CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Lakin re-read the message he had received from Duke Dubar, and was in shock. Two days earlier, they had captured the queen. Koral and Eric were spotted, but escaped. (this brought a sigh of relief) And of course, the usual demand he be made king. Leaning back in his chair, he stroked his chin. It didn’t matter that Dubar had the queen. What mattered was the prince and princess had escaped. He could just imagine what would have happened if the bumbling idiot of a duke had actually captured them. Lakin sighed, and wondered what should his next move be? He couldn’t make the duke king. That was never part of the plan. The only good he had seen from the duke was to create chaos in the Central Lands, taking his eyes, as well as others, off the prophecy being fulfilled. Smiling, he sat back and composed his reply.
“The Easterners ships are no longer in sight, my lord,” said Sol.
The duke raised his head and looked at the page. “Good. Please send for Captain Moore. Tell him I wish to speak to him at once.”
Sol bowed and left to find the captain.
Duke Dubar was devastated. He, as well as Baron Lychen and Captain Moore, had figured the Easterners were under their control. The events of two days ago showed they had seriously underestimated their companions. They had shown up in his audience chamber that morning, telling him they had heard a rumour royalty was in the city and were going to be boarding their ship. When Dubar had asked them why they felt this would happen, they fully admitted they had ransacked a small village and taken captives to be sold as slaves. Duke Dubar was appalled by this, and had stated that fact. The Easterners response was to laugh, and suggest a trap be set. They then left to finish loading their ships, for they were preparing to leave that evening. Not even one word came from them when their captives were taken, and the trap sprung. The duke had nearly fainted when he was informed the prince and princess were the ones who had boarded the ships, but had escaped. He was pleasantly surprised, though, when Captain Moore had shown up with the queen in tow.
Immediately he had ordered sweeps be done of the city, but when no sign of them had been found come morning he had called off the search.
“You wished to speak with me?” asked Captain Moore.
Duke Dubar looked up from the papers he had been reading. A strange glint was in his eye.
“Do you know what these documents are?” he asked the captain.
“No, I don't. If you only brought me here to ask ridiculous questions, then I'm going to take my leave. I do have a prisoner to interrogate.”
The duke smiled. He knew how much joy the captain got from his dealings with prisoners, and figured the queen would hold even more joy for him. “These papers state that in the event one of royal blood is proven to have magical abilities, then they lose their title and all which goes with it.”
Jacob became even more upset. “It wasn't the king who has these abilities, it's the queen. She may lose her title, but Jeremy is still ruler of the Central Lands.”
“Yes, this is true. Unless his wife comes forward and claims he has abilities as well. Should that happen, then an inquiry will come about. Even when it is proven he does not have abilities, the people will never believe he was unaware his wife and children all possessed these abilities. He is done!”
Captain Moore smiled. “If a confession is what you are wanting, then I must get back to my prisoner. The sooner she makes that statement, the better it looks for us.”
Elizanne was in poor shape. After her capture, the captain paraded her through the streets leading to the castle. Rotten vegetables and fruit were thrown at her the entire walk, which left the queen disheartened. She didn’t expect the inhabitants of Keenley to come to her aid, but she didn’t think this kind of hatred would have been present. Had the queen been able to lift her head, she would have seen the looks in the people’s eyes. Very few were doing this out of hatred. The rotten food was given to them by the soldiers, and all ordered to toss it at the queen. Punishment if the order was disobeyed, was death.
Once arriving at the castle, their route changed. Elizanne was blindfolded, and moved through a courtyard, then what sounded like a stone door opened. Unfamiliar stale smells assaulted her, and it was then Elizanne became afraid. They travelled down many flights of stairs, and then another door opened. Blindfold removed, she was thrown in a small cell, and whipped until she lost consciousness. For the last two days, this had been her horror. Whipped until unconscious, then woken up hours later and have it done all over again. This last time, however, was worse. Salt was applied to the new wounds and when she collapsed, Captain Moore only let her stay this way for a few minutes before forcing her to stay awake the rest of the night, constantly throwing water on her if she should nod off. Finally, in the early hours of the morning, he had taken her to the Room.
The Room doesn’t look very spectacular, but the moment you enter a feeling of dread overwhelms you. In the middle of the room sits a chair below a hole in the wall, which at certain times of day, casts light on it. When you’re seated in this chair, and the light shines on you, everything else is blocked out. Elizanne knew something wasn’t right the moment she sat in the chair, and strapped down. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and a chill passed over her.
“My dear queen, are you comfortable?” asked Jacob in a sugary voice.
She did not answer, which didn’t surprise him.
“I am certain by now you have noticed an odd sense in this room. Perhaps you had a chill pass over you? Well, you should know this room has been around since before the Wizards War. Many people were interrogated by wizards, sitting in that very chair. The magic from blood spilled from those who possessed magic cover this entire room. In essence, the life force of so many wronged make up this room.”
The chill returned, and Elizanne knew he was not lying. It was if the people who had been tortured before had left a part of themselves in the room.
The captain smiled at Elizanne. He leaned towards her and got so close she could smell the sweat on his skin. “When I am through with you, there is nothing you will not admit to,” he whispered in her ear.
“We shall see about that, Captain Moore,” she replied and he was amazed at the defiance in her voice. He had thought her to be broken already. Jacob had seen the look in her eyes as she was being paraded through the streets, and had assumed her spirit had been diminished. The whipping and being denied sleep, he had thought would have finished the job. It never took him more than three days to get people talking. It was his gift.
Unsure as to how he should proceed, he regained his composure and left the queen alone in the room. Soon the sun would be up, and beating down on her through the slit in the wall. Guards came into the room and were told she was not to be fed or allowed to fall asleep. Elizanne took in a deep breath and awaited her fate.
The duke poured himself a drink, and sat at his desk. He was expecting Lakin to reply to his message at any time. “He cannot deny me the crown now,” he muttered to himself, smiling and slowly sipping his drink. Of course, his message had all but demanded he be made king.
Selwell felt that perhaps he hadn’t been clear enough with his previous letters and this was why the Tower had not seen fit to crown him.
A knock on his door brought him out of his reverie. “Enter.”
Sol entered and handed him a note. “This just came in from the Tower, my lord.”
Smiling, the duke took the message. “Thank you,” he replied, and when he noticed the page still there added, “you are excused.”
Sol tried to hide his disappointment. “As you wish, my lord,” he said, bowing and left the room, conveniently leaving the door ajar.
Selwell slowly sat back in his chair, staring at the folded paper. For some reason the moment the page had handed it to him, a sense of trepidation had crept over him. He sighed deeply, confused as to why he was taking so long to open it. When the doubt started to subside, he opened the letter.
Dearest Duke Dubar,
Wonderful news to hear you have captured Queen Elizanne, and after she had shown herself to possess magic. Although I am certain you are going to attempt to get her to confess to other, shall we say, indiscretions, I demand you cease all attempts immediately!
I hereby order you to make an example out of her. Place her in a cage and hang it from a post positioned in front of the castle. Keep it high enough so people are unable to rescue her, but where the townsfolk are able to see her rotting. Give them stones, rotten fruit and pointed sticks to throw at her. Make sure she remains in that cage until long after she has died. Let her corpse send a message!
As for the Prince and Princess, I am sure you are doing all you can to find them. Please keep me informed.
Sincerely yours,
Lord Lakin
Selwell was stunned. Nothing written about giving him the crown, the strange order to cease getting a confession from her and then the way she was to be dealt with. It was fitting, but not without a confession. They needed it to make it a legal punishment, but nothing shocked him more than how it was signed. Lord Lakin. The signature alone spoke a thousand words. Although it was a fitting title, given how much control he had over the Central Lands, never had Lakin used it. The duke was suddenly frightened. Had he overstepped by demanding to be made king? Was this Lakin's way of letting him know? Too many thoughts flitted through his mind, and none of them were pleasant.
“Bad news my lord?” asked Sol.
The duke looked up at the page. “Where is Captain Moore?”
“Last I saw him; he was in the courtyard training with a few of his men.”
“Please ask him to attend to me as soon as he is able.”
Sol bowed, “Of course, my lord.” Upon leaving the study, he couldn't help but wonder if the expression he saw on the duke's face was a good sign, or horrible one.
Arriving at the courtyard Sol heard the grunts of the captain. There in the middle, he stood alone. Moving through his exercises, he looked at peace. Spotting the page, he stopped. “Do you require something, page?” he asked with a sneer.
“Duke Dubar wishes for you to attend him in his study as soon as you are able to, captain,” responded Sol, his voice showing no sign of being intimidated.
“Fine. Tell him once I am cleaned up I will be there.”
Sol nodded and left. On his way back to the duke's study, he couldn't help but notice the similarities in the moods of both the duke and the captain. Something very wrong was going on in the castle, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be around when it all came to a head.
Just over an hour later, Jacob entered the duke's study. The first think he noticed was the haggard look on Dubar’s face. “Is something the matter?” he asked, sitting himself down.
Before the duke could answer, two guards burst into the room. Jacob jumped to his feet, for they were the two he had set to watch Elizanne.
“My Lord, the Queen is gone!”