Family of Lies: Sebastian (2 page)

Turren obeyed the captain’s orders, but nothing around him looked different from any regular old forest. Trees, more trees, a deer stopping by a bush, a rabbit, and a bush scooping up the deer like a biscuit. Turren blinked and turned to look at the empty spot where leaves fluttered in the air.

“Pay attention to what’s in front of you!” Captain Pembrost shouted, and Turren hurriedly faced forward.

Gods, Sebastian ran into this place alone?
Turren shivered.
We will find him and bring him home safely.
Vines slithered down the trees, and the horses stepped closer to each other. Pembrost removed a torch from his saddle, and red magelight flared to life on its end. He swept it from side to side and the vines retreated.
What if Sebastian has been eaten? There are so many dangerous plants, and he’s just a child. I wouldn’t have been mean to him if I knew he would run away. I just wanted him to look at me.
Turren scanned the ground and surrounding brush over and over again, hoping to spy the fabric of the boy’s cloak.
Please be alive.

S
EBASTIAN
TURNED
the rabbit and added more salt.
At least I had a few spices in my pockets.
He held his small plate of greens under his main course and allowed the rabbit’s juice to fall on them.
Juice would be nice, but I’m too lazy after hunting and skinning my food.
A vine sneaked in from his side and touched the cooking meat. Sebastian smacked it. “Get your own dinner!” The vine poked Sebastian’s chest but he waved it away. “I saw you eat a bird earlier, so don’t pretend you’re hungry. Damn glutton,” he muttered. The vine drew away, but as Sebastian leaned forward to check the meat again, the vine slapped him across the back of the head and disappeared too quickly for Sebastian to hit it back. “You know what? I was going to give you the bones, but now I’m giving them to that pit catcher.” The trees rustled in response, and Sebastian stuck his tongue out. He reached inside his cloak pocket and closed his hands on nothing for the third time that day. Sebastian sighed.
When am I going to remember that my book is gone because of that stupid prince?

Instead of dwelling on the incident, Sebastian picked up the rabbit with tongs and set it on a bigger plate.
It was kind of the royal guards to leave their supplies dangling so helpfully off an unattended horse.
The meat fell off the bone, and Sebastian stuck a large chunk in his mouth.
If I wasn’t here because of my idiot father inviting the king over with his spawn, this would be a lovely dinner.
Sebastian ate until only scraps remained and sleep pulled at him. It had been a long ride to the lake, and the stress didn’t do him any favors. His eyes drifted shut. When Sebastian opened them again, his dish was scraped clean. He glared at the trees. “Glutton.”

A
LL
OF
them pulled as hard as they could, but the huge bloom refused to let the soldier go.

Captain Pembrost was bent almost completely backward as he and the biggest in their search party yanked on the captured soldier’s feet. Inch by inch, the slime-covered human slid out of the bloom. “Don’t let up!” he shouted. With a loud pop, the freed soldier and his comrades fell to the ground. Captain Pembrost raised his sword and prodded the bloom until it folded in on itself into the harmless yellow ball it had appeared to be when they came across it.

Sebastian is dead and it’s all my fault. One boy couldn’t make it through this terrain unscathed. I pushed him to run away, and Sebastian is dead.
Turren rubbed his wet nose on his sleeve and avoided looking at the others.
They probably know it’s my fault too. I don’t deserve to be ruler. I should go to prison for what I’ve done. We don’t have prisons for children, but Father should think of something. I will be brave and face my punishment. Maybe ten or fifteen years will be suitable.

“Does anyone smell rabbit?”

Turren blinked. “What?”

Captain Pembrost sniffed the air. “I smell it too. I think we’re by Silver Lake. If I were scared, that would be a good spot to go.” He mounted his horse and shouted, “Everyone, back on your horses.”

The goo-slicked soldier took two tries, but he climbed on his saddle.

Pembrost nodded at the man and continued forward.

Plant monsters don’t cook.
With his hope renewed, Turren sped his horse on and caught up with Pembrost. The captain tried to wave him to the back, but Turren shook his head. “If he’s hurt or in danger, I will help him.”

“Fine, but you will run if I order it.”

No chance in hell.
“Yes, Captain.”
Pembrost can heal most wounds, but I don’t know about amputations. If Sebastian is missing any limbs, I’ll tell Father to give Sebastian enough money to live like a normal man.

No more plants attacked them as they rode to the lake. Everything seemed as calm as when they’d first entered the forest, as if it was resting. The captain pulled back long branches barring their way and a clearing opened in front of them. Light sparkled off the palest lake Turren had ever seen. Its waters were almost white, and lying down on a bundle of bedsheets was Sebastian. He still wore his cloak, so Turren couldn’t tell if the boy was intact. The captain motioned for the others to stop while he progressed farther. Sebastian stirred and lifted his hands over his head in a long yawn.

“What are you idiots doing here?”

Turren’s jaw dropped.
He’s safe. All that worrying and him gone for days and that’s the first thing out of his ungrateful mouth?
He dismounted and stalked to Pembrost’s side. “We’re here because you foolishly ran away. You could have been killed! We could have been killed!”

Sebastian sat up. “The latter is true, but the former is impossible because I’m an Orwell.” A vine similar to the ones that had tried numerous times to yank them off their horses slithered to Sebastian’s side, and he petted it like a dog. “You can return and tell my father I’m fine. I don’t know what possessed him to send you after me.” He lay back down and ignored them.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you will come with us.”

Sebastian looked at the captain and all the guards standing behind him. Then his gaze fell on Turren. Giving him the same disdainful look as Lord Orwell had, Sebastian stood up and brushed off his cloak. He dismantled his fire pit and gathered his things together.

“Hey, those are my supplies!” the goo-covered soldier spoke up. “I thought my bag came undone.”

“It did,” Sebastian said. “I found it on the ground, and since I didn’t know who it belonged to, I used it.”

An itch developed behind Turren’s ear. “You’re lying. You stole it.”

“His Highness shouldn’t go around making baseless accusations, especially when his morals are in question.” Sebastian walked to the soldier and gave him the bag.

Turren stomped to Sebastian. “I have to take responsibility for my actions and so do you. You ran away and now you’re lying. And you called me a thief earlier when it’s obvious you’re the same.” He flicked the side of Sebastian’s hood. “What kind of honest person wears a hood even when there’s clear weather?” Sebastian said nothing. “I said, what kind of—” Turren grabbed for the hood. The hood shifted, and he caught a glimpse of light green eyes that gleamed like peridots. A palm slammed into his midsection. Falling to the ground, Turren gasped painfully for breath and waited for the captain to come to his defense. There was no movement.
Fine, I will settle this on my own.
Turren stood up slowly, and Sebastian’s hooded face followed his every move.

“I don’t like to be touched by fools. Do it again, and I’ll put you back on the ground.”

Weeks of playing at the Orwell house and he’s finally looking at me
.
I can do the honorable thing even if he doesn’t deserve it.
Turren bowed. “I’m sorry. About losing my temper… and the book,” he murmured. “I can find another copy.”

Sebastian laughed. “I won’t hold my breath. Not even your money could find another first edition of poems by Sigmuend Atraius. And in the unlikely occurrence that you could, please tell me how you can replace a book soaked in the scent of my grandmother’s perfume and grandfather’s tobacco? How can you replace a book read to me by two people who loved me better than my parents? Please explain how you can instill those memories into another book when both of them are dead.”

Turren chewed the inside of his mouth because he could give no proper answer.

“I thought not. Any attempt to replace it is a farce, so we’ll just stick with money. My father is probably waiting for monetary restitution upon my return. A full purse of gold will do.”

“A full purse! That’s robbery!” Turren cried out.

“No twit, it’s the price of the book. Perhaps when you decide to burn knowledge again, you’ll find something cheaper.”

“I won’t do it again.”

“Not to me you won’t.” Sebastian walked to the captain. “I don’t have a horse.” The captain scooted so Sebastian could climb on behind him, and he urged the animal onward. Prince Turren followed, and that was the last time he saw Sebastian.

T
WO
MONTHS
of no drunken brothers.
Sebastian stuffed the last book into his bag.
Two months of not being woken up by one of them searching for the latrine.
He cinched the bag and swung it over his shoulder just as a knocking on his open door interrupted a final survey of his clean room.

“They’ve already started arguing over who will be forced to play my guardian in your absence.” Ophelia rolled her eyes. “All they have to do is sit with me when I go outside and look threatening. Am I such a chore?” she asked while plopping down on Sebastian’s bed.

Except you. You, I’ll miss.
“No, they’re just lazy. Are you sure it’s all right that I leave you with those idiots?”

“How is it that the most responsible in our brood turns out to be the youngest?”

“Fear of becoming like one of them keeps me stable. If Demetrius or Pratchett give you any grief, threaten to call Diana on a mirror.”

Ophelia smiled, her teeth a brighter white than her seer eyes. “I’ll do better. I’ll threaten to send for her if they’re delinquent in their duties.”

Sebastian bent down and kissed his sister’s cheek. “I love you, and you are too sane for this family,” he said as he squeezed her good-bye.

“I love you too. Remember, no adventures or heroics.”

Sebastian laughed. “You couldn’t pay me to do either.” He grabbed his folded cloak sitting on his chair and left his room.

At the bottom of the stairs, the rest of the Orwell siblings still living at the house waited for him. Sebastian tried to walk past them, but Demetrius blocked his path.
I guess a reminder of why I’m leaving isn’t bad.

“You can’t leave for two months. You’re supposed to look after Ophelia,” Demetrius complained.

“She’s a grown woman and knows how to stay out of trouble. It’s not a hard job. Separately, you’re all hopeless, but together, you should form a half-wit capable of such a basic task.” Sebastian unwound his cloak and put his arms through the cloth.

“Why are you throwing me in with them?” Kraven—the third youngest with hair as black as Demetrius’s—asked. “I came to say good-bye.”

“Sorry. I forgot that you matured into less of an ass. Good-bye, Kraven.” Sebastian turned to their brother, Pratchett, who stood with his arms crossed. “Are you also developing manners?”

“To waste on one of you younger gets? Gods, no. I’m here to call you a selfish bastard. You know Father is going to drag me with him to market, and I can’t stop him from spending all our money,” Pratchett said.

“Why am I supposed to feel sorry for you?”

“Because unlike Father, we prefer to fill our bellies with food, not wine,” Pratchett said.

Sebastian saw worry spread across all three of his brothers’ faces, likely all thinking of previous times their father had left them with no food. “There’s a stash of coin next to the laundry bin.”

Kraven whistled. “That’s one way to keep Mother and Father from finding it.”

Pratchett and Demetrius’s eyes lit up with dishonorable intentions, and Sebastian grinned. “Whatever illicit ideas you have toward that money, I suggest you disabuse yourself of them, because I borrowed it from James.” Pratchett and Demetrius gulped.

“Don’t you feel any shame in begging James for money?” Demetrius asked.

“None. I needed an incentive to make sure it lasted, and I doubt any of you are dumb enough to cross him.”

“You are a bastard,” Demetrius growled.

“And by the way, if anything goes wrong, you might receive a visit from our favorite sister.” Their jaws dropped in horror, and Sebastian was able to shoulder past them and out the door.

S
EBASTIAN
STARED
at Silver Lake, which he visited before every journey. This was the only land his grandfather hadn’t parceled away on gambling debts. Sebastian had long forgotten what heroic deed the first Orwell performed to be gifted with the magical stretch of wood, but the king kept his word and let them lord over it in peace. He leaned down and smelled turquoise flowers whose thorns could stop a human’s heart. Sighing, he lifted the cloak’s hood over his head, sealing the clothing’s spell in place. Next, he withdrew a pair of enchanted leather gloves from a side pocket and pulled them on his hands. Branches breaking disturbed the silence, and Sebastian ducked behind a tree. Terrified whinnies accompanied a horse jumping into the clearing, its rider dangling from the saddle. The body jangled loose and landed in front of Sebastian’s hiding place.

This can’t be good.

The bloodied heap didn’t stir, so Sebastian carefully walked around the tree. He took short steps until he was within touching distance. Sebastian lifted his foot and tapped the man’s shoulder. The man groaned, and Sebastian leaned forward.
Shit, he’s still alive.
He removed part of the man’s coat, revealing a blood-soaked shirt and a chest underneath that barely moved.