The door closed with a snap.

For an instant, Prince didn’t move. Then with a grunt, he got to his feet and put his sword aside. Then stepped over to a pitcher and bowl on a small table at the foot of the bed.

“Sorry, Angel. I won’t be able to make contact for a while,” he muttered. Just before splashing his face.

Em followed him out of the room.

Another long, gloomy hallway. It seemed to be made mostly of stone. Like being in a man-made cave. He walked through a large room full of boisterous, laughing people. Mostly men, though with a sprinkling of women.

Em saw ‘Zaria’ again in a corner. She was the only halfway pretty woman here. Everyone else looked like they’d been through a war or were so buffed they almost lost the meaning of ‘woman’ in their bodies.

Zaria may be the prettiest one, but most of the men acted wary around her. There was no flirting in any of their body language.

Interesting.

Prince left the big room and began climbing some stairs.

Up… and up… and up…

No wonder only the gladiators came down here! His window must’ve been at the bottom of a moat, or in the side of a cliff or something. If Em weren’t ethereal right now, she would’ve been out of breath a story and a half ago.

He stepped through a doorway at the top of the stairs…

And the change was night and day.

Em raised both eyebrows at the elegance and splendor of the new hallway he walked down.

“They must keep the guest area pretty. Is it for comfort or to impress?”

Maybe both.

Finally, Prince stopped outside a door. Where a guard looked him over before knocking and announcing him.

“Send him in.”

Em sneered at the woman lounging on a couch inside. She elegantly sipped a cup of tea, pretending not to notice Prince as he came in and bowed to her.

“Greetings, Mistress.”

She finally looked at him. But still, for a moment, she said nothing. Taking another sip. Finally, she put her cup down.

“Sit.”

Prince’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he hesitated. Looking at the opposite couch.

“Not there.” She pointed at the floor at her feet. “Here.”

His expression briefly said, ‘I should have known,’ before his face smoothed out and he meekly sat.

The woman stroked Prince’s head. Em clenched her fists.

“Get your hands off him!”

“You look well. Did you see a healer?”

Em stiffened. Momentarily looking at her hands. Did she heal him without realizing it?

Prince kept his eyes on the ground as he nodded.

“Yes, Mistress. They sent a healer every day until I was well.”

Em winced. Poor Prince. That had to be painful.

“Hmm.”

Abruptly, the woman grabbed Prince’s chin and forced him to look up at her. She brought her face so close to his that Em was certain he could smell her breath. And see the disrespect in his eyes.

“So stubborn.”

She ran her fingers through his hair. Her lips quirked in amusement as he quivered with disgust.

“You don’t like that, do you?” She did it again. This time trailing her finger down to his lips. “I should bring you back home and finish breaking you.”

He didn’t answer.

She let go of his chin with a shove and reached for her teacup.

“Have you found out who the other sponsor is?”

“No, mistress.”

“And you won’t listen to me if I ordered you to die, will you?”

No answer.

She took a sip of tea, frowning. Then she set the cup down with another clink.

“That means I’ll have to play that other person’s game. So, keep winning. Maybe you’ll be lucky and get your freedom.” She smiled a twisted smile. “Or maybe I’ll sell you just short of that freedom. All I have to do is buy those shares back.”

Prince smiled.

“They won’t sell. Not when I’m winning.”

The woman’s face twisted, and abruptly she grabbed the teacup. Before Em realized what she was going to do, she’d already thrown it at Prince.

It was quite a throw, the edge of the teacup sliced his forehead before shattering on the ground. Covering him in tea.

“Did I say you can talk back?!”

“No, mistress.”

“Useless. Get out! Once I find that damn sponsor, I’ll fill you so full of dor poison it’ll have you writhing for weeks.”

Calmly, keeping his eyes on the ground, Prince stood up and bowed. Then backed out of the room.

“I’m alright,” he whispered in the hallway. “Don’t fret.”

“I want to claw that woman’s face off!”

She thought he’d just said it in hopes she was there to hear, but the way he smiled… he must be attempting to feel her now.

They’d just reached the door leading down when she felt the tug of her body waking up.

Stolen story; please report.

“No! I don’t want to go yet!”

Prince vanished, and she opened her eyes to her own ceiling.

“Dang it!”

“How’s the little princeling?”

Em gasped and fell off the bed as she tried to spin toward the voice too fast.

Gaping, she stared as something blob-like peeked over the edge of the bed a second later. It cackled.

“You fell off! I like that trick.”

“You!”

Em snatched the little thing off her bed and shook it. It yelped.

“You nasty little shapeshifter! I’m going to shake all the dice out of you! And when I do, you’re going to bring me back my shoes!”

“Hey! That’s not how you treat a god!”

Loki wrapped himself like a worm around Em’s wrists, more or less stabilizing himself to enjoy the ride. Em didn’t realize that’s what he was doing until he giggled and yelled, “Whee!!!”

“Ugh!”

Em tossed him onto the bed. Then stood over him, hands on hips.

“Where are my shoes?”

“Shoes? What shoes?”

“Don’t give me that! You change your face well but never your voice. I know it was you whispering nonsense.”

The thing moved and squished until it made what looked like pouting lips. Em grunted, exasperated that she thought it was cute at the same time as still being annoyed with him.

“I ate them.”

“You… what?! You ate my shoes!?”

“Hmm, one moment. Blurgh, blurgh.”

Em’s mouth first fell open then spasmed in a gag as he threw up her shoes onto the bed. Complete with slime puddles.

“Eww! That’s so gross!”

“No, they were actually quite tasty.”

“You-! You-!”

She held out her hands, wanting to shake the little wretch again. But afraid to touch it now that it was sitting in a puddle of slime.

“You’re welcome.”

“Argh!”

“Miss Emmaline!”

The door opened in a hurry and Tracy came in. She stopped dead at the sight of Em’s shoes. Loki moved his bobby body to artfully display them.

“Look!” Em wailed. “Look what the little slime ball did to my shoes!”

“What-What is that thing?”

“That’s Loki,” Em pouted.

Glaring at the blob as it scooted away from her shoes and made itself comfortable on her pillow.

“Nonsense. I’ve seen statues and portraits of Loki and he’s much more, uh, handsome than that.”

Cautiously, Tracy looked around and picked up Em’s umbrella. She used it to poke the creature. Loki giggled and wrapped himself briefly around the point of the umbrella. But didn’t stay attached when Tracy gasped and yanked the thing back.

“But, it is Loki. And he won’t stop playing tricks!”

“Has it hurt you?”

“Well… no…”

“I’ll have a knight come look at it. No, wait, I can’t leave you alone with it. Follow me.”

Loki, realizing what Tracy was trying to do, immediately hopped off the bed to follow them. He made adorable little cooing sounds as he went.

“Oh, no, you stay in here.”

Tracy tried to push Loki back with the umbrella but he darted around it and into the hallway. Where he wrapped himself around Em’s ankle.

“Eww! Get off!”

Em shook her foot as hard as she could. Which only made him cling on harder and giggle again.

“You annoying little pest!”

“Hold still, let me try this.”

Tracy was as reluctant to touch the blob as Em was, so she used the tip of the umbrella to pry it free. It was no use, Loki would not let go. And didn’t seem phased at all by the pressure being put on his body.

Finally, Tracy stood back with one hand on her hip.

“It’s no use. We’ll just have to see a knight.”

Loki giggled and cooed as they cautiously made their way downstairs. Em’s face reddened in embarrassment every time someone raised an eyebrow at her nightgown.

But what was she supposed to do? Get dressed while Loki was pretending to be a parasite?

There was no way she was undressing in front of him! Absolutely not!

At least Tracy had remembered to get Em’s robe.

They went the back ways to avoid the Imperial entourage as much as possible. And finally outside.

They snuck to the knight’s training grounds.

Em would sometimes come to the training grounds to watch Flint spar. After that first time, and knowing she’d eventually start learning herself, she came out of curiosity.

But Flint always sparred after lunch. This was the first time she’d come before breakfast, when he did his exercise and drill routines. As they walked onto the training grounds, she could see Flint at the other end.

Running.

Of course he was running.

“Now, what do we owe to this visit, Lady Emmaline?”

Em didn’t see Ralph coming until he lowered himself to one knee in front of her. Bowing his head respectfully.

Not waiting for Flint to get to her side of the field, she pouted and lifted her leg.

“What’s this?”

He gingerly took her foot to look at the blob. Loki’s whole body gurgled and bubbled as he shifted around.

It made Em’s skin goosebump, and she grimaced.

“It’s Loki. He won’t get off!”

“Loki, is it?” Ralph put on a serious expression and poked the blob. Not at all afraid of the slime that stuck and gooed with his finger as he pulled it away. “Now, here I was thinking the god of mischief was a handsome fellow.”

Em huffed. Ralph was teasing her!

“I’m serious! He doesn’t have to look like that. He’s just playing another joke.”

“What’s the fuss here?”

Em jumped. When had Flint gotten there?! Did he finish going around or did he cut across the field?

Either way, her brother also leaned over. His expression was grave with none of Ralph’s teasing behind it.

“She says its name is Loki.” Ralph tapped it and more slime strings attached to his finger again. “Looks like a common slime, sir.”

“I can see that. How did it get onto the grounds?”

“Probably the breach in the west wall. Kimball was saying yesterday that he still had about three weeks worth of calculations and casting to fix the wards.”

Flint grunted.

“Someone run to the kitchen and bring back a wedge of cheese.”

“He’s not a slime!” Em would have stomped her foot if she wasn’t already balancing on only one. “He’s Loki. And he threw up my shoes onto my bed.”

“Ah.” To her annoyance, she clearly read the relief in Flint’s face. “I see. So that’s what took your shoes.”

They don’t believe me.

She glared at the slime and he cheekily made a small tentacle out of himself to wave at her.

“Is it dangerous?” Tracy wrung her hands. Finally, showing the anxiety she’d been feeling all along. “Will it hurt her?”

“No, no. Slimes only get dangerous if they’ve been absorbing death orbs. Mostly, they’re just pests.”

Ralph tapped the blob again. This time Em had to look away, gagging. It reminded her sooo much of snot. The thought made her gag again.

“Stop it, Ralph. That’s so gross!”

The man laughed, and someone returned with the wedge of cheese.

Now they had a group surrounding them, and Ralph made a show of accepting the cheese. Which the other knight presented like it was the crown jewels. Everyone laughed as Ralph waved the cheese just out of the blob’s reach.

Loki, playing a good little slime, reached out a tentacle. Not long enough, he inched off of Em’s ankle. Keeping a tentacle wrapped around her as he stretched and stretched…

Flint impatiently grabbed Loki by the middle and yanked. Since he was no longer holding on with most of his body, he easily came free.

With a squeal of protest that made everyone wince.

Then he oozed. Slime dripping around Flint’s fingers.