Page 5 of Lady Knight and the Thief

Cypress gritted her teeth. “What are you looking for?”

“The moon on a string,” The thief shot back, blue-gray eyes staring back at her through the mask.

Cypress shifted her blade, slicing through the fabric, leaving only a small welt across his forehead where the tip of her sword grazed his skin. The thief grabbed her ankle, gripping it tight.

“Answer me, thief,” Cypress demanded, her sword once again pointed at his neck.

“I told you, I’mnobody. An errant wind over the hillside. Let me go, Lass, and it’ll be like I was never here at all.”

3

Whispering Wylds

Cypressdidn’thaveachance to tell the thief how ridiculous an idea it was for her to just let him go.

The thick paneled curtain entrance was thrown open, the boisterous Prince striding through after. His golden hair was windswept and tousled, the points of his crown emerging through the locks.

“Good afternoon, Cade,” Cypress commented, eyes still locked on her prisoner, whose brows furrowed at the use of the Crown Prince’s name, not title.

“What in my father’s name has happened here, to mythings?” The Prince demanded, no doubt unaware of their guest yet.

“I caught a thief, who is apparentlynobodywith fine clothing that tells me otherwise,” Cypress remarked, taking stock of the thief’s appearance once more. He looked… somewhat familiar somehow, though she could not place whose likeness the thief bore.

“And what, pray tell,happened to all of this?” Cade demanded, and from their many years of friendship, Cypress knew his patience was being tested to the highest degree. Aboveall else, the Prince detested his belongings being touched by others. Had he arrived to see her lounging in his chaise and reading his books, she would have gotten a short tongue lashing for that as well. He didn't mind as long as he wasasked,but Cypress did love riling him.

“He was looking for something. I couldn’t stop him.”

In truth, Cypress hadn’t even tried to stop him in his search, hoping the thief would have led her straight to whatever it was he was searching for to determine his motive. That was a fact the Prince did not need to concern himself with, though.

Cade growled to himself, “She couldn’t stop him from destroying my things, but she could disarm him and pin him.”

Cypress had to smother a smile. She and the Prince were close, or at least as close as a Prince could be to someone not of the royal family. She knew his moods, and he was taking his frustrations out on herbecauseshe had never been phased by his, often childish, temper.

The thief huffed a laugh, then said, “Your Prince doesn’t seem to like you very much.”

“The Prince likes to pretend he doesn’t like me much. But really, he just doesn’t likefun,and I am, in fact,extremelyfun,” Cypress shot back, giving the thief under her boot a saccharine smile.

Cade stopped pacing, finally cutting his gaze to Cypress’ captor. “You.”

“Yes. Me,” The thief agreed, nodding.

Cypress looked between the pair of males, wondering what the connection was.

“Why have you returned, Torren?”

“Oh, you know. I love a joust-” The thief– Torren,apparently– said, but was cut off.

“Don’t lie to me!” Prince Cade shouted, making a cutting motion in the air with his hand.

“The Wylds whisper many things to those who listen. They say something is awakening,” Torren said, the grip around her ankle tightening. Cypress couldn’t begin to fathom what they were talking about, orwhothis could be.

“Let them whisper,” Prince Cade muttered, taking a half step backward.

“I need the scepter. You know as well as I do the stories, and what comes next.”

“Nothing butlies,” Cade reaffirmed, slashing his hand through the air again.

“The giants are awake. You know what this means.”