"The people here are not allowed to have other means of transportation, especially one built by an enemy of magic."
That statement kept his mind busy throughout that journey. He was so busy with his thoughts that the time passed by so fast and they had arrived at the inn they were going to stay in.
He invited one of the guards into his room. "Sit down," he told the man seriously and sat down on one of the sofas in the room.
The man obeyed and sat with that same cautious expression he noticed that the young man is always wearing. He was the only man who was not Rash enough to laugh at him when the head guard makes jokes about him.
"What is your name?" he asked the man as he sipped from the stainless cup of wine, he asked them to bring to his room when he left the bathroom.
"My name is Jake, your highness," the man replied with a deep bow that looked funny as he was sitting.
"How old are you?" he asked the man with an air of majesty that was not difficult for him to put on as he was someone who always gets what he wants even on earth.
"I turned twenty-one last summer," the man replied with his chin almost touching his chest.
He was not sure why he sensed that this man was everything far from the cautious person he claimed to be and was perhaps hiding his true nature to reduce the possibility of him getting into trouble. Or was his cautious façade meant to deceive him?
He moved his mind back to the reason why the man was in his room. "How long have you worked on my side?" Liam asked him sternly.
"I have worked under the knight since he became your guard."
He asked for how long and not when. He clenched his fist as he hated people pretending to be clueless when they probably know more than you would ever imagine.
He took a deep breath and smiled. "So, does that mean you know me as much as the knight does?" Liam asked to know what he invited the man in for.
"I am not sure if I do but I think I know a little about you, your highness," the man replied meeting Liam's gaze for a few seconds before looking away.
Liam paused his lips and narrowed his eyes as looked at the young man intently for a few seconds. He was beginning to distrust the fact that he thought the man would be the best person he could ask because of his cautiousness.
"I will tell you a secret, I have lost my memory and I do not remember who I was or what the capital and the palace would be like and I want you to tell me all that I need to know."
"You are the prince, the only son of the king among four children," the young man replied and Liam relaxed as he was beginning to appreciate the decision he made. "Two of the princesses were sacrificed during the past few months ago to help you get your magic but you did not get it."
The words of the man had him sitting up straight and folding his arms over his chest. This was getting crazy, really crazy. "What do you mean by that?"
"The princesses were said to be the reason your magic was blocked from manifesting and their soul was requested for a sacrifice to make a path to your magic."
Liam thought he heard a trace of disdain and anger in the voice of the man who was talking to him but when he looked at the man's timid appearance, he concluded that he was overthinking.
What sort of cruel world is this?
"You are a kind royal," the man said and refused to keep talking even after Liam patiently waited for him.
"Is that all you have to say to me?" he asked angrily as he could not believe that this man was going to crush the thought, he had of how he would know all he needs to know before he arrives in the capital to make things easier for him.
"Yes, that is all I am sure of, your highness. I have only been on your side for a short while now," the man replied to him.
"Leave."
Liam was left to the peace of his empty room when the man left and he thought of how two women were sacrificed for his magic acquisition and as much as he knew nothing of the magic he was supposed to possess, he wanted to have the magic for the sake of the woman sacrificed.
He felt the hairs on his body rise at the sudden gush of wind from the window that was closed earlier that had somehow opened.
He swallowed and stood up to close the window. He sniffed. Someone else was in the room with him. He sniffed again with his gaze fixed on the opened window.
With his gaze fixed on the window, he began to make out the frame of a man at the window until the man was completely visible to him.
"Who are you?" he asked as he approached fearlessly.
The man was taken aback as he looked down at his hand surprised that he was seen by Liam when he was supposed to be invisible.
"Who are you?" Liam was running out of patience as the man made him ask again. He should get himself a really good weapon as soon as possible. He had a knife. The knife the beautiful lady stabbed him with.
He met the man's gaze through the man he wore to cover the lower half of his face like a burglar.
The man unsheathed the sword he wore and it shone so brightly under the dimly lit room. Liam smiled when he saw how neat-looking the sword was.
"I like your sword," he told the man. "I will keep it after killing you," he told the man firmly. He rethought his decision to kill, he was not going to get his hand stained with blood. The man might kill himself as the lady did.
The man was determined to stab him as well as sure that he would not be able to avoid getting stabbed by a sword like a limbless swordman.
Even a little child would know that it should be avoided so as not to get hurt. He stepped aside as the man's sword swung and stabbed at him.
He could swear that he had just made the fastest move in his entire life but he could not miss the blood flowing from the new wound he had just acquired on his arm.