Kingdom of Ash and Soot

by C. S. Johnson

  “You know, too?” I blinked. “I found out a few days ago.”

  “After he talked about marrying you before, at the Summerhouse Ball?”

  “Yes,” I said. “He is—”

  “So that is why you want to marry him?” Ferdy asked. “Because he’s a prince?”

  “What? No,” I argued. “Listen to me, I’m trying to tell you—”

  “I’m not going to listen to you,” Ferdy said, struggling to free himself from me. When I would not let go, he pulled his arm away even more, pushing me away with his other arm. “Let me go!”

  I felt the last of my strength leave me at his bark, and I ended up tripping before slamming into the wall behind me.

  “Ouch.” My shoulder scraped hard against the brick wall behind me. I sucked in my breath as a small trickle of blood ooze out from my skin.

  I glanced up from my blood-speckled fingers to Ferdy’s face. He looked shocked and apologetic, and for a long second, I was certain he was going to run back and embrace me.

  But a moment later, he pulled out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and tossed it my way. “My apologies. I must return to the streets for the night. It is for the best. That’s where I belong.”

  His words cut into me deeply and the second he left, I slipped down to the floor, trying not to cry. My fingers were shaking, this time out of grief, as I reached for the handkerchief he had left behind, resting the soft silk against my cheek. The cut on my shoulder hissed with softly searing pain, but I ignored it. It felt better to bleed.

  I knew I only had a limited amount of time to myself. Even if Karl did manage to convince Lord Maximillian to change their arrangement, there was still a chance that something was going to happen. I knew from our plans that Lady Penelope was keeping an eye on the King and Queen, and I knew that Ben was searching the castle for any signs of suspicious activity, especially from the Szapira household.

  I was supposed to be the distraction, keeping an eye on Karl.

  “For all the good it did.” I pulled out my mother’s dagger and looked at it again.

  Now that he was leaving, I knew Ferdy was safe, even if he hated me. I managed to get Karl to discuss terms with Lord Maximillian. I did not know if the assassination plot was foiled, but if nothing else, I had bought time.

  Even if I had broken Ferdy’s heart and my own in the process.

  The door opened again, and I nearly jumped. “Ferdy?” I was unable to stop myself from hoping he would come back for me.

  “Nora?” Ben’s voice was a welcome one, and if it had to be someone other than Ferdy, I was glad it was Ben. He was a friendly face I could count on.

  “I’m over here,” I said, hurriedly wiping my eyes once more. It was time for me to find something more useful to do than cry over my pain.

  “Lady POW was looking for you,” he said. “She just saw Karl Marcelin leave.”

  “Why? He told me he was going to go talk to Lord Maximillian.”

  “He’s gone, too.”

  I felt fear seize hold of me and determination move to cut through it. “Then something must be happening somewhere.”

  Ben sighed. “I’m not sure where. But I followed a footman from the Szapira household down this way when I thought I saw Ferdy storm out of this door and head toward the kitchens.”

  “That was probably where he came in.”

  “So it was Ferdy?” Ben asked. “I saw his face, but I wasn’t sure when I saw he was wearing those clothes.”

  “That’s the way he sneaked inside the castle,” I said. “He danced with me for a song, and then ... ” I waved my hands, unable to say anything else. It was better to let Ben assume things.

  “Is something wrong?” Ben asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing that can’t wait. We need to get to work. If Karl and Lord Maximillian are both gone, we have to work quickly to make sure nothing will happen to all the people here.”

  Standing up, I stripped off my gown, tearing at the stays and ripping the fine fabric, just as Jaqueline had taught me. I stuffed the gown into a fireplace before quickly lighting it. The simple but thick layer of the dress began to burn, and while I was sorry to see such finery be destroyed, I felt much more like myself.

  The smell of burning fabric, too similar to the aroma of Tulia’s house, chased me away. But I jerked my mask up and readied my dagger at my side.

  “Are you finished?” Ben asked.

  I nodded, reminding myself to be brave. “I’m ready.”

  Ben and I made our way to the hallway, and then I sighed. “Wait,” I said. “Give me one moment.”

  “Hurry,” Ben said with a quick nod. “I’ll head for the kitchens. Amir might be there already, checking for signs of the silver thallis herb.”

  “If nothing else, the head chef will be able to tell if there’s something wrong with the food. We could warn them that way.”

  I turned back to the fireplace, now smoking with the remnants of my dress. Taking the handkerchief Ferdy had thrown at me, I prepared to settle it on top of the pile. I would talk to him later, so there was no need to be so sentimental over his souvenir.

  But just as I was about to let it go, the embroidery in the corner caught my eye.

  The trotting horse, and the squiggles symbolizing wheat and waves was all too familiar.

  He got this from the Szapira household.

  I froze.

  Is it possible ... ?

  All those moments of Ferdy telling me he was a liar fell through my mind. He was well informed. He knew how to sneak around. He had a variety of jobs that allowed him to find out information on different people, sometimes very quickly.

  He knew about the Cabal, and he would know that Tulia would recognize it if he talked to her about it.

  Was it possible Ferdy was the one who attacked Tulia?

  Surely not. I shook my head. But ...

  “But if it was, I’ll kill him myself,” I muttered, before I turned around and hurried to catch up to Ben.

  *25*

  ◊

  “What’s wrong?” Ben asked, as I crept up beside him. He was standing in the shadows, just outside the main entrance to the kitchen. As we watched, several lines of servers and maids rushed about, working on preparing plates and refilling drinks.

  We had been careful to sneak quietly through the servant corridors. Prague Castle was known throughout the kingdom for its intricate hallways, and I was surprisingly relieved at the reality. Combined with the busyness of the Advent Ball, Ben and I were able to keep the shadows without much trouble, and any serious scrutiny we might have faced was negated by the event’s demands.

  “Nothing.” I peeked out over his shoulder, watching for any hint of Ferdy.

  “You’re really not going to convince me nothing’s wrong if you use that tone.”

  “Be quiet,” I muttered. “I’ll tell you later, when we have more time to worry about killing people rather than saving them.”

  Ben raised his brow in surprise, more likely at my temper than at my words, but said nothing. We both turned and watched.

  “There.” Ben pointed at a taller figure, who was slinking toward the far end of the kitchen. “I’m certain that’s the missing footman.”

  “How can you tell?” I asked, looking him over carefully. He was dressed in a large coat, and it was hard to make out his features from where we were standing. I could not tell if he was the same height as Ferdy or not.

  “Remember what Lady POW did?” Ben asked. “She managed to slice through his arm. If you look, there’s a slight bulge just under his right shoulder.”

  “That could be his shirt,” I said.

  “I saw him earlier in a different outer coat, and the same thing.”

  “I still don’t know.”

  “He’s going into the wine cellar. That should be proof enough, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Roman Szapira’s the one who renovated the wine cellar here,” Ben reminded me
. “He would be the one who knows how to get into it and how to use it. They have been planning this party for months, so there is no telling how easy it would be to hide it.”

  “The wine.”

  The words left my mouth before the idea had fully formed inside of my mind, but there was no stopping it. I grabbed Ben’s arm. “Ben, it’s the wine.”

  “Yes, I just said that’s where it might be.”

  “No, not in the wine cellar, it’s the wine. It has to be. Karl told me before that the wine had been shipped in from Lord Maximillian’s vineyards for this year. He was supposed to be in town and attending the Advent Ball.”

  “He poisoned the wine?” Ben asked. “If that’s the case, we have a major problem on our hands, because it’s been pouring steadily since the guests started arriving. Some of them are already tipsy from what I’ve seen.”

  “That can’t be it then, I guess,” I said.

  But it had to be something like that, I thought. There was the wine cellar designed and renovated by Karl’s host; a footman from his house was linked to Tulia, and even she had mentioned the wine before the fire exploded ...

  “It exploded.”

  “What is it?” Ben asked.

  Buried inside my mind, cloistered between the moments of Ferdy holding my hand and holding me close, another memory called for my attention.

  “It’s the wine,” I said.

  “We just had this discussion.” Ben rolled his eyes.

  “No, remember what Eliezer said at the Cabal? There had been a shipment of wine that had exploded,” I said. “It was coming from Hradiště. It’s close to the border of Bohemia, and Lord Maximillian owns several vineyards through Moravia. That’s got to be it!”

  “So the wine is supposed to explode?” Ben glanced around nervously.

  “I don’t know how,” I said. “But that’s got to be the plan. Think about it. What better way to say the Emperor is incapable of leading Bohemia? He’s already ignored us. With a major attack escaping his notice, especially after he paid for the renovation of the wine cellar? His project would literally blow up.”

  “And Karl’s role?”

  “He’s the heir. He could offer leadership to a revolution, like Harshad and Lady POW said.”

  “But he’s supposed to be set on getting the Minister-President position.”

  “Maybe that’s a front.” I thought about the way he was eager to marry me instead of Teresa Marie. He needed the support to look good. Was it possible he did not actually want the position?

  “I don’t know,” Ben said. “That sounds like circumstantial evidence to me. There might be another clue down in the wine cellar.”

  “Come this way,” I said, tugging Ben’s arm toward the left. “This is the kitchen area. We’re close to the wine cellar.”

  “If you say so.”

  Together, we headed down the stairs, slowly and quietly making our way through the empty corridors. Ben’s brace tapped noticeably on the stone stairwell as we moved through the underground halls.

  “Where are we?” I whispered.

  “Probably underneath the kitchens,” Ben said. “Look. There’s a door up ahead. The wine would not be too far away from the kitchen. They would need it for cooking as much as serving.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “True enough. I remember all too well some of Cecilia’s cooking needs.”

  “I try very hard to forget everything I can about her,” Ben replied, and despite the enormous amount of fear we were facing, I smiled at his remark.

  “Good,” I said, as we stepped into the wine cellar entrance. “Hopefully, we will never have to worry about her—”

  “Watch out!”

  Ben pushed me aside as the shadow of the footman came rushing out the wine cellar door at us. Our attacker had his mask back on, but I could see his dark eyes widen in surprise as Ben fought with him.

  He quickly threw my brother off him, but I stepped in to distract him before he could attack Ben again.

  “Here,” I called, pulling out my dagger before I remembered that I had not been trained to use it properly.

  The attacker took the bait, regardless. He had his own knife in his hand, and I felt all of my breath rush out of me as he slashed through the air, barely missing me. If I had been wearing my fancy clothes, my petticoats would have been sliced open. My stealth habit’s short skirt managed to whip around him as I dodged his attacks.

  Ben stood up behind him and hurried over to help me.

  I heard a small crackle; Ben’s brace caught on the uneven floor. He went skidding across the stone floor, managing to trip just behind the footman.

  “Ben!” I lashed out a quick kick. Triumph shot through me as my aim proved true, hitting the footman in the groin.

  The footman fell over and yelled in pain. His mask covered his mouth, so I was unable to tell if I recognized his voice or not. Ben knocked him down and he fell, hard, before I held my dagger in line with his heart and Ben pinned him to the ground.

  “Got him?” I asked Ben, my own voice muffled through my mask.

  When he nodded, I carefully reached down and pulled off the attacker’s mask.

  And then let out a sigh of relief.

  It was not Ferdy.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  The attacker glared up at me in the darkness. “It’s not your concern.”

  “We captured you,” Ben insisted, tightening his grip on the footman’s arms. “Tell us who you are.”

  “I don’t think so,” our enemy declared. “All I’m going to tell you is that it’s too late. I’ve done my job, and this place is going to be destroyed in a matter of moments.”

  Ben and I exchanged worried glances.

  “That’s right,” the footman said. “And if you were smart enough, you would let me go and get out of here as fast as you can.”

  Ben thrust a knee into the man’s back. “Tell how to stop it.”

  “You can’t.” The footman smirked. “That’s the power of fire. It’s destructive, breaking everything down until there is nothing left. Once the wine cellar explodes, it will take half of the castle with it. And then then rest of it will fall, too.”

  For the first time, I noticed that there was a large cloud of smoke flowing from the wine cellar door. “Ben,” I hissed. “Look.”

  As Ben turned to look, the attacker launched another punch. His fist caught Ben in the stomach, but I launched myself at him.

  The impact was harder than I would have ever expected, but when our attacker slumped over, unconscious, I did not feel the least bit sorry for him.

  “Thanks,” Ben huffed, trying to breathe properly. He wavered as he stood up and grabbed my hand for support. “Let’s go see if there’s a way to stop the fire—”

  Boom!

  A burst of fire and noise poured through the wall and covered the stone halls with fire around us. Ben and I struggled against the fire, coughing in the smoke and debris. Behind us, I squinted through the fire to see our attacker was writhing around in pain as he screamed.

  I felt sick as Ben pulled me to the staircase and pushed me forward.

  “We need to get out of here, and fast. This is bad, Nora,” Ben said. “That had to be enhanced gunpowder. Maybe even nitroglycerin.”

  “What is that?” I asked.

  “It’s an ingredient found in a lot of explosives.” Ben glanced around us uneasily, looking down at the large barrels of wine and the walls lined with countless bottles. “This is bad. The alcohol in the wine will only make the fire more difficult to put out.”

  So I was right, I thought. It was the wine, even if it is not directly the cause of the explosion.

  “So there is no stopping it?” I asked.

  “I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But maybe if I can take a—”

  “No!” I argued. “No, we have to get the others out of the castle, and fast. There’s no way of telling how much time we have.”

  “I’m guessing that the footman was the on
e who was supposed to set the trigger.”

  “We don’t know for sure,” I said. “You need to go outside and get Amir. I’ll go and get Lady POW and then we will get everyone else out of the castle.”

  “You go get Amir. I’ll retrieve Lady POW.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m the better runner.”

  Ben paused for only the slightest second before he nodded. “Well, you know I don’t gamble with risks—”

  Another explosion rocked the floor around us. I felt pure fear as the ceiling began to crack and the castle walls next to me suddenly shifted.

  “Go, Nora,” Ben yelled at me. “We will do it your way. Go and get Lady POW. I’ll get Amir. I’ll see you outside.”

  His tone was hard and unyielding, and I squeezed my eyes shut as in a second of frustrated, fervent prayer.

  And then slowly, I nodded. I did not want to leave him, but Ben was right. We had to get the people out of here, and we would do better if we split up.

  I put a hand on my dagger. I needed to go and find Lady POW, and we would have to save King Ferdinand and the Empress. I guess it’s time for me to go and meet Karl’s parents. Although I doubt this is what he had in mind.

  “Be careful, Ben!” I called back, as I made a run for the ballroom.

  MAKING MY EXIT FROM the wine cellar was much easier and quicker than getting in. I gripped my dagger, holding the hilt in my left hand as I eagerly charged through the hallways, telling everyone I could to get out of the castle.

  The cook looked confused, but when I explained to her that it was the king’s wishes to protect his people, everyone seemed to follow much more smoothly.

  I raced through the halls, only mixing up my location once. I struggled not to think of Ben. I hoped he was not lying to me about getting Amir. I did not want him trying to enter the wine cellar, even if he thought he might be able to stop more explosions.

  I prayed for him fervently as I headed up the steps and worked my way back to the ballroom.

  I pulled my mask up more tightly around my face before I entered the room of glittering light.

  The ladies and gentlemen all turned to stare at me, but I was thankful once more for the mask. I had pulled the hood over my hair, and it was a relief to hear their concern. I saw several take steps back away from me, and some left the room entirely.