16. Thirteen

Thirteen

L ily knocked on the door, hoping she made it to Prince Liam before his father and hoping even more that he would be in the library and not in his workroom. She stepped into the room without an invitation to do so and closed the door behind her when she spotted Liam sitting in a chair giving her a puzzled look.

Prince Liam glanced at the door and slowly closed his book. His lips slid into an easy smile and he stood. "Lily! Good evening." He grabbed his cane to steady himself.

"Don't get up. I need a word with you." Lily knew it wasn't proper to sit on the coffee table so near the prince, but there was no chair close enough that she could speak and not be overheard if someone walked in. "You need to get Asher out now. I heard you speaking with Takai."

Liam's eyes darted around quickly and he leaned forward. "Lily, I don't know why you would think I could ever—"

"It was me in the hallway this afternoon," she interrupted. "I was taking Percy out to walk around and overheard you. He barked. I know you heard it. Wester dug through Asher's mind, which has undoubtedly caused him some degree of pain, and I do not know what his father has gone through. But we need to get him and his father back to Vasha."

"Why is this so urgent?"

"Wester found what he was looking for," Lily blurted.

"He knows the location of the tree?" Liam said with excitement, grinning immediately. He fully stood this time.

"Y-yes," she answered hesitantly, and then stood herself. "But are you listening to me? Do you have a plan to get them out of the castle or not?" She searched Prince Liam's face, trying to read it.

He cleared his throat and glanced away. "My apologies. Yes. I spoke with Takai about releasing them. But Lily, if we do so against my father's wishes, it would spell danger for everyone involved. I must speak with my father first and ask him to release them in an act of good will."

Lily shook her head. "I do not think he will. He's upset with me because I challenged him earlier."

Liam looked her up and down. "You did what?"

"It wasn't a big thing, I just...I sort of yelled at him."

Liam smiled. "I knew you had fire in you, but..." He chuckled.

"Liam, do you truly believe your father will let the king and prince walk out of here after what your father has fought for? They are the leaders of Vasha. By having them here, Vasha is without a leader, which leaves them vulnerable. I'm no expert in war, but even I know your father will likely keep them as a bargaining chip. He will probably tell the people of Vasha they will be returned home only if they can get Merete out of the tree."

Liam gave her an impressed frown. "I would almost believe you had studied politics."

She had, to some degree, by watching the workings of the royal family and Wester. She'd even studied some books from the library. She was by no means experienced, but it was what she would do were the roles reversed.

He reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles. "Let me speak with my father. I can see that you are truly upset."

Lily felt a tingling through her body at his warm gesture, and then immediate confusion because they were standing there talking about helping prisoners escape and yet his touch was intimate. "I saw what they did to him. I don't care who he is, he didn't kill your mother. He didn't chop off your leg. He was little back then, just like we were. It's not right."

"Give me until after dinner. I'll come to you in the wizard tower." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You're an incredible woman."

Perhaps the prince had a little bit of magic himself, because she felt like jelly and all of her fear and panic melted away.

Prince Liam had already made it out the door before she came to her senses.

He wanted her to just sit and wait. Wester wanted her to go practice. How could she do either? She soon found herself wandering the halls of the castle, but in her heart she knew she was searching for Takai. Because she looked at every guard she passed.

She made her way out of the castle, into the inner courtyard, and finally spotted Takai chatting with one of the guards at the front entrance of the castle.

Lily hesitated and looked up at the castle walls, beyond the main levels, and up to the wizard's tower. What was she going to say? What could she hope to do? King Barith was right, she was just a woman. And not only a woman, but one with absolutely no influence. Was it foolish of her to try to get Asher out?

"Is there something up there I don't see?"

Lily jumped and turned to see Takai looking up in the same direction she had been. "You startled me."

"I apologize." He nodded to her, smiling softly. "You look lost."

"I was actually looking for you." She glanced around to make sure none of the other soldiers were near enough to hear.

"Oh?" His smile dropped. "What is it?"

She stepped around the corner as a group of four soldiers marched across the courtyard, headed their way.

Takai stepped around the edge of the castle with her.

"I overheard you speaking with Prince Liam," she said in a low voice. "I know you want to free Asher, and I do too. Wester managed to get the location of the tree, and I'm afraid for what is going to happen now they know."

Takai rubbed his lips together. "I had hoped we would have more time." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Have you spoken with Prince Liam?"

She nodded. "He wants to speak with his father at dinner tonight and see if he will release Asher and their king in an act of good faith toward the people of Vasha. But I'm afraid his father would never allow that, because it would be foolish."

The soldier nodded as she spoke and then rested his hands on his hips. "I certainly didn't expect you to want to get him out."

"Why? Because I'm Wester's apprentice?"

"That and you seem content doing what you do." He shrugged.

Lily held her arms out and let them drop. "Now what do we do?"

"Prince Liam knows I want to free them. If his father disagrees and I've set them free, I risk the consequences." He didn't look at her and seemed to be talking to himself. "I could get a couple of horses and get them a head start, but I would be executed for treason if Prince Liam tells his father. If you get involved, the same would befall you."

Lily stepped in front of him. "But I can't let them continue to hurt him. I felt awful even giving Wester the potion that let him find the tree."

"Do you think you could get Prince Liam on our side?"

"I tried. I'll have to wait to hear from him tonight. But what if he says no? Do we sit on our hands anyway?" She looked up at him, knowing he didn't have any more information than she did, and yet desperately wanting him to be the one to make the decision.

But Takai hesitated.

"I can get packs with food," Lily finally said. "I can hide them and have them ready for whenever we decide to get them both out."

"You're willing to go against your master?"

Lily frowned. "He didn't order me not to free him. He's given me no orders at all other than to wait for him to explain more of his secrets."

Takai gave a crooked smile. "Then we move forward with a plan to get them out. You pack three packs with food."

"Three?"

He nodded. "There's a little slave boy you may have seen. Sand? He's probably eight years old. I'm getting him out too. So three packs of food, plenty of water, and I'll get the horses. In the meantime, you pray to whatever god you believe in, I'll pray to mine, and hopefully the king will see our side and let them go."

Lily felt some sense of relief. They at least had a plan, for now. "I'll speak with you tomorrow, then, and tell you whatever Prince Liam tells me tonight."

"It's a plan." Takai shook her hand. "I think you're pretty brave, Lily."

"Thank you."

Lily felt a sense of hope and a sense of duty. She was supposed to be practicing while Wester, King Barith, and Prince Liam had a private meeting making plans she wasn't part of, in spite of the dinner the night before when they'd all said they wanted her to be more involved.

She found three packs in one of the buildings for the soldiers. They were at dinner and she was able to sneak in and grab them. They would have to acquire some new ones, and she didn't feel even a little bit guilty stealing them. They would be put toward a greater purpose. She hid them in a barrel of potatoes at the back of the pantry. The cook always used the barrel of potatoes closest to the door first, so it would be a few days before the back barrel would be opened.

She didn't get any practice in, but Wester would never know. Her stomach growled and she made her way back to the wizard tower. She rounded the corner to start up the final staircase when she looked up to see who was stomping down them. It was Prince Liam, scowling heavily.

"Liam!" she greeted with a smile on her face.

He stopped on the steps and frowned down at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

He limped down the remainder of the steps and leaned close, but this time it wasn't out of warmth. "I came to warn you. If you attempt to free any of the people from Vasha, I will have you arrested for treason."

Lily blanched. "I beg your pardon? Sire, with all due r—"

"It is because of them I am without a foot. It is because of them hundreds of my people died. It is because of them and their... treachery many others died too." Spittle hit her face as he spilled his angry words. "If you know what's good for you, you will return to being only the apprentice to Wester and stop trying to be something you're not."

His words struck her like a dagger in the gut.

She wiped her face. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I mean it, Lily. If they disappear from the prisons, I will make sure you're held responsible for being a traitor to the throne."

She stood her ground. "We were all children back then. Me, you, and Asher. That would be like Asher blaming you because his mother was murdered by your soldiers when they entered his land."

"Why are you defending him?" Prince Liam snapped. "You don't even know him!"

"I don't understand why you're suddenly angry, and with me."

His lip twitched. "Do you truly want to know?" He leaned close. "Because they not only started the plague, they relished in the deaths of our people. Father wrote to Rose. He pleaded with her to help my mother. You know what she did? She wrote back and told him she wouldn't help. She let my mother die. And when our people went to enact justice for what was done, she nearly killed my father with one of her spells. No, Asher may not have wielded a sword, but his father did."

"So should he judge you by the actions of your father?" she countered. "Should he be angry with you because your father ordered him to be tortured?"

"I'm not speaking with you anymore about this. Asher stays where he is. His father stays in the dungeon. And they can both rot for all I care." He stormed past her.

Lily watched him until he got to the top of the last staircase and then called out, "I can't, Liam."

He looked over his shoulder at her.

"I can't let your father execute them."

He shook his head. "Then you'll be executed at their side. And I can't stop him from doing that if you truly wish to be a traitor. I won't be able to protect you then."