Free The Child Prince (The Artifactor) by Honor Raconteur Page B

(even if he didn’t look it) grimaced at her. “That’s a little embarrassing. How about on your back instead?”
    “No.” She needed to carry a few things with her in case Pierpoint didn’t have an immediate answer for her. Her pack would take up any free space on her back. “The humiliation will be good for you.”
    Bel rubbed at his head like it hurt him.
    “Pack light,” she ordered. “We leave tomorrow morning.”
    Muttering to himself, Bel got to his feet and left the room. As soon as he’d passed out of earshot, Morgan slid to the edge of his seat and leaned closer to Sevana, speaking in a confidential tone, “Here’s the rest of what happened in the village.”
    “Oh?” She didn’t think a lesson on currency would hold them up that much. “Did you teach him how to talk to people like I asked?”
    “Well, I certainly gave him the beginner’s course. He’s got a lot to learn yet. But Sev, the kid had a serious breakdown in the middle of the market. He’s terrible in crowds. He starts having panic attacks.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “That must have been entertaining.”
    Kip grimaced. “Not really. I didn’t see the first one, as we got separated, but Hana had to come to his rescue. I was there for the next two, though. You’ve got to expose him more to people. A king especially has to be good in crowds.”
    “No kidding.” She’d half suspected that he would be uncomfortable around large bodies of people after being secluded for a decade, but she hadn’t thought it would be this bad. “What else happened?”
    “Well, like I said, he had to be rescued by Hana. She gave me an earful for that, by the way. But he’s developed a little crush on her because of it, I think.” For some strange reason, Kip stated blushing at this point, just a light hint of pink on his cheeks. “Which made me think, with him being locked away and all, did anyone give him the birds and bees talk? He’s terribly naïve for a twenty-one year old. So….”
    Sevana started laughing, smacking the arm of her chair in outright mirth. “Tell me you gave it to him!”
    “On the way back,” he said sourly. “Cause I knew good and well I couldn’t trust you to do it. But you owe me for this one, Sev.”
    “No I don’t,” she chortled, wishing she could have listened in on that conversation. “He owes you, I think. Was he blushing? Give me the details!”
    “Completely red the whole time, and he wouldn’t look at me even once.” Rubbing at his jaw, he added ruefully, “I was rather grateful for that, actually. But something else I realized today was that he’s just not used to physical contact with people. Sev, I know you’re not really a touchy-feely person either, but you’re going to have to be with him. He’s not used to being touched, which is something else that a king needs to be good at. In fact, being in close contact with him will probably ease his way into becoming better at managing crowds.”
    She trusted his judgment on this. Kip, after all, had always been the people person. Not her. “We both should work with him on this, then.”
    “Why are you smiling evilly when you say that?”
    ~ ~ ~
    The little prince proved to be good at following orders. He brought his swords and a change of clothes along but nothing else. Actually, Sevana had packed similar things—an assortment of wands and potions at her belt, her notes of his case, and a change of clothes. It all easily fit on her back in a special pack she had custom made for travel like this. With an expression of distaste, Bel allowed her to pick him up and settle him on a hip, just like a mother would her child. He thankfully didn’t squirm, though.
    Then she put on the glasses and raised the wooden blocks attached on a hinge. She took a long look toward the south, in the direction of Platt, finding an open patch of land. Then she lowered the wooden covers again. The wind rushed past her in a flurry, ruffling her hair and clothes. Then