The Errant Prince by Sasha L. Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

Tamsen said, which certainly explained why Tamsen looked so pale. It was extremely poisonous, though thankfully the small amount Tamsen had been exposed to wouldn't kill him. Falcine powder could be used to block seeking spells, which explained why none of the King's Wizards had been able to find Tamsen through magical means.
    "You're leaving," Myron said, refusing to be diverted. Though at that, leaving didn't make much sense, despite the signs of it inside the cottage. Why do all the work on the garden, have him chop so much wood? Unless Tamsen planned to come back, but he was making it obvious if that were the case.
    Tamsen made his way through the cottage and sat down heavily at the dining table. Myron moved to join him, taking the tea pot from Tamsen's shaking hands to pour him half a cup of tea. Tamsen took the cup, sloshing it but not spilling. He drank the contents in one go, and Myron filled it halfway again.
    "My brother has made it clear he's not going to stop looking for me," Tamsen said, each word sounding wretchedly miserable. "I'll go back, but only to make him stop. Then I'll come back here."
    "Really?" Myron asked, startled. He hadn't actually expected Tamsen to agree to return, even if it chafed to think Tamsen would run off instead.
    "Really," Tamsen said. "I'll have one of the villagers look after the place for me. Probably Rafi—she's the mayor's daughter. Some of the things I have are too dangerous to just leave out, however."
    "And she can't make magic fires," Myron said, connecting the dots. Tamsen was setting up the cottage for a caretaker, and was ensuring things would be set for him upon his return. He should have been happy he was getting to complete his task, but it was hard to be happy in the face of Tamsen's obvious misery. "Is there anything else I can do?"
    "How are you at roof repair?" Tamsen asked. He held out his hands, frowning at the way they trembled. "This won't wear off until tomorrow, and I'd like to finish the house today."
    "Never done it, but I follow instructions well," Myron said. He jerked his chin toward Tamsen's hands. "Sorry about that, by the way."
    "My own damn fault," Tamsen said, scowling. He curled his hands into fists, dropping them into his lap. "I should have just told you I would go back."
    Myron shrugged. He didn't blame Tamsen for his silence. As far as Tamsen knew, there was every chance Myron would have pushed him to leave sooner. Or forced the matter, or been less cooperative. Besides which, Tamsen didn't owe him any explanation.
    "Tomorrow I'll settle things with Rafi, and we can go to Rishaw the day after," Tamsen said. He stood, and Myron bit back the admonition that Tamsen should probably stay sitting. Tamsen was an adult. "Come on, I'll show you how to fix the roof."
    Myron followed Tamsen out of the house, somewhat apprehensive about climbing on the roof of the cottage. In the end, however, the repair turned out to be an easy task. Myron spent the rest of his day being run ragged in pursuit of the cottage's upkeep. Tamsen even had him doing things that Myron highly doubted needed doing before he left, but he did them anyway.
    By the time the sun was setting, Myron was tired, sore, and hungry. It was almost fun, running around and playing domestic. Tamsen had recovered his color as the afternoon wore on, though his hands still shook enough that Myron took over serving dinner—another soup—so that Tamsen didn't spill it everywhere.
    Tamsen let him, leaving the table to fetch a dark-colored glass bottle from somewhere near his bed. He poured two glasses from it, barely spilling any despite his trembling hand.
    "Rafi will drink it if we don't," Tamsen groused, but he didn't sound too annoyed by that. He passed Myron a glass before sitting down across from him with a sigh.
    Myron picked the glass up and sipped at it cautiously. The alcohol turned out to be whiskey, though Myron didn't know enough about whiskey to tell whether it was a good one or not. Tamsen