Prince of Traitors

Owin

"You are not leaving again," my father says sternly. "Certainly not for the outsider."

"We have to," I snap. We stand in my parents' large house as I search my mother's stores of herbs and potions to find something useful. I refill my leather roll of powders and crushed herbs, tucking the tiny glass vials into their little loops.

"He left," Dad says. "He's made his choice, and it's for the better."

I roll my eyes, but my father ignores me.

"He's not one of us, Owin," he continues. "I know he's your friend, but he could never have belonged with us, and you know that. It's better he's gone."

I stuff my roll of herbs into my satchel and hoist it over my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dad, but I'm not letting him just leave," I say. "I can't."

The door to the house opens behind me, and Mum walks in. Her face is stern, her lips pressed together in a tight line.

"Owin," she begins. "I heard you were planning to leave again. Is this true?"

I nod, looking at my feet. "Yes," I say shortly.

My mother frowns at me. She puts her hands on my upper arms, forcing me to look at her. "Darling, we just got you back," she says. She glances over my shoulder, her eyes flitting to my father's for a second. I can imagine his scowl. "Are you sure you must go?"

"Yes," I say, putting as much earnest into my voice as I can muster. I duck my head and take the diamond ring off of my pointer finger. I put it on the chain next to the Tajan quartz ring and pull the necklace off over my head.

I sigh and hand the chain to my mother. "Jasper and I made a deal while we were on the road. The plan was to get north, and then we'd each get one ring to sell for passage off the continent, and then we'd go our separate ways."

My mother peers at the rings on the chain pooled in her hand. "When he left, he—he told me to take both rings and buy passage for the whole village, even other tribes, to get off the continent somewhere safe," I explain.

"Why would he do that?" Dad asks from behind me. I turn to face him.

"I don't know," I say, my lips pursed in a tight line. "I can only assume he's decided not to leave the continent."

"Owin," Mum begins. When I turn to her, she's holding up the quartz ring, frowning at the flattened top of the ring. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the Odrendi royal seal."

I gnaw on my lip and look at the ring in my mother's hand, knowing she's right. I think she knows she's right too. The firebird is carved into the flattened top of the ring, surrounded by little licks of flame with its wings spread wide. I nod wordlessly.

My father crosses in front of me to stand beside my mother. He peers at the ring in her hand. "Who is this man?" he asks. His voice is quiet and too calm.

I don't answer for what feels like a very long time. My tongue darts out to wet my dry lips, and I breathe a shaking sigh. "He's a prince," I answer finally, my voice a whisper. "The Crown Prince of Odrend, and the rightful king."

Unbridled rage crosses my father's face, and my mother looks stricken, her eyes going wide and her mouth falling open.

"What," Dad growls.

"Owin, is this true?" Mum asks.

I nod.

"Why would you bring the fucking Crown Prince here?" Dad snarls. I flinch at his voice. "You've put the entire tribe in danger, Owin!"

"He's gone," I snap at him. "He left to help us."

"And you're going after him? We do not need the help of an outsider," he growls. He storms past me, and I feel sick with shame. I wrap my arms around my ribs, my eyes on the floor.