“We have already tried to make a few changes to keep her safe,” Mikko said, lifting his eyes briefly to look at me. “Her personal guard was sent away and replaced with a new one. ”
“I graciously offered her the use of Cyrano until they find a more permanent solution,” Kennet said. “I am a very generous man. In every aspect of my life,” he added, winking at me.
“I do already feel safer,” Linnea said, turning the conversation back and smiled brightly at me. “But it does help knowing that you and Kasper are here. ”
I wanted to reassure her that she was indeed safer with us, but honestly, I wasn’t sure who exactly she needed protection from, so I remained quiet.
TWENTY
belfry
With the icy wind blowing through my hair, I leaned farther out the window than I knew I should have, but I couldn’t help myself. We were in the highest room in the tallest tower of the castle, and the lake had to be at least a hundred meters below us.
“I think that’s far enough, Bryn,” Kasper said, doing his best not to sound nervous.
“He’s right,” Bayle Lundeen agreed, and that’s when I reluctantly pulled myself back inside.
I wasn’t sure what it was about being here, but the power of the Skojare in my blood seemed to be stronger. The water seemed to call to me more than it normally did, and when I’d been in the sapphire room yesterday, I’d felt an uncharacteristic moment of greed.
Maybe it was being around Skojare people that amplified something inside me. Or it could simply have been the room we were in, since it was full of magic.
The tower rooms themselves weren’t overly spectacular. They were somewhat small, cylindrical spaces at the top of about a thousand stairs. (There were actually several landings along the way with couches, water fountains, and restrooms, since you’d inevitably have to take a break getting up there. )
The walls were iridescent, reminding me of the inside of clam shells, and there were two windows: one facing the shore in front, and one facing the lake to the back. Both windows opened outward, with no screen. Kasper pointed out that it seemed dangerous, but Bayle assured us there’d never been any accidents and only three suicides over the past century.
A bed curved along the wall, covered in soft blankets and plush pillows. To one side of the room was what appeared to be a large white armoire, but when Bayle showed us the inside, it contained a small toilet and pedestal sink.
Across from it was a desk made of marble, also built to curve right against the wall. Ornate designs were carved into the legs and edges, and rising from the desk was a tall bookcase, lined with all kinds of books ranging from tomes dating back hundreds of years to the latest novel by George R. R. Martin. It was a small yet varied library.
This room was a self-contained little unit meant to house the tower guards.
“So this is how you keep the palace hidden?” I asked, admiring the room around me.
Bayle nodded. “We used to have a guard in each of the five towers, but with the cloaking abilities dwindling, we don’t want to run the risk of burning out the guards we have, so we only have three on duty at all times. Since this is the tallest tower, it’s the least used. ”
That made sense. If I had the choice of walking up several hundred stairs instead of a thousand to go to work, I would gladly choose the smaller tower. But Bayle had wanted to show us the full breadth of the kingdom, and we weren’t disturbing anyone by checking out this one.
The tower guards were more like trackers than they were like the Högdragen. The Skojare might not have had changelings, but like trackers, the tower guards had special abilities that were specifically nurtured in their bloodlines.
Most of the Skojare lacked psychokinesis. Like all the tribes, our abilities had begun to wane over time. The royalty tended to blame this on diluting bloodlines. I suspected there was truth to that, but I also wondered if declining use and losing touch with our heritage impacted it.
Regardless, there were still some Skojare who possessed the ability of cloaking. They couldn’t make themselves invisible, only objects and places. The power didn’t seem to work as well on trolls as it did on humans, meaning a troll could see their tricks while a human would be fooled into seeing nothing.
But that was really who they needed it for. It was how they kept humans from spotting their massive palace on the lake, and it was how they kept Lake Isolera hidden.
Unlike the palace, though, which required upkeep from tower guards, Lake Isolera had been placed under a spell long ago by one of the first Skojare queens. Her power had to have been incredibly strong, since her enchantment was the only thing that kept it cloaked. Eventually, the spell would fade, and Isolera would become an ordinary lake in the Canadian wilderness.
From what I understood, the tower guards would sit in the room and project the idea of a force field—thinking of an invisible wall that would hide everything behind it, and pushing out with their mind the way I would push against a boulder with my hands. It was a very taxing job, one that could burn people out quickly, so the guards worked in shifts and took frequent breaks lying down or reading a book.
It was necessary work, if the Skojare didn’t want to be discovered by humans, and I couldn’t imagine that discovery would go for well them.
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“Since this tower isn’t used for anything else, you could have two guards up here, watching the perimeter for enemies,” Kasper said, motioning to the windows on either sides of the room. “I know the tower guards are too busy to be able to do that, but regular guards would work. ”
“We could, but that seems unnecessary,” Bayle said. “The tower guards are protecting us from outsiders. ”
“What about Konstantin Black?” I asked, and he stiffened.
Bayle cleared his throat. “He was an exception, and I doubt he’ll be coming back. ”
“You can say that, and you may be right,” I allowed. “But do you know why he was here? How he got in? What he was hoping to achieve? Or why he warned the Queen to get out?”
“Of course not,” Bayle replied icily. “We don’t know that any better than you do. ”
“Then how can you possibly know that he or someone else like him won’t strike again?” I asked.
Bayle inhaled sharply through his nose. “I suppose I don’t. ” Then he lowered his dark blue eyes to gaze at me. “But from what I gather, Konstantin Black is Kanin, and he was your problem first. Whatever he was doing here, it was your people that brought him upon us, and it was you who lost him. ”
“I wouldn’t have lost him if you’d been doing your job!” I snapped. “If you had even a halfway decent guard set up, he never would’ve gotten inside the palace in the first place. ”
“I work with the guard that I am given!” Bayle shouted. “You think I wouldn’t want a guard as well trained and dedicated as the Högdragen? Of course I would! But that’s not what King Rune designed. ”
King Rune was Mikko and Kennet’s father, who had apparently decided to tie the purse strings much tighter than they needed to be.
“King Mikko refuses to undo his father’s changes, which means we have no money, no training, nothing for any of that,” Bayle continued in frustration.
“And that’s why we’re here!” Kasper spoke loudly in order to be heard, but there was no anger in his voice. He stepped between Bayle and me, holding his hands palm out toward each of us. “We’re here to help, and to make sure that somebody like Konstantin Black can never get in here again. We’re on the same page here. ”
Bayle huffed, but he seemed to relax a bit. He smoothed the satin of his uniform. He looked much more like a leader in it, and he even carried himself better. Kasper had definitely been right about the effect clothing had on the psyche.
“Kasper is right,” I said. “I’m sorry. ”
Bayle nodded, and I suspected that was as close to an apology as I would get.
“It has bee
n a great shame that the Queen went missing on my watch,” he said finally. “I’ve tried to pinpoint how exactly Konstantin got in here, but the truth is that there are too many holes in our fence for me to know for sure. ”
“The Queen had begun to fear for her safety before Konstantin even arrived,” I said. “There’s a chance someone on the inside was working with him. ”
Bayle lowered his eyes. “I have considered this. ”
“And do you have any idea who it could have been?” Kasper pressed when Bayle didn’t go on.
“No. ” He shook his head. “I simply don’t know how any of the guards could benefit from the disappearance of Queen Linnea. She’s kind and fair to everyone. The kingdom has a policy that doesn’t allow us to pay ransom, and I doubt King Mikko would go against the rules of his ancestors, so no one could profit from her kidnapping. ”
“What if she had been killed?” I asked. “Would anything have changed?”
“I can’t see how,” Bayle said. “The crown follows the Biâelse bloodline. There would be no transfer of power, since Queen Linnea only has the title by marriage. ”
My thoughts circled back to where they’d started—the only person who could benefit from Linnea being gone was the one who didn’t appear happy to be married to her.
“As the head guard, who are your official bosses?” I asked.
“The King has final say in all matters of the kingdom, but to a lesser extent, I am sworn to obey the entire royal family, including the Queen, the Prince, and Marksinna Lisbet as the Queen Grandmother,” Bayle answered.
“What would you do if any of them asked you to commit murder?” I asked, and both Bayle and Kasper stiffened. It was a taboo topic among guards.
“In times of war, I am to defend the kingdom and fight our enemies,” Bayle said, practically reciting the answer from a textbook. “In times of peace, I am to protect the King at all costs. It is my duty to kill if necessary, but never to murder. Taking a life must only be done in preservation of the kingdom. ”
“I know what you’re supposed to do, but I’m asking you what you would personally do,” I said.
“I would follow the tenets of my position, and I would not murder anyone,” he said, but his eyes darted just slightly when he spoke.
“Would you tell the person you’d been instructed to kill?” I pressed. “Because if you turned down the King, I’m sure he could keep asking until eventually he found a guard who would do as he asked. ”
“I…” Bayle stopped for a moment, thinking, and when he spoke again, his shoulders had sagged. “I would like to believe that I would do the right thing. ”
Later, when we were walking down the spiral stairs to the main floor, Bayle had gotten quite the lead on Kasper and me, and he was well out of earshot. Just the same, Kasper slowed his steps and lowered his voice.
“There is no right answer to that question, you know,” Kasper said, and I looked sharply at him.
“Of course there is. Murder is always wrong. ”
“When you’re a civilian, that’s true,” he conceded. “But the King has the power to declare war and name anyone a traitor, worthy of death. He decides what is and what isn’t murder. When you swear to serve him, you give up your own individuality; you forsake your own beliefs and morals in the name of the higher calling of serving the kingdom, for honor and duty. ”
I shook my head. “You can serve the King without betraying your own morality. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive. ”
“I would like to think so, and I like to live my life that way,” Kasper said. “But if the King commanded me to do something, and I denied him, he could have me locked up or banished. Even executed. So it’s not just morality that would influence my decision. It’s also self-preservation. ”
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I stopped, and Kasper walked down a few more steps before pausing to look back up at me. Until this moment, I’d viewed him as one of the most upstanding people I knew, worthy of admiration. He was honorable, noble, and seemed to embody every quality that a member of the Högdragen was supposed to possess.
“But you wouldn’t do it,” I persisted, almost begging him to agree with me, to pretend that this was all a misunderstanding. That the most virtuous members of the Högdragen couldn’t be as fallible as everyone else.
Kasper sighed heavily. “I believe I would do my best to sway the King to the correct course of action and to protect the innocent. But in the end, I am nothing more than a sword at the end of the King’s arm. I do as he directs. ”
TWENTY-ONE
entanglement
From out in the hall, I could hear Kasper talking, followed by the fainter sound of Tilda’s laughter. His bedroom door was open, so I peered around to see him holding his cell phone out toward the dome glass wall that held the murky water at bay. He was video chatting with Tilda and giving her a tour of our accommodations.
“The water is so dark,” Tilda was saying, her voice coming out weak and metallic from the phone. “I’d expected it be clear and bright. ”
“Everything here is darker and dingier than you might guess,” Kasper admitted.
“Well, good. I was afraid you’d get too enchanted with Storvatten and not want to come back to me, so I’m glad it’s not all that magical,” Tilda said, laughing a little.
Kasper turned the phone back around to face him, so she could see him again. “There’s nothing in this world that can keep me from coming back home to you. ”
Since I’d accidentally eavesdropped on a private moment, I cleared my throat and knocked on the open door.
Kasper turned back to me with a start, so Tilda asked in concern, “Is someone there?”
“It’s Bryn. ” Kasper pointed the phone toward me so I could see Tilda’s smiling face on the small screen.
“Hey, Tilda. ” I waved toward the tiny camera on the phone, causing her to laugh.
“How are you enjoying the palace?” Tilda asked.
“I’m enjoying it as much as I can, I guess. ” I shrugged.
“Good. ” She paused, seeming to hesitate. “Ridley asked me how you’re doing, and he’ll be happy to hear that you’re looking well. ”
“Thanks. ” I swallowed back a lump in my throat and looked away from her. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your moment here, but I was just checking to see if Kasper wanted to join me for lunch. ”
After we’d toured the towers, Bayle had shown us around the palace for the rest of the morning, but he’d given us an hour on our own for lunch. Kennet had said that he’d meet me at my room at noon, but I was getting hungry and decided it would be better if I got something on my own.
“I thought you were having lunch with the Prince?” Kasper asked.
“Lunch with the Prince?” Tilda raised an eyebrow that others might have misinterpreted as intrigue, but I knew it meant nothing but disapproval.
Tilda had already witnessed my out-of-class dating once, and heard me vow that I’d never do it again. Back when I was sixteen and freshly graduated from tracker school and I thought I knew everything, I’d pursued a crush with a slightly older Markis.
Even though I was determined to be a Högdragen, and inter-dating between a tracker and a Markis was forbidden, I was at a stage in my life where I thought I could do what I wanted—that I was smart enough to play around the rules.
I hadn’t been in love with him, but initially I had been enamored by his charm and good looks. He seemed to enjoy me too, and there was something about the danger of getting caught that made it all the more exciting.
After we’d been sneaking around for a few weeks, I began to detect an arrogant, mean streak to him. Once when we were fooling around in his room, I noticed a polar bear rug on his floor. Hunting wasn’t prohibited by the Kanin, but doing so purely for sport was frowned upon.
I asked him about it, and he proudly boasted of killing it himself. Not long after that I began to
realize that thanks to my exotic blond hair and blue eyes, I was just like the polar bear—a trophy from a conquest.
When it was all over, Tilda did her best not to say “I told you so,” even though she had repeatedly warned me this was a bad idea and expressed her disapproval. But she was more than relieved when I told her that it would never happen again, and I swore off romance with royals forever.
Of course, I did have this awful habit of breaking promises I’d made to myself.
“I’ve been waiting in my room for fifteen minutes, and the Prince hasn’t shown up,” I told Tilda, doing my best to display a lack of interest in him. “I thought I’d head up to the kitchen and grab something. ”
“I already called up to the kitchen and had them bring me something. ” Kasper pointed to a half-eaten sandwich on a silver tray next to his bed. “Otherwise I would. ”
“No problem. ” I waved it off. “Enjoy your lunch with Tilda. ”
“Take care of yourself, Bryn,” Tilda called after me as I turned to leave.
With nothing else to say, I preferred to hurry out with my head down, trying to pretend it didn’t hurt to hear that Ridley had been concerned about me. It hurt because he cared, and it hurt because he shouldn’t, and it hurt because things with us would never be the way they were with Tilda and Kasper.
I had my eyes on the floor, my mind desperately trying to push away any thought of Ridley. My heart throbbed painfully in my chest. That was how I didn’t notice Prince Kennet until I’d run right into him—literally hitting my head against his chest.
“Sorry, Your Highness, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. ” Apologies tumbled out of my mouth.
“No need to be sorry,” Kennet said, his deep voicing lilting as he smiled. “In fact, I should be the one saying I’m sorry. ”
“Don’t be ridiculous. ” I brushed my hair out of my face and looked up at him. “I’m the one who ran smack into you. ”
“You did do that,” he agreed. “But running into you is never all bad. Especially when I’ve left you waiting so long for our lunch date. ”
“Oh, right, that. ” I hurried to think of a way to contradict him on the term date.
“You must be ravenous by now,” Kennet went on before I could correct his statement. “The good news is that lunch is waiting for you. ” Then he frowned. “The bad news is that it won’t be with me. Queen Linnea has requested that you join her instead, and since the Queen outranks me, I am obligated to step aside. This time. ”
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“She and I do need to talk about the things going on in the kingdom, so it’s just as well,” I said.
“A working lunch?” Kennet wrinkled his nose. “That sounds terrible. ”
“I enjoy the company of the Queen, and this may come as a shock to you, but I enjoy my job a great deal. ”