10. The Prince and The Monster

Tariq was sitting on his bed, looking around the room as he loosened the knot of his cravat, already annoyed with having to unpack and organize his belongings in the shelves and closets.

"Ha! Your Highness! We still have to go to lunch, so I advise you to keep yourself dressed."

"Hmm."

Filip was smiling that cynical smile again, standing in front of an oval mirror and combing his long black hair. Tariq wondered if he would still keep that joyful expression if he grabbed his head and threw him from the window.

"You know, Your Highness... You shouldn't get too close to Selden. He has a bad reputation." Filip tied his hair back up again. "They say not even his father supports him. In fact, he doesn't even *pay * his tui-"

"Got it."

"Your Highness, please, what I mean is-"

"Tell me where the library is after lunch. That's all I want to know, for now."

*Now I know why he prefers to live in the forest, at least...*

"Er... As you wish..."

Tariq was now standing in front of Svoboda, staring right into his eyes with his chin raised. The other boy remained silent and motionless, his smile starting to melt.

This was an old trick that Tariq's father had taught to him to get "information".

He kept eye contact, visualizing himself inside Filip's body. It took him several moments, but soon, he felt the *click* in Svoboda's brain, signalling that he had had success in establishing a link.

Soon he was able to see himself through the other boy's eyes, as if looking into a mirror. He could’ve started analysing everything inside his mind.

But for now, he didn't do anything. He just wanted to test the strength of the boy’s aura.

Tariq ended the telepathic connection, and he soon noticed Filip trembling. The boy’s smile was gone, and his forehead was wrinkled in an expression of pain. Then his gaze became distant and he turned towards the windows; his mouth was open, but no sound came out, almost as if his consciousness was lost in another world.

That was strange...

*Did I overdo it? Impossible. I didn't even give him a command*

"Hey?"

Filip remained like that for a few more instants, until Tariq gently shook him, grabbing his shoulders to turn the boy face him.

"Svoboda? Hello?"

The boy blinked twice, then his eyes regained focus.

"Oh! Your Highness! Do you need something?" He started to smile again, his eyebrow raised. "We’d better hurry, or we might miss out on the chicken legs for lunch!"

*What?*

Filip walked away, motioning for Tariq to accompany him, and Tariq nodded for him to go ahead. When the other boy had gained a bit of distance, Tariq absently glanced into the cabinet near the mirror Svoboda had been combing his hair in front of.

The door was slightly open, just enough for two fingers to fit. The prince could distinguish the shapes of bottles sealed with corks. Something tingled his gut, and he opened the cabinet door just a little wider.

What shocked the young prince the most wasn’t just that there were five bottles, all without a label, hiding on the last shelf at the bottom. No, what really made him swallow hard, despising himself for entering the other lad’s head like that, was the fact that all that bottles were filled with pills.

*Fuck... he's ill*.

***

The first thing Tariq saw when he entered the canteen was a waving hand in a green coat. Filip Svoboda was inviting him to join his table.

Tariq took a deep breath, trying to erase whatever it was that he had discovered from his memory.

When he came closer, he saw Filip was accompanied by Honza Dvorák and several other brats.

The moment the son of the dean saw him, his face contorted as if someone had farted right under his nose. He kept silent as the prince took a seat.

"Hey, mates, I decided to invite the prince to share our table and tell us some good stories!"

"I see that,” Dvorák answered, drinking some of his water, his eyes never leaving Tariq.

The prince noticed that, although the canteen was filled with the chattering voices of the other boys, the table he was sitting at was as silent as the classroom had been when he had put Professor Doughnut in his place. All the boys were staring at their food, save for Dvorák, who kept staring at Tariq the whole time.

The boy who was sitting right beside Tariq was Krk, one of the boys who had held him back in the classroom. He picked up his tray and went to sit two chairs down.

*Of course…*

Tariq was so used to that by now that it had stopped hurting a while ago. The prince just took a deep breath and started to eat.

"So, Your Highness, why did you choose to enrol in our school? Is our good Prince Balthazar Schlanger eager to learn more about our land?"

*Shut up, you moron, for God's sake...*

He could feel Svoboda staring at him with that annoying smile, waiting for an answer. The prince remained silent.

"Is your mother a *gypsy*?"

Tariq raised his head, his forehead wrinkling as he stared at Honza Dvorák.

"Funny thing is, the last time my father met with the prince, he was sure that Lady Schlanger...had a fair, very beautiful, *white* complexion."

The prince noticed the other boys raising their heads and seeming suddenly interested in him.

"I didn't know the old Schlanger was fond of mistresses... My father said he and his wife seemed very well attuned."

*Maintain control… This is exactly what he wants...*

"It's also surprising he would choose a gypsy woman to bear his bastards... I mean, everybody knows gypsies are dirty and impolite, always moving around, known to defecate in public spaces..." He smiled, and soon the other boys started to laugh. Save for Filip Svoboda.

"Er, fellows... We don't need to go any further with this, yes? Food time is sacred time!"

None of them seemed to have heard Filip, though.

"The royal family’s affairs aren't the business of the lower classes," the prince said, placing his hands on the table to support his weight. When he stood up, he was delighted to see the look of outrage on Dvorák's face.

Tariq wiped his mouth with a napkin, then threw it right in Honza's face.

"Take my tray to the counter, or I'll cut out your tongue, you insolent worm."

Then, turning his back to the table, he left the canteen.

***

The end of the afternoon was quickly approaching, painting the stained glass of the corridor in orangey-brown hues. The prince was making his way back to the dorms before Svoboda could catch up to him. If he was lucky, he’d be able to have some peace and quiet while he unpacked his luggage.

His heart skipped a beat when something smacked against the window to his left.

CAW! CAW!

He opened the window and the crow entered the room, landing on his right arm and biting his lips in affection.

"Dammit, Munin! Stop ramming yourself against things! What do you want?"

CAW! CAW! CAW!

The bird was flapping his wings as fast as a six-horse carriage. He flew onto the parapet along the window.

CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW!

A cold, tightening sensation ran down Tariq’s spine when he realised what the bird was trying to tell him.

"Shit!"

The bird took flight like a bolt, gaining a good distance ahead of his master. The prince fumbled with his coat, pulling out a miniature black horse made of onyx, and thanking the the old gods that he was still carrying *it*.

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one in sight, Tariq jumped from the window, climbing down the wall of the building using the spaces between the bricks, gargoyles, and columns as handholds. Soon he landed on the ground, and started running with all he had in the direction of the college's gates.

***

SWWOOOOOOSSH!!

The sound of something cutting through the air brought Joseph back to consciousness. His whole body felt as cumbersome as an elephant, his head heavy and turned to the side, but he forced himself to open his eyes. He saw an olive green glare painting the dry leaves on the ground.

The creature wasn't there anymore. The sky was a purplish blue, and Venus was already bringing with her myriads of infinite stars. Joseph’s eyes started to close again.

"SCRIIIIIIIIIINNNNCH!!!!!"

Joseph’s blood ran cold when a squeal was cut short by the sound of a blade, and the fear brought the boy slightly back to consciousness. His eyes once again met that olive green explosion. His hands and feet were tingling.

CAW! CAW! CAW!

The first thing Joseph saw as he forced his body to roll to the left was the one-eyed crow flapping its wings by his side.

*Good lord! What is going on?*

"Ugh!" The young doctor felt a stinging pain in his right foot, as if a 10 cementite long thorn had stuck in him.

As he tried his best to support himself on his elbows, a pair of solid hands grabbed his arms, pulling him to sit against the tree.

*I know those hands...*

The prince.

He stared at Joseph with his bright golden eyes wide, frowning.

“Hey! Stay awake!”

Prince Tariq started to shake him when Joseph's eyes began to close again.

“How...did you... Where...is...?”

“Fear not, for everything is under control now.”

*What does he mean? He saw it?*

Joseph heard the sound of a horse neighing and trotting.

"Wait a minute, dammit!"

*Is he talking to his horse? How the hell did he keep a HORSE at the college?*

CAW! CAW!

*That crow... It's always around since he appeared...*

"Hey! Wake up!"

Joseph felt the prince’s hands bringing him out of his daze again.

"Where are the keys to your home, Doctor?"

"W-Why...?"

"Tell me! Now!"

"Backpack.... Right...inner pocket..."

As soon as Joseph finished, he felt those stone-made hands under his back and knees, holding him. Then, in what felt like less than a second, he was unable feel the ground underneath him anymore. The prince was carrying him.

He grew dizzy again when the forest seemed to spin around him from the movement. There was no trace of that creature. The young doctor noted a restless figure, seemingly a huge black horse, coming closer.

The prince’s face was less than a hand’s width away from his. Joseph tried to lean his head into other boy's shoulder, appalled by the way he held Joseph in his arms as if he were no heavier than a pile of blankets, still studying him with those falcon eyes.

"You're safe now, Doctor."

"Your...H-Highness... You...d-dont..."

Joseph's eyes grew heavy again, and the boy lost the will to control his limbs, letting them hang limply from the prince's arms. It was so cold; he could feel the northern winter wind on his feet.

*Where are my boots?*

The wave of lethargy made his head slip from off of Tariq's shoulder, and he found himself staring at Venus again. As he closed his eyes, his head fell back, exposing his neck as he fainted again.

*You're safe now, Doctor...*

*********

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