My father slowly walks towards the bed, scooping up my clothes and throwing them over me.
"Get dressed." He says. "We're going out."
"Going out? Didn't you pay Vanhiel to get me so we can go home?" I ask while putting on my pants underneath the covers.
"Hurry up. I'll meet you outside." The response is followed by the door to the room shutting.
My father never liked being questioned. I briefly remember Glam asking why we had to become bounty hunters. It didn't end well.
I finish putting on my clothes and step out of the room, into a hallway leading to a courtyard. My father is impatiently tapping his foot, leaning against the doorpost.
"Walk." He says, avoiding eye contact with me, and begins down the hall.
I silently follow, afraid to do anything else. We come to an archway, then out into the city streets, which are packed to the brim with different tent shops, prostitutes, and all manner of bounty hunters. Some glare menacingly as we pass them, but they don't attempt anything. No matter who I see, the symbol of the House of Wind is somewhere on them, whether in tattoo form or as a marking on their clothes, weapons, or jewelry.
"Look around us, Glimmer." My father finally looks me in the eyes. "This is what I built for you and your brother."
I stare back, choosing to remain silent.
"I spent years creating a kingdom for you both…" The top of his mouth twitches, and he turns away from me. "...and you both threw everything I've done for you back into my face."
I look down at the ground. He doesn't understand anything. Glam and I never wanted this. We never wanted a kingdom. We never wanted to be bounty hunters. That was why Glam ran away to begin with. I know that nothing I try to say to my father will get through, so I don't. I keep my head down and follow behind him as he begins walking again.
Eventually, we reach a larger, dome-like structure. It has a single door and no windows. A massive, gray-skinned Giant with black hair, wearing a direwolf pelt tied at the waist with a piece of rope, stands guard in front of the door. He has a huge club in his right hand, which touches the ground along with his feet. His body is completely covered in scars, which aid my instant recognition. He's Barbaris, my father's bodyguard.
My father nods at Barbaris, who nods back, then enters the structure. Barbaris and I make eye contact. Tears begin to form under his eyes.
"Glimm?" He asks, his voice gruff. "Is it you? Really?"
"Hey, Bar." I look away quickly.
"Glimmer!" My father yells from within the structure. "Inside! Now!"
Without saying anything else to Barbaris, I enter behind my father. The room is dark, with the only light being a few torches lining the steel walls. In the middle of the room are two long, steel tables. A white cloth covers what looks to be bodies lying on each. A pale, human man, with a frizzy black and white afro, stands between the two tables, with my father next to him. The man is wearing a doctor's coat, similar to Ironvine's, and has a pair of small golden goggles over his eyes. He has a pair of white gloves on, and I can just barely see a House of Wind tattoo on his wrist.
"Oh my." The man smiles widely at me. "If it isn't Prince Glimmer! It's good to see you…"
My father shoots the man a stern look.
"...Although I wish it were a better occasion." The man clears his throat. "I'm sure you don't remember me, but I'm Fraken, the Doctor who delivered you the day you were born."
The man offers me a handshake. I say nothing, but I still shake his hand, knowing that my father would get upset otherwise.
"What are we here for?" I take my place next to my father.
"Dr. Fraken, if you would." My father ignores my question.
"Of course, my liege." Fraken shuffles over to one of the tables and rips the cover off, revealing the dead body of Carvallen, the former lord of Amacedia.
Carvallen's body is in the same condition it was when we fled the town hall. It still has the dagger wounds in the shoulder and gut from Whisperclaw, and his neck is completely carved open from Renald's saber. Now that I have a chance to get a good look at him, I can also see a golden House of Wind necklace hanging from his neck. Fear begins to bubble up in my stomach.
"You recognize this person?" My father asks, turning to look at me.
All I can do is shake my head. If Carvallen was part of the House of Wind, that would mean we are directly responsible for killing someone in my father's inner circle.
"You will speak when answering me." My father's nostrils flare.
"N-no! I don't know him, sir!" I say, almost in a shout.
My father suddenly grabs me by the throat and lifts me into the air above him.
"Good, because if you did…" He drops me, allowing me to gasp for breath. "...I would have no choice but to kill you."
I'm coughing, trying to breathe again, but I feel like my windpipe is crushed.
"Gods dammit! Dr. Fraken, heal my son." I see my dad step over me through my blurring vision, "Oh, and then give him the truth serum."
"With pleasure." I can barely hear Fraken laugh.
I feel a quick stabbing pain in my hand, then suddenly I can breathe. I pull myself up onto my feet, watching Fraken, who is picking up a vile of clear liquid from a metal tray next to him. My father is nowhere in sight, so if I'm going to run for it, now would be the time.
"With great regret, I must administer the serum now. Apologies in advance, my prince—this tends to sting quite a bit." As soon as Fraken's hand touches the vile, I make a break for the door.
I burst out of the building and back into the city streets. Almost immediately, I get snatched up by the back of my shirt.
"Glimm?" Barbaris slowly rotates me around to look at him. "Are you running away again?"
"Bar, please!" I beg him, trying to plead with my eyes. "If you don't let me go, they're going to kill me!"
"Barbaris, quickly!" Fraken yells from inside. "Grab the Prince before he can escape, or Hawk will have both our heads!"
Barbaris looks at me, looks over his shoulder, and then sits me down, dusting my clothes off.
"Go!" Tears fill his eyes again. "Go! Escape! I will hold them off!"
Surely enough, a crossbow bolt just barely misses me and slams into Barbaris's leg.
"Thank you," I say, watching him raise his club and swing at the multitude of bounty hunters around us.
Knowing he can only give me a few moments by himself, I dash towards the nearest alleyway and pop the lid off the sewer drain. A putrid smell fumes upwards, but I clamp my nose and hop down, into the darkness below.