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the bustle of the marketplace seemed to fade. Maverick took a deep breath and unclenched his fists. “Sasha’s.”
    Prince looked away. After a deep breath, he cursed. “Shit!” He turned to Maverick. “Listen, Mav. I’m sorry, alright? Things just should’ve turned out different is all.”
    With a single nod, Maverick turned to walk home.
    For the rest of the way, neither spoke.

SASHA
     
    Sasha sprawled across a blanket on the dirt floor. She yawned, stretching out her arms and legs. “A king is the embodiment of his ideals. His loyalty is not to his subjects, but to the reason why he took the crown.” The pages of the book sagged, displaying its age. “In this regard, those resolved to being king must also be resolved to being a slave, a servant toward his own impossible goals.”
    Or her own impossible goals.
    “Ugh,” she groaned. Reading a book twice was a chore, no matter how great the first read was. The only reason she was so intent on the second read was because the book had been written by none other than The Dragon himself.
    She rolled over so she faced the sky. The sparse clouds proved quite calming.
    Where is everyone?
    But if anyone knew that answer, it was her. She watched the clouds roll away. She let the book slip from her hands and closed her eyes.
    “Sasha.” Prince’s voice echoed down the alley.
    Sasha didn’t bother looking, she could hear his footsteps. Although it was a little harder to pinpoint Maverick’s she knew that he was close behind. “Prince. Mav.”
    “How many times have you read that book?” Maverick asked.
    Sasha pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Almost twice.”
    Maverick walked up to her and leaned against a nearby wall. “Is it another encyclopedia?” Though the tone of his voice didn’t change much, Sasha knew he was teasing her.
    She grabbed the book and held it up for Maverick to see. “Nope. This is The Dragon’s thoughts on King Arthur.”
    Maverick raised his eyebrows.
    “I know, what a find, right?”
    Prince sat beside Sasha. “Did you find Bolt?”
    “Yep, he’s asleep right now.”
    Both Prince and Maverick fell silent, ignoring the question they both wanted to ask.
    “We failed the drop,” Sasha answered. “Bolt was scarred, but he’s okay now.”
    Maverick shook his head. “Fucking hawks.”
    “Fucking Hawks,” Prince agreed.
    “So, what have you guys been up to?”
    “Gambling,” Maverick said coolly.
    Sasha’s teeth crunched together. Prince looked away from her glaring eyes.
    “Maverick, give us a minute,” Sasha said.
    Maverick was gone before her sentence had finished. Prince snuck nervous glances at her. “Prince, is this true?” she asked.
    Prince closed his eyes and swallowed. “Yes.” He looked at his twiddling toes.
    “God damn it Prince!” Sasha jumped to her feet and began a practiced scold.
    Even after hearing this exact speech hundreds of times before, Prince still shuddered. He continued his drawn-out stare with his feet.
    “Prince, look at me.” Sasha grabbed Prince’s arm. “Nothing good can come from gambling. Why do you even need to gamble? We make enough money to feed ourselves. Tell me what you need so badly and I’ll get it for you, but for god’s sake, stop gambling!”
    Prince was a statue. His distant eyes remained frozen.
    “Prince, what are you using the money for?” Sasha waited for a response. She got none. It felt like she was talking to a wall. “You don’t need to tell me everything, but please tell me the important things. What are you hiding from me?”
    “I’m not hiding anything.” His sheepish response couldn’t convince a baby.
    “Gambling isn’t a game, it’s dangerous! You of all people should know that.”
    “I know! But –” Prince shut up.
    “Honestly Prince, what will it take for you to understand?”
    Prince’s eyes fell to his feet.
    When no answer came, Sasha said, “Would you like me to lose my other eye for you?” As soon as the words left her