Destari stepped forward to shine torchlight upon the chapel’s interior, and I finally took in the thin white hair that covered the victim’s head and the priest’s robe upon the body. Guilty relief rushed through me, for although a life had been lost, it was not the one most precious to me.
With some rationality restored, I was about to permit Steldor to pass me into the arms of one of the Palace Guards when a new terror stopped my breathing. The desecrated altar had not been random destruction—there was a tunnel. A tunnel about which only one person outside the royal family and its most trusted guards knew. I lunged back toward the chapel, but Steldor held me tight.
“Where is my sister?” I shrieked, tears clogging my throat.
Over my wretched sobs, I heard Steldor issuing orders.
“Send for my father and Galen. Rouse every guard and raze this place to the ground, searching for intruders. Check the stables—we might yet be able to track them. And sound the alarm to close the city.”
Handing me off to a guard, Steldor ventured into the chapel, accompanied by Destari and several additional men, sidestepping the body. Seeming to decide that immediate action was more important than his own safety, my husband sheathed his sword and approached the altar, preparing to drop into the gaping hole beneath. Destari gripped his shoulder to stop him, one of them at least recognizing that the King should not put himself at risk, and Steldor acceded, motioning several other guards forward to explore the tunnel in his place. He came back through the chapel into the corridor, and I barely felt it as he pulled me into his embrace, obscuring my view of the murdered priest and of the entrance to the tunnel through which I knew the Cokyrians, however they had managed to infiltrate the palace, had taken Miranna.
The Captain of the Guard and the Sergeant at Arms arrived within the hour, both aware of the abduction, though I doubted either of them had garnered many details. Cannan took Steldor and me, along with Galen and Destari, into his office for a status report. He sat behind his desk, Galen and Destari to his right, while Steldor settled me into a leather armchair, supporting me all the way as I was shaking uncontrollably. The moment I was seated, the captain took charge.
“I understand that Princess Miranna is missing. I need to know exactly what transpired here tonight.”
“I know that Miranna received a note through her maid, and that she went to the Royal Chapel believing she would be meeting Temerson,” Steldor volunteered from where he stood beside me.
“Who is Miranna’s maid? How long ago did the princess receive the note?” Cannan firmly but calmly inquired.
I had been staring at the floor, cheeks cold and wet, and Steldor dropped to one knee in front of me to gain my attention. He took my hands, his brow furrowed with worry.
“Who is Miranna’s maid? I need the name.”
Barely comprehending his words through my numbness, I tried to move my lips, but they refused to comply.
“You have to help us, Alera. Miranna’s…safety…depends upon it.”
Even in my disoriented state, I knew he had purposely avoided suggesting that Miranna’s life was in danger, or perhaps already taken. A sob choked me at the horrific thought that my sister, my baby sister, might be dead somewhere, her smile, her innocent giggle, her carefree manner gone forever.
“Ryla,” I rasped.
“Does Ryla live in the palace?” Cannan pressed, and I nodded.
The captain turned to address Galen. “Send a guard to bring Temerson here, and find the maid.”
The sergeant nodded curtly and departed. Steldor stood, but I found myself clasping his hand, searching for something to keep me grounded, and he remained at my side.
“Now, what time—”
Cannan was interrupted by the slamming of his office door against the wall as Halias stormed inside, his blue eyes wild.
“Where is Miranna?” he challenged, placing both palms upon Cannan’s desk, glaring down at his captain.
A shadow of a frown fell upon Cannan, and he rose to his feet to address his Elite Guard.
“Stand down, Deputy. The princess’s whereabouts remain to be determined, but everything that can be done is being done.”
There was a strained silence, during which it seemed that Miranna’s bodyguard would fail to comply, but then he pushed off the desk and went to lean against the back wall, every muscle in his body flexed. Destari moved to stand beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, while the captain again sat down.
“What time did Miranna go to meet Temerson?” Cannan queried, finally having the chance to finish his question.
“She dismissed me for the night right after dinner,” Halias said, his eyes darting toward the door every so often as though he might pursue Miranna without delay. “She probably left her quarters shortly after that, before the night guards began patrolling the corridors.”
Steldor gave my hand a squeeze.
“Is that right, Alera?” At my weak nod, he persisted, “Can you tell us what time she was to meet Temerson?”
“Right after dark,” I said, salty tears finding the corners of my mouth as I spoke.
“That means she was taken several hours ago,” Cannan grimly surmised. “If the Cokyrians are behind this, we won’t find her in the city anymore.”
He looked to Destari and issued an order. “Alert our border patrols. It’s possible her abductors have not yet left our lands.”
I made a noise that was halfway between a scream and a sob. Destari looked sympathetically at me before he departed, while Steldor again dropped to his knees and pulled me into his arms. I clung to his shirt as if it represented life itself. Over the sound of my weeping, I heard Galen return, and I looked up to see if Ryla was with him.
“The maid is not in her room,” he reported. “She hasn’t been seen since early evening, and no one could tell me anything about her background.”
“What do we know about this maid?” Cannan demanded.
Halias began to tap his foot with impatience as I raised my head from Steldor’s shoulder, comprehension depressing my chest with such force that my heart could barely beat, and staying my tears like a dam.
“I hired her almost three months ago, in mid-May,” I revealed.
There was a knock on the office door, and a guard ushered an unkempt and terrified Temerson, along with his father, Lieutenant Garrek, into the room.
“Did you send a note to Miranna earlier today?” the captain inquired, without any preliminaries.
“N-n-no, sir,” Temerson replied, frightened eyes roving over everyone present: Halias, who appeared almost crazed; Steldor, on the floor with his arms wrapped about me; Galen, troubled and suspicious; and finally back to Cannan, whose slightly drawn eyebrows were the only sign of distress he ever showed.
“So you had no plans to meet her tonight?”
“N-no, sir. What’s happened, is Miranna all right?”
“Wait in the Sergeant at Arms’ office,” the captain said, waving a hand in dismissal. As Temerson and his father were on their way out, Destari reentered, having sent the urgent message to our patrols, and Cannan turned to Galen once more.
“Summon King Adrik and Lady Elissia. Tell them nothing of what has happened—I will deliver the news myself. Also, send for the doctor. I imagine many people will have difficulty sleeping tonight.”
Galen left, and a restless Halias pushed away from the wall and began to pace across the back of the room. Cannan silently observed him for a moment.
“Sit down, Halias,” he finally said. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“I could go after her,” Halias spat back, ignoring his captain’s directive. “We all know they’ve crossed the river by now. We could catch them before they reach Cokyri.”
“They have an enormous advantage,” Cannan said reasonably, eyes following his deputy captain. “They can travel much faster in the dark than we can track.” After a few beats of silence, the captain repeated, “Sit down. That’s an order.”
Steal
ing a glance at the wooden chair in front of the desk that Cannan had indicated, Halias kicked it, sending it careening past Steldor and me to crash into the wall. Steldor released me and stood, suddenly on guard, posture mirrored by Destari, but the captain was unfazed.
“You could at least let me try to go after her!” Halias shouted, prompting Destari to take a wary step closer. “I’m her bodyguard—it was my duty to protect her, and I’ve already failed. I’ve always been willing to give my life for her, and tonight I should have kept her safe or died in the attempt.” His voice became more tortured as he made one last plea. “London is in Cokyri. Let me find him, and together we might be able to bring her home.”
“No. We won’t blindly pursue her into enemy lands.” He considered his distraught deputy captain for a moment. “Recognize that if the Cokyrians had intended to kill Miranna, they would have done so without removing her from the palace. Nor would they have planted a Cokyrian as her maid for months preceding the deed. They have some purpose beyond taking her life, which gives us time to react more rationally.”
“Perhaps you won’t pursue them,” Halias said through gritted teeth. He turned and stomped from the office, his threat of insubordination echoing in his wake. Cannan glanced sharply at Destari, who followed Halias from the room.
That left only Cannan, Steldor and me in the captain’s office. Steldor retrieved the chair Halias had mistreated and restored it to its place in front of his father’s desk.
“What should be done about the tunnel?” he asked.
“It’s compromised,” Cannan stated. “We’ll have to close it off. Somehow the Cokyrians learned of it. I’ve sent men to investigate the other tunnel that leads outside our city’s walls—if the Cokyrians have discovered that one as well, we have a major security breach on our hands, not to mention we’ll be deprived of both potential escape routes in the event we need them.”
“How could they have learned of it?” Steldor queried with a frown.
There was a pause but not one of contemplation.
“Narian must have told them,” Cannan said. “That’s the only logical explanation.”
“Did Narian have such information?” Steldor astutely posed the question to me, and helpless tears again welled in my eyes.
“I told him,” I whispered, examining the dark features of the two capable military men who were now part of my family, praying they would not condemn me.
Neither man showed a reaction to my revelation. The room was silent, no scuff of shoe nor sound of breath breaking it. Finally, Cannan ended the oppressive hush.
“You told him?” he repeated, his implacability for once fractured by incredulity. “You told a Cokyrian about a tunnel leading into the Palace of Hytanica, and didn’t think it important to inform me or anyone else?”
Hot tears poured from my eyes, and I wiped my face, nose and all on the sleeve of my chemise.
“Father…” Steldor said tentatively, perhaps thinking that I could not handle accusations or blame, but I interrupted him, needing to defend my actions.
“He discovered it.” My voice was strained with fatigue and misery as I tried to dredge up the details of my conversation with Narian so many months ago in the Royal Stables. “He found the tunnel himself, or what he thought to be a tunnel, and asked me where it opened. And I told him. But he would never have repeated the information to harm us. He couldn’t have known this would happen!”
Cannan looked ready to issue a harsh retort but settled on demanding if Narian knew of the second tunnel, to which I had no sure answer. As if to save me further rebuke from the captain, the office door swung open, cutting him off, and my parents entered, followed by Galen. Cannan closed his eyes and took a steadying breath, preparing to deliver the gut-wrenching news.
My father stepped toward the desk, Steldor moving aside to make way for him, while my mother, seeing that I was crying, came to me. She put a hand on my shoulder and stroked my hair, though she knew not what caused my suffering.
“What has happened?” my father asked, disturbed. “The whole palace is in an uproar.”
“You should sit,” Cannan advised, and my father obeyed, sinking into one of the three hardwood chairs that stood before the captain’s desk. Galen moved one of the others closer to mine, and my mother likewise sat, although she kept a hand upon my arm. The sergeant then moved to stand in the back of the office, and my parents stared at Cannan, knowing they were about to hear something horrific.
“There is no easy way for this to be said,” the captain began, utterly collected even as I started to shake with sobs. “Cokyrians, we know not how many, infiltrated the palace tonight and abducted Princess Miranna.”
My mother let out an anguished cry that caused my tears to flow with renewed vigor. She wrapped her arms around me, composure shattered, hugging me close. My father appeared to shrink in his chair, growing paler and seemingly older. He mouthed no, but could muster no sound, his breath stolen by the captain’s words.
“The city was closed down as quickly as possible,” Steldor informed my parents, glancing at his father for reassurance before finishing. “But we have reason to believe that she was removed from the palace several hours before we were aware that she was in danger.”
“No!” my mother wailed. “No, not my baby…”
Her sorrow ripped at my heart, diminishing my own and stopping my rain of tears, and I became the one attempting to offer comfort. My father’s feelings, on the other hand, were apparent from his posture, for he sat still, pale and uncommunicative.
“If it’s any consolation, I do not think the Cokyrians would have gone through the effort of taking Miranna from the palace if their intent were to kill her,” Cannan said, repeating what he had earlier told Halias. “I believe she is safe for now, although all possible measures will be taken to bring her home.”
“Why Miranna?” my father rasped, finally managing sound, his eyes wide and red-rimmed.
“She was the easiest target, the least heavily protected and most naïve member of the royal family,” Cannan explained. His next words were meant to offer some measure of comfort. “If we are unable to apprehend her captors, I’m certain the Cokyrians will negotiate for her release. What they’ll demand, I cannot say.”
A knock on the office door announced Bhadran’s arrival, and Galen granted him entry. The graying doctor, who had treated my family for as long as I could remember, scanned the room in confusion, not yet understanding what had happened. The captain gave him the details, instructing him to supply my parents and me with something to help us sleep. Bhadran, shocked by the news himself, administered a sedative to each of us, and Cannan suggested that we all retire, for there was nothing more to be done this night. My father pulled my weeping mother to him and led her from the room, and Steldor helped me to my feet, only to discover that my legs would not hold me. He lifted me easily into his arms and carried me from the office and toward the Grand Staircase, though exhaustion defeated me before he reached the first step.
CHAPTER 10
DARK DAWN
WHEN I AWOKE, THE GROWING LIGHT OF EARLY morning was filtering through my partially open drapes, attempting to conquer the dark corners of the room. I lay curled on my side beneath the covers of my bed, examining my pale hands where they rested on the pillow, trying to recall the previous evening’s events. I thought of the bizarre dream through which I’d seemingly journeyed, the lingering effects of the sedative making me feel strangely disconnected. I ran my fingers over my face and found it rough with dried tears, and then, as though I had rushed headlong into a wall, I remembered.
Images of Miranna’s overly feminine bedroom flashed in my head, her beribboned canopy bed, the pastel banners that adorned her walls, her legions of dolls. At the thought that she might never sleep there again, my throat stung, and I squeezed my eyes shut in an effort to close out the memories. Only when I reopened them did I notice Steldor in the chair to my left, sound asleep, apparently having stayed with me
all night. His head was turned away from me, tucked against his shoulder and the chair’s back, one arm dangling over the side so his fingers grazed the floor. His dark hair and clothing were atypically mussed, but he appeared every bit as angelic as people were rumored to look when they slept, his long ebony lashes dusting his smooth cheeks. Somehow the peaceful expression upon his handsome face comforted me.
I pulled the covers tighter and watched him for a time, his chest methodically rising and falling with his soft breathing. I willed him not to wake up, not to break this spell that kept back time. I knew that when he roused, we would go to find Cannan and learn if anything had come of the searches that had continued through the night. We would also have to decide what to do in order to survive this nightmare, and at the moment, I was content to block it from thought altogether.
It seemed, however, that my gaze was penetrating Steldor’s layers of sleep, and he shifted, his head lolling to the other side. After raising a hand to his furrowed brow, he finally lifted his lids, instantly focusing on me. He observed me almost apprehensively, as though uncertain what my mental state might be or how I might feel about his presence in my room. Eventually, he stood and cleared his throat.
“My father will want to see us. I’ll send for your maid to help you dress.”
I sat up, nodding, following him with my eyes as he moved toward the door, not wanting him to leave but knowing that he must.
“Thank you for staying with me,” I said.
He stopped with his hand on the open door, turning to give me a slight nod before continuing on his way.
Sahdienne arrived shortly thereafter and assisted me into a simple cream gown. She brushed my hair as she did every morning, and the mundane nature of her actions made me ache, for Miranna’s morning would be anything but normal. After she had twisted my dark hair into a loose bun, she stood behind me, continuing to fuss needlessly with a few stray strands.