Palace guards had always seemed like the lowest of the low to Cage.

Even when he was a toddler, he could outsmart them without issues, slip away right under their noses for a quick trip to the kitchens. Oh, how the cooks liked to pass him extra cookies or warm bread...

The memories felt bitter on his tongue now, a testament of the intruder he'd always been in his family. The staff pitied him, of course they gave him extra sweets. Someone should pamper him if his own mother could not.

Not that it mattered now. He'd long gone past the age where sweets could make him happy. And as the irony of fate would have it, he was now probably the happiest he'd ever been while inside the Grand Palace.

Well, not that he was inside. Even he wasn't that reckless. The world thought him dead or cursed or both, and he wasn't about to prove them wrong. Truthfully, he was cursed, though compared to how it had started, the new magic placed upon him was a walk in the park.

Less than a week ago, his bones would break, his fingers would become talons and fangs would fill his mouth every time he was near anyone he cared about. Turned into a beast poised to kill the object of his affection.

He'd lived with the affliction for seven years until he finally had the courage to do what had to be done and end himself and the beast. It had hurt like a bitch, but for some reason, the fairy who'd cursed him in the first place decided to take it back.

He would no longer become the beast, but kept the perks of his curse. The strength, the faster healing and the superior speed were all welcomed. The hole he felt in his chest while being away from Kat was not.

As he crouched on one of the lower branches of a Ginkus tree in the garden of the Grand Palace, he rubbed his chest, as if the physical motion would ail his inner suffering.

Yes, he missed Kat. Crimson hells, he loved her more than he ever thought was humanly possible. But this pain felt like something else.

It was true that, when lifting his initial curse, Cecile had bound him and Kat by magic. They were to live and die together, tied by intricate tendrils of life and magic. He hadn't given it one thought, because he had already decided that his life was hers even before that. And yet...

He pressed his chest harder. Did it translate into the literal inability to be apart from her?  Did this mean that he would no longer be able to go anywhere alone, be without her for long periods of time? How long and how far? Valona was not too far from his own place, merely three days of riding away.

His inner musings were fortunately interrupted by the appearance of more palace guards. Four of them preceded Prince Edmund, while another two brought up the rear.

Cage crouched lower on his branch, and narrowed his eyes, observing the trajectory of his youngest brother. Well, half-brother he guessed, since they only shared the same mother and his father was Cage's uncle. Family was so complicated. But with Prince Ferdinand still missing, Cage had to do something.

And that something had to be reckless, dangerous and outright insane.

Edmund stopped in the middle of the path, bringing the sleeve of his royal blue tunic to his mouth. Even if he was fairly tall, his shoulders were narrow and he looked reedy. His hair, even if dark, wasn't black like Cage's, but rather a murky brown, as if it was discolored. Even his gait was hesitant, like he didn't know what to do with himself.

It brought a hollow pain to Cage's chest. He didn't look eighteen. He maybe looked fifteen on a good day. It was criminal that he was expected to be king if something happened to Ferdinand.

The guards stopped with him, still like statues, and waited. For a few seconds, nothing happened, and Edmund raised his head. Then he doubled over and gave in to a violent coughing fit.

The guards hesitated, two of them taking half a step towards the prince. Cage tightened his fists, trying to push back the helplessness he felt. He'd heard the Edmund's health was frail, but he'd never actually witnessed it. Hells, he hadn't seen his brother for over seven years, since he was ten.

The coughing ended and Edmund stood, wheezing. The guards made no move, acting as if nothing had happened. They continued the stroll through the garden and Cage started taking note of other things. Like how the air was humid and salty from the nearby harbor, how the vegetation there made it even harder to breathe. The very tree he sat perched in, with its thick trunk and branches and large, broad, acid-green leaves was native to the Southern Isles, brought to the capital city to create and exotic atmosphere, prove something.

All those factors were surely taking their toll on Edmund's health. But like with everything in his life, Fherras pretended it was not an issue and ignored it.

Rage bubbled inside Cage's chest, filling the emptiness there. For a moment, panic overwhelmed him. He knew that feeling and it was usually followed by broken bones and the fangs filling his mouth with the taste of blood. Somehow, it was still there. The beast lay buried inside him, waiting, only much easier to control. What had Cecile truly done to him? He'd trusted her, believed when she said he could safely leave his palace if he so pleased.

And he had, almost immediately. He had been surrounded by people and hadn't snapped. But that had been two days. Then he'd left and traveled mostly by night.

What if he was a danger to Edmund?

But as he watched his little brother stopping right underneath him and succumbing to another coughing fit, his heart filled with affection and sadness. There was no beast clawing at him from the inside, no need to tear him apart, see him dead. Just to protect him.

The guards pulled further back and turned away to give him a little privacy. Cage sized the chance, wrapped his legs around the branch and let himself dangle down. In the blink of an eye, he seized Edmund under the arms and hoisted him in the tree.

His coughing stopped abruptly and his eyes widened as Cage covered his mouth with one hand and brought his finger to his own lips with the other. Edmund kept staring at him, but didn't let out a sound. The guards turned around and started calling out his name in panic whispers.

"Where could he have gone?" one of them asked.

"Towards the stable, like he did last time, I'm guessing," another mumbled, and they all headed that way.

"I take this to mean that you give them the slip fairly often as well," Cage said with a grin.

"Kale?" Edmund blinked, then rubbed his eyes. "Is that really you?"

Even if he'd half-forgotten that name even existed, it felt good hearing out of Edmund's mouth. "Yep, kiddo. In the flesh."

"You just..." Edmund gave him a once-over. "You look exactly how I remember you."

Very fair assumption since the curse made sure he didn't age. "You have a good memory. I was a little worried you'd have no idea who I am and yell for the guards to decapitate me."

Edmund frowned at his words. "Where were you?"

"Ah, where to begin?"

"No, seriously. Where were you?" Edmund's frown only deepened as he crossed his arms over his tiny chest. "All these years. You broke the Queen Mother's heart. And Ferdinand. You weren't there to protect him!"

Cage winced and pulled back. Now that he put it like that, it was awful. "I was..."

"No, you weren't! And now Fer's been gone for months and everyone thinks he's dead! And I... I don't want..." He trailed off, biting his lower lip.

"You don't want to be king?" Cage asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Why are you here?" Edmund asked, his voice low and even.

That was a very good question. But before he could answer it, there was something else he had to say. Because from the way his baby brother looked at him, it was obvious he believed Cage had been on a drunken romp for the past seven years.

"Ed, I didn't abandon you. The reason why you haven't seen me in years is that I've been cursed."

Edmund's pale green eyes widened again. "Cursed? So it's true? But if that's true, then why aren't you..." He stopped and his cheeks heated up. It only made his pallor more obvious.

"Dead?" Cage asked. "I was, for a moment. The thing is, the curse was complicated. It made sure I couldn't get out, see people. The only reason I'm here now is that I almost broke it."

Edmund frowned. "What do you mean almost?"

"I'm still cursed, only that it's less drastic now and I can actually go out. Which brings me to why I'm here. I want to go after Fer, but I don't have enough information."

Edmund sat in silence, worrying on his lip, his eyes lost in the distance. Cage waited, his nerves on edge, because this wasn't going like he'd hoped it would. He'd known Edmund all his life, but he'd been gone for nearly half of it now. The young man before him wasn't the kid he'd left behind, and it was starting to show.

"You are sentenced to death," he suddenly said, as if to drive it home. His eyes focused on Cage, but there was curiosity in them rather than malice.

"I'm aware. I still know the rules of the kingdom."

"Are you on the run?"

"More like everyone assumes I'm dead and I'd rather keep it that way. But that also makes me the perfect candidate to go after Fer."

Edmund pondered on this, rubbing his chin. There was no trace of a beard on it and it made Cage wince.

"How's Fherras?"

The question earned him a glare from Edmund. "His Royal Majesty, my father, is doing well."

His pointed tone almost pulled a groan out of Cage. "Seriously, Ed? You call your parents Queen Mother and his Royal Majesty?"

"Their titles show my respect."

"They're your parents!"

"They're first and foremost my king and my queen." 

The implied 'why are they not yours?' was definitely there, but Cage was not about to go into that and explain how the king turned him into a bastard and didn't allow his own mother to care for him.

"Fine. I'm not going to get into this with you. I really just wanted to know how his Royal Majesty is doing." Unfortunately, Cage couldn't use the title without a noticeable amount of sarcasm.

Edmund narrowed his eyes again, but chose not to comment on it. The hesitation however spoke volumes. The rumors were true. There was something ailing the king, and it was why it was the upmost importance to find Ferdinand. Edmund still had three years until he would be considered of age. But even so, he'd always been the spare, trained for diplomacy, not kingship.

"He is..." Edmund's voice drifted.

Cage leaned in closer. "I know the official position of the palace is that he is going to live forever, but I'm asking for you."

Ed's lower lip started trembling, but after a moment, he regained his composure. Or at least tried to. When he finally raised his eyes, the fear in them was obvious. "I'm scared, Kale. I don't know what to do without Fer. And his Royal Majesty has days when... I'm just so lost. No one will tell me anything, but I can see these things. And my Queen Mother is so worried."

Cage reached out and caught Edmund in a hug. He could feel his brother's frail body trembling and wondered how he could reign in his father's generals if it came to it.

"I'm going to get Fer back. I just need to know more about how he went missing. I just heard the Wolfbane might be involved."

Edmund shuddered and pulled away. "Where did you hear that?"

Cage shrugged. "Rumors reach even lonely palaces."

"I... He was taken at night. He was in the Grand Palace private docks when it happened. And I have heard whispered that indeed Wolfbane claims to have taken him."

Cage took a moment to process the new information. "What was he even doing by the docks at night?"

Edmund's cheeks caught a pink tinge. "Meeting his betrothed."

"Um... What? Since when?" And how had this particular piece of news escaped him? "Where is she? Was she taken as well? Holly shit, Annora must be in a right fit if their crown princess is gone." But no one had mentioned anything of the like to him. Why?

"Um, no. And she wasn't the princess of Annora. It's Madeline Harkiss."

Cage stared like a fool, trying to wrap his head around what he'd just heard. "Harkiss. As in the daughter of General Harkiss." 

Why wasn't the news surprising? The man was in charge of most of the army and had almost as much political influence as the king himself. But for centuries it had been tradition that one of the seven leading families of Annora offered one of their daughters to the king of Iride. His own mother had been an Annorian princess.

"So we no longer marry from Annora now?"

Edmund gave a very subtle wince. "The borders are closed. His Royal Majesty no longer saw it as an option."

More like his Royal Asshole didn't want to lose Harkiss' support. But that was a matter for another time. The first order of business was to actually find Fer. Then worry about who he got to marry.

"Okay, so you're saying I can get more information from Madeline?"

"Most likely. I haven't spoken to her. Only his Royal Majesty and General Harkiss have."

Yes, of course. At least he had a starting point for his questions. Cage heaved a sigh and glanced down between the leaves. It seemed safe to let Edmund down.

"I'm going to speak to her, then set out to look for Fer." He returned his gaze to his brother. "I promise I will find him and bring him back."

"I believe you." Edmund bit his lower lip. "Just be careful." He leaned in closer. "I've heard rumors that Wolfbane has asked for you in exchange for Fer."

Yes, he'd heard that particular rumor himself. "Then it's quite lucky that I'm going to get him."

Edmund caught his forearm. "I don't want to lose you again. You were always like a brother to me."

If only the poor kid knew that he was really a brother to him. All he could give was a smile. "Don't worry, kiddo. We'll see each other again." And he caught him in another hug.

After making sure the coast was clear, he lowered Edmund back into the garden, then focused on getting out of the Grand Palace gardens without being seen. He had another heavily guarded mansion to break into.

Breaking into mansions was even less troubling than sneaking into the garden of the Grand Palace. So it took Cage precisely a half an hour to get himself inside the back garden and identify Madeline's chambers.

Even if he resented that life now, he couldn't deny that all the experience he had from sneaking into the beds of presentable ladies came handy. Fortunately, he'd never been in this place before for such an endeavor. He, however had perfect aim, and the pebble he threw hit the window pane just right.

It took Madeline Harkiss one minute to appear behind the window. Cage gave her a lazy wave, aware that she probably had no idea who he was. Instead, she opened the balcony door and stepped outside, a sneer curving her lips.

"Well, well. If it isn't the missing Admiral."

Apparently she did know who he was. "Milady, a word?"

Madeline looked left and right, her eyes sharp and suspicious. He guessed she did posses a sort of beauty. Her hair was the brown of a ship's bow, straight and caught up in a simple bun, and her features were pleasant, if a little gaunt. He could see her appeal, even if she was definitely not her type. Just thinking about Kat's softness and curves made him shudder. The ache in his chest resurfaced with the dire need to get back to her.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" she asked, though she was smirking.

"I could make a lot more inappropriate if I have to climb up there." 

He really needed to control his mouth. He couldn't believe that seven years had washed over him like they were nothing, as if he hadn't been isolated and driven half-crazy. For some insane reason, in moments like this it felt like he was never cursed.

Madeline only grinned and headed back inside. Cage guessed he was coming out so he leaned his back against the thick trunk of an oak tree, hiding himself from view should anyone inside the house glance into the backyard.

She soon appeared, her hands smoothing the folds of her impressive yellow skirts. He'd gotten so used to Kat's simple dressed, all the petticoats looked ridiculous.

"I know your reputation, Admiral," she said, her tone holding the trace of a laugh. "I wouldn't want you anywhere near my chambers."

"It has been a very long time. I am astounded that my reputation holds up." He wished it didn't. He wished it had died together with him.

"What it is that you wish to discuss?"

She was much too calm for talking to a supposed dead man. He didn't like it, but she was the only one who might have the information he sought.

"Is it true that you were with Prince Ferdinand on the night he was taken?"

Her amused expression immediately darkened and her amber eyes narrowed. "Is that why you are here? Why you are back from the dead?"

"Yes." Why else did she think? "And speaking of which, I would really appreciate it if you let me stay dead."

Surprise crossed her face. "Why? I don't understand."

"I would much rather not make everyone aware that I am still breathing. I think it would make it much easier for me to find the missing prince."

Madeline shifted and her hands moved to smoothing he bodice. "You want to find him."

Why was that so hard to believe? Even if nearly no one knew the real relationship between them, he and Fer were still supposedly related. They'd grown up together.

"Yes. And bring him back. I understand you were to wed him."

Her mouth twisted into a snarl. "You know, I was expected to be grateful. Enjoy it. And in our times, what better match could you find than a prince. None of us can afford love."

It was true, but Cage could. And it made him feel sorry for her. Sorry for Ferdinand. But that didn't explain what they were doing together in the middle of the night.

"The thing is, after meeting Prince Ferdinand, I think..." She hesitated, the motion of her hands faster. "I think it would have been possible for us. That was why he asked me to meet him. Away from prying eyes and social norms, just to be ourselves. See if we liked each other."

That sounded like Fer. Always fair, always idealistic and romantic. "And?"

"And he was wonderful." Madeline's eyes turned glassy. "But the we were attacked. They came by sea, using a small rowboat most likely. We did not see them coming. Ferdinand tried to fight them off, but he wasn't well armed. And I... He told me to run and I did." Tears escaped down her cheeks as she tightened her fingers against the material of her dress.

Cowards. It made Cage want to find them even more. Anger ignited the flames inside him, bringing with it fear of the beast. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself, not give in and potentially harm someone.

"You did the right thing. It is well known why pirates do to ladies."

"I saw a ship in the distance," Madeline continued. "The veils were dark. I think they could have been black. The moon was powerful. And the men. They wore his mark. The wolf head."

Yes, Wolfbane. He marked all his men. It made Cage's skin crawl. "When did this happen?"

"Almost two months ago. And no one has found him, there has been no progress. What if he's...?"

Cage had to agree, except he'd been held captive for longer. "I am sure Ferdinand is still alive. Wolfbane wants something in return. He wouldn't kill him." He'd almost used the word hurt, but he was well too aware that Fer was in no way same from harm.

"I've heard rumors down by the docks that he wants you. Revenge for his scar." Her gaze turned steely, as if she dared him to back down and hide. "That is why I assumed you were alive."

"Well, you were right. And he's about to get exactly what he asked for."

Hope shone in her eyes. "Will you initiate the trade?"

"No. I will stay dead and find him. Which is why I must ask for your full discretion. If words get out that I'm alive, it will further complicate things." 

Hell, seven years should have been enough to make most people forget he even existed. It was apparently not so, which made things a little more complicated, but he saw no reason to reveal himself. At least not until he brought Ferdinand back. Then, after Fherras was down and his brother would be king, he would step out of the shadows.

Madeline hesitated, her need to ensure Fer's rescue probably battling her need for gossip. But finally, she gave a curt nod. "You have my word that I will not speak of your revival."

"And you have my word that I will bring Ferdinand back."

"Lady Madeline!"

They both jumped and Madeline glanced behind her shoulder. "That would be my lady-in-waiting. I must go." He threw Cage one more look. "Do not disappoint me."

He didn't intend to. As Madeline hurried back towards the mansion, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his face, made short work of the fence and become lost between the townsfolk of Valona.

Now that he had what he wanted, it was time to return to what he needed.

Time to return to Kat.

Here we are! The first chapter of Book 2 and aren't you all just crazy excited that we're starting off in Cage's PoV? Yes, you will be having a lot of those throughout this book. For now, you get to see him play detective.

You also meet some delightful new characters.

All thoughts and comments are welcomed. For now, I don't have an update schedule since I will post as I write, but here's hoping we'll see each other again soon.