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

by Annie Douglass Lima

  “What’s happening?” Talifus repeated, and there was no mistaking the anxiety in his voice as a mob of palace workers surged down the hallway, four unfortunate men gripped tightly in their midst. Anya recognized the three Alasian palace guards who, along with Talifus, had been working for the Malornians; and Phenniel, the traitor chef. The four of them were being hustled roughly along by shouting, laughing men and women. As they passed Anya’s cell, she saw in the midst of the crowd a nervous-looking Malornian soldier – the same one who had brought breakfast earlier – clutching a ring of keys. At the crowd’s prompting, he hurriedly unlocked one empty cell after another, and the four traitors were shoved inside, doors immediately slammed and locked behind them.

  “Corporal, you can’t let them do this,” pleaded one of the newly imprisoned guards, clutching the bars of his cell right across from Anya’s.

  The soldier, looking decidedly uncomfortable, glanced at the unruly Alasians all around him and shrugged. “Sorry. It’s out of my hands.”

  “But we served Regent Rampus faithfully,” exclaimed another guard, panic in his voice. “We gave up everything to help make the Invasion possible. You have to take us with you. Please! Don’t leave us here! I know we’re Alasians, but we’ll serve the regent with you in Malorn!”

  “No one will be serving Regent Rampus anywhere anymore,” a familiar voice spoke up decisively. Anya turned and was surprised to see Lasden descending the stairs. The last time she had seen him, he had been injured and discouraged. Now, he looked like a totally different person: his stride sure and his eyes alight with purpose and satisfaction.

  “Lieutenant Lasden!” she exclaimed in surprise. “You’re back!”

  He heard her and turned his head. “Anya? What are you doing locked up the dungeon?”

  Before she could explain, the soldier with the keys turned around. “What do you mean, no one will be serving Rampus anymore?” he demanded. “What’s happened to him?”

  “Last I saw him after yesterday’s battle, Regent Rampus had his wrists bound and was about to be dragged back to Malorn under guard to stand trial for treason,” Lasden announced, loudly enough for everyone to hear him over the hubbub.

  The noise died down as Lasden’s words registered. Everyone turned toward him, faces curious and expectant.

  “Turns out Rampus had been plotting against Prince Korram,” Lasden told them all. “He orchestrated the whole Invasion without the prince’s approval, but Prince Korram showed up yesterday and told us all the truth. Those of us on the prince’s side joined him against Rampus’s followers, and we fought it out in the forest along with the Alasians.”

  “You fought on the Alasians’ side?” one of the imprisoned guards clarified.

  “Or they fought on ours. Prince Jaymin showed up too; apparently he and Korram had made some sort of alliance the night before. As I was starting to explain up in the courtyard before everyone went crazy with excitement, it was Alasians and loyal Malornians against Rampus and his people. We won, as I said, and–”

  He was interrupted by a resounding cheer from the Alasians, who seemed to already know this but were obviously ready to celebrate the good news again. Anya joined in, jumping up and down in her exhilaration as their voices echoed off the dungeon walls. The Alasian army had won! Regent Rampus would never come back! Best of all, Prince Jaymin was all right, and now she would be safe too.

  “So can you let me out?” she begged as soon as the cheers had died down.

  Lasden turned back to her. “Yes, of course. Corporal, come unlock this cell.”

  Hastily, Anya gathered up her things as the corporal fished through his ring of keys. She darted out as soon as the door was open and threw her arms around a startled Lasden. “Oh, thank you, Lieutenant! I’m so happy!”

  “You’re welcome. But it’s just ‘private’ now,” he told her in a low voice.

  Startled, Anya let go and stepped back to examine his sleeves. Sure enough, they were plain red. No green stripes at the cuffs anymore. “What happened?” she exclaimed in surprise. Had he stood up to his superiors and gotten in trouble for it, as he had feared? But she thought that when a soldier was demoted, he just went down one level at a time.

  Lasden had already turned away, obviously not interested in discussing the situation. “We’re leaving now,” he told the other soldier. “Prince Korram gave orders that our people are all to return to Malorn immediately. Help me summon whoever else is still stationed here and pass on the message.” He and the corporal began making their way through the laughing, chattering crowd back down the hall, Anya close at their heels.

  “What about Prince Jaymin?” someone demanded as they all started up the stairs. “Where is he now?”

  “He’s still in the Southern Woods with Prince Korram,” Lasden replied over his shoulder. “I’m told he’ll be returning tomorrow.”

  Tomorrow! Anya cheered again along with everyone else. She would get to meet Prince Jaymin tomorrow. And Erik too, presumably. That would be interesting. She was curious about this boy bodyguard.

  “Did you actually speak with the prince?” someone in the crowd asked Lasden.

  “I had the honor of speaking briefly with both princes,” he replied, pulling open the heavy door at the top of the stairs. “They sent me to bring the news to the palace because both sides here know me. I was voted the Malornian least likely to be killed on sight.”

  There was laughter from the crowd. “Good thing they didn’t send Dwiller,” someone chuckled. “He probably would have been.” More laughter. Lasden stood aside, holding the door open for the rest of them as they began to pour out of the dungeon.

  “Wait,” called Talifus from below. Anya, stepping to the edge of the stairway to let the crowd go by, turned back and saw him craning his neck toward them from between the bars of his cell, worry in his face but hope in his voice. “Wait, Lasden. You forgot to let me out. I’m coming to Malorn with you.”

  Lasden shook his head. “Sorry, Talifus. Our princes made a deal, and you’re part of it. All the Alasians who had a role in the Invasion are going to go on trial for treason.”

  “No,” Talifus begged, his voice desperate now. “You can’t leave me here. You know what will happen. Please!”

  “I’m sorry,” Lasden repeated, turning away.

  Anya paused just behind him in the doorway, unable to take her eyes off of the pathetic prisoner down below. She was safe now. She was free, like Alasia itself. But Talifus was still imprisoned, and in all likelihood he had no more than a few days to live. Something seemed to draw her back down the stairs, and she walked slowly over to stand in front of the traitor’s cell. Looking into his eyes, she saw despair, and her heart went out to him. It could so easily have been her left locked up and awaiting death while Rampus’s people returned in triumph to celebrate their victory.

  There was nothing she could do for Talifus, but Anya reached out and placed her hands over his big cold ones where they gripped the thick metal bars. “Goodbye,” she whispered, a lump in her throat as she thought of the fate that awaited him. On an impulse, she unwrapped her scarf and held it out. “Here,” she offered. “This is what I was knitting last night. It’s like sunshine, or a hug. It will make you feel a little better.”

  At first she thought he wasn’t going to take it, but then, slowly, the fingers of one hand loosened their grip. Her dungeon partner reached out and silently accepted the gift, drawing it in between the bars to hold it loosely against his chest, his thumb moving ever so slightly as he caressed the soft yellow yarn.

  Anya squinted in the bright sunshine as she stepped out into the courtyard after more than a full day in the flickering dimness of the dungeon. All around her was noise and activity, more than she had seen since she had first been brought to the palace. Alasians were running here and there, calling out to each other in excited voices, laughing, crying, cheering, hugging. The palace gates stood wide open with no one guarding them, and the whole city of Almar, or at least
as much of it as Anya could see from here, seemed to be full of excitement as well. Word of Alasia’s victory had apparently spread quickly, and everyone was celebrating. The red and black Malornian flag that had flown above the ramparts since the Invasion had been pulled down, and the blue and gold Alasian one fluttered proudly in the breeze once again.

  “Anya!” a voice exclaimed, and she turned as Bronin ran over and swept her up into a hug. “So you survived your day and night in the dungeon!”

  Anya hugged him back. “Yes, but I’m certainly glad to be out. I can hardly believe that Alasia has won!”

  “I know. The last few soldiers are getting ready to leave, and now we all can, too!” Bronin gestured to the open gates. “I’m going home to let Merla know I’m all right. Do you want to come?”

  Anya hesitated. She wanted to see Merla too; and Arvalon might be there. Or he might be at their own house next door. She could go home at last.

  But Prince Jaymin was arriving tomorrow. And the palace was so full of excitement that she didn’t want to miss anything.

  “Not right now,” she told Bronin finally. “I’d rather stay here a little longer. Say hello to Merla for me, and if you see my brother, please tell him I’ll be back in a few days.”

  The rest of that day passed in a whirlwind of excitement and activity. The remaining Malornian soldiers gathered up their possessions, and Anya watched them march stiffly out of the gates. Wennish scurried around the courtyard and palace, talking to everyone he saw, thrilled to finally be allowed out of the clinic for the first time since the Invasion. Eleya and Tonnis rode out to visit relatives in Almar and shop for things they hadn’t been able to buy in the last few weeks. Following their lead, many of the palace workers disappeared into the city to run errands or see friends and family or simply take advantage of the fact that they could leave if they wanted to.

  It wasn’t long before newcomers started trickling in. Strangers to Anya, they were obviously well known to those who worked there. “More palace employees,” explained Wennish, catching his breath from his seat on the bench Anya had dragged out of the clinic for him. She had had to remind her friend that he had not yet completely healed and that he had better not overdo it on his first day out. Now he sat with one hand over the wound on his chest, breathing harder than usual from the unaccustomed exertion, but still determined to stay out here and not miss anything.

  “Not everyone who works in the palace lives here,” Wennish explained, watching as a cluster of women dressed in blue and white crossed the drawbridge and hurried in through the open gates. “Apart from the guards and some of the most important personnel, most people have homes out in the city, so they weren’t here that night. Now they’re coming back to work again.”

  From all over the courtyard there were cries of welcome and joyful reunion. “You’re alive!” Anya kept hearing as old friends greeted each other.

  The tall, businesslike man who came marching past them into the clinic and then stood staring around in bewilderment had to be the other physician, Anya thought. Tonnis had spoken of him now and then.

  “Are you Doctor Dal?” she inquired, rising to her feet and following the stranger into the front room.

  “Yes. I work here. Who are you?”

  “I’m Anya,” she told him. “I work here too now – well, sort of. I help Eleya and Tonnis.”

  “Where are they, and where is my desk?” the man demanded, staring at the empty spot where the desk used to stand.

  “They’ve gone out for a while,” Anya explained. “Talifus kicked the desk to pieces one time when he was angry. We ended up using it as firewood. The Malornians wouldn’t pay to have it replaced, but I’m sure you’ll be able to get another one when Prince Jaymin comes back.”

  “Captain Talifus broke my desk?” The man looked just as puzzled as before. “Apparently Tonnis and I have a lot of catching up to do.” Still peering about as though to see if anything else was missing, Dal proceeded to the back room while Anya skipped outside again.

  A moment later Wennish gasped, and Anya turned to see him staring at a man in a palace guard uniform striding toward them. “It’s Lieutenant Evvits,” her friend breathed, rising to his feet, his face white with shock. “I thought he’d been killed!”

  “Wennish!” exclaimed the lieutenant, obviously just as surprised to see him. “I thought you were dead!” He strode over and the two men clasped hands, laughing in disbelief.

  “How did you escape, Lieutenant?” Wennish demanded. “I thought I was the only guard who survived!”

  “I had the day off. Don’t you remember?” the officer replied. “I had gone to visit my brother and his family; I was going to come back early the next morning before work.”

  Wennish grinned in delight. “So I’m not the only one left after all!”

  “Certainly not,” Evvits assured him. “There must be others, too. Think about it. With three hundred of us altogether, forty or fifty generally had the day off on any given day. I’m sure the rest of them will be showing up soon.”

  “I can’t believe that never occurred to me,” Wennish admitted, shaking his head and chuckling in embarrassment, but Anya thought she saw tears shining in his eyes. For the last month the wounded guard had been mourning the loss of every one of his comrades. Now forty or fifty of them had just returned from the dead.

  Eventually the sounds of joyful reunions and excited discussion tapered off, and the palace employees began to put themselves to work. “Prince Jaymin’s coming home tomorrow!” The words were on everyone’s lips, and everyone was determined to make the palace ready for him. For him, and for the hundreds of Alasian soldiers whom Lasden had reported would be accompanying the prince.

  And so floors were scrubbed, windows wiped, silver polished, linens washed and hung out to dry, extra firewood chopped and delivered to every room with a fireplace. All the chores that had been neglected or attended to halfheartedly under the Malornians suddenly became top priority. The prince was returning, and everything had to be perfect.

  Tonnis and Eleya arrived back from their trip into town with sacks full of herbs and rolled-up bandages and a basket of personal items. Dal, hurrying out of the clinic to meet them, hugged Eleya and shook Tonnis’s hand warmly.

  “It’s so good to see you both,” Dal smiled, gazing from one to the other. “People in the market told me you were alive, but I wasn’t sure if or when we’d meet again.”

  He and Anya helped them unload the cart and carry their purchases inside. “We don’t know how many of our soldiers were wounded in that forest battle yesterday,” Eleya told them all as they unpacked the bags together in the back room. “But we’re prepared for anything now that we’ve stocked up.”

  Dal nodded in agreement. “The worst hurt will probably be taken to the hospital in town, but there are sure to be plenty who insist they’re well enough to accompany the prince here even with minor injuries. We’d better be ready for lots of patients over the next couple of days.”

  “Well, my room will be free if anyone needs it,” announced Wennish, who had popped into the clinic just in time to hear this remark. “I’m moving back into the barracks with the other guards.” Anya couldn’t help but smile at the way he said other guards. Surrounded by colleagues once again, Wennish was no longer the lone survivor.

  Anya stayed up late that night helping with odd jobs around the clinic and palace. Excited or not, she knew she would sleep well as she finally undressed and crawled into her sofa bed, exhausted after a long day of work and excitement.

  But after she had blown out her candle, she lay there staring into the darkness, a worried frown on her face. The thoughts she had been pushing to the back of her mind for most of the day were rising to the surface, refusing to be held back any longer. Yes, she was safe and free. Yes, Alasia had won. Yes, Prince Jaymin was coming home; she would get to see him soon, and Erik too. She was looking forward to that.

  But what about Father? Lasden had said that the two pri
nces had made a deal involving the traitors. Did the princes know about all of them? It probably wouldn’t be too hard for someone who knew anything about her family – like Dannel – to find out where Father’s Malornian relatives lived. Would Father be tracked down and sent back to Almar to be tried for his crimes?

  Anya had no doubt that the punishment for a traitor who had helped hand Alasia over to its enemies would be execution. She fell asleep wondering if Alasia’s salvation would mean her father’s death.

  Chapter 20

  The next morning the palace was once again a bustle of activity. Lutian and two of the other cooks rode out together almost as soon as it was light to buy supplies for what the chef assured everyone would be the finest welcome-home feast any monarch had ever had. Wennish went off to help Lieutenant Evvits create a duty roster for the forty-eight surviving guards and a plan for how to train and divide up the guard work among the soldiers who would temporarily be filling the vacant positions. Anya helped Eleya clean the clinic thoroughly: sweeping and mopping the floors, scrubbing the counters and hearth, washing the windows, airing out all the bed linens.

  Every time she passed a window, Anya saw people scurrying back and forth across the courtyard, working as hard as she was to make sure everything looked just right. They were almost all in uniform now, she noticed. Pausing for a moment to watch, Anya realized that although most of them wore a combination of dark blue, light blue, and white, there were several different styles. Styles that apparently varied depending on the wearer’s job. Stable, kitchen, laundry, housekeeping, palace guard – each department wore a slightly different uniform. No one had bothered with such details under the Malornians, but now that their prince was returning, everyone was doing their best to look formal and professional once again.