The Dragon Hunter and the Mage Read Online Free PDF Page B

with you, my love,” Tarsus replied.
    There was a brief pause while the Emperor decided whether to break his rigid protocol and authorize the beginning of the meal, but Sagun interrupted him before he could make a decision. He strode in through the door that led to the kitchens, neared the Emperor, and whispered something in his ear.
    Tarsus’ face turned blood red. “You!” he pointed at a Legionary standing against a wall. “I want the Prince out of the kitchens and sitting here. Immediately!”
    The Legionary slammed a fist against his heart and marched away at the sound of his armor’s clanking.
    “Tarsus, they’re brothers,” Cassia said.
    “To you, maybe. Not to me.”
    “To them,” Cassia insisted.
    Tarsus decreed the end of that conversation with a stare as the Legionary returned behind Fadan. The Prince sat down beside the Emperor with an irritated look.
    “In the kitchens… like a servant,” Tarsus spat. “What are the rules on speaking to Aric?”
    Fadan sighed onto his plate.
    “Only hello and goodbye.”
    Tarsus nodded, his eyes glaring.
    “It won’t happen again, Fadan. Do you know how I can assure you of that?” The Emperor did not wait for an answer. “Because the next time this happens will be the last time he sleeps in this castle. Understood?”
    A heavy silence fell on the table as those words sank into Fadan. Across the table, Cassia saw him tightening his lips, and after a very long, and very awkward silence, the Emperor decided to order the beginning of the meal. Everyone obeyed quietly.  
    “The Master-at-arms tells me the Prince has already mastered the compound attack,” Intila said, trying to break the awkwardness.
    Fadan placed a hand on the bandages covering his head.
    “Not well enough, apparently.”
    That made the table laugh. Even Cassia made an effort to smile. The conversation continued on the subject of Fadan’s combat lessons, and Cassia was happy to see a smile return to her son’s face. Despite it, she couldn’t shake the thought that she had another son somewhere in the castle, all by himself. Aric would not hear compliments on his abilities or jokes. He wouldn’t feel the proud hand of his father rustling his hair as he told how he had knocked down the Master-at-arms for the first time in his life. In fact, Cassia thought, Aric would hardly even remember his father’s face.
    At that moment, she saw a shadow slide across the arches on the rim of the hall. Aric appeared suddenly from behind a statue. Hidden by its shadow, her son peeked, looking for her.
    Cassia’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces. She looked sideways to Fadan, who was now laughing at a joke Intila had told. Was it possible for a mother to love one son more than the other? No, surely not. But there were sons that needed more love than others, of that she had no doubt.
    Aric stuck two fingers up his nostrils, then pulled his nose up in an antic. Cassia was unable to restrain herself and laughed out loud. She tried hiding her face, but not well enough. Tarsus saw her, looked towards Aric, and his teeth clenched. He closed a fist so hard that the blood disappeared from his hand, skin shining white. With a gesture, he called a Legionary and whispered something in his ear. An instant later Cassia saw a metal glove grab Aric’s arm and her son disappeared.
     

    The Legionary dragged him through the corridors. The iron gauntlet around his arm hurt, but Aric tried his best to pretend like it didn’t. They got to his room and the Legionary threw him in as if he was a sack of flour, slamming the door behind him. Aric heard a padlock snap shut and realized that he was in the dark. Usually, someone lit some candles so he could get dressed, but apparently he wasn’t entitled to that this time. He opened a window, letting the moon shine in, then took a sleeping tunic out of a chest but simply threw it onto the bed. He wasn’t sleepy at all.
    He was rarely locked in his room. Typically, he