A Plan
He ended up oversleeping and missed his father leaving the palace. Even when he ran down Palace Hill with guards beside him, he ended up seeing his father ride through the main gate in his red and gold cloak. He stayed watching until all the crowd had left as he realized that he’d have to do something on his own.
On the walk back, he was barely aware of the guards beside him and how they parted the crowd, it was up to him to save Nicholas. No one else knew him well enough to find him through magic but that meant leaving Belisaere but he’d known he might have to do that. As he walked under the aqueducts, he couldn’t help feeling guilty, he was meant to be a protection against the Dead like they were, but he wasn’t. As he started the long walk up the hill to the palace, he was aware of all the duty that was facing him at the top including Ellimere glaring at him in Petty Court. He said aloud, “No, I’ll go tonight.”
His guards looked at him in confusion and he waved them off and when they reached the castle went to his room where he stared at himself.
It wasn’t possible to go traveling as himself, Prince Sameth so he’d have to be Sam, a Traveler. As he was looking over himself, he was putting together an illusion spell from that Charter Mark and this one, he drew the final Charter Mark and then stepped into the glowing pattern. As the Marks touched his skin, they brightened, sparking against the Charter Mark on his forehead and he shut his eyes and tried not to sneeze. He waited until the tingle had passed and then sneezed explosively and inhaled deeply before looking at himself in the mirror.
In the mirror, there were the same royal clothes, surcoat and fine shirt with boots gilded at the knee and the same build of a man but the face had changed. Sam the Traveler stared back with an older face with a mustache and goatee and longer hair.
He smiled and winked at his reflection, much better and started to undress, pulling on his hunting leathers and simpler underclothes. In the city he could buy a cloak and a horse and a blade since he couldn’t take the Charter-Magicked one his mother had given him and he could even bring some of the things he made along with the knife from Teja. He’d have to go to his workroom for his small stash of coins and other things, but he couldn’t go looking like this and he had to do something to keep Ellimere from getting curious.
With a sigh, he sat down on the bed holding his boots, this would take planning. All he had to do was say he needed three days for something and create a simple sending to distract Ellimere and the servants and it would work, three days would give him enough head start. He’d need a map to find out what was along the way, there were so many things to do and he looked at the glamour and carefully dissolved it. It wouldn’t do to have his guard wondering before he left and he had so much to organize in his workroom.
On the walk back, he was barely aware of the guards beside him and how they parted the crowd, it was up to him to save Nicholas. No one else knew him well enough to find him through magic but that meant leaving Belisaere but he’d known he might have to do that. As he walked under the aqueducts, he couldn’t help feeling guilty, he was meant to be a protection against the Dead like they were, but he wasn’t. As he started the long walk up the hill to the palace, he was aware of all the duty that was facing him at the top including Ellimere glaring at him in Petty Court. He said aloud, “No, I’ll go tonight.”
His guards looked at him in confusion and he waved them off and when they reached the castle went to his room where he stared at himself.
It wasn’t possible to go traveling as himself, Prince Sameth so he’d have to be Sam, a Traveler. As he was looking over himself, he was putting together an illusion spell from that Charter Mark and this one, he drew the final Charter Mark and then stepped into the glowing pattern. As the Marks touched his skin, they brightened, sparking against the Charter Mark on his forehead and he shut his eyes and tried not to sneeze. He waited until the tingle had passed and then sneezed explosively and inhaled deeply before looking at himself in the mirror.
In the mirror, there were the same royal clothes, surcoat and fine shirt with boots gilded at the knee and the same build of a man but the face had changed. Sam the Traveler stared back with an older face with a mustache and goatee and longer hair.
He smiled and winked at his reflection, much better and started to undress, pulling on his hunting leathers and simpler underclothes. In the city he could buy a cloak and a horse and a blade since he couldn’t take the Charter-Magicked one his mother had given him and he could even bring some of the things he made along with the knife from Teja. He’d have to go to his workroom for his small stash of coins and other things, but he couldn’t go looking like this and he had to do something to keep Ellimere from getting curious.
With a sigh, he sat down on the bed holding his boots, this would take planning. All he had to do was say he needed three days for something and create a simple sending to distract Ellimere and the servants and it would work, three days would give him enough head start. He’d need a map to find out what was along the way, there were so many things to do and he looked at the glamour and carefully dissolved it. It wouldn’t do to have his guard wondering before he left and he had so much to organize in his workroom.