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

knocked back the contents of his glass in one smooth swallow, with none of the simpering and sniffing that most nobility indulged in.
    They ate mostly in silence. Myron was busy trying to figure out what to ask for spells, and mostly coming up blank. The things he wanted to learn were far too complicated for a night's teaching, and he doubted Tamsen would have time—or the inclination—to teach him when they returned to Rishaw. Tamsen was lost in his own thoughts, slowly eating his soup and mostly looking miserable.
    Myron could empathize, even without knowing the details of why Tamsen had left. If Myron were made to return to his parents' home… Well, Myron would be equally upset and miserable. Tamsen left his half-finished meal on the table but brought his cup and the bottle of whiskey with him. He paused to top off Myron's cup and then wandered over to the chairs by the fireside, careful to keep his feet off of Myron's pallet as he walked by it.
    Finishing his own meal, Myron took his time tidying up the dishes. He sipped at his whiskey intermittently, enjoying the way it burned down his throat. He didn't often indulge in liquor; he didn't often have time for it. He'd learned the hard way the perils of drinking heavily when he had training or missions to do. His instructors had been hardest on the guard trainees who had shown up with hangovers—and showing up drunk was a one-way ticket out of the guard.
    He joined Tamsen when he was finished with the dishes, settling down in the second chair in front of the fire. Tamsen held up the bottle questioningly, and Myron obligingly held out his cup, letting Tamsen refill it. His hands were shaking a bit more, but he managed without spilling, so Myron didn't comment.
    "What do the colors mean?" Myron asked. He took a sip of the whiskey, settling back in his chair. He gestured to the fireplace with his free hand when Tamsen looked at him curiously. The fire was edging into green from blue.
    "How hard it has to work to keep the temperature and such," Tamsen said. He knocked back the rest of his glass, apparently intent on drinking the entire bottle of whiskey that night. Myron glanced at the bottle, finding it was already half-empty. He doubted he and Tamsen had drunk that much this evening, so some of that had to be gone from a previous sitting. "Do you want the specifics as one of your spells?"
    "I don't think I'd use it," Myron said. The fire was mostly green, so it was probably combating the lowering temperature outside.
    "You only learn useful spells?" Tamsen asked as he poured himself more whiskey.
    "Mostly."
    "What do you do that makes constructs useful to learn? Do a lot of spying for my brother?" Tamsen asked. He set his cup down instead of drinking from it and turned to watch Myron.
    "Not really, no," Myron said. The whiskey was making him a touch overwarm, but it was a pleasant warmth. "They're good for throwing at unknown magic. They can take a curse that would be much worse to deal with if it hit a person. The spying part was just a useful side effect."
    "And you run into curses often?" Tamsen asked.
    Myron grinned but didn't answer. He ran into them often enough, though usually there were King's Wizards with his regiment of the King's Guard, and he didn't have anything to do with breaking them. What would Tamsen think of his real reason for learning to create constructs? Perhaps he'd find out at some point, though given the barriers between them… Myron doubted he'd have the opportunity.
    "You…" Tamsen paused, sipping from his whiskey, "… are keeping something from me."
    "I'm keeping lots of things from you," Myron replied easily. He sipped at the whiskey in his cup, almost hoping Tamsen would press. He wasn't a fan of keeping things secret; it was too close to being ashamed of his life.
    "I suppose that's fair," Tamsen said quietly, frowning down at his cup. "I haven't exactly been forthright with you."
    "So you're not planning to return to Rishaw?" Myron