungeons. There. Now all she had to do was wait.

Of course, there was no escaping for her. Her Magi bracelet would give away her part in this earthquake. Her mind raced. There had to be someway to make her seem innocent. Perhaps. . . She smiled. She stood up, and raced to the king’s chambers. She knocked urgently until the door was opened by an irritated looking page.
“I have urgent news for the king,” she said, doing her best to sound out of breath. The page nodded, and motioned her in.
The king looked up from his work.
“What is it, Magi,” he said, obviously annoyed by her intrusion.
“Sire, I felt a large earthquake forming under the palace. I was able to use the Magus to weaken it’s power, but it cannot be stopped completely.” She raised the pitch of her voice to sound panicked. The king merely rolled his eyes.
“Well then, sound the bells. Bring everyone up to the top floor. You know how it works, Magi. Pull yourself together.” Narrel sniffed, and wiped away imaginary tears.
“Yes sire, as you say,” she said. She gave him a low bow, and went to do as she was told. She couldn’t help but grin. No one would question now her Magus use for that afternoon, after all, she had the king as a witness. A few hours, and this whole mess would be over with. For now, at least. She would still have to think of someway to make it so that this didn’t happen again. She had no idea how she would do that. She sighed. Take it one step at a time, she reminded herself. And so she sat down to wait.

Taiju had nothing he could do but wait. The dungeons down below were completely empty except for him; it made Taiju wonder if he was actually the first one they had brought down here. Somehow, it wouldn't surprise him. Today was just working out so wonderfully otherwise that he might as well be the only one ever put in the lowest part of the dungeons.

He sighed once or twice as he waited. Boredom quickly became his worst enemy. After sulking for half an hour and hating himself for not getting out of the mess, Taiju found he had nothing to do at all. That was part of the point of being in a cell alone, but it grew on his nerves more quickly than it might others. Taiju was one who was almost constantly doing something productive; he rarely had time or desire to sit around and do absolutely nothing. Now he was doing so by force, which just added to the pain of it all.

Eventually, he went back to thinking with his head in his hands again, his fingers lacing through his bangs. As he sat against the wall, his eyes hidden from the rest of the world, he looked every part the defeated prisoner. He wasn't, as the position was actually just the most comfortable he could think of while sitting in a stone cell; he thought of how it probably made him look and gave a dry smirk. It'd be a long time before they could break him, boredom or none.

Narrel waited patiently for her pre-ordered earthquake to begin. It was hard to wait, not knowing if her plan was going to work. She did her best not to seem nervous or anxious. At least she had an excuse. Anyone who saw her acting strangely would probably blame it on the on coming quake.

After a few hours had past, Narrel was pleased to feel the ground below her begin to tremble and lurch. As everyone took cover, she slipped away. With so many people in one place, there was no way anyone would notice she was gone. She went down to the dungeons carefully. She wanted to make sure both that the shaking ground didn't knock her down, and that the guards really had been called away. She felt a few pieces of the ceiling fall onto her shoulders. She brushed them off, and walked quicker. It was too late now to reinforce the strength of the ceilings on the way to the dungeon. After all, she would have no excuse as to why she was using her Magus now.

She finally reached the cell where Taiju was being held. She fell to her knees as a particularly strong wave caught her by surprise.
"Well," she asked hurriedly, "You ready to go?"

When the first, more faint tremblings began to shake the dungeons, Taiju frowned and looked down to the floor. It was another moment before anything else happened, so he was about to brush it off as a product of his boredom-addled imagination when the stronger tremors hit. He swore loudly and jumped to his feet, unsure of what was going on. As tinier pieces of the ceiling began to crack off, a little bit of panic began to knot at his stomach. He was trapped down in the dungeons during an earthquake--and of course nobody would care.

Just as he was beginning to worry more and was trying to find a way out, Narrel came. Taiju gave her a brief look of bewilderment before it settled into a scowl. "I'm surprised anyone came down here," he said sourly. "I was sure everyone else would be too busy trying to save themselves. Bit of a stupid question, of course I'd like to get out of here."

He waited by the cells, expecting to be let out if Narrel had made the dangerous trek all the way down there. He didn't know why she had come down--even if she could control the earth, it was dangerous. But he couldn't argue if he was going to be freed before he died, too.

Narrel rolled her eyes.
"That was kind of the point. If everyone didn't focus only on saving themselves, I wouldn't be able to sneak you out now, would I?" She was getting a little tired of his attitude. After all the things she had gone through to make up for capturing him, the least he could say was a simple "thank you". But she supposed that was just too much to ask for. She quickly used her Magus to crumple the gates; making sure that the result looked as if the roof had simply broken it down.

"Alright, let's go. I felt an underground tunnel when I was down here earlier. Let's see if we can find an entrance. Maybe you could feel for places where there is thin water in the air, rather than liquids in the walls, okay?" As he did that, she searched with her Magus. It was hard to do. Although she could feel the breaks in the earth where the tunnel was, she couldn't follow it to an entrance.

She cursed in frustration. She didn't have long left before the quake would stop. Then she would have to rush back upstairs before anyone noticed that she wasn't there to help mend the damage.
"Any luck yet?"

Taiju followed Narrel out of the cell, offering no more smart remarks, but also no word of thanks. He was going to reserve gratitude until he was safely somewhere else. Until he knew he was free, Narrel wasn't going to deserve thanks.

He did as bidden and walked a few steps in a different direction, searching in silence with his own Magus to detect any differences in the levels of air and water as opposed to the lack of liquid in the stone walls. For a long moment, there wasn't anything significant. Then he turned toward a spot on the floor, took a few steps forward, then glanced back at Narrel. "Here," he replied. "It feels like there's actually water down here. An open space, probably leads down into some water systems or something, so you can open it up."

He stepped back a little and waited. He couldn't help a small sense of eagerness. He hadn't properly used his Magus in at least a couple of days due to being in the city, and just the little stretch he had now felt relieving. Having a source of water around him would be even more so, even if he couldn't do much at the time.

Narrel nodded her head. Now that he pointed it out, she could feel it. It was probably the presence of so much water that had made it hard for her to find. She opened up a small square of earth that would be easily replaced later. She hesitated now though, unsure of what to do. She wanted to make sure he got out okay. After all, for all she knew this tunnel was a dead end. She would hate to rescue him just to lead him to his death. But at the same time, she didn't have much time left to get back to the group.

She made her decision quickly, and slipped down into the whole. She landed in about waist high water. She winced. There was no way she could hide that. Perhaps Taiju would clean her up, but that was probably too much to expect.
"Come on down, the water's great!" she joked.

It was dark in the tunnel, and she couldn't see Taiju drop down behind her. She heard the splash, though.
"You'll have to lead. Your water sense will be easier to follow then my earth sense. It's easier to follow what is there than what isn't." With that said, she waited for him to get in front.

Taiju peered down into the darkness of the hole with a slight frown on his face, then jumped down after her. He splashed down in the water, then sighed when he realized just how high it was. With it up to his waist, he wouldn't be able to walk at more than a painfully sluggish pace, and he was sure that Narrel wouldn't be able to either.

To remedy this, he decided that he would exercise his Magus early. As he started to step forward to lead the way, the water around his body separated as though there was a circular barrier between it and him. After briefly testing this to make sure he could hold it with little effort, and also after removing the water from his clothing, Taiju let the circle extend outward a few feet, so Narrel could walk in dryness too. Perhaps not thinking of it,or maybe spiting her, he didn't bother with the water she was soaked in.

"Try to keep relatively close," he advised as he began advancing into the tunnel, his personal air bubble following. "Considering neither of us can see and I can't keep adjusting this if you move farther away."

Narrel shook her head. How was she supposed to follow him if she had no idea where he was? She reached forward, and grabbed the tail of his shirt. It may be awkward, but at least it was reliable. She appreciated him clearing away the water from their feet; it would be good to be able to walk faster. He kept a brisk pace, and she had to trot to keep up. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of complaining, though.

She wondered just how far this tunnel went. She could feel the tremors let up, and she sighed. It was too late, now. There was no way they would believe she didn't have something to do with his escape. Maybe she could say he forced her to. . . threatened to turn her blood against her. It would be a lie, but it might just save her reputation and her life. The only thing she would need to think of was to explain why she had gone down there in the first place.

Finally, she began to feel the earth above them getting thinner. That could only mean that they were getting close to the surface.
"Do you feel any kind of opening coming up?" she asked him quietly.

Taiju tensed up immediately when Narrel grabbed his shirt. He had a thousand and one rules against touching him. Before he could turn around and smack her hand away, though, common sense kicked in; she couldn't see, and this was the best way for her to follow the directions he had just given. Begrudgingly, he ignored the tugs on his shirt and continued onward, focusing on keeping the water out of his way.

"I think so," he replied to her question after a moment. "I think the ground's starting to thin up, it's easier to feel the water in the air above it . . . But not quite yet. A little farther, I think."

After a couple dozen more feet, he paused. "This is probably as good a place as any," he said, glancing back at Narrel--even though he couldn't see her well at all. "I don't think we're going to get any better place before we hit a block in the system, so if it seems good to you, let's get out of here."

Narrel nodded, and focused. This was a little more tricky then opening the first hole had been. She closed her eyes in concentration. She opened up a hole in the ground, She then manipulated the moist soil to form make-shift stairs.
"Alright," she said, letting go of his shirt as the sun filtered in, "let's get out of this place." She motioned for him to lead the way once more.

The sun felt good on her as she stepped out of the ground. Although she loved being under the earth, the chill from her wet clothes had started to get to her. She was probably going to catch a cold because of this insensitive jerk. She wrapped her arms around herself.
"Alright, you're free now." She looked around, trying to figure out if they were out of the city yet. If they weren't, she just might throw him out on his butt.

She would have to get back to the palace, somehow. She had decided to close up the hole to the dungeon already, since she didn't anticipate wading through that water without Taiju. She glared at the man, impatient for him to leave. He had already caused her so much trouble, she couldn't wait to see him go. But at the same time, she was sad. He was really the one person she had met that agreed with her about the king. But there was nothing she could do now. He needed to leave the city, and she was chained to it.

After climbing out into the sunlight, Taiju took a deep breath of fresh air and let it out happily. He was glad to be out of that cell, even if it had only been a few hours. He looked to the sky and frowned a little; now the sun hung near to the horizon, giving way to night. He had been there for too long for his liking and now he had lost most of the daylight to travel. It seemed they were outside the city, though, at the very least.

"I suppose," he began, looking back at Narrel, "that getting my things back would be a little out of the question? I'm sure it is, but if there happens to be a relatively simple way to get my belongings back, it would be nice." He pushed some of his bangs out of his face, vaguely hoping for a positive answer. He doubted it, though, and said a mental goodbye to everything that had been in his bag.

While waiting for an answer, Taiju looked back out toward the horizon. The road wasn't far off. He didn't have a map--that had been in his bag--but he was sure there had to be another city relatively close. Maybe he could go there. It would be a long walk, but that hadn't mattered to him before.

Narrel sighed as she thought. He didn't ask for much, did he?
"Well, I don't suppose you have a permanent address I could send it too," she said. She paused for a bit. "Okay, what if I drop your stuff off here in a day or two? I'll put it in a wax sealed package, to protect it from the elements." She turned back to the city. "Just make sure you don't get caught in any other cities, okay?" she said.

Despite his irritating personality, she didn't want to see him in another dungeon. And she didn't know if the king had set the same law all over the kingdom. She knew there was at least one Royal Magi in every city. Only the capitol was swimming with them like this. She stretched and got ready for the walk back to the palace.

Before she left, she wanted to make sure that he was going to leave. And that he would at least try to keep out of trouble. She rubbed her temples. None of this was going like it was supposed to.
"If you don't need anything else, I'll be going."

"That would be appreciated," Taiju said to the offer. "Not too much of it is of significant importance, but with how little money I have at the moment, I can't afford to constantly buy new things when I run out. But, if you can't get it without a bunch of trouble . . . don't worry about it. I'll live."

He sighed deeply and crossed his arms. He cleared his throat, as if unsure of how he would continue. "And . . . thank you, by the way, for the help," he added. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand, and the water soaking Narrel's clothes formed a puddle at her feet. "I suppose you aren't as bad as I originally thought, so I apologize as well. I instinctively distrust anyone of the king's workforce. Kind of a natural instinct thing." He gave a tiny, but natural, attempt at a good-humored smile.

He glanced yet again out toward the road. He wasn't looking forward to the travel, no matter how used to it he was. He would still have to get away from the city for a couple of days and return for his things. And he didn't even have his nice cloak, either.

Taiju would forever lament the loss of his cloak.

Narrel was surprised by this sudden display of kindness. It was certainly not what she had come to expect from him. She smiled though. It was nice to feel like she had done something good, for once. She was always doing things she regreted. It felt really great to do something worthwhile. She dug into her purse, wanting the feeling to last. She dug out a few fat golden coins.

"I want you to have these," she said, looking at the ground. "Buy a horse or something, since you need to travel a lot. If anyone asks how you got it, say it was a reward for helping catch a rouge Magi." She smiled at the irony. "Don't think this is charity. I'm sure I'll think of someway for you to earn it." She threw them on the ground so that he would have no choice but to take them, and began walking away.

"Two days from now, under the new moon. I should be able to leave your things then. I might even stick around to make sure you've stayed out of trouble." She smiled. Her shoulders slumped as she looked at the castle she would have to return to. It really was disheartening. And there was no way now she would be assigned to the prince's guardians. She shook her head. Now what could she do?

Taiju sighed in dismay as he looked down at the coins scattered on the ground. It was as if she knew he had been about to refuse to take them. He had a feeling she was adamant on him taking the money, though, so he swallowed his pride and knelt to pick up the coins. He couldn't deny how much help it would be.

"I'll make an attempt, but no guarantees," he said to her remark about him getting into trouble. "I try every now and again, but sometimes I think some higher power is just out to get me or something. Then again, rogues just seem to be magnets for trouble." He chuckled softly as he pocketed the coins and stood up again.

Then his expression grew serious again. "On that note . . . have you ever seriously thought about leaving the kingdom?" he asked as Narrel was walking away. "Obviously you aren't happy in your station. Why stay?"

Narrel turned back around, and took her hands out of her pockets. She held them out for him to see, and pulled her sleeves away from her wrists. The bright gold bracelet gleamed in the fading sunlight.
"You see this? They put this on you when you sign up with them. It can only be taken off by the Magi that put it on. That Magi is the king's most loyal and trusted advisor. He would never consider releasing a 'weapon' such as myself." She shook her head, and paused. She had to take a deep breath before she could trust her voice to stay steady. "Through this, I can be recorded, tracked, and even punished."

She pulled the sleeves back down to cover it, and dug her hands into her pockets. She looked down to the ground, letting her hair fall over her face.
"They caught me when I was young. They made it sound like I would be treated like a princess." She laughed quietly at her own ignorance.

"I really do need to get back now, or they will start tracking me," she said with a small smile. "I'll see you at the new moon, okay?"

Taiju kept his thoughts silent, but was seething at the thought of the Magi being tracked. The king apparently couldn't even trust his own slaves, it seemed. He was glad he had narrowly avoided being pressed into the monarch's service. He couldn't imagine having every detail of his life controlled like that.

"Right . . ." he said simply, biting back another sigh. "See you then." Without another word, he turned to leave down the road. The sooner he kept going, the sooner he might hit another town, or at least somewhere to wait out the next couple of days that was better than the open air.

He couldn't help feeling a little bad for Narrel as he started to go. After all, she seemed to share his sentiments on the king and how unfairly he ran the kingdom. She was the only one he had ever met, who wasn't a rogue, that felt that way. In a way, she was intriguing. Taiju blankly found himself wondering how well he'd get along with her if their acquaintanceship could continue.

Narrel gave him a slight wave as she walked away. She sighed once she was out of hearing distance. She would actually miss the miserable wretch. It was a long walk to the castle, and she spent it all deliberating how to liberate her people. She returned to the castle however, with no clue and little hope. As expected, she was called to the audience chamber as soon as she returned. She walked in, giving the king the lowest bow she could. There was no way this would go without punishment. She was glad to see the young prince Cal sitting at his father's side. The boy had a kind heart, and a soft spot for Narrel. Perhaps he would at least keep her alive.

The king eyed her for a moment without speaking. When he did speak, it was in a cold and calculated voice.
"I won't ask where you've been, Magi. By the disappearace of our rouge I will surmise that you were aiding in its escape. I'm sure that your bracelet will confirm my beliefs." Narrel stayed bowed to the ground, feigning shame. It wasn't hard - she was ashamed that she had to answer to such a man. She opened her mouth to explain, but he cut her off.
"There are no excuses for high treason, Magi," he snapped. "I therefore find you guilty, and sentence you to hang by the neck until dead." Narrel began to tremble. She looked up at the prince, silently begging him to speak up for her. He must have been spending more time with his father however, for what once would have brought him to tears merely made him shrug.

"Father," the boy said lazily, "Magi Narrel is one of our kingdom's best weapons. Despite her questionable taste in company, she is unbeatable on the battlefield. If you kill her now, she will be irreplaceable." The king raised his eyebrows.
"But I cannot allow her treason to go unanswered, son," he said reasonably.
"In that case Father, I request that she receive a hundred lashes, and a week in the Sunless Cell. After that, she will be confined to castle work only, so that she cannot grow attached to any more rouges."
Narrel flinched. Well, it was better than death, she supposed. The king nodded his agreement, and dismissed her. She was lead away by two large men to accept her punishment.

As promised, Taiju returned to the city a few days later, happening upon the city gates just as the sun was beginning to set. The moon was conspicuously absent that night; it was the night of the new moon. Taiju silently praised himself for his own timing. He had purposely neglected to buy a horse in the town he had reached, spending only a small amount of money on a few basic necessities in anticipation of getting everything else back. As such, walking back to the city had held a certain amount of hope that he would get there in time.

Upon arriving, he noticed that Narrel wasn't out yet. He shrugged to himself, thinking nothing of it, and settled himself under a tree some few hundred feet from the city gates in order to wait. Knowing how tight security was at the castle, she was probably having a difficult time leaving. But he would wait. He didn't have anything else of significant importance to do.

As he waited, he wondered what had happened after he left those two days before. By the way Narrel had made it sound, she was going to be in trouble with the king no matter what by that point. He hoped she hadn't faced too severe consequences; after all, could they really know that she helped him to escape? Taiju was quick to push the thoughts out of his mind, though. That wasn't helping anything while waiting for her.

Narrel had took her punishment in silence - refusing to make a sound. She wouldn't give the king the satisfaction of it. When the physical part of the punishment finished, she was dropped down into the dark cell where she had just recently helped Taiju to escape. She sat there for. . . well, who knew how long? She couldn't tell time down here, since there was no sign of the sun. After a little bit though, the darkness was beginning to get to her. She dug her face into her arms, hoping to pretend that it was by choice that she was in darkness. She was surprised by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked up, and saw the flickering of a torch coming towards her. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw the last face she expected.

Prince Cal looked anxious as he knelt down next to the bars. She crawled over to him, confused.
"What are you doing here, your highness?" she asked. The young prince made a face.
"What the king did was unfair," he responded passionately. Narrel was pleased to hear that he didn't refer to the king as his father without him around. He looked honestly concerned, too.
"Are you okay, Narrel? I know what I said was harsh, but I don't think he would have accepted it if it wasn't." Narrel smiled. Here he was, the prince and future ruler of the kingdom, and he was afraid she was mad at him.
"You saved my life, your highness," she responded simply. "And in return, it is yours. I may serve your father, but my loyalty will be forever yours." The young man nodded solemnly as he accepted her promise.

"Now that we've gotten over all that," he said, "is there anything I can do for you? I feel bad for throwing you down here."
She bit her lip, thinking.
"What day is it?"
"The new moon is tonight," he responded. She nodded, and hesitated again. Finally, she made her decision. She knew that she could trust the prince. She lowered her voice to a whisper, just in case any guards had decided to stick around to listen.
"The belongings of the rouge I helped escape. . . I was supposed to meet with him tonight," she paused, hoping she had made the right choice. The prince merely nodded.
"Tell me where to go, and I will deliver the things myself. It is the least I could do, since you keep my secret so well."
Narrel smiled at him, and he squeezed her fingers through the bars.
"Thank you, your highness," she whispered. He nodded, and rose to leave. He left the torch for her, even though they both knew it wouldn't burn forever. She settled against the wall, enjoying the warmth and light while she could.