“Are you all right, Your Majesty? You seem a bit agitated.” She reached out and touched his cheek, marveling at the warmth created by her presence. “You’re flushed.”
Her mother used to rest her palm on Samantha’s forehead to check for a fever. Biting her lip to fight back a chuckle of delight, she stepped forward and did the same. A lock of his hair brushed softly under her fingers.
For a moment, he did nothing but stare into her eyes. She saw the decision in his eyes a half-breath before he ducked back and stepped away.
“I’m fine. Just overheated from running up the steps, I guess.”
“Of course.” She turned back to the map. “This is the same point you guessed at yesterday. Does this mean you haven’t connected with Bai’dish today? You don’t know if they have moved?”
Kiffen angled around the table to the opposite side of the map, rubbing his hand along the stubble on his chin. “It’s still hard for me to maintain the link long enough to learn anything.”
The smile plastered back on her face, Samantha took a step in his direction. “Would you like me to help you? You experienced such great success last time. I believe we are well-matched. Don’t you?”
If she hadn’t been a Watcher, schooled in controlling her actions, Samantha would have shrieked with laughter. Kiffen’s eyes bulged in fear, and his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. With a swift glance toward the doorway, he said, “Your offer is kind, Samantha, but I have just recalled a meeting with Simeon.”
He hurried from the room.
Arms crossed, and a smile spread over her face, Samantha leaned back against the table and chuckled. Who knew seduction was so much fun?
* * *
Kiffen followed Simeon down the corridor in an old and little-used part of the Border Keep. Their footsteps echoed in the solitude of this part of the keep. Lit torches, spaced infrequently, revealed rough-textured gray stone walls hung with faded wall hangings. The few pieces of furniture appeared clean, but faded, too. A chill in the air added to the dismal atmosphere.
Thankful for Simeon’s silence, Kiffen tried to fight down anxiety over his response to Samantha. For many reasons, it made little sense to him. She was harsh to most people, unkind to the rest. He suspected she was playing with him, but why?
He stopped in front of a tapestry, staring at it, but not seeing it. More important matters needed his attention. He needed to find a way to avoid Samantha.
“Your Majesty?”
With a distracted nod, Kiffen trotted up to Simeon’s side as his advisor hurried forward, checking around each corner before proceeding farther. “Why so much secrecy, Simeon?”
“In a moment, you will see.”
Kiffen’s heart pounded. Had Simeon noticed his attraction to Samantha? Was he taking him deep into the keep, away from prying eyes and ears, to reprimand him? Unbidden, Samantha’s eyes, lit up by her smile, surfaced in his mind. When she laid her hand over his, sparks of energy raised the hairs on his arm. No matter where he had moved, she prowled after him. She had to be at least ten years older. Why did she affect him like this? He loved Adana and couldn’t bear the idea of causing her any pain, yet his body didn’t act like he felt.
“Almost there,” Simeon said.
Kiffen studied the hallway, shoving Samantha to the back of his wayward mind. The next intersecting corridor created a momentary tug of familiarity. If he was correct, the next hall housed statues of the final king of Yarada and his daughters, Elwar and Moniah.
Simeon turned in that direction.
So, this was where he chose to discipline his king, in front of the statues of the founding mothers, his and Adana’s ancestors.
The light pooled in a large, recessed area set off on the right. It reflected on the three statues. The middle one rose taller than the other two, the last king of Yarada.
Kiffen stared up at the stately figure and braced for Simeon’s accusations. They didn’t come. Instead, the man gazed in silence at the statues.
Relieved, Kiffen studied the king of Yarada’s statue, the stone face set in a smile of kindness. Could Kiffen ever be seen that way? A kind, benevolent king? Not if he couldn’t keep his desires under control.
The ancient ruler’s wide-set eyes, fine nose, and angular chin reminded Kiffen of his younger brother, Serrin, a much kinder and nobler man than himself. The statues of the king’s daughters, the first queens of the new kingdoms of Elwar and Moniah, sat to the left and the right of the king’s. Twins they had been in birth, but not by appearance or interests. Sculptors often downplayed and softened less attractive features in their reproductions, but in Elwar’s gaze, Kiffen saw his mother’s caring eyes. Centuries may have passed since Queen Elwar died, but the family resemblance remained through his mother, Queen Roassa. A flash of his mother’s scent, roses, and the recollection of her bending down to help him hold a sword streamed into his mind. He swallowed the sudden surge of misery that threatened to overtake him. His mother long gone. His father recently murdered. Samantha’s presence distracting him. So much in a few short days.
In an effort to regain control of his thoughts, Kiffen turned and studied the statue of Moniah, searching her face for similarities to her newest successor, Adana. It wasn’t hard to recognize the high forehead and cheekbones as well as the graceful neck shared by the two women. Although Moniah’s eyes differed in shape from Adana’s, Kiffen realized the sculptor had managed to capture the intensity of a Watcher’s gaze in the hard stone.
“Remarkable, aren’t they?” Simeon stood next to him, gazing up at Elwar’s statue. “You resemble her.”
“Do I?” He shifted his gaze back to Elwar’s statue and shrugged, unable to see anything but his brother’s face. “I don’t see it.”
“It’s really not a physical resemblance, but I have seen the same look on your face. Penetrating focus, but with kindness.”
“Is this what you wished to show me?” Although thankful for the reminder, Kiffen saw no true reason for Simeon to bring him here, not when a battle against Maligon loomed before them.
“A moment.” Simeon disappeared behind the king’s statue. Kiffen followed him in time to see the man lean over and grope below the rim of the statue’s pedestal. A pleased smile announced a click and a brief note of stone grating on stone. A portion of the wall behind the statues slid back, revealing a dark stairwell leading down.
The opening beckoned to Kiffen, and for the first time since the attack in the forest, he felt hope. This secret passageway held the key to beating Maligon. He felt it to his core.
Simeon withdrew two torches from within the passageway and lit them from one of the lights illuminating the statues. He held one torch out to Kiffen and tilted his head toward the opening. “Care to explore, Your Majesty?”
Kiffen took the torch but did not enter. Crouching low, he slid his fingers under the pedestal of the king’s statue, feeling for the catch. The marble felt smooth and cool, except for an indentation toward the center of the base. He rubbed his finger over the spot, but nothing happened. “How does it work?”
“You’ve found the trigger?”
Kiffen nodded.
“Place your finger in the hole and then push to the right.”
He did, and the entryway closed, a rush of air flickering the torchlight. Kiffen fought back a sneeze.
Simeon’s alert eyes glittered with secrets. “Press to the left.”
Stone grated again, but quieter than the first time.
“We’ll need to get some glimmer oil to lubricate the hinges.” Kiffen grinned. “Lead on.”
The air smelled stale, and the temperature dropped as they descended. The stairs emptied into a long tunnel. Unlit torches stood in sconces placed along the walls. They passed a tunnel leading to the right, and then another leading to the left. Cobwebs gathered around the sconces and the dust on the floor only revealed Simeon’s footprints. No one had been down here in an exceptionally long time.
“I had no idea this was down h
ere.” Kiffen paused to peer down a passageway, excitement warming his arms and ideas tumbling through his mind. “How far does it go? Is there another entry?”
Simeon glanced over his shoulder, a grin on his usually somber face. “I will show you.”
They followed one of the tunnels to the right and halted before a large, iron-braced door. “There are secrets in this room known only to a few.”
Kiffen waited, his pulse pounding in his ears. So far, Simeon had waved off his questions. The man would enlighten him when ready.
The fortified door creaked from disuse and opened to reveal a round room. As Simeon lit the torches along the walls, Kiffen realized the room’s layout resembled the map room in the center tower of the keep. An exact replica of the map table stood in the middle of the room, with a large map of the kingdoms spread upon it. A box, dusty with disuse, sat to the side of the map. Kiffen picked it up and blew the dust off it, sneezing three times as the evidence of abandonment scattered in the air. The box held, as he suspected, map markers designating the various kingdoms: lions, giraffes, horses, and eagles.
“You can handle a siege and direct troops from here if necessary. The other passageways have sleeping quarters and storage space for equipment, weapons, and food.” Simeon pointed to a spot on the map near the middle of the lake surrounding the Border Keep. “We are here.” He indicated a southwestern point beyond the lake. “There is an exit in a cluster of trees behind this knoll. It’s a full two day’s journey from above, but just hours from below.”
Kiffen studied the map, speechless. “How is the trip so much shorter?”
“Above ground, you must travel around or across the lake and then navigate through rocky ground and hills leading down into the plains. Down here, it’s almost a straight path.”
While Kiffen leaned over the map, Simeon walked over to the slots built into the far wall and withdrew a rolled parchment from the top row, three slots from the left. He presented it to Kiffen. “Your Majesty, before we left Elwar, your father instructed me to share this with you. It’s even more imperative now that he’s gone. I regret the circumstances, but the knowledge shared here is extremely confidential, known only to the rulers of the four kingdoms and their highest-ranking advisors.”
Kiffen reached for the parchment, brushing a fine layer of dust off it. The paper felt thicker than any map or treatise he’d ever held.
Had his father anticipated his death or determined the unrest in their world signified the right time to share this information with him? His hands shook as he untied the cords binding the parchment. These were the secrets he didn’t know. His father had alluded to them at times. Now, these secrets were his to keep and use.
The parchment was quite long, with neat, numbered details written down its length. After years of storage, the paper kept curling back on itself, so he spread it out on the table, using lion markers to hold the corners down. Nestled beside one of the numbered points, the author had sketched a small map of Teletia. Before he got caught up in examining it, he pulled up a chair and sat.
The words swam before his eyes. “I want to read all of this, but I think it might serve our purposes today if you go over the most significant points.” He glanced around the room and at the walls lined with slots, holding more documents. “I’m a bit overwhelmed.”
“Very well.” Simeon drew up a chair beside Kiffen. “Let’s start with some simple geography. Where is the cave where the Watchers found your father?”
Confused by the question, Kiffen slid a corner of the parchment aside and indicated a point on the map table just inside the border of Moniah where the mountains edged into the plains. It was the only place the cave could be since this small extension of the larger mountains in Elwar was the only place those mountains reached into Moniah.
Simeon shook his head. “That is what we let people believe.” He indicated a point northeast, near Teletia’s border with Belwyn. “This is the actual location. It, too, is a stronghold like this one, storing food and supplies. This map shows the exact location.”
The pounding in Kiffen’s heart increased as he considered the possibilities suggested by this new knowledge. He leaned over the parchment, scanning the notes. For the first time since rioters attacked Elwar’s castle, Kiffen believed he might succeed in this new role forced upon him. Untested in battle, much less as a leader, he had doubted his abilities to overcome Maligon.
This underground fortress, and the secrets it held, could change that.
* * * * *
Chapter 15
Kassa and Halar sat at the small table in their chambers drinking tea in the early afternoon. The room was sparse compared to Elwar’s offerings, but fancier than any rooms they used in Moniah. Kassa didn’t mind as long as Halar shared it with her.
“Where is Samantha?” Halar’s face drooped with exhaustion.
“Watcher’s quarters.” Kassa sipped from her cup, enjoying the warmth of the steam rising above the liquid. Was she getting old and susceptible to cold chills? She shuddered at the thought and decided it was the climate.
Halar crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, a frown on his face. “Have you asked her why she’s here? Why she didn’t attend to Adana as ordered?”
“Yes, but her answer doesn’t make sense.” Placing the cup back on the table, Kassa grimaced at the bitter taste and reached for the honey. “She claims she wanted to find me and help me secure the route to Moniah.”
“I don’t believe her.”
“Me either.” Their daughter’s answer plagued Kassa with doubts. After three years of separation, she didn’t feel like she knew her daughter anymore. She took another sip of tea and scowled. “This is awful. I thought the keep stored better supplies than this.”
“I thought our daughter was better trained than this.”
Was his grimace for the bitter tea or Samantha’s attitude? Kassa set down her cup and eyed her husband. “She’s spent a lot of time with Kiffen lately. I don’t like the way he looks at her.”
“You don’t think?” Halar sat forward, concern deepening the many wrinkles in his forehead.
“No.” Kassa stood up and walked around to her husband. “She’s managed to confuse him, but he loves Adana. The question is why she’s behaving this way.” She massaged his shoulders with a firm touch, fingers finding the familiar knots and kinks she’d learned in a lifetime of marriage. “You were with her these past few years. Did you notice anything? Any changes?”
He shook his head. “Nothing much. She withdrew after the queen’s death, but I thought it was due to the changes and your absence.” He leaned forward forcing her massaging hands closer to his shoulder blade. “Right there. My shoulder is killing me.”
Kassa exerted more pressure, concern shifting her thoughts. “Has your injury been giving you trouble? You should have told me.”
Halar dropped his head toward his chest. “No more than in the last three years. Now, I have you.” He reached up and patted her hand. “You can keep it in shape.”
“Hmph!” She pretended gruffness, but the interaction washed her in warm familiarity. Several minutes passed before either of them spoke.
“Still,” Kassa said, “there must be something to her behavior. How was Samantha with Montee after I left?” The two women had shared a strong bond of friendship prior to Montee’s elevation to First Vision, but there had been no evidence of their friendship since Samantha and Montee arrived in Elwar a few weeks earlier.
“I didn’t notice, at first, because Linus had us patrolling the borders for quite a while in search of Maligon, but when I returned, I heard rumors.”
Kassa’s grip tightened on Halar’ shoulders.
“Ow, woman!”
She dropped her hands from his shoulders and turned him to face her. “What kind of rumors?”
“I don’t know the details, but Montee had to pull rank. After that, they didn’t associate much.”
“Why didn’t you alert me to this?”
“I didn’t think it was important. You did the same thing with Gilda when you were raised to First Vision.”
“Pah! Gilda was jealous of you, not my status.”
“Really?” Halar straightened, his eyes bright.
Kassa swatted him. “You’re lucky she never had a chance with you.” She returned to her seat and sipped on the tea, grimacing again. “Who are Samantha’s companions?”
“Primarily Kalara and the ones who follow her around.”
“Follow?” Kassa didn’t like the sound of that word.
“Her squad. The Watchers she spars with and takes on expeditions, maybe a few others.”
“My vision always failed me in reading Kalara. That always concerned me.” She stood and went to the door. “I think it’s time we find our daughter and have a talk with her.”
Halar sighed. “This can’t go well.” He got up.
Before they opened the door, he drew her into his arms. “Remember, you are her mother, not her commander. That might make this go easier.”
Kassa shook her head. “I doubt it.”
* * *
They found Samantha in the map room of the center tower. She looked up as her parents entered the room. The smile she cast in their direction gave Kassa hope, but she couldn’t fight back the fear that Samantha floundered without direction. Why else would she disobey orders with only the simplest of explanations?
“I was just studying the information we have on Adana’s location. There is a village near there.” Samantha straightened. “Have you seen Kiffen? I need to ask him more about his connection to Adana.”
“You mean the queen.” Kassa’s voice sliced through the air.
Samantha blinked and cast a confused look at her father before responding to her mother. “Of course, I mean the queen. I’m just not used to calling her that.” She looked back at the map, sharpness in her voice. “Where is Kiffen?”
Kassa opened her mouth to speak, but Halar interrupted her. “The King is in a closed meeting. What do you want to ask him? Surely, your mother understands the connection with the giraffes better than anyone here.”
The Watchers in Exile Page 13
