In the Enemy's Service (Annals of Alasia Book 2)

by Annie Douglass Lima

  And so Anya rose slowly to her feet and began to feel her way along the passage again. Her legs were shaking, and a distant part of her mind noted with interest that her knees were actually knocking together the way they did in stories when people were scared. She had always thought that was just a figure of speech.

  She nearly tumbled down the next flight of stairs, but caught herself just in time. She couldn’t afford to trip now. She was getting close enough that any sound might alert the other person to her presence. I hope he didn’t hear me when I fell the first time. If he had, then he already knew she was down here. He could be lying in wait just around the next corner.

  Anya paused to sit down again and rub her sore knees, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself. It wasn’t working very well, and she found herself chewing anxiously on a thumbnail as she thought about what lay ahead.

  I can do this. I’m not afraid. I can do this. She silently repeated the words over and over as she rose to her feet and began to shuffle down the passage again.

  At last came the moment she had been both looking forward to and dreading. Rounding a corner, Anya thought she glimpsed a faint glimmer of light ahead. She was getting close. Slowing her steps even more, she inched along, her own breathing ridiculously loud in the stillness.

  Soon there could be no doubt. The light was growing brighter with every step, and now she could hear the faint murmur of voices in the distance as well. As she descended the last stairway, the light became so bright it was practically blinding after the pitch darkness of the passage. Anya stopped and turned away, shading her eyes with one hand until she could look up without squinting.

  The first thing she noticed was that the door in the right-hand wall was standing open, as she had known it would be. The second was that there was no candle in the little shelf before the door. Whoever was in there must have brought their light in with them. That wasn’t good. They’ll see me for certain.

  Anya crept forward, scarcely daring to breathe. The short hallway that had taken her barely three seconds to walk down last time took a full minute now. By the doorway, she stopped and pressed her body flat against the wall, easing her head ever so slowly around the opening.

  The room was empty.

  Anya blinked and stepped closer to look again. Sure enough, it was empty. To make certain, she climbed part way up the little hill and peered down the other side. Completely empty. The light she had seen was only lamplight glowing through the hole in the floor.

  Sinking to her knees, Anya collapsed in a heap on the carpet and buried her face in her arms, half sobbing in silent relief. After all that terror, there was no one here after all.

  But how could that be? The door was open. Someone was here recently and forgot to shut it when they left. But scarcely had the idea crossed her mind than she realized the truth. Anya herself had left the door open. She had been in such a hurry to get back last time that she had forgotten to close it.

  She could have kicked herself for her carelessness. This had all been her own fault. The draft, falling down the stairs, the candle going out, the journey in the dark, the terror of being found and killed. She had no one to blame but herself. Father’s right, she thought. I’m much too careless.

  She could almost hear his voice scolding her. Think, Anya! You can’t keep rushing around through life so impulsively. Stop and think about what you’re doing.

  Don’t worry, Father. I’ll never forget to close a door behind me again, Anya vowed. Never. I’ve learned my lesson.

  Gradually she once again became aware of the voices from below. Of course. In her fear, and then her relief, she had forgotten all about the reason she was here in the first place. Quickly, Anya scooted the rest of the way up the sloping floor and peered into the hole.

  Down in the throne room, Private Dannel and Captain Almanian were both standing on the red carpet. “Never fear, my lord, we will be ready,” the captain was saying to Rampus. “I’ll work with the general to prepare an ambush, as you said. We’ll send for reinforcements from among nearby towns; the enemy will be outnumbered by far, and we’ll have the benefit of surprise. They will be completely wiped out.”

  Who is he talking about? Anya wondered. Was this about the uprising she had invented? Or had Dannel brought news of a real one in the works somewhere?

  “I certainly hope they will,” Rampus replied, cracking his knuckles in satisfaction. “You’re dismissed now, Captain. Go get started with the arrangements.”

  “Yes, sir.” Almanian saluted, then turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

  The regent waited until he was gone, then glanced around as though to make sure there was no one else listening. Anya suddenly realized that once again there were no other soldiers in the room. That’s interesting. Perhaps the regent had dismissed them earlier, as he apparently had the last time he and Dannel had met. That probably meant that whatever news Dannel had brought, or whatever plans he and Almanian and Rampus had made, were top secret.

  Anya sighed, wishing she had arrived soon enough to hear more. The little she had heard didn’t mean much on its own.

  “Now, Dannel, for your next assignment,” the regent continued in a lower voice.

  Dannel bowed. “Yes, my lord?”

  “I want you to take another message to Sazellia,” Rampus told him. “To Prince Korram, this time. I don’t trust him and this Mountain Folk army he’s supposedly recruited for me. When he went gallivanting off into the Impassables, I dared to hope that we’d never see him again, but obviously he was more resourceful than I had thought. If his intentions are as I fear, he could be a very real danger, but of course you mustn’t let him know that I suspect anything.”

  “Of course not, sir,” Dannel assured him.

  The regent folded his hands and stared thoughtfully at the opposite wall. “I may be able to kill two birds with one stone here. You’ll give him the letter I’m going to write summoning him to Almar, and he’ll think he’s being invited to take part in our glorious victory. But if he makes it safely through enemy territory as far as the city, he mustn’t make it to the palace. When the time comes, I want you to have someone waiting in hiding near the main road. A skilled archer; either an Alasian or a Malornian who could pass for one, ready to make certain Korram never gets to me. Our people will blame the enemy, and my way to the throne will finally be clear.”

  Dannel bowed again. “Brilliant, my lord.” His voice was full of admiration. “Absolutely brilliant.”

  Anya’s eyes widened. Regent Rampus was plotting to murder Prince Korram and make himself king of Malorn! And Dannel was a secret agent who would put his plans into action! This was as exciting as an adventure story. Of course, it would have been a better story if Rampus and Korram weren’t both villains. As it was, no matter which of them won, Alasia would remain in the Malornians’ clutches.

  The regent chuckled, and Anya heard him cracking his knuckles once again. “It is brilliant, isn’t it? That annoying prince will soon be out of my way, and in just a few more days, I will be absolute ruler of both Alasia and Malorn. I just have to find the other annoying prince first. Then Alasia will have no more reason to keep resisting. Soon the people will understand that their future is Malorn. Their future is me. Me!” He tipped back his head and laughed delightedly, long and loud. Dannel joined in, and the echoes of their mirth resounded from the domed ceiling and chased each other back and forth around the throne room like an entire horde of cackling tyrants.

  Chapter 16

  The cloak was practically perfect. Anya arrived at Porlim’s shop early on Wednesday morning to finish attaching the lining and make sure everything looked just right. Now she couldn't resist trying it on, smiling at the feel of the soft rabbit fur brushing her skin. The garment was not only comfortable but much warmer than before, which would be useful if Prince Jaymin put his plan into action at night. Though there was no mirror back here, she knew the silver clasp at her throat looked formal and elegant. And the design she ha
d created along the hem was lovely – perhaps the best embroidery she had ever done. It was a garment to be proud of, and though Anya had not actually made it from scratch, she couldn’t have been prouder of it if she had.

  Tonnis’s friend, when he saw it, was pleased too. “Excellent. You’ve done a fine job,” he told her from beside the clothing shop where they had agreed to meet. Rain was pelting down, and he held the cloak up under the roof’s overhang where it would stay dry. “I must say, it looks even better than what I envisioned.” He folded it carefully and placed it in the bag he was carrying. “Thank you very much, young Anya. I have to go now.”

  With a quick wave, he pulled the hood of his own cloak up over his head and disappeared down a muddy alley, leaving Anya grinning after him.

  A few hours later, sitting on the rain-slick buggy seat beside her oblivious soldier escort, Anya thought again about the prince and what he might be about to do in his formal cloak. As the private drove them through the puddled streets back toward the palace, she wondered if there were any other way she might be able to help Prince Jaymin. If only she knew more about his plans. But she did know one thing: if he were about to confront Rampus, he would have an easier time of it if there were fewer soldiers around. So maybe she could think of something to tell the regent that would convince him to send some of his men away.

  It was simple, really. What was the one thing Rampus seemed to want more than anything else? Besides getting rid of Prince Korram and making himself king of Malorn, that is. He wanted to catch the missing Prince Jaymin.

  Little by little, a plan began to shape itself in Anya’s mind, and by the time the dripping buggy rolled back through the palace gates, she knew exactly what she would tell the regent.

  But Rampus, apparently, was not available. “He’s gone out,” the soldier on duty by the front door told her curtly when she asked if she could speak to him. “He had business to take care of in Almar today; probably won’t be back till late. I can get you in to see him first thing in the morning if it’s important, but not until then.”

  Shivering in the icy rain, Anya shuffled back to the clinic to change into dry clothes, her feet dragging on the wet cobblestones. One good thing about the rain – not to mention the regent’s absence – was that fewer soldiers were about in the courtyard, and no one ordered her to go into the palace and get to work.

  Wennish, who had taken over some of her old chores now that he was well enough, stood in the back room of the clinic carefully grating comfrey root into a shallow dish on the counter. Beside him, Tonnis was crumbling dried yarrow flowers into a jar while Eleya chopped feverfew leaves. They had been chatting, but all three looked up expectantly as Anya hurried in.

  Checking to make sure there were no patients listening from any of the rooms, Anya told them about finishing the cloak and her suspicion that the old man might be making arrangements for Prince Jaymin to return and confront Rampus in the next day or so.

  “Could be,” Tonnis agreed. “This is Wednesday, and he normally only comes to the market on Fridays. Yes, it could be a sign that they’re getting ready for something.”

  “Did you tell him what you heard the regent and Dannel talking about yesterday?” Wennish wanted to know.

  Anya paused, caught off guard. “No. Should I have?” It hadn’t occurred to her. After all, the fragment of conversation hadn’t made much sense on its own. Except the part about Rampus planning to have Prince Korram killed, but would Tonnis’s friend really care about that?

  “Well, it might end up being important,” Wennish pointed out. “If you see him again, you should probably mention it, just in case.”

  “Or I’ll tell him on Friday, if he comes and the prince hasn’t done anything by then,” Tonnis put in.

  “But surely it can’t affect their plans now,” Anya protested. “Prince Jaymin might even show up here with an army tonight. Wouldn’t it be wonderful!”

  They all agreed that it would, and Anya stayed up late that evening, wandering from window to window, biting her thumbnails distractedly as she wondered what Prince Jaymin was doing at that moment and whether he was on his way. And what about Erik? Did he give advice as well as protection? Was he helping the prince make his plans? Surely the young bodyguard must be pondering the possible dangers, planning how he would protect his charge. He must be a good fighter too.

  Soon I might get to meet both of them, Anya thought excitedly. It could be any moment now!

  But nothing had happened by the time Eleya finally sent her off to bed, and in the morning there was still no sign that anything momentous was about to take place. That was all right, though, Anya reminded herself, trying not to feel disappointed. It was better that Prince Jaymin hadn’t carried out his plan yet, because now she could put hers into action and help him.

  “I have good news and bad news, sir,” she announced from her usual spot on the red carpet. One of the soldiers had let her into the throne room to see the regent right after breakfast. “Which do you want to hear first?”

  “I’m in no mood for your games, girl,” snapped the regent, glaring down at her. He had obviously been having a bad morning already. “Whatever you have to tell me, out with it.”

  “Yes, sir.” Anya bowed her head contritely. “Well, the bad news is that I found out yesterday that the uprising has been cancelled. I mean, I guess that’s good, but the bad part is that now you won’t be able to catch the people involved. At least not as easily. They said that because there’ve been so many extra soldiers around, they don’t dare try what they were going to do just yet. But the good news is, they’re going to do something in another town instead. They’re planning to go there this afternoon – not all together in a big group, you know, but in ones and twos, on horseback and in carts and wagons. Because….” Anya grinned and bounced up and down on her toes a couple of times as though bursting with the news. “Oh, sir, you won’t believe this, but one of them found out where Prince Jaymin has been hiding! They’re going to go meet him and become part of the army he’s secretly been gathering!”

  The regent’s reaction startled her. He sprang from his throne and bounded down the steps in a single leap, seizing Anya by the shoulders and shaking her. “Where? Where?” he shouted into her face, even more excited than she had pretended to be. “Where’s Prince Jaymin?”

  That was the part of Anya’s plan that she had had to think over the most carefully. It would be dreadful if she made up some location only to have it be, by chance, the actual city where the prince really was hiding. And of course she had no way of knowing where he was or wasn’t. But the more she had thought about it, the more it seemed that he was most likely to be here in Almar itself. Surely Alasia’s capital was where he could find the most people loyal to his family. He and Erik had probably slipped out of the palace unseen in the chaos of the night of the Invasion and fled straight to the home of some friend of his dead parents; someone who would risk his or her life to keep the prince hidden and safe. Quite possibly it was Tonnis’s friend himself, or at least someone the old man knew. But one way or another, Almar would be the best place to gather information and keep an eye on what the enemy was doing; the best place from which to stage an attack on the palace.

  So, as long as she claimed the prince was in some small town far from Almar, she couldn’t accidentally give away his real location. Anya had spent the last half of the ride from the market yesterday trying to recall the names of all the small towns she knew. Geography was not her best subject in school, but she had traveled the trade routes enough times with her father to remember quite a few. At last she had settled on one that she and Father had passed through on their last trip together, shortly before he had left for Malorn.

  “Drall,” she lied proudly. “Prince Jaymin’s in Drall.”

  Regent Rampus released her and spun around, shouting to one of the soldiers on duty by the pillars. “Private, get over here!”

  The man hurried forward and saluted, his eyes wide. “Sir?�
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  “Take a message to General Dorralon. Summon him right away so we can make a plan. Now that I know where that boy is, it won’t take long to find him.” The regent cracked his knuckles, cackling in glee. “We’ll surround the entire town with soldiers, if that’s what it takes, and search every house. Prince Jaymin is as good as mine.”

  Anya laughed as well, pretending to be excited along with him. Actually, she was excited, though for a completely different reason. Prince Jaymin was safe. He was coming back to reclaim his throne; today, perhaps. And she had done her part to help; hundreds, maybe thousands, of Malornian soldiers would soon be hurrying off on a wild goose chase, leaving the way clear for him to emerge from whatever part of Almar he had been hiding in. The situation could hardly be better.

  There was no question about going to the market that day. Anya hurried up to the secret room as soon as she was dismissed. She didn’t want to miss anything that was going to happen, and whatever it was would probably take place in the throne room, she knew.

  Sure enough, it wasn’t long before an important-looking officer with gold stripes on his sleeves was escorted into the room below her.

  “General Dorralon,” the regent greeted the newcomer.

  “Good afternoon, Regent,” the general replied, snapping to attention before the throne and saluting.

  “I assume you know why you’re here,” Rampus told him. “The missing prince has been located. I want you to dispatch a company of soldiers to Drall to get him.”

  “I beg your pardon, sir; it wouldn’t be wise to send troops out of Almar just now,” the general objected. “Not with this attack we’re expecting tomorrow night.”

  Attack? From above, Anya frowned. What attack? Could they have found out about Prince Jaymin’s real plans?