“No, it’s true,” Roden said, obviously dismayed. “Conner made it very clear at supper tonight that I’ve been a disappointment to him and you’re too unstable. He didn’t say anything at all about Tobias. If he had any problem with him, he’d certainly have said so.”
“Tobias isn’t strong enough to be king,” I said. “You and I have proven ourselves. Has he?”
“I will.” Tobias’s face was already red, and I suspected it was going to get redder before he was finished. “Don’t challenge me on that and don’t get in my way.”
Pretending I couldn’t detect the threatening tone in his voice, I casually leaned my head against the wall. “This is your chance with Conner, then. Be strong. Be bold. Tell him about all the notes you’ve made. Show them to him and prove just how smart you’ve become.”
Tobias glanced over at his stack of papers. Worry lines creased his forehead as he asked, “Have you been in my papers?”
“What good would that do me? I just think those notes would show off the results of your studies, prove to him that you have plans of your own.”
o;Roden couldn’t have made these notes either,” Conner said. “It must be Tobias.”
“Ask him, then.”
“I think not,” Conner said. “I believe I’ll let Tobias rest secure in the belief that he’s in the lead for my decision. The more confident he is, if he authored these pages, that overconfidence will guide him to expose himself.” Conner chuckled, and then added, “I’m sure this secret is safe between you and me, correct?”
He didn’t wait for a response and I offered none. Conner stood and walked over to me. He lifted my face and inspected it for cuts or bruises. “You’re none the worse after a stay in my dungeons. I hope the experience humbled you.”
He took the blank expression on my face as an answer and continued, “You’re a difficult young man, Sage, but I suspect that comes from your lack of discipline and supervision, which means I can train it out of you. I’ve heard that down in the dungeons, you told Mott you would be my prince. Is that so?”
“You need me.”
“Why is that?”
It took a few seconds to collect my breath to answer. “Tobias and Roden can’t convince the regents. I can.”
“So you’ll be their prince,” Conner said. “But will you be my prince?”
Slowly, I nodded. Conner smiled and said, “You have one more week to prove it to me. Sleep today and you’ll resume lessons tomorrow. Now go get some rest.”
He never asked me about the rock, but he got what he really wanted. I had promised to be his prince.
Once they got me into bed, Errol attempted to take care of my back, but I fought him so much that at one point after I awoke, it was Imogen who sat beside me.
I mumbled a hello to her. She shifted her eyes to identify Errol in the room, standing against a wall and looking irritated. So I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
The next time I awoke, Imogen was using a warm damp cloth to clean my face. It was getting darker outside, though only a few lamps were lit yet. I looked around the room, but we appeared to be alone.
“Where’s Errol?” I asked.
“Gone. For now.”
“So they let you out of the kitchen to play nursemaid?”
“No one else would come. Not after the way Errol described all the trouble you were giving him.”
“He made it hurt worse.”
She frowned. “I’ll try to do better. Let me look at it.”
“Don’t. It’ll look bad and then you’ll have to pour this stuff on it.”
“That stuff is alcohol and it’ll keep infection away.” She helped me roll onto my stomach, then lifted up my shirt and pulled at the bandage. There was silence as she looked at my back. It didn’t even sound as if she was still breathing. “Oh, Sage.”
“It’s just the one cut.”
“Which looks awful. But you’re covered with bruises too.” She lightly traced a finger across my back.