"Amir," a voice blew at my back.
I turned. Eva stood in front of me in a stunning lilac satin gown. The low-cut garment exposed her shoulders and a hint of cleavage. Under this light her creamy, flawless skin glowed like mother-of-pearl. She was so beautiful, it took my breath away. I particularly loved the way her blond ringlets dangled all around her cheeks and along her long gracious neck.
"Where were you these last days?" I said, careful not to let my resentment at being left alone for so long seep into my voice. This wasn't the time or the place to quarrel.
"With Mother. Her health is so fragile. And because of Aurora's disappearance, she wanted me to stay close to her. She wouldn't let me leave. I'm sorry for not giving you more news, Amir. However, you must understand that my family's needs come first. And they need me now. Please, don't ask me to choose between you and them. I beg of you, don't put me in that difficult position." There was a clear warning in her tone. It made me uneasy.
"Eva, you know I would never do such a thing," I said with a smile, even though the thought of being second in her heart displeased me. "You've been months without seeing them. I know how hard that was for you. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
She expelled a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you understand my situation. The last few days have been difficult for me . . . as it was for you." Eva took one of my hands into hers and squeezed it hard.
I winced. The strength of Eva's grip always came as a shock to me, even though I had experienced its power often.
"I apologize for my father's rudeness. The man has less manners than his hounds."
I was about to reassure her, and tell her that I wasn't offended, at least not overly so, when she added, "Honestly, it wasn't entirely my father's fault. What made you bring those horrible gifts along? None could have been more inappropriate." She sighed. "If only you had asked me for my advice, this disastrous episode could've been avoided."
"Eva! I didn't come here with the goal of insulting you father. You know this."
An awkward silence settled between us. I felt Eva's grip on my hand loosening, then I noticed the brilliance of her eyes, the sudden pallor of her cheeks, and the slight quivering of her lower lip.
"Don't cry," I begged. "I'm not angry at you. I swear. Please, tell me what's wrong."
She shook her head, sending ringlets bouncing all around her face. "There's nothing you can do."
"Tell me regardless."
"It's Aurora's kidnapping. Farrell denies having committed this act . . . and . . . and . . . Oh Amir, it's killing Mother and driving Father mad with worry." Eva let out a long hesitant breath. Raising her face, she stared silently at the ceiling for a moment. When she finally looked at me again all trace of tears was gone from her eyes.
My strong princess, I thought, too strong to cry. "Perhaps I can help," I suggested.
"How?"
"Well, there are some strange events happening in this castle. Something's roaming the corridors killing people. Some say it's a ghoul. Who knows, maybe those events are linked to your sister's disappearance."
By the polite look Eva was giving me, I could tell that she didn't put much weight in what I had just said, and truthfully, neither did I. I was mainly trying to console her.
"I doubt the ghoul or the castle's ghosts played any role in this, Amir. There are no efreets here. No jinn. No sorcerers, no spells."
At the mention of efreet my stomach twisted in a painful knot. I nodded. She was right. There was no efreets or jinni in Sorvinka, no magic either. This was all part of the past, and I was determined that that was where it would stay—in the past. The knot in my stomach undid itself. A thought then came to my mind. "You know, Eva, whoever kidnapped your sister might have left some clues behind. Do you think your father would permit me to visit your sister's room? Maybe I could find something."
Eva's eyes lit up. "Oh yes, Amir. I'm sure he will." Leaning against me, she whispered, "If you can help us find Aurora, Father will be eternally grateful to you. I'm sure you could ask him for anything you want and he wouldn't refuse."
My heart soared. I knew what I would ask the king for. Seizing Eva's hands, I brought them to my lips and kissed them both. "Would he allow me to marry you?"
"Yes, he would."
"Then I must begin looking for clues immediately."
"No. Later."
Music began playing in the room; I recognized the light rhythmic melody of the volka.
Eva slipped an arm under mine. "Now, we will dance."
We joined the three other pairs of dancers in the center of the room. Volka was always danced with four pairs. One pair was made up of a rather miserable looking Diego and Thalia. The princess was literally heaving with delight. The twin princesses and their partners formed the other pairs. Olga danced with Lars and Mesa with another young nobleman.
To my relief, I remembered the steps. I bowed at the right time, twirled without falling, and pivoted in the right direction. I did stumble once though—but caught myself immediately—and that misstep was caused by the two barbarian warriors. Their sudden apparition near our dancing circle had caught me completely off guard. Quite frankly, it was the piercing looks they were giving the twin princesses that startled me so. The manner in which they were staring at those girls, as if they could see something I could not, made me uneasy, very uneasy. Once more I felt my stomach knotting itself.
Finally, the dance ended. The entire court applauded. I bowed, as one must in such circumstances. When I rose I searched the crowd for the warriors. They were gone. Yet the foreboding feeling they had planted in me remained anchored in the pit of my stomach. These two were up to something—I was sure of it.
* * *
"AAAHHH!"
Upon hearing the uproar, I rushed out of my apartment. A thick fog choked the corridor. It was so dense I couldn't see past my own feet. Walking with my hands in front of me like a blind man, I stumbled toward my brother's rooms. "Jafer!" I called. "Jafer, where are you? I can't see anything."
"Amir, open your eyes, my brother," Jafer said in a tone of urgency.
I turned in the direction of his voice. In two steps I was at Jafer's door. I could see his shadow moving behind his peephole.
"Open your eyes, brother," Jafer said just before his shadow vanished from my sight.
"Jafer!"
AAAHHH!" echoed from his room.
"Hang on, Jafer! I'm coming in." I rammed the door with my shoulder as hard as I could. Once. Twice. On my third attempt the door broke down. I burst into Jafer's room and inexplicably found myself knee-deep in the snow outside the castle. I looked down in shock. The snow around me was red with blood. Oh lord, there was blood everywhere—everywhere.
I sat straight up in my bed, gasping. "Jafer. . . . " For a moment I believed I was home, in my tower, with my brothers, Mir and Jafer, warning me against danger. But when I looked around I realized that this wasn't my tower, nor was it my home. This was not Telfar, and my brothers were still dead.
"My lord! My lord!" Milo's alarmed voice called from behind the bedroom door.
"Yes. Come in."
Milo opened the door, yet stayed in its frame. "My lord, something terrible is happening. I think we're under attack."
I was out of my bed in a heartbeat, fully dressed in two, and at the main door to my rooms shortly after that.
"Stay here," I told Milo. Then, sword in hand, I left the safety of my rooms. Once in the corridor I joined the gathering of guards I could see at the junction.
"What's happening?" I asked.
"We're under attack, Your Highness."
"By whom?"
"Err. . . . " The guard stared at his companions. They all either shrugged or shook their heads in ignorance. Having found no help among his friends, the guard then ventured with some hesitation. "Farrellian? We were told to secure this section of the castle. That's all I know."
A scream of agony echoed in the distance. Without a doubt, it originated from the other end
of the castle: the royal wing.
"Eva!" I breathed, and ran in the direction of the scream. When I burst out of the old wing's corridor, I collided with the captain of the guard. The man was in a state of panic, and it was pure luck that he didn't stab me with his sword right then and there.
"Back to your room!" he roared in my face; then catching himself, he added, "Please, Your Highness, for your own safety."
"Damn my safety! What's happening? Tell me!"
"Invaders are running through the castle killing men. So far they've slaughtered at least a dozen."
A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air a short distance from were we stood. At once we all ran toward it.
"In the courtyard," shouted the man at the front of our group. Within moments, we were outside in the cold dawn hours, staring down at the fuming, gutted corpses of the two guards in charge of the gate.
I approached the bodies. A powerful stench of feces, urine, and blood poisoned the air around the remains. Clutching a hand over my nose, I fought back nausea. After some deep breathing, my stomach settled down and I was able to study the corpses without fear of vomiting on them. Both men's throats had been slashed and their bellies ripped open. In spite of what I had said about leaving magic in the past, I found myself extending a hand above the bodies, seeking that familiar tingling feeling. I couldn't tell if it was there or not. My fingers were too numb by the cold to feel anything. Maybe I've imagined it all. Maybe I've never felt magic here in the first place. Baffled, I stared at the corpses; they were in such a horrid condition. That must be it. Magic isn't this messy.
I turned to the captain of the guard who stood just behind me. "What sort of invader would do something like this? This is the work of wild beasts."
"Impossible! That cannot be," argued the captain.
Kneeling beside one of the corpses, I motioned for him to do the same.
He obeyed, but reluctantly.
"See those four parallel slashes across this man's throat. Those were not made with a sword, but with claws. Look how ragged their edges are. Look at this poor fellow's belly. Tell me, in your opinion, what sort of weapon would do such savage tearing?"
The captain stayed mute for a while, and although his eyes were wide open, I thought the man was refusing to see the truth. "Still," he finally began, "how could beasts roam the castle? That doesn't make sense. Why would they be doing this?"
I scratched my head. "Hounds and even wolves can be trained to do one's biddings. Someone could have introduced them inside the castle."
"Why?"
"Right—why? Why would anyone do such a thing? What's the use of all these senseless and brutal murders? It's—" Then the reason hit me like an anvil. I stood up. "To make a diversion, that's why!"
"A diversion?" repeated the captain.
"Yes! Have we not all chased these beasts here? Now, right now, are we not all staring at these corpses while . . . " I turned to the castle. "While Lord knows what is going on inside."
"The king!" exclaimed the captain.
Without further discussion, the entire group dashed back to the castle. Once inside its walls, we followed a bloody trail of corpses leading back to the royal wing's entrance.
"These four men were the first to die," I said. "Look, no vapor is escaping their torn bellies." I stopped to study a paw print beside one of the bloody corpses. Too big to belong to a hound, or a wolf for that matter. The print resembled the one Milo and I had discovered in the conservatory. Could it belong to the same creature? What is this beast?
As I rose to ask one of the guards if he could identify the print, I saw that they had moved further down the corridor. They were not going any further though. The guards just stood there as if they had reached the end of the trail.
I hurried to join the group.
"The king is safe," whispered one of the guards when I pulled beside him. "He's over there."
Rising on tiptoes, I caught a glimpse of the king. The man looked as though he had just seen a ghost. His face was beyond pale, his eyes wide with terror. I stretched some more and saw Eva clutching a bawling Thalia in her arms. I was so relieved I nearly melted to the floor.
"All is well, she's safe."
The guard frowned at me. "Your Highness, nothing is well."
"But, she's safe. The princesses are safe."
"No. They're missing."
"Who?"
"The princesses."
I looked at Eva and her sister.
"Not them, Your Highness. The twins, they're both gone, missing. You were right, this was a diversion. Now two more princesses have been kidnapped."
Chapter Seven
After a waiting period, which felt like an eternity to me, the corridor finally emptied itself of guards, and I was able to enter the princesses' room. As I crossed the threshold, violent shudders shook my entire body. This feeling of being cold was so intense that I had to fold my arms tightly around myself to stop my shivering. A draft perhaps. No, that wasn't it. The windows were closed. I scanned the room; it had been ransacked. The damage was so thorough one could believe a battle had been waged here. Most everything in the room—beds included—had been broken. The only exception was the small vanity in the far corner. Miraculously this dainty-legged, fragile-looking piece of furniture, with that pitcher of water resting on top of it, had managed to escape destruction.
A piece of pink fabric lying on the floor caught my eye. I picked it up and saw that it was a torn piece of nightgown.
"Poor little girls. What monster would do such a thing?" I consoled myself with the fact that there was no trace of blood on the fabric, or anywhere in this room for that matter. Directing my attention to the bedroom door, I inspected the damage done to it.
Half-broken down, the sturdy slab of oak hung precariously by its last hinges. Something was wrong with that picture. After a thorough examination of the broken door, I came to the conclusion that it had been broken from the inside out. The claw marks scarring the inside of the door proved it. So they entered the room, took the princesses, and unleashed the beast from here.
"Hmm, doesn't make any sense." I bent over the broken door and placed my fingers inside the claw marks. A cold jolt of energy shot up from my fingers to the rest of my body, knocking me down on my butt.
"What was that?" I breathed, even though I knew all too well what that was. Why couldn't I say it aloud then? Why? No! It can't be. Not here. Not again—NOT AGAIN! Visions of my dead brothers flooded my mind. I had been helpless to save them against the efreet. That evil creature had killed them all. I couldn't stop it. I failed. I failed them all. Would the same thing happen here too? I couldn't risk failing again. I couldn't fight magic. Magic frightened me too much. And this, what happened here, that was magic. I began trembling. Closing my eyes hard, I hugged myself until it stopped.
"Fine!" I told myself. "Fine! This was no ordinary kidnapping; this one was done with the help of magic." Saying it aloud didn't help me much. I still didn't have a clue who had committed this vile crime and why. One thing was clear to me though, Eva was in grave danger. Of that much I was certain. I opened my eyes. Magic or not, I would not let anything happen to her. I would die first.
* * *
The following two days were spent wandering through the castle seeking clues, and the nights spent chasing the beast with the guards, as it kept returning to the castle and killing more people. The beast didn't seem to care who it killed: guards, servants, ladies, or noblemen. They were all slaughtered indiscriminately. However, the beast seemed to hunt only in one specific area of the castle, the maze of old corridors and narrow passageways near the big entrance. I found this odd—then again, one cannot find reason in an animal's behavior. But even though we were aware of the beast's habit, all our efforts to catch it remained unsuccessful.
On the morning of the third day after the twin princesses' disappearance, I stood once more over yet another dead body, with the captain of the guard at my side. The victim this time was a maid
.
The captain kicked dust in frustration. "This is impossible. How can that beast escape being caught—or being seen? How can it come and go through the castle at will like this? It's like this damn animal knows the place."
I suspected that the "damn animal" might be able to smell its way through the place, yet I stayed mute, eyes fixed on the maid's body. At least tonight only one person had died. Unlucky girl, I thought. By the bundle of bed linen lying beside her, she was out to do laundry when she was attacked. Sad ending, I thought; she was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. I couldn't see any other explanation for her death. Feeling helpless, not to mention totally disheartened, I bid farewell to the captain of the guard and returned to my rooms.
Along the way, I met five of Countess Ivana's friends, all handsome young men with modest clothing and impeccable manners. I observed that they were hauling a huge rolled-up rug.
"We're redecorating," announced the blond youth holding the end of the roll. "It's a surprise for Ivana."
I offered them my help. They politely declined, but promised to invite me to see the final result.
"I would like that very much," I said before we parted ways. Not long after, I encountered Princess Thalia. The poor girl was once again searching for Diego. What a waste of time and energy, I thought; a wiser girl would have understood this and given up by now. Well, if nothing else, one had to admire Thalia's determination to find her prince. I could only wish Eva would be half as persistent in seeking me. I hadn't heard from her since the ball. In spite of her explanation, I found Eva's lack of interest hurtful, especially in view of Thalia's dedication. Feeling a dark cloud of melancholy gathering over my head, I hurried my pace in the direction of my rooms.
I was halfway there when Diego appeared from behind the bend. "Ah! There you are. I've been looking all over for you."
The King's Daughters Page 8
