Prince Kael's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Prince Kael had chased a rumor for three nights, and now the rumor had a tent. He wanted the shadow woman. He had never seen her face, only heard the whispers: a woman made of darkness, bound to a man who could unmake her with a word. Kael meant to find her and free her and win her hand. But no one could tell him where she hid. His wings dragged on the road behind him, ember flames guttering low along the feathers. A wingless prince could go anywhere. A burning one could not hide. The striped tent rose out of the field like a fat, painted beast. Yellow and purple canvas snapped in the wind. A wooden sign swung from chains above the entrance. See Rare Dangerous Creatures, it read. Alive Inside The Big Top. Kael had heard this circus caged things that magic touched. If anyone had crossed the shadow woman and lived, it would be the man who owned this place. Inside, cages lined the sawdust. A sleek cat paced behind iron bars, dragon wings folded tight, its tail a curl of live fire. The cat watched Kael with yellow eyes, as if it knew what he was. Kael pressed his own wings flat and moved deeper into the dark. A man stepped from between two cages. He wore a red and gold coat and gloves black as tar. His pale eyes went straight to Kael's feathers and stayed there. He smiled the way a butcher smiles at a heavy hog. "A firebird prince," the man said. "Silas Blackwood welcomes you. Have you come to buy a ticket, or to become one?" Kael did not reach for a weapon. He needed this man talking, not bleeding. "I came to ask a question. They say you've met a woman made of shadow. That you walked away." Silas Blackwood's smile thinned. He drew off one glove, slow, and showed his hand. The skin from wrist to knuckle was scarred white, as if frost had eaten it. "I touched her once," he said. "She left me this. Yes, I walked away. Few do." "Where does she dwell?" Kael said. The circus master pulled the glove back on. "North. Past the last village, where the pines drink no sun. There's a lake that stays frozen in summer. She lives in the house beneath it." He tilted his head. "But you won't reach her. A man owns her. He speaks, and she dies. He will not share." "Then he'll learn to," Kael said. Silas Blackwood laughed. He snapped his fingers at two large men near the flap. "You told me where she is. That was kind. Now you'll tell my patrons what wings like yours are worth." Kael had his answer. He also had four hands closing on his arms. He tore free, feathers flaring bright, and burst through the canvas into the cold. He knew the way north now. Behind him, Silas Blackwood was already shouting for the hunt.