"Yes." Even the thought of being so close to him while we talked had my throat turning dry. I remembered the champagne in my hand and took a sip. I'd only ever had it once before, and that had only been a taste after some had been left over from one of the Duchess' parties. This was better, though. It was light and bubbly.
Raynor waited for me to take a seat and then sat next to me.
Despite knowing it wasn't proper, I kicked off the glass-like shoes. They were surprisingly comfortable, but something felt off about wearing another woman's slippers, and I would enjoy having a small amount of time free of them.
"You look beautiful in that dress," Raynor said.
I glanced away, trying to hide the blush stealing over my cheeks. "It's out of fashion," I murmured.
"You think I know what is and isn't stylish?" he checked.
"You have eyes," I pointed out. "And a parade of beautiful noble girls in front of you. I'd think it was hard not to notice."
"None of them even compare to you."
I wanted to call him out on that being such a ridiculous thing to say, but I found I couldn't. I enjoyed it too much.
To my surprise, Raynor leaned in and brushed a stray lock of my hair behind my ear. I closed my eyes at the touch, enjoying the intimacy of the moment, which was only increased by the gentle scent of the flowers, and the faint strains of music from the ballroom.
Right here, we were in a world of our own, where no one else mattered.
Raynor's lips touched mine. After a moment of shock, I relaxed into the kiss, letting myself focus on nothing except for the man in front of me. I'd been trying not to think about what this moment might be like. It had seemed so unlikely that a Prince would be interested in a serving girl like me, and I hadn't wanted to push my luck any further than I already had.
We broke apart, both of us breathing heavily and staring at one another. I lifted my fingers to my lips, and touched them. They still tingled from the way he'd kissed me.
"That was everything I imagined it would be," he admitted.
My blush returned. "I was supposed to be warning you, not kissing you," I murmured.
"Warning me?" The haze of emotion and desire left him within moments. "About what?"
"The Duchess," I said. Now that I'd remembered what I was supposed to be doing, rather than letting myself get lost in the romantic haze of the evening, the words came tumbling out. "I overheard her talking to Lord Daryll, that was the lord you thought might be plotting against you, right?" I checked.
He nodded.
"They were talking about the supplies they have and when they're going to make their move. They said it was going to be tonight."
Raynor frowned. "The Duchess said this?"
I nodded. "I was under the window. They didn't realise it..."
"You don't understand, Tanwyn," he started.
Oh no. What was he going to say now? Would he dismiss the warning I'd worked so hard to get to him?
"The Duchess must have been saying all of that to gain Lord Daryll's trust," he said.
Should I protest? I didn't want him to think I was easily swayed, but I knew this was dangerous territory. I could lose Raynor forever if this went wrong.
"Her husband was a huge supporter of my family before he died. His wife can't be plotting against us, it would defile his life's work and leave it in tatters."
"I heard her," I whispered. "She seemed fairly certain." Why didn't he believe me? He had when I'd told him about the girls being used to spy on him, so why didn't he now? I wasn't lying to him.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I held them back, though it got harder with every moment he didn't say anything. How could he be doing this to me? I thought he liked me.
Fool. The word echoed around my head. How could I have ever thought a Prince would be interested? It was probably some kind of sport to him, to see if he could trick a poor girl into thinking she was something more. Perhaps he even had a bet going with someone on the inside.
Raynor sighed loudly, as if he wanted to accept that I was telling the truth, at the same time as needing to deny it for his own peace of mind.
A gong sounded inside. Raynor jumped to his feet, a panicked look on his face. "I'm sorry, Tanwyn, I have to go see to this. It's an important part of the night."
He was gone before I could say anything else. My chance of saving his life along with him.
How could I have gotten this so wrong?
Chapter 13
I wiped away the dried tears as I made my way back to the ball. No matter what Raynor said, I believed what I'd heard was true, and I was going to protect him no matter what, even if I had to do it myself and had no idea where to start.
As if she'd sensed my distress, Dart whizzed by me, coming to settle on my shoulder. She chirped and chittered, clearly distressed by something.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice sounding stronger than I'd expected it to. That was something at least. This way, other people didn't need to know I'd had my heartbroken by the first person I'd ever given it to.
Dart jumped off me and flapped her wings frantically. I had no idea what she'd seen, but it was clearly something she didn't like.
"Take me," I whispered.
She turned to the left, back in the direction she'd come from, and away from the party. I frowned. Where could she be taking me? What had she seen? She was supposed to have been finding the Duchess, but how was that possible if we were going in the opposite direction to the ball?
I wanted to ask all my questions aloud, but I knew it was pointless. Dart wouldn't have any answers for me. No, that wasn't true. Dart did have answers for me. They were simply communicated in a different way. She couldn't use words, so she showed me instead. It was the main way she told me what she wanted.
Deciding that the best thing I could do was to trust her, I crept along behind her. Every now and again, Dart turned her head around to check I was still there. When she did, I'd nod in her direction and continue moving.
After five minutes of this, we approached what looked like a carriage house. Something wasn't right about it, though. A light flickered in the window, one that I knew would spook whatever horses were inside. I might not know a lot about the creatures, but I'd paid enough attention when the stable hands talked about them to be sure about this.
Dart flew back to me and landed on my shoulder. This must have been what she was trying to show me. I had very little doubt about what I'd find when I peered through the window, but that didn't mean I shouldn't be careful.
I reached up and scratched the dragon's head in a way of thanks. I didn't want to speak out loud in case we were heard. The last thing either of us wanted was to be discovered. There was no doubt in my mind that the Duchess would kill me if she found me here, and who knew what she'd do to Dart. Probably trap her and then enslave her. That was the Duchess' way.
After listening for a moment to ensure no one was directly on the other side of the window, I popped my head up over the ledge and looked inside. A middle-aged man sat with the Duchess, a sharp knife between the two of them. Judging from his clothing, this could be none other than Lord Daryll.
A small part of me hoped Raynor was looking around the ballroom and noticing that the two of them were missing right now. That would make it easier when I tried to convince him he was in danger again.
"Are you going to do it, or are you expecting me to?" Lord Daryll asked.
I sucked in a breath. I could only guess at what they were going to do, but I imagined it wasn't going to end well for Raynor. Or the rest of his family, for that matter. I doubted they'd be satisfied with only the Prince out of the way.
Why wasn't Raynor being more careful? I could understand not worrying about his own life so much, but what about his parents? Actually, I had no idea whether or not his Mother was alive. He'd only ever spoke to me of the King.
"I'll do it," the Duchess said, picking up the knife and inspecting it with keen interest. Moonlight glinted from the blade,
leaving no doubts about her murderous intent. "I'll be able to get closer to him. I doubt the fool will have forgotten his suspicions about you."
"But you told him I was no threat when he visited you."
At least Daryll's comment confirmed they were talking about the Prince. For a moment, I'd hoped they were going to assassinate someone else. Not that killing anyone was acceptable, but it might be easier to warn and save someone who didn't have a royal responsibility.
"Of course I did. But the man is no fool in this. He suspected you for a reason, and I doubt that will have gone away simply because I said a few nice words to him." She paused, a thoughtful look coming over her face. "Besides, we don't know what that girl of mine said to him. Maybe she told him something. He didn't seem the same after the two of them talked."
I squeaked, then crouched down in a hurry, not wanting to be discovered listening in to their conversation. The two of them had a clear disdain for life, and I didn't want to be caught up in it.
Except I already was. In choosing to do whatever I could to save Raynor, I'd put myself in the thick of their plot.
"We need to cut them off from the palace," I whispered to Dart.
She made an odd noise that I assumed was approval.
"Maybe with a fire?"
Her eyes lit up. She was always going to choose fire over every other option.
I didn't wait for the two plotters to leave the carriage house. If I wanted to set a fire they wouldn't be able to pass, then it would need some time to grow between me setting it and them getting up to go back to the ball.
"Did you see anything that would burn well?" I asked Dart.
She nodded, then flapped her wings, soaring off into the night just slow enough for me to be able to follow. I'd have to make her a nice fire of her own once all of this was over, a way to treat her and thank her for all the things she'd done to help me over the years.
I found Dart perched on top of an old dry hay bail. A slow grin spread over my face. This would be perfect for what I needed.
Being careful not to ruin my dress, I pushed on the bail so it rolled into the path between the carriage house and the palace. I wasn't naive enough to think it'd be impossible to get around the blaze, but the Duchess was dressed for a party, not for an assassination, she couldn't afford to get too dirty, or it would raise questions about what she'd been up to. Which would also suit my purposes. Anything that could stop her from fulfilling her goal.
"You go be the lookout," I instructed Dart.
She glanced longingly at the hay bale, but I waved her away. Her eyesight was better, and she'd spot them coming far quicker than I would. Besides, the hay was dry, I had no reason to think it wouldn't light with one of the simple sparks I could produce.
The moment she was gone, I clicked my fingers.
Nothing happened.
"Come on," I whispered, trying to encourage the fire inside me.
I clicked them again. This time, the tiniest of sparks drifted away from my fingers. That wasn't good enough, though. I needed more than that.
Again.
Another spark.
"Please," I whispered frantically.
I shouldn't have sent Dart to go look out after all. She'd have been able to set this on fire in a second.
I clicked another time. This time, a small flame licked up from the tips of my fingers. I smiled, satisfied that I'd finally been able to produce it. Now all I needed to do was use it to light the bail on fire.
Holding the flame next to the dry hay, I counted to ten, waiting for it to catch alight.
Nothing happened.
"Come on..."
Dart came back into view, flapping frantically.
"It won't light," I hissed at her.
She glanced over her tiny shoulder. The others couldn't be far behind.
"Try once?" I asked, letting the flame on my fingers drift away in the breeze.
Dart didn't do anything to acknowledge she'd heard me. Instead, she opened her mouth and let forth a spew of fire. It hit the bail, but still, nothing happened.
"It must be spelled," I whispered to her. It was the only thing that made sense. Though I couldn't blame the royal stable hands for taking that precaution. A fire would spook the horses and potentially lead to equine death, something they'd want to avoid at all costs.
The soft footfalls of the Duchess and Lord Daryll sounded as they approached.
I exchanged a worried glance with Dart. This was going to be dangerous. If they caught me here, then it would be game over. I was the only person who knew they were planning to hurt Raynor, and if they could stop me from doing anything about it, then they'd be free to go ahead with the plan.
With no other option, I flattened myself against the side of the hay bale they couldn't see.
"What is that doing here?" the Duchess asked with disdain.
"Maybe it's feeding time?" Lord Daryll responded.
I almost rolled my eyes. What did the Duchess see in him as far as a plotting partner went? He didn't seem like the brightest spark.
"Was it here when you came down from the ball?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," he responded.
"You're useless. Check the ground is dry, I don't want to ruin my gown."
"Your gown?" Daryll sounded outraged. "You're thinking about your gown right now?"
"No, I'm thinking about not getting caught," she countered. "All of the places I could ruin a gown are out of bounds to ball goers. Don't you think it would arouse suspicion if I returned with it destroyed?"
Daryll muttered something I couldn't hear over the pounding beat of my heart. Once I knew which side of the bail he was going to check, I could disappear around the opposite side. It wasn't the best strategy, but it was one I hoped would keep me and Dart safe.
His footsteps sounded from the right. "It's dry," he announced.
I almost sighed with relief when the rustling of the Duchess' dress indicated she'd followed in the same direction.
Taking the chance I had, I disappeared around the left hand side of the bail, keeping the two of us out of sight from the woman who ruled my life.
Now, I had to go back to the ball and foil the plot itself.
Chapter 14
The ball was still in full swing, though it was easy to see that the people in the room had gotten drunker. Probably due to the free-flowing champagne. I suspected it took more than the one glass I'd had myself, though saying that, I'd had the Duchess' plot to sober me up.
My heart pounded in my chest as I searched the room for Raynor. Maybe he'd retired for the evening and was safely behind doors with guards. Even as I thought it, I knew that wasn't going to be the case. Whatever he'd left me to go do, he hadn't been too angry, and I didn't believe he'd leave the ball without at least trying to say goodbye.
"You're going to have to hide in my dress while we're in there," I told Dart. "No one else has a dragon with them."
She chittered as if insulted at the mere suggestion.
"How about next time, I wear a hat. You can pretend to be a decoration on it."
She stared at me for a moment, then nodded her head.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I found myself smiling. She was such a breath of fresh air in the world I'd found myself in. I wasn't sure what I'd ever do without her. She might have protested about hiding in my dress, but she scampered down and attached herself to one of the fluffy parts at the bottom. It was a good thing she was so small, otherwise, the weight of her might have weighed me down as I re-entered the ballroom.
Even so, there wouldn't be any more dancing for me without her disappearing first. The last thing I wanted was for her to end up caught in my dress as I swirled. What if somebody stood on her?
I shook my head. There was no point worrying over Dart right now, she was safe, and even if she wasn't, she was more than capable of looking after herself, she didn't need me to do it for her.
Raynor caught my eye and gave me a small half-wave.
I skirted the edge of the room in an attempt to get closer to him. Hopefully, no one would think that was odd, especially after they'd seen us dancing earlier. As I did so, I scanned the room for any signs of the Duchess and Lord Daryll. They should have arrived before me, and yet they were nowhere to be seen.
Which meant that the first thing I needed to do was to try and warn Raynor again. Perhaps he'd believe me now he had some time to think about it. If not, maybe I'd be able to get him to agree to a search of the Duchess, which would bring up the knife. I didn't think that would be enough to convict her of treason, but as far as I knew, it was against the law to have a weapon while attending a royal ball.
Wait, that was another thing I had no way of knowing. What was happening to me? In some ways, it was almost as if I knew this world already. Which made no sense. I'd never been a part of it, even tangentially.
A hand clasped around my upper arm. I pulled against whoever it was, knowing they weren't a friend of mine. I didn't like anyone touching me without permission, the only potential exception being Raynor, but I could see him in front of me, and knew it wasn't him holding onto me so tightly.
"What do you think you're doing?" a familiar voice growled.
I turned to find Lord Daryll looking at me with contempt in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked, my voice a jittery mess. Technically, even though I knew who he was, he had no idea about that. We'd never met or even seen each other across a room.
"I think you do," he growled. "You see, you forgot one thing when you came waltzing into this ballroom with bad intentions."
I did? Part of me wanted to ask what he thought I'd forgotten, but I thought better of it. If I didn't antagonise him, then perhaps he'd let me go.
"Did you forget that two of your little friends are here tonight?" He pointed to the opposite side of the room where Nancy and Jill were standing looking very out of place, as well as uncomfortable.
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