The Serpent's Chains

Chapter 38: Some Chains Are Invisible

Sabine

When I opened my eyes, I felt the thrum of magic tingling me from the inside out. I sighed and turned on my side. Grabbing my pillow, I hugged it and giggled, burying my face in the soft fabric and puffy down. When was the last time I'd woken up and felt this alive?

I couldn't remember.

I dressed quickly and headed to the prince's quarters. I wasn't his slave anymore but I still had my duties as his personal attendant until he told me otherwise or I had something else lined up. There was so much I needed to figure out without the binding of a slave collar but I couldn't do it all in one day.

Prince Cole arched an eyebrow as I came in. I bowed my head under his gaze.

"Your Highness."

"You're not required to be here." His voice was stern, almost dismissive.

"I still have my duties. You haven't dismissed me." I lifted my eyes and met his look. For the first time, I didn't feel the need to avert my gaze the moment our eyes locked.

For years, I'd forced myself into the required submission of a slave but I'd never felt it, not really.

The prince pursed his lips and his eyes lit up, like he was trying to hide a smile. "I won't have to. The king will require your services elsewhere and he outranks me."

"Services for what?" My voice was barely above a whisper and my stomach exploded with butterflies. No, more like bats. It wasn't the kind of gentle fluttering that made my toes curl. It was violent and nervous.

I looped my arms around myself.

The prince approached with swift steps. He put his hands on my shoulders and tipped my chin up with his thumbs. Our eyes locked and I gasped. There was something so... guilty in the depths of his gaze.

"You're going to be trained as a royal mage. Some of the most skilled mages in Telasia will teach you."

"It's a step up from being a slave and your personal attendant," I pointed out. "King Talis did say he'd elevate my conditions."

More than that, the idea of learning from trained, accomplished mages was a dream I never thought I'd see realized. I was self-taught in everything I'd learned but knew I could do so much more. I just needed the right guidance and direction.

"Was being my attendant so dreadful?" The prince frowned slightly.

"Not at all, Majesty!"

He chuckled and brushed his thumb along my cheek, leaving a warm trail in its wake. "You don't have to lie on my account."

"I'm not. Though, to be fair, my life before coming to the palace was easy to outshine."

"I will miss these little conversations of ours." The prince smiled humorlessly and ran his thumb along my cheek again.

I bit my lower lip. "There is a lot I don't understand about being trained by the royal mages and having my freedom inside the palace."

"Freedom?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Ah, yes. Your collar signified your servitude. Without it, you feel you are no longer bound." His fingers loosely rested against my clavicles where my former collar rested for so many years.

I found the weight of his touch comforting like I almost missed the collar. It was absurd to even think. How could I miss my shackles? The reality was, I didn't know how to live without it anymore. I'd have to learn.

"Are you saying that I'm still a slave?"

"No. I'm saying that some chains are invisible." He pulled away from me and flexed his fingers. The prince stared at his own wrists and twisted them from side to side, a strange look in his eyes. "I am sorry."