by Megg Jensen
I’d forgotten about our fight, about the kiss that could have meant a hundred different things. Right now I needed him because he was the only one I could trust. I just realized Alia’s eyes didn’t have the spark like ours did, like every other gifted person I’d met. She was different.
Chapter Thirteen
“I need to talk to you.” I whispered in Mark’s ear as we walked down the street. “Alone.”
He nodded. I wondered if he noticed Alia’s eyes too or used his gift on her. He’d told me once before that he’d stopped using his gift because he didn’t want to be detected.
Mark’s gift allowed him to know when people were keeping secrets. He could see into their minds, finding the mental walls they built around secrets. He couldn’t break down the walls or see past them, but he knew they were there. While we all had a few secrets we wanted to hide, Mark had the knack for knowing when a secret was harmful. He’d often joked that we’d make the perfect team in ruling Serenia as long as no one knew about his gift. He’d be with me at court and know who was trustworthy and who wasn’t.
It was his gift that had first put the seeds in my head about Ivy’s loyalties. Since discovering my best friend had never loved me as much as I loved her, I’d been too afraid to trust. It was one of the reasons I’d let Mark walk away from me at Ivy’s wedding and why I hadn’t followed him into the woods.
But now things were becoming clearer. I paid more attention to what people did and not just what they said. Alia didn’t have the same attributes of everyone else I’d met with the gift. Her eyes didn’t have the spark. Mark was able to hide his using his gift and maybe she was able to do the same thing. Even so, she should have recognized me immediately when we met. The greater the gift, the greater the spark.
Now I questioned everything she’d done for me. We’d snuck out of the castle too easily and her gift was able to gain me into the cottage, a cottage no one had supposedly entered in hundreds of years. It was too coincidental. I was sure she knew more than she admitted.
“Can we sneak back into the palace?” I asked Alia. “I’m sure I was missed today. I have to come up with some reason for being out.”
“Use me,” Mark said. “Tell them I convinced you to come out with me. I’ll even come back to the palace with you. It’ll prove the story.”
“But Alia and I have to sneak in through the servant’s quarters. You can’t come in that way.”
“I have an idea,” Mark said. “Alia, can you run in and get Reychel’s wig and a dress? Then she can dress out here and she and I can come into the main doors of the palace together.”
Alia looked at me and then at Mark.
“I’m not sure I should leave the two of you alone. It wouldn’t be proper,” she said.
I laughed. “Alia, Mark and I have been alone many times over the past few months. We’ve even spent the night together.” Alia’s eyes widened, but I didn’t feel like explaining to her. “You don’t need to worry about us out here in the forest on the edge of the palace. You’ll be back fast enough and no one will know if you’re worried about improprieties.”
“Okay,” she said. “I suppose this makes the most sense. But what about me? They’ll wonder where I was today.”
“I’ll just tell them I brought you with us. As a chaperone,” I added.
“Well, then, I’ll be back soon. I’ll try not to be seen.”
Alia ran out of the woods to the servant door. As soon as the door closed behind her, I turned to Mark.
“Did you read her?” I asked.
“I didn’t have to,” he said. “I knew something odd was going on the minute we stepped foot into her parents’ house. No one lives there,” he said.
“What do you mean ‘no one lives there’?” I asked. “There was furniture and food. Why do you think that?”
“Did you even look around?” he asked. I shook my head. I’d been too distracted, thinking about the empty journal.
“When Alia was getting drinks for Ace and me, I peeked into the door to the next room. It was cracked open. That would have been her parents’ bedroom, right?”
I nodded, expecting the same.
“The room was filled with maps and books, scattered across multiple tables. There wasn’t a bed in sight, Reychel. No one lives there. It’s a meeting house. I was afraid for you, so I read Alia. The walls were strong, Reychel. Not as strong as Ivy, but still Alia has a lot to hide.
“I went along with her plan because I wanted to see the inside of that house too. I wanted to know what she was hiding and why she was taking you exactly where you wanted to go.”
I shivered as the cool night descended upon us. The twilight had passed and total darkness awakened in the forest. The lights from the palace and the town couldn’t penetrate the copse we stood in. Mark put his arm around my shoulder and I leaned my head into that soft spot I had missed so much over the last couple of weeks. I wanted to erase the misunderstandings that still stood between us.
“I’m hoping that someday soon I won’t have to protect you anymore,” he said.
I stiffened up under his arm. “I’m sorry you feel like you have to protect me. You’re perfectly welcome to go elsewhere.”
Mark took his arm off my shoulders. He grasped me with both hands, spinning me to face him.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said. “I’d like life to be boring. For both of us. Together.”
I took in his words. Boring. Together. Those were two words I just couldn’t reconcile between Mark and me. But I knew deep down, that’s what I wanted too.
But the time wasn’t right. Not yet. We couldn’t walk away, no matter how much we wanted to.
“Did you notice how Alia urged us to leave just as I was trying to puzzle out another reason for the house still standing? It makes sense, doesn’t it? That if they had cleaned out the house there must be nothing left, no reason to leave it standing. Yet there it is, guarded by guards and force field put in place by a gifted person. What are they hiding Mark?” I asked. I hadn’t forgotten how close we were or that his hands still rested on my shoulders.
“I noticed that too,” he whispered, his breath tickling my cheek.
“What do we do next?” The words caught in my throat.
“This,” Mark said. He leaned in closer and kissed me. His right hand wound around my neck, his left cradling my back. I snaked my arms on top of his shoulder, tangling my fingers in the hair curling off the back of his head. We breathed the same air, our chests moving in unison as our lips mingled.
We reluctantly broke apart. I pecked his bottom lip and he leaned in, crushing me against him, taking my lips fully against his. I didn’t breathe. I didn’t need to. My body had all the life it needed in Mark’s arms.
He pulled away, gently rubbing the back of my neck with his thumb.
“We don’t have time for this now, do we?” he asked, a smile escaping his lips. I smiled back, stupidly unable to do anything but grin. I shook my head.
“More later?” I asked. “When life is boring?” My fingers played with his curls as I gazed into his eyes.
“I wouldn’t exactly call that boring,” he said, his eyebrows arching.
“I didn’t mean…” I started to say, but his lips caught mine again in a quick kiss.
“I know exactly what you meant,” Mark said. He dropped his arms, lacing his fingers with mine. “Right now we need to find out what Alia is doing. And why.”
“And who she’s working with,” I said. “She can’t be doing this alone.”
“I agree,” Mark said. “It’s just one more reason I need to get into the palace with you tonight. I need to find out who else has secrets.”
“We all have secrets,” I said. “I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of walls in my head.”
His eyebrows fell. “I’ve never read you, Reychel. I didn’t think it was right.”
“But how did you know you could trust me?” I asked. “I could have been just as awful as Ivy.”
“Some things don’t need to be guessed, Reychel. I knew you were wonderful the moment I met you.” He laughed. The glimmer in his eyes shined as he let his guard down. “Why else would Johna have hidden you under the counter? You were the true prize, the one worth treasuring.”
A rustle in the leaves caused us to pull apart. Alia must be back. I looked in the forest, hoping it was Alia. I couldn’t handle another problem.
“We have to hurry,” Alia said as she pushed through the branches. In her hands was a dress. I could see strands of my wig poking out the sides. She tossed the bundle to me. “You need to change as fast as possible.”
Mark turned his back to us so I could change. Even though the Southern Kingdom were warm, the night chilled me as I pulled my slave robe over my head. I stuck my head and arms into the silk dress Alia brought, yanking it down to keep the chilly air from hitting my bare legs. I grabbed the slippers Alia hung from her fingertips. I tried not to think too much about her deception. Instead I concentrated on getting back into the castle without suspicion.
“Did anyone see you?” I asked as I pulled my wig on. I tapped Mark on the shoulder so he knew it was safe to turn around.
“I don’t think so,” Alia said, straightening my wig for me. “I slipped in with no problem. None of the other slaves care too much about where I’d been. No one even asked or said a word to me. It was when I first entered the hallway to your chambers that I was almost caught. I saw Jada and Krissin leaving your room. They were arguing. Krissin was very angry. I waited for them to exit the other end of the hallway before I ran to your room.
“What was Krissin upset about this time?” I asked, knowing it could be anything, but sure it had something to do with my disappearance.
“She said it was just like you to run off when we needed you most. That you couldn’t be trusted. Jada was ignoring her, like she does most of the time. But the point is that they know you’re gone. We need to get back before they become suspicious or send out the guards after you.”
I stepped back from Alia and turned to Mark. “How do I look?”
“Every inch the Prophet you are.”
I sighed. I couldn’t wait until I could grow my hair back out again and live a boring life. With Mark.
“Shall we go, then?” I asked, lacing my arm through Mark’s offered arm. “Which way out of here?” I asked Alia.
“Let’s go back out the way we came,” she said. “Follow me, but as we get closer to the path, I’ll switch to behind you. Anyone seeing me leading you would be suspicious.”
I glanced at Mark, my eyes wide. We weren’t just sneaking back into the palace. We were beginning on a path that would hopefully uncover what Zelor knew about me.
We pushed through the trees, until we reached the outskirts of the woods. I saw the dark path just ahead.
“I’ll see if it’s safe.” Mark dropped my arm, but not before he gave my elbow a small squeeze. We were in this together. That much was certain.
He crept to the edge and looked both ways out of the branches. We were quiet, so quiet I could hear the birds rustling in the trees. There wasn’t another sound to be heard. Mark waved to us to join him on the edge of the forest. He left his arm out and I wound mine around his again. Alia fell in behind us.
In one swift motion, we emerged from the woods and walked as if we’d been out enjoying a leisurely stroll at night. Along the edge of the woods, the palace spires come into sight again. It took my breath away
I wished I could just enjoy it instead of feeling like I was walking into another trap. Someone was trying to hide something from me and I was sure Alia was working for them.
We entered the palace and were swept into a flurry of activity. I gripped Mark’s arm, fearful that all of this fuss was because of my absence. But a quick eavesdropping into a slave’s conversation clued me in to something else.
“The Sons are camped behind the mountain. Everyone’s heard it so it must be true. Are they going to attack? Oh Eloh, what will become of us?” One slave wailed to another. Even though the Sons fought for the freedom of Serenians, their murderous reputations preceded them. Everyone feared them.
If only they knew the Sons were here to help them gain their freedom, not to hurt them. It was the nobles who should be worried. They were the people who would be targeted, who might die in the battle.
We hurried up the palace stairs, no one taking heed of us. As we entered the meeting chambers, Jada whispered in the corner with Reese. They turned and the looks on their faces caused shame to rise up from my chest. They were afraid, worried, for me.
Jada rushed over, her arms opened wide. “Reychel, where have you been? We were so worried.” She cast a sharp look at Alia. “And you? What were you doing? You’ve been missing from your chores today. Others had to pick up your slack. It’s irresponsible and reckless.”
I broke in. “Please don’t blame her Jada. I…I wanted to meet Mark out in the town. I asked Alia to come and serve as my chaperone. I had no idea we would be missed today. Everyone has been so busy planning the war. I’ve spent too much time cooped up in my room reading the Zelor’s texts. I needed to get out.”
Jada’s concerned expression warmed, but she allowed herself one last accusatory glance at Alia. Reese put a hand on her shoulder.
“Calm down, Jada. Reychel’s right. We’ve done little more than hold her hostage here, expecting her to solve a problem no one has been able to solve for generations. She deserved some time out.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone before you left?” Jada asked. She pointed at Mark. “And why didn’t you come to the palace and properly request an audience with Reychel?”
“I asked her to meet me last night,” Mark said. “It’s like Reese said, she needed a break. One day to have fun. We still have two days until the takeover, though it seems everyone knows something is up now. How did they find out about us?”
I slowly released the breath I had been holding, for fear Jada’s anger would put me in a tighter spot. But Mark changed the subject so deftly I didn’t have to worry.
“We don’t know,” Jada said. “One of the slaves must have seen something out an upper window. Maybe one of your men wasn’t staying where he should have and ventured into the city. Obviously it’s easy to slip away.” She cocked an eyebrow at Mark.
“No one came with me and no one followed me,” Mark said. “Don’t lay this at my feet. And I certainly didn’t say anything while Reychel and I were in town today. We walked, and talked about what we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks, that was it. We didn’t discuss your war. We have better things to talk about than that.”
“You came here to help us,” Jada said. “Don’t say it’s just my war. It’s yours too. The Sons have as much at stake here as I do.”
“True, but what do we do now?” Mark asked. “If people suspect the Sons are out there, someone is bound to ride beyond the mountains and check the story. My men will hold anyone who discovers them, but if enough people become curious we’ll have a problem on our hands.”
“Our timeline has just been moved up,” Jada said. “Two days and then we must begin that battle. It’s time to win this war and take down the Malborn for good. Go to bed, Reychel. And Mark, we’ll find you a room. If anyone follows you, we’ll lose our advantage. Get some rest, you two. The next couple days are going to be a nightmare.”
Chapter Fourteen
I sat, staring at Krissin and she stared back at me. I hadn’t slept well, but I’d tried. Before I’d had a chance to finish my breakfast, Krissin stormed into my room and refused to leave until I’d explained where I’d been yesterday. I figured she’d drag it out of me anyway, so I told her everything.
“You don’t trust Alia anymore?” she asked. “I wouldn’t either. The girl is a snake.”
“Why did you assign her to me then?”
“I didn’t. Jada did. She thought Alia would do her job without disturbing you. She’s a quiet girl. I, for one, don’t trust quiet girl
s.”
I tried not to laugh. Somehow I thought Krissin didn’t trust anyone, quiet or not. If Krissin was working with Alia then I’d just shown my hand, but I believed, no matter how much I disliked Krissin, that if she wanted to spy on me she’d find a better way of doing it.
“Mark and Ace are coming by this morning,” I said. “Mark and I want to figure out if Alia is working with anyone. He thought Ace might be able to help us.”
“Really?” Krissin asked. Her eyebrows lifted, but the rest of her body remained as still as a statue. She had poise, but she’d given herself away. She wanted to see Ace and she couldn’t hide that from me. “When?”
“They’ll be here soon,” I said.
“You’re sure they’re both coming?” she asked. Her glare dissolved quickly into an anxious stare at the door.
“Mark said they would. He needed to meet Ace at the lockup, to make sure he got out without any problems. He said he’d bring Ace back with him.”
“I can’t believe he spent the night with a bunch of drunken men when he could have stayed here in comfort. It would have taken nothing for me to get him out.”
“But if you would have, maybe our enemy would have found out. No one can know what we’re doing. Besides, even if you would have sprung Ace, I’m sure he would have gone back to camp with his brothers in the Sons.”
“It’s more comfortable here.” Krissin’s bottom lip popped out.
I laughed, thinking of rough Ace trying to get comfortable in one of our huge feather beds. I couldn’t see it. He truly seemed like a bedroll and bag under his head kind of guy.
The door opened and a slave, one I’d never seen before, announced Mark and Ace. They stepped through the doorway and the slave closed it behind him as he left.
Ace rubbed the back of his neck with his left palm.
“Sore?” I asked.
“No thanks to you,” he said. “I hope you trust me now. I wouldn’t do that for most people.”
I laughed. “I do trust you, Ace. And thank you. Mark and I discovered something very interesting in the house, but right now we need to concentrate on finding out who is trying to destroy everything Krissin and Nemison have worked for.”
