Kingmaker (The Dragon Corsairs)

by Margaret Weis

  Kate looked down all three and saw one glowing with faint blue light. She pointed to the constructs.

  “We know Sir Richard brought Thomas to the Rose Room through this passage. He probably intended to take him back the same way and left the constructs as a guide so that they wouldn’t get lost. If we follow the constructs, they should lead us to the ground floor.”

  They took the hall that branched off to the right. It led them to another set of stairs. Bandit ran on ahead of them, pausing every so often to look back to make certain they were coming. They descended the stairs and came to another passage and more stairs lighted by magic.

  As they went down the staircase, which was wider and not as steep as those before, Kate listened fearfully for the sounds of pursuit. All she could hear was the patter of Bandit’s feet and the rustling of Sophia’s silk skirt.

  When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they paused to rest.

  “Jennings wouldn’t tell Smythe where to find us,” Sophia said with a catch in her throat. “And that horrible man shot him.”

  “We don’t know what happened,” Kate said, trying to reassure her. “What we do know is that Smythe knows we know the truth. He can’t let us reveal what we heard. If Jennings is dead, he died so that we could escape and help our friends.”

  They descended more stairs and encountered more branching hallways. The constructs glowed so faintly they could barely see them and then they ended altogether. They had come to a door.

  “I think this must be the way out,” said Kate. “We should have reached the ground level by now.”

  She warily eyed the door.

  “I don’t see any warding magic. Do you?”

  Sophia shook her head. “We wouldn’t. If this door leads out of the passage, it must also lead into the passage. The warding spells that keep people from finding the door would be on the other side.”

  Kate had to think through that argument for a moment, then conceded Sophia was right. Her idea was confirmed by several lanterns that hung from hooks on the wall, undoubtedly placed there for the convenience of those entering the secret passage.

  “The question is, where does the door lead?” Sophia asked.

  “I’ll be happy if leads us out of this passage,” Kate said. She was feeling a little panicked, starting to wonder if she would ever see sunlight again.

  She put her ear to the door and listened.

  “Do you hear anything?” Sophia whispered.

  Kate shook her head.

  She saw no sign of a door handle, so she gave the door a shove. The door was heavy and barely moved. Pushing harder, Kate forced it open a crack and peeped through it.

  Sophia made a deft catch as Bandit started to dart inside.

  “I can’t see anything. It’s too dark,” said Kate, disappointed. “But I don’t hear anything either and that’s good.”

  “I don’t smell fresh air,” said Sophia, sniffing. She added, startled, “I smell perfume! Wait here. I’ll bring a light.”

  Sophia took down one of the lanterns from the hooks and touched the construct that caused the light to glow.

  “Let me go first,” said Kate, gripping the pistol.

  “Don’t be daft. We go together,” said Sophia.

  The two women crept through the door. Sophia raised the lantern, shone the light about.

  “Nothing but clothes!” Kate said, disappointed. “This isn’t the way out. It’s someone’s dressing room!”

  “If this is a dressing room, the owner has eclectic taste in clothes,” said Sophia, looking dubious.

  The light shone on hats with large floppy brims and dangling plumed feathers for both men and women hanging from hooks on the walls, as well as a variety of cloaks: some made of homespun, others of silk and trimmed with fur. They saw velvet gowns smelling of stale perfume, lacy chemises and petticoats stuffed into armoires, while a trunk contained uniforms such as those worn by the palace servants: black dresses and white aprons for the women and long-tailed black jackets and white stockings for the men.

  “This reminds me of backstage at the theater,” said Sophia. “Oh, Kate, that explains it! These are costumes! Think about it. People who have to resort to using hidden passages are people who don’t want to be recognized because they are having affairs. They come into this room and change clothes to disguise themselves. Once they are wearing the clothes of a maidservant or hiding beneath a floppy hat, they sneak into the palace through the secret passage. It’s ingenious.”

  “It’s disgusting,” said Kate. “Fine lords and ladies with nothing to do except cheat on their spouses and jump into each other’s beds. But … it’s a godsend for us.”

  “What do you mean?” Sophia asked.

  Kate glanced with a smile at Sophia’s elegant silk and lace dress. “The soldiers are going to be looking for a princess. They won’t be looking for a servant. First, though, we need to make certain this leads out of the palace. There must be another hidden door somewhere.”

  The two of them tried to search the walls, but they were covered with clothes and hats hanging from hooks. Kate soon realized they might search for hours and not find it.

  “We might have to go back into the passage and look for another way out,” suggested Sophia, growing discouraged.

  “I’ll be damned if I will,” said Kate. “Wait! What’s Bandit doing?”

  He was sniffing at the bottom of one of the walls and then excitedly pawing it.

  “I think he’s found the door,” said Sophia excitedly.

  She gave the wall an experimental push.

  “I felt something move! This must be the way out.”

  “Thank God! I will give you a tea cake!” Kate patted Bandit on the head. “We should change clothes before we leave.”

  “You’re going to have to help me out of this dress,” said Sophia. “It takes two servants to lace me into it.”

  Kate stripped off her slops and her shirt and put on one of the black dresses and tied a white apron around her waist. She stuffed the slops and the gingham shirt into the bottom of one of the trunks, but slipped her red kerchief into a pocket.

  After she had changed, she went to assist Sophia. Removing her finery took some time. Kate had to untie the ribbons that laced up the bodice and held on the petticoats, then unfasten what seemed innumerable tiny hooks and eyes that closed the back of the dress.

  Sophia put on her own black dress and apron and tucked her curls beneath a white frilly hat.

  “Such a simple outfit,” she said, smoothing the apron with her hands. “The dress is extremely comfortable. You’re very clever, Kate. How do I look?”

  “Like a scullery maid who has expensive taste in jewelry,” said Kate.

  She pointed to the ruby and diamond rings on Sophia’s fingers, her diamond earrings and the ruby and diamond necklace.

  Sophia flushed and pulled off the sparkling rings and earrings, as Kate unfastened the necklace.

  “What do I do with them?” Sophia asked. “I don’t mind leaving them. I have lots more.”

  Kate produced the red kerchief. “Since we’re fugitives, we’re going to need money. We can pawn these if need be.”

  She made a packet of the jewels inside the kerchief and thrust them into the pocket of her apron. She slipped the pistol into the other pocket, then selected two thick cloaks and handed one to Sophia.

  “Fugitives…” Sophia repeated, as she draped the cloak around her shoulders. “I can’t stop thinking about Corporal Jennings. If he is dead, he gave his life to save me, Kate. How can I ever be worth such a sacrifice?”

  Kate squeezed her hand in sympathy. “By continuing his work. We have to warn someone about Smythe. We can’t do that while we are inside the palace, which is crawling with his soldiers.”

  Kate was about to open the door Bandit had discovered, when Sophia stopped her.

  “Wait a moment, Kate. We may escape the palace, but where will we go? Smythe will search the city for us. You said it yourself:
We are fugitives. We will bring danger to anyone who shelters us.”

  Kate paused to consider. Her immediate concern was to get out of this palace and as far away from Smythe as she could manage. She had not thought beyond that. But now that Sophia had asked the question, Kate knew the answer.

  “Dalgren,” she said.

  Sophia brightened. “Your dragon friend! Is he here?”

  “His cave is nearby.”

  “We will be safe there,” said Sophia, relieved. “That horrible man would not dare attack a dragon.”

  “Unfortunately, that horrible man has murdered two dragons,” Kate said. “But if he does find us, Dalgren will be glad—extremely glad—to meet him.”

  She clasped her hand over the pistol. Sophia picked up Bandit and gave the door a gentle shove.

  SIX

  Sophia opened the door a crack. Fresh, cold air flowed inside, and they both breathed deeply and thankfully.

  “We’ve found the way out!” Kate whispered. “Let’s hope this leads to some deserted place behind the palace.”

  “I don’t think it does,” said Sophia.

  The chill breeze carried sounds of panic and bustling activity: women were weeping or screeching in loud, shrill voices; men were shouting as carriage wheels crunched on gravel and horses’ hooves clattered on the pavement.

  Alarmed, Kate drew back from the door. “Douse that light before someone sees us! Do you know where we are?”

  Sophia touched the lantern and the light vanished.

  “We are near the carriageway at the east entrance,” she replied. “This is the old part of the palace. The east entrance used to be the main entrance, but they haven’t used it as such in years.”

  They stood together inside the doorway and peered into the night to get their bearings before venturing outside. The door was located in a recessed corner of the palace at ground level, hidden in the shadows of a wide staircase that flowed down from the first floor in waves of white marble.

  The windows of the palace blazed with light. People milled about on the steps. They sounded angry, frightened, and distraught.

  “Who are they?” Kate wondered.

  “Those are the fine lords and ladies you disparage,” said Sophia. “They were guests of the queen. Many have rooms in the palace.”

  “And now they are fleeing like rats,” said Kate.

  “I don’t think they have a choice,” said Sophia somberly. “They are being ordered to leave.”

  She pointed to the soldiers standing in the driveway, directing the flow of traffic. They stopped each carriage as it rolled up to the steps, and before they permitted the passengers to enter, they searched the carriage inside and out and even looked underneath. They questioned the drivers and the servants and the departing guests.

  “They are looking for you!” Kate realized, alarmed. “Damn! This is the last place we should be!”

  “They will be looking for us everywhere, Kate,” said Sophia calmly. “We won’t be safe anywhere around the palace.”

  More carriages rolled up and took their places in line. The carriages gave Kate an idea.

  “Where are the Royal Stables from here?”

  “On the other side of the Royal Garden,” Sophia said.

  Kate thought this over. “Could we reach the stables by cutting through the garden?”

  “We can!” said Sophia, in growing excitement. “When Her Majesty and I would go to visit the griffin stables, we sometimes walked through the garden to reach them.”

  “Did the queen keep horses in the stables, as well as griffins?” Kate asked.

  “The stables are filled with horses. Her guests keep their own horses there. The queen kept saddle horses for herself and her guests. She loved to hunt and she would always insist that her guests join her. You’re thinking we could ride the horses! That’s a splendid idea!”

  Kate grimaced. Just the thought of being around horses made her gut shrivel, but she couldn’t think of a faster or better way to reach Dalgren.

  The carriage lane ran between the palace on one side and the garden on the other. The lights from the palace illuminated the lane, but did not reach beyond the garden walls.

  “Give the lantern to me. You should put Bandit down on the ground. We’ll have to run for it.”

  “If I put him down, he’ll chase after the carriages,” said Sophia. “Don’t worry. I can carry him.”

  Kate sighed, but supposed, after all, Sophia was right to keep hold of Bandit. Smythe would have probably given orders to search for the spaniel as well as the princess.

  She and Sophia hurried out the door, and it slid shut silently behind them, vanishing into the wall, looking like just another slab of marble. Even though they kept to the shadows, Kate felt very exposed. Sophia was whispering to Bandit, promising him pudding if he would keep quiet.

  They watched carriages drive past, one at a time. Each left with its passengers as soon as the soldiers completed their search and gave the driver permission. The moment one carriage had rolled away, the soldiers motioned for another to take its place.

  They were questioning the guests before they left the palace. Each person was asked the same questions:

  “Have you seen Her Highness, the Princess Sophia? Have you seen Sir Henry Wallace or the Countess de Marjolaine?”

  Kate thrust the pistol into the sash of the apron and whispered to Sophia, “The best time to make a dash for it will be when the soldiers are occupied searching the carriages. After this next carriage passes us, we run.”

  Sophia drew in a deep breath. “Bandit and I are ready.”

  A large carriage drawn by four matching white horses pulled up to the stairs. The soldiers opened the doors and began their search. The nobleman who owned it stepped forward to loudly protest.

  “What the devil do you mean by this outrage, sir? Searching my carriage as though I were some common criminal. Do you know who I am?”

  “No, but God bless you!” said Kate gratefully. “Now!”

  She started to run and promptly tripped over the hem of her skirt. Swearing under her breath, missing her slops, she hiked up her skirt and ran across the lawn.

  The pistol dug into her stomach. The lantern bumped against her leg. Sophia had sensibly kilted her skirt so that she could carry the dog. She ran with both arms around Bandit, clutching him tightly. His head bounced against her shoulder, his ears flapped, and his tongue lolled. He appeared to be too shaken to bark.

  They reached the carriageway without incident, but about halfway across the lane, Sophia began to falter, her strength failing. The nobleman was still yelling at the soldiers, but they were not paying the least attention, forcing him and his guests inside the carriage and slamming shut the doors.

  Kate and Sophia reached the entrance to the garden as the horses galloped past. Kate could still hear the man complaining loudly as the carriage rolled by.

  The garden was surrounded by a hedgerow of green beech that stood twelve feet tall and had been clipped to form an archway. Safe in the shadows, Kate and Sophia sank down on a bench to catch their breath.

  Sophia set Bandit on the ground, where he immediately ran to a fountain and began to lap up water. Kate realized she herself was parched, and after she and Sophia were rested, they both knelt down at the side of the fountain, cupped their hands, and gratefully scooped up the brackish water.

  Kate was also hungry, and couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten. She told her stomach to make do with the water.

  The garden had seemed impenetrably dark when they had first entered, and they wondered how they would find their way. As their eyes adjusted, however, they found that the lambent glow of the stars provided enough light for them to see a path that wound among flower beds covered with straw for the winter.

  “This isn’t a maze, is it?” Kate asked worriedly.

  Sophia shook her head. “It used to be, during the time of King Godfrey. Queen Mary ordered the maze cut down and this garden planted. She d
idn’t like mazes. ‘I have no idea why grown people think it great fun to mislay themselves,’ she always said.”

  Sophia was silent a moment, then added with a sigh, “Queen Mary was like that: practical, straightforward, forthright. If she was fond of you, she told you. If she detested you, she told you that, as well. I am glad she was fond of me. I will miss her very much.”

  As they walked along the path, Kate thought that the queen’s garden seemed to mourn her, now preparing itself for death with winter’s killing frosts. The perfume of lilies and roses had been replaced by the smell of damp loam and decaying leaves. Skeletal trees cast faint, ghostly shadows that shivered in the chill wind.

  A light suddenly flashed in the darkness, alarming Kate. She started to draw the pistol. Sophia stopped her.

  “It’s only the sundial,” she said. “It’s magic. It serves as a functioning sundial during the day. At night a little silver orb mimics the phases of the moon. The moon is rising tonight.”

  Kate started to breathe again. The sounds coming from the palace were muffled. All she could hear were dead leaves rustling around the bases of cold marble statues, and the creaking of tree branches. She was exhausted, her weariness as much of spirit as in her body.

  Only a few hours had passed since she had warned Sir Henry that the palace was going to come under attack. The hours might be few, but the time seemed to span centuries. She was glad Sophia was with her, to keep her going.

  “Do you need to rest?” she asked her friend.

  “Yes,” said Sophia. “But we shouldn’t stop.”

  They kept going. Bandit trailed after his mistress, head down, ears drooping. The garden was laid out in a practical manner, with straight paths and wide walkways. Apparently Queen Mary had scoffed at romantic little nooks or grottos, and barred any fanciful meanderings. They had walked about a mile without deviating from the path when Sophia indicated two rows of tall poplar trees that stood straight as soldiers on parade, forming two lines, one on either side of a broad walkway.

  “The trees extend to the gate that leads to the Royal Stables,” she said.

  Kate shook off her weariness and peered ahead. “I can see lights.”