The Prince's Guide to Brothers and Rituals: Wingomia Guide Series, #2

By L.R. Weltmann

Ace had a choice: Assist in a blood spell to restore magic to the kingdom, or watch his friends die.

It wasn't really a choice. He'd never asked to be a prince or torn away from everything he loved.

 

Jack did not risk his life getting his long-lost brother home just to watch Ace sacrifice himself in a risky spell. If he has to trek all over the kingdom again to stop Ace less than a week after coming home, then so be it. This time, the queen will help him fight off the demons and revolutionists, and they'll figure out how to save Ace and the kingdom together.

 

But can he stop the spell before the returning magic wrecks the kingdom?

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.R. Weltmann
• Release date: Oct 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781962607018

Book preview

Chapter 1

Two days in the palace and I was ready to break everything in sight.

I was too used to the freedom I’d had on the streets. Going where I wanted when I wanted, taking anything that looked interesting or valuable, and living my life the way I saw fit. The palace wasn’t like that.

Queen Selena insisted on calling me Prince Alex, no matter how many times I told her to call me Ace. Everything I did was wrong. I used the wrong fork, I slouched, I didn't pronounce words right. In short, I wasn't the perfect little prince that my twin brother, Jack, was.

He'd only grown up in this life while I raised myself on the streets, but sure, I should be able to do everything exactly like him. That made sense.

Concentrate, Alex, Queen Selena said, circling around me. Her long skirts whispered over the grass of the hidden garden we practiced magic in. We were in the center of a hedge maze with a system of bells to warn us of intruders, and if she told me to concentrate one more time, no one would see me stuff the queen in one of these bushes.

Magic didn't come easily for me, not the way it did for Jack and the queen. Another thing I couldn't do right.

My name is Ace.

Jack glanced over at us, the latest copper sword he'd conjured gleaming in the twilight.

The kingdom will know you as Alex, you have to get used to it, Queen Selena said.

That idea soured my expression and my whole mood. The only reason I’d stayed in the palace once Jack and I arrived two days ago was because a fake doctor named Basil wanted us for some blood sacrifice and demons attacked us every other day. Even if I was the long-lost Prince Alex, I had no desire to stay here. Politics wasn't my thing. But good luck telling that to her Majesty.

Levitation is one of the easier spells, the queen went on. Find that well of magic within you and channel it into your body, feel yourself go weightless, and lift off the ground. She demonstrated, hovering two feet in front of me, a gold pocket watch in her hand.

You can repeat that all you want, it still doesn't make sense.  

Her mouth pinched into a thin line, but any response was interrupted by the bells ringing above us. Someone had entered the hedge maze.

Queen Selena dropped to the ground and Jack un-conjured his sword. Voices drifted through the gardens. I recognized one, my guard Silas. They must be calling to each other through the hedges to tell us who was coming.

One of the queen's guards poked her head around the corner of a hedge. Page boy, your Majesty, with the escort you sent to Gallen this morning.

I perked up immediately, all thoughts of magic flying right out of my head. That escort had gone out to find my friends, Jade, Malik, and Damon, and bring them here. I ran out to meet them, but when I found the page boy and the escort, they were the only ones on the path. Not a single dirty street kid was with them.

The disappointment sank in my stomach. Of course the escort failed. We survived by running from guards as soon as we saw them. You didn't find them.

Jack squeezed my shoulder briefly before dropping his hand. The queen's skirts skimmed the gravel path behind us.

No, your Highness, the guard on the left with a thick black beard said. "We searched every location you gave us, but we were unable to locate them.

They weren't at Base? We always tried to get back there before dinner, the escort should have been able to find them.

The two shared a look with each other. We were unable to locate any house matching the description you gave us. Perhaps it was the incorrect street name?

What do you mean you couldn't find it? Base was a house damaged in a fire years ago. It was pretty hard to miss.

And I did not give them the wrong street name.

We apologize, your Highness. They bowed, and I squirmed uncomfortably. This sort of behavior wasn't meant for someone like me. Please confirm the details you gave us this morning, and we'll return first thing tomorrow.

No, I'll go myself, I said. No one knew the streets of Gallen better than me. If I wanted to find my friends, I had to go myself.

You will not, Queen Selena stated. We don't know where Basil is or what he has planned. It's dangerous. The escort can return tomorrow.

Gravel scattered beneath my feet when I walked forward. I'm not waiting.

Ace, wait. Jack grabbed hold of my arm to pull me back.

I yanked myself free and shot him a murderous glare. It didn't matter if we were brothers; if he was going to stand between me and my friends, I'd consider him an enemy.

He raised his hands in surrender and glanced at the queen. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Ace can go with the escort to guide them, and they can protect him.

And he'll run off as soon as the steamcar lands, never to be seen again. Absolutely not, Queen Selena said.

I raised a brow. You're offering me and my friends free shelter in the palace. You think we won't take advantage of that? While I didn't want anything to do with this place or the royal family, I liked having easy access to food. My stomach had never been this full for so long before.

I trust him, Mom. If Ace says he'll come back, then he'll come back.

That trust was probably misplaced, but it worked in my favor so I wouldn't question it.

This doesn't change the fact there's a rogue— She held up her watch to indicate the magic it stored without saying it out loud in front of the escort. —man targeting you.

Four people in Wingomia Kingdom could use magic. Three of them were in this garden: me, Jack, and Queen Selena. Basil was the fourth, despite not being a member of the royal family, the only people who were supposed to know about or use magic. The family’s personal guards were the exception.

He knows what my friends look like. When I'd gotten sick a few weeks back, my friends went looking for help and found him pretending to be a doctor. I was grateful he’d nursed me back to health, but I wished my friends had been able to find anyone else. It felt like my life had been out of control ever since. I won't let them get hurt because of me.

And we'll send a new escort to find them as soon as we can, the queen said. But I just got you back, Alex, I'm not willing to lose you again so soon.

My temper flared. "For the last time, it's Ace."

She raised her hands in surrender. Apologies.

Jack stepped completely between us, mild panic in his eyes. What if I go with him? I can transport us back here if we see Basil, no fighting.

She twisted a ring on her finger. I don't want you in danger, either.

He tilted his head. The Gallen town guards called him a phantom because he was so good at escaping them. You think he won't sneak out without any backup?

They called me a phantom? That was hilarious.

I doubt he's good enough to escape an entire palace, the queen said.

Jack shrugged. I used to do it all the time. Maybe I'll tell him how.

This was getting interesting. The perfect little prince was blackmailing his mother.

You wouldn't dare.

I'm not saying the two of us going off on our own is a good idea, Jack said. It's terrible, and dangerous, like you said. But I also know we can’t stop Ace, and I'd rather help him than lose him.

Queen and prince stared each other down for a solid minute. The guards and I stayed still and silent, as if a single noise from one of us would interrupt the battle.

The queen inhaled. Very well. Both of you may leave with the escort in the morning, on the condition that we use tonight to prepare.

Prepare how? I asked.

In answer, she dismissed the escort and made Jack and I return to the hidden garden again. There's one spell in particular I want you to know, but you need to be able to reliably call on your magic.

I made a face like I'd eaten a lemon. Of course it came back to magic.

Show me you can levitate or do anything, and we'll see if you can learn a cloaking spell.

Oh, fantastic. Do the one thing I literally could not do.

That's not too bad, Jack said. Ace can do that easily.

What if I levitate Jack instead? All the way up to the roof so I can push him off?

Jack rolled his eyes. That counts, too, I guess. Go ahead and try.

I stood there for a few minutes, willing myself into the air, but my feet stayed planted on the ground.

You've done this before, Jack reminded me. Believe in yourself.

This whole thing is insane, you understand that, right?

We fought demons that melted into black goop when we killed them. How is levitating more unbelievable?

That doesn't sound real, either. At this rate, I'd never learn the spell and never be allowed to go find my friends. Just give me a pistol or something. Basil shows his face, I’ll shoot him.

Jack and the queen shared a look. We can definitely give you a pistol, but you should still learn some defensive spells. Maybe I can explain it differently, Jack said.

This is a waste of time. I was not going to get it. I couldn't use magic, and that meant I wasn't the long-lost Prince Alex. Everyone was wrong, and I belonged back on the streets where Jack found me.

A bushy tail swept under my nose, and four paws settled on my right shoulder. I couldn't see who they belonged to, but they were familiar anyway. Sel, a green fox-demon, liked to stalk me this way. I didn’t know where he came from or where he went, and he liked to be invisible half the time. His whiskers tickled my ear and he whispered. Try. Again.

It won't work, I hissed. Jack and the queen seemed oblivious to his ghostly voice, arguing about how to teach me magic now.

Sel nipped my ear. Try.

Listening to a demonic anything was usually a bad idea. But Sel used to lead me out of trouble in Gallen all the time, and I had more trust in the little fox than he probably deserved. So, I closed my eyes and thought hard about feeling weightless, hanging in the air with nothing to support me. Imagined lifting off the ground like a steamcar.

The problem with imagination was that it didn't do anything. I needed to channel magic into this vision, and that was the part I struggled with. Where was the magic supposed to come from?

The same energy you use to walk and climb. Use it now, Sel whispered.

The same energy, huh? Then, if I stepped forward and pretended there was an invisible stair under my foot, I should lift off the ground, right?

Excellent work, Princey, Sel said, and then his weight disappeared from my shoulder.

I looked down and saw the ground five inches under my feet. My heart jumped into my throat, part of me registering that I should be falling right now. Once I thought that, I dropped back to the ground. The flailing I did in the five inches of free fall caught Jack and the queen's attention, and they turned back to me.

You did it, didn't you? Jack asked, self-satisfied smirk growing on his face.

Kind of? Keeping Sel's advice in my mind, I tried it again.

Well, it's not the way we do it, but that doesn't matter, the queen said. How high can you go that way?

In an emergency, I'd go as high as I needed to. It was the coming down part that worried me. I'll manage, I said. Teach me the cloak spell now.

It's a little advanced, the queen warned.

Maybe you can cast it, and we can fuel it with our magic? Jack suggested. We'd done that in fights before when he drained his reserves.

We can try, the queen said.

She had Jack and I stand next to each other, and then, with her gold pocket watch in one hand, she waved the other over each of our heads.

At its core, this is an invisibility spell, she said. Along with hiding you from sight, it hides the sound of your footsteps, your breathing, and your body heat. It won't work if someone already knows you're there, but if you're careful, you can get in and out of Gallen without Basil being any the wiser.

Where was this spell when I was growing up? I could have used it to steal anything I wanted, clothes, jewelry, toys. 

She stepped back to look over her handiwork, pocketing her watch.

I didn't feel any different, but when I glanced at Jack, it took a second for my eyes to focus on him. All of a sudden, his white shirt blended in with the green hedges around us.

That's bizarre, Jack said, looking down at his hands.

Can you see the framework of the spell around you? Queen Selena asked.

Jack pressed his hands in front of him. Yes. Let me try...

I reached out to feel whatever he found, but there was nothing solid around me. There was a spot that felt a little like pushing my hand into a bucket of water, only without the water. Was that the framework she'd mentioned? All I needed to do was pour my own energy into this thing? So just...will it to keep working?

Think I did it, Jack said, prompting the queen to inspect it.

Yes, excellent work. You'll have to keep an eye on it throughout the day and make sure it doesn't fade.

Jack nodded.

And now you, Alex, let's see—well, that's a surprise.

What? I asked defensively.

You replaced my spell with your own, the queen said.

He did what? Jack asked.

Was I not supposed to? I didn't even know what I did.

It's not a bad thing, the queen said. You surprised me, is all. Well done.

That’s even better, then, Jack said.

We can go now, right? I asked.

Queen Selena frowned and twisted her ring again. Please reconsider. Your safety is all I care about.

And my friends' safety is all I care about, I countered. We're going.

Then please be careful.

We will. Thank you, Mom, Jack said.

We left the hidden garden after that, returning to our rooms for the night. I'd been given my own set of rooms across the hall from Jack, the ones originally meant for Prince Alex back when we'd been babies. There was more space here than I ever pictured needing, a bed so soft I didn't even try to sleep in it, and a view of the forest outside the palace. I spent five hours restlessly sleeping on the floor before giving up to wander the palace instead, a habit my guards were growing accustomed to.

I would need more time to adjust to my guards not trying to arrest me. By that, I meant that maybe one day I'd stop trying to lose them in the halls.

Chapter 2

Mom tried to stall over breakfast, but her attempt was ruined when an advisor came in looking for her because she was late for an audience. Then we couldn’t seem to leave fast enough.

Ace and I both had two guards for the day, with strict instructions to get us back to the palace no matter what. Silas and Andrew for Ace, Elliot and Trevor for me. They wore the standard dark blue royal guard regiments, but they had coats over it. Someone scrounged up a cap for Ace, and he pulled it low over his hair. With the goggles for the ride hanging around his neck, he looked almost the same as the first day I ran into him.

I missed Lucas, my previous guard. He’d been my guard and friend for years before Basil found us, and nearly gave his life trying to protect Ace and I. When Ace and I escaped, Basil took his anger out on Lucas and the man barely survived. He was still in the infirmary, over a week later.

Mom cast the cloak spell on us, and we slipped our own power into it. Remember, the cloak won’t work if he’s already found you, or if he looks hard enough. Don’t stray too far from your guards; they should be able to see you through the spell since they know you’re there, but if they lose track of you the spell will conceal you from them, too. Keep an eye on your watch level. I want you to return before it’s empty. Please be careful, try not to draw attention to yourselves.

We’ll be careful, I promised, stepping into the steamcar. Most steamcars could only seat four or five people, so Ace and I each took a separate one. I dozed through most of the three-hour flight, waking up once we landed in the central square under the clock tower.

Ace had a wistful look on his face, his hands loose at his sides. He was more at ease here; I could see him sliding through crowds, slipping nimble fingers into unsuspecting pockets. Or grabbing caps off people’s heads, if needed.

Hey. I caught his arm. You’re not going to...do anything, right?

He raised a brow. I didn’t come to stand in the square all day.

No, I mean. Stealing. No pick pocketing, okay?

He wrenched his arm out of my grasp. I wasn’t going to, no. Thanks for your trust.

Yeah, I could have handled that better. I’m sorry, that came out wrong.

He shook his head and started walking. Like I’d thought, he moved easily through people, neatly sidestepping some and ducking under others. He crossed the street wherever he pleased, heedless of the steamcars only inches above his head.

A hint of panic creeped on the edges of my mind. Ace could disappear on these streets if he wanted to. I’d taken him right where he wanted to be, with no real guarantee that he’d come back with me.

But if this was the life he wanted, did I have the right to force him away from it? As upset as it would make me, Mom, and Dad, Ace deserved the freedom to choose his own life. Maybe knowing he was alive would be enough.

I’d convinced myself he would run off when he stopped in front of a building and looked back for me. His guards caught up to him first, sharing exasperated looks.

Ace looked back at me with a wide grin and pointed to a patch of newer bricks on the side of the building in front of us. The first time Malik and I stole a steamcar, we crashed it.

Why do you sound proud of that? I asked.

Because we were nine.

Silas looked up at the sky and muttered under his breath.

Was anyone hurt? Andrew asked. Concern and disapproval mixed on his face.

We had a few bruises, but we jumped off before it crashed. He snickered. Every guard in town was furious.

And this was a good memory for him? My brother and I were very different.

And where is this friend now? Silas asked.

He started walking again at a pace the rest of us could keep up with. Malik is usually around these streets somewhere picking pockets. So, look rich and he’ll come right to us.

That was a lot more disturbing than Ace made it sound with all his jokes. Though, I had to admit, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him in such a good mood before.

Jade usually sweeps floors at the teashop, and Damon is probably with her, Ace finished.

I thought you said your friends had a base? Elliot asked.

We do, Ace said. But we don’t stay there all day unless we’re sick or the weather is bad. They’ll be out in the city somewhere for a few hours yet.

Can you tell me more about them while we look? I asked.

This, apparently, was the magic question to make Ace open up. He went on about all three of his friends as we walked up and down the streets, telling us how he met Malik first when they were only seven, both new to the streets and struggling. They’d made a terrifying duo, one of them pretending to be hurt in front of their targets while the other slipped greedy little fingers into pockets. Malik was the most reckless of the group, stealing steamcars daily for the thrill. Jade was more cautious, and only stole what she needed to. She worked as many odd jobs as people would give her, but often ended up begging outside pubs and shops. Damon, the youngest by quite a few years, was a sweetheart they all protected.

I’d do pretty much anything for that kid, Ace said, his face soft with his memories.

They all sound amazing. I kept my tone polite while planning where we could hide all the valuables in the palace.

They are, Ace said. I don’t think I would have survived this long without them.

Thieves or not, these were the people my brother considered family. I’d have to try and remember that. Then I can’t wait to meet them.

Yeah, they’re gonna lose their minds when they meet you.

What about when they see the palace?

He laughed. They’re gonna stand there staring at it for five minutes, guarantee it. And when they see the size of dinner? He shook his head. Guess I’m excited to bring them back with us.

I scoffed and nudged his arm. You? Excited? I didn’t think you had that emotion.

We’ve been running for our lives. Excuse me for not being happy about it.

I’ll let it slide this time. Are we getting close to Malik yet?

He frowned and scanned the street again. We should have run into him by now, actually. It’s kind of odd we haven’t, maybe he switched streets. Let’s look for Jade and Damon. I hope I didn’t get them sick.

We wandered around half a dozen more blocks. Ace grew more and more agitated, and his pace grew with his agitation. Silas gave up and grabbed his wrist to keep hold of him, muttering about a leash next time.

Ace stopped on a corner, frowning away from the street at the base of a pub. Jade usually sits here.

Like you said, maybe they’re sick? I offered.

He hummed. We’ll check Base. He turned on his heel and stormed down the street, a few steps and one Silas away from running.

We ran past a Chimer on a street corner shouting about the rebellion cause, and I popped the collar of my jacket to hide my face as we passed. The guards walked a little closer to us. Being kidnapped once by radical revolutionists was enough for one lifetime; I had no desire to repeat that experience.

The clock tower pealed four times. I bit my lip and glanced behind us. It would take us a good hour to walk back to the steamcars from here, and we still had the three-hour flight back. That was later than I’d planned on. Hopefully Mom and Dad weren’t too worried.

I looked forward in time to see Ace and a protesting Silas walk through a wall.

What the- I blinked and shook my head. The guards, too, rubbed at their eyes. Ace?

Yes? His voice came in loud and clear, like he was only a few feet away and not on the other side of a wall. What’s wrong?

Where did you...how...

It’s an alleyway? Silas questioned.

Yes? Ace responded. Of course it’s an alleyway?

How did you go through the wall? I asked.

What wall? He came back, stopping halfway through the bricks.

I stared at him, mouth hanging open. There was a wall there.