Treasure by Megan Derr Read Free Book Online Page A

swimming round and round. He slowly pulled out the pins holding his elaborate sash in place and removed it, folding the pins in it for safekeeping. His robes gaped open, and Kyo shrugged out of them. Folding them neatly, he set all the clothes well out of the way then strode back to the edge of the pool. His hair fell around him, down to mid-thigh, decorated with beads of esmeralda, saphir, and pearl; it was heavy, far too heavy to swim easily, but he was a prince, and the magic that flowed in his veins made it a non-issue.
    Kyo dove smoothly into the water, relishing the cold as he hit it, the way it got colder the deeper he went. Magic thrummed in his blood, altering his body in small ways, allowing him to swim and breathe as easily as the deadly creatures around him.
    Creatures that largely ignored him, and those that did not came up only to brush against him in friendly fashion. Kyo had always enjoyed swimming with the sharks. No one else bothered him there, and they were far more interesting than the sharks that inhabited the palace proper. Swimming with them was also a good way to strengthen his magic.
    He kept swimming, all the way to the bottom, then headed through the dark tunnel and kept swimming past the various sharks going in and out until darkness finally gave way to light once more.
    He began to swim up, moving closer and closer until he finally broke the surface. The magic-induced gills faded off after a few seconds, and he breathed normally as he kept swimming. Kyo headed slowly toward the shore, already tired from the effort he'd exerted, but vehemently against going back inside any time soon.
    Reaching the shore of the small, secret beach only accessible by either swimming up as he had, or scaling down the cliffs that surrounded most of the palace, he collapsed in the sand and stared up at the sky.
    If the information Raiden had given him was correct, he had three months to live. They would stop over in Pozhar for additional supplies, and after that … There would be no more people beyond those aboard the Kumiko . There would be no more dull dinners, no more lashings, no more being reminded he was not what his parents wanted him to be.
    No more sneaking off to town with Taka at his side. No more sneaking off alone to watch the Kumiko and her captain whenever the ship was in port. No chance he would ever be able to find out if Kinni remembered him, if Kinni cared about the promise he'd made as a boy.
    No chance of going off to find the ultimate treasure, secretly hoping that Kinni would decide—
    Three months to live. Kyo drew a breath and let it out slowly, refusing to let any emotion rise up. He could do it, he would do it, if only because it meant he would die doing things his way, and there would be no more sacrifices. A hundred years after he died, no prince would be called into his father's study and be told that his sole reason for existing was to serve as sacrifice.
    Kyo could not wait for the day that his father realized he had run away and taken the Eye of the Storm with him. His mouth curved in a smirk, thinking about it. He was going to die, but he would not be his father's pawn. He vowed it, in the names of the Dragons of the Three Storms. It was his life, and he would lose it how he chose.
    He hoped that Taka would forgive him, eventually, though he supposed it little mattered since he would be dead, and dying the way he was guaranteed there would be no reincarnation. A sacrifice was a sacrifice, and no piece remained when it was over.
    Would anyone besides Taka and Umiko miss him? Kyo dismissed the thought as pointless, but thoughts of Kinni rose up in his mind anyway. Wistful thoughts, stupid thoughts, painful thoughts. He reached up to touch the pendant around his neck. He had to replace the chain every few years, as never removing the necklace had its hazards, but the pendant itself remained exactly as it had that long ago day:  bright silver and gleaming, displaying a lighthouse with