The Princess Game: A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty (The Four Kingdoms Book 4)
Page 8
I barely had time to wonder if William would keep me waiting before he stepped out of the shadows.
Chapter 9
“She appears.” His voice held the barest hint of relief.
“Tell me, Princeling.” I let the smile sound in my voice. “Have you been fretting all day over whether you made the wrong decision?”
“I will admit the smallest doubt crossed my mind. But I see now that I wronged you. How foolish of me to suppose that you might dance the night away and forget all about me. I had forgotten that you’re not the type for gowns and dances.”
I snorted, and satisfaction washed over me at the indelicate sound. With my face hidden behind a scarf I felt free and light. My true feelings tasted sweet on my lips.
That honesty compelled me to admit that service to my kingdom had been a secondary motive in the creation of Aurora. All day I craved the freedom that night brought.
“You’re a presumptive princeling, aren’t you! How do you know I don’t dance as well as I sneak? A girl can wield a blade and a dress at the same time, you know.”
The moonlight reflected off the gleam in his eyes. “I would love to see you in a gown, Aurora.”
For a wild moment, I wanted to rip off my scarf, but it didn’t need the warning burst of pain in my head to dissuade me. Lanover and my family were in imminent danger, and it didn’t matter how dashing this foreign prince looked in the moonlight, or how sick I was of living a lie. Aurora didn’t lose her focus because of a pair of blue eyes, and Aurora was as much a part of me as Celeste.
I had spent most of the day considering what to tell William and, in the end, had decided that the situation was dire enough to warrant the truth.
“Tell me, Princeling, did you put your daylight hours to good account? Did you ask around about a mysterious girl called Aurora?” It’s what I would have done in his position.
“I’ll admit that I did.” He followed me into the gazebo where we were less likely to be seen by any particularly adventurous couple. “And I got some interesting reactions. It seems that the servants didn’t appreciate a foreigner asking questions about their precious spymaster.”
He said the word lightly, but I felt the weight of it and smiled. My tale would be much simpler if he accepted my identity.
Choosing my words carefully, I outlined the situation and my recent discoveries. “Lanover needs your help, if you’re willing to give it.” I stepped closer and lowered my voice, gazing up into his face with brimming eyes. “I need your help.”
His breath hitched. For a moment, I thought I had him, but he stepped back and shook his head slightly.
I couldn’t help feeling pleased. It might have been more convenient for him to follow me blindly, but I respected him more for not doing so.
“A rebellion is a serious thing. And I could hardly refuse Lanover my aid. Not when one of your princes recently helped Northhelm defeat our own rebel. But I’ll admit to a little curiosity as to why you’re trusting me so freely.” The challenge in his eye was tinged with humour. “For all you know, I might be involved. Are you sure you don’t want to search my room, too?”
I said nothing, regarding him steadily.
Slowly his eyebrows rose. “I’m not sure whether to feel violated or impressed.”
“If you’re asking for my opinion, I would recommend going with impressed. All new recruits get vetted. I wouldn’t be standing here now if I had found anything suspicious.” Taking the time to check his rooms before meeting with the first of my agents had been the right decision. My reputation had been earned through moves like that.
“I’ll admit that your youth made me doubt you.” William ran his hand along his jaw. “But clearly your king knew what he was doing when he assigned you the role. It will be a pleasure to me to repay something of my debt to your kingdom.”
I decided he didn’t need to know that I had assigned myself the role. I wasn’t even sure if my father knew of Aurora’s existence. If he did, he seemed content to let the matter stand.
“You can start by answering a question for me. What exactly were you doing in the gardens in the middle of the night last night?”
William’s ran his hand along his jaw, his eyes drifting in the direction of the ballroom. “I couldn’t sleep and decided to go for a walk to clear my mind.”
I raised one eyebrow and he grimaced before chuckling. “That doesn’t exactly sound convincing, does it? It wasn’t rebellion or intrigue keeping me awake. It was entirely romantic in nature.”
I froze. I wasn’t entirely sure I was ready to talk to William about Celeste as Aurora. My deception had never been so complicated.
He sighed. “I’m busy fighting an attraction that doesn’t feel entirely natural, but I promise I won’t let it interfere in this.”
“Not natural?”
“I can’t seem to shake it, no matter how hard I try, or how many times I tell myself she’s not right for me.” He looked at me and one side of his mouth crept up. “I sound like a crazy person, don’t I? Not exactly the impression I was going for.”
A flash of movement behind William caught my attention before I could reply. I held up a hand to silence him, and he stilled instantly.
Someone wound through the garden. His clothing proclaimed him a reveller, but he walked alone, and his movements seemed too careful and calculating. And, more than that, something about his gait seemed familiar. It didn’t take me long to place him. I had followed him through the palace for an hour, after all.
My interest pricked. I had made no headway whatsoever in trying to fit the actions of the mysterious intruder with the rebellion. But I felt sure they were somehow connected.
I watched him head towards the palace and gestured for William to follow me, never taking my eyes off the trespasser. The prince fell in behind me, and I felt a moment of gratitude that he knew how to move silently. He had told me he served in the royal guard back home. Obviously the position was more than ornamental.
We followed the man halfway around the palace until we approached one of the entrances near the servants’ hall. The intruder’s bearing changed, and he began to sway slightly as if he had drunk too much. He waved at the guard and called out a greeting, his words almost too slurred to be comprehensible. The guard shook his head but made no move to bar the man’s entry.
So, he hadn’t achieved his purpose last visit. And now he was trying a different approach.
I hung back, wishing I could rip off my scarf and follow the man through the door. But, dressed as I was, I couldn’t make such a straight-forward entrance. Trusting that William would follow, I made a sharp right and hurried around a corner. Out of sight of the guard, or any other doors, I removed my lock picks and opened the closest shutters. I glanced at William as I tucked them back into place. His face conveyed nothing but appreciation.
I hoisted myself onto the windowsill and jumped down into the corridor. I could hear the faint scrape of his boots as he followed me, and the slight click as he relatched the shutters. I ignored him, trying to get my bearings.
Given the door he had entered through, the intruder could have taken two directions. But only a small section of the palace had been left unsearched on his previous visit, so I took a gamble and headed in that direction.
My instincts proved correct. We found him only a single corridor further on from where the cat had given me away on the last occasion. He obviously felt secure enough in his disguise, since he carried a candle.
The light made him easy to spot as he once again tried every door he encountered. Except this time, after only three doors, he paused.
He had reached his destination, and my instincts told me his next move. I had made a mistake. When he checked up and down the corridor, we would be fully exposed. We had nowhere to hide.
But apparently William thought even faster than I did. Slipping his arms around my waist, he pressed me to his chest and pinned me against the wall. Angling us so that his back faced the intruder, he lowe
red his head until his face hung the barest breath above mine.
A soft snicker sounded from the intruder, followed by the sound of a closing door. William didn’t let me go.
My heart pounded furiously, and I told myself it was only because of our narrow escape. It had nothing whatsoever to do with being held so tightly in William’s arms.
“Quick thinking.” I wished I didn’t sound breathless.
His chuckle made no sound, but I could feel the vibration in his chest. “If it wasn’t for that blasted scarf of yours, I could have given a better performance.”
His words made my eyes drop to his lips, and I swallowed. They looked soft and inviting. I tore my mind away from the suddenly burning question of what it would feel like to have them pressed against mine.
Placing my hands on his chest, I firmly pushed him away. He yielded easily, stepping back and giving me space. I stepped into the centre of the corridor, carefully ignoring him.
The faintest tinge of light leaked out from under one of the doors. This part of the palace held various offices, and it took me only a moment to remember what lived on the other side of this particular door.
I rocked back on my heels. Interesting.
I slipped inside the room on the other side of the corridor. William followed me. Pulling the door most of the way closed, I settled in to wait.
“Now what?” asked William, in the faintest whisper.
“Now we see what he does next.”
We didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes, the door reopened and the man stepped back out into the corridor. He strode quickly towards the nearest exit, his goal obviously completed.
I let him get a decent head start and then trailed behind, wanting to make sure he left without further activity. I itched to be back at the room he had just vacated, but I couldn’t afford to get sloppy now.
He left the palace without incident, and I rushed back the way we had come. I began to emulate the intruder, opening each door we passed and sticking my head inside. It took five doors before my search was rewarded.
“Ah huh.” I strode into the room and took the glass of water off the desk. It was half-empty with finger marks on the sides, but it would serve my purpose. I grabbed a lantern off a second desk and paused to light it. From the looks of things, the officials who worked in this office kept long hours.
“Feeling thirsty?”
I ignored William, he would understand soon enough.
Reaching the room in question, I removed a handkerchief and carefully opened it without touching the handle.
The door swung wide to reveal a small room, not much bigger than a storage cupboard. Every wall was lined with shelves and most of them were filled with heavy leather tomes. An empty desk stood in the middle of the floor.
William peered in over my shoulder. “A records room?”
I nodded. “For the palace magistrate. The trial outcomes and the details of the sentencing of every major criminal in the history of Lanover is recorded here.” I stepped inside and placed the lantern on the table.
William surveyed the number of books with a frown. “Are the records sealed?”
I shook my head. “Any citizen of Lanover may request access from the magistrate.”
“In that case, why would anyone break into the palace for these? Unless they wanted to change one, perhaps?”
“It’s for historical purposes only.” I set the glass done beside the lantern. “Changing the record would change nothing. As to why someone would break in…the answer seems obvious to me.”
“Then, please, enlighten me.”
“Whatever information he was after, he didn’t want anyone knowing he wanted it.”
William looked sheepish. “Now that you say it, that does seem rather obvious.”
I grinned at him. “That’s why I’m the spymaster, and you’re the prince. Some things should be left to the experts.”
“I was wondering why I liked you so much, now I remember. It’s because of your charm.” I refused to be baited, so he continued. “I suppose now you’re going to tell me how we work out which record he wanted to access.”
“Of course.” I dipped my fingers into the glass and began flicking water onto the spines. After my fourth flick, I paused.
William stepped closer. “Did that book just turn orange?”
He exaggerated, but several spots of bright orange had appeared on the spine. I removed the book and carefully cleaned them off with my handkerchief. I placed it on the table, but William dropped his hand down onto the cover, holding it closed.
“As your humble assistant, I’m completely lost. What just happened?”
“The door handle is coated with a special powder. Made from a jungle flower from southern Lanover. It’s so fine that it becomes invisible unless wet. Then it forms a bright orange paste. When our intruder opened the door, his fingers picked some of it up and transferred it onto this book. All I had to do was add water.”
“And it just happens that this particular door was coated with this powder?”
“Of course not.” I tried not to let my impatience show. “All the doors of all the record rooms in the palace are coated with it. For such an occurrence as this, I might add.”
“Why isn’t every book in the room coated with the stuff? You must have very lax recordkeepers.”
I sighed. I wanted to know what was inside the book. “First of all, this is a historical record room, remember. The current volume is kept in the magistrate’s office. And, secondly, his junior aide is one of my agents. He removes the powder and reapplies it as needed.”
I shifted uncomfortably under the awe in William’s face. “Is there anything you haven’t thought of?”
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, would I? Since I haven’t thought of it. Now, can I open this book and find out what that man wanted?”
“Please do.” He removed his hand.
The second page had a list of the names of every criminal recorded in the volume. I scanned it, hoping something would jump out at me.
The names looked strangely familiar. I had the vague feeling I’d read this book before. But only one entry in this room had ever interested me…
Chapter 10
Bile rose in my throat as I found her name on the list. Princess Melisande. My father’s sister. The woman who had sentenced me to death out of resentment. Who thought wishing destruction on a baby was an appropriate response to being excluded from a Christening.
I didn’t need to flip to her entry, but I did it anyway. I already knew her fate. Like Celine, I had been entirely dissatisfied with the story of her disappearance. And like the intruder, I had chosen to visit this room at night, without going through the magistrate to get my answers.
My aunt had been banished to one of Lanover’s most remote islands. At first she had received regular shipments of supplies. But after a year, the boat captain had reported a strange phenomenon. A tall hedge had grown out of nowhere to surround the entire island. It started at the place where the sand of the beaches stopped, and the thorns were as long as a grown man’s forearm.
The first time, he had left the supplies on the deepest beach, out of reach of the tide. When he returned, months later, the supplies were still there. Picked over by birds and half rotten. He didn’t bother leaving the next shipment. Once a year, he sailed past the island to check if the hedge remained. It had only grown taller and thicker.
No one knew what was hiding behind the hedge, or what fate had befallen my aunt. Personally I hoped she had died slowly and alone, short on food and medicine.
William read over my shoulder, letting out a low whistle when he reached the end of the record. “Is that…?”
“Yes.” I didn’t want to discuss it. Instead my attention focussed on several lines that had been recently added to the entry.
For the last three years, the captain had been instructed to try various methods of removing the hedge. It had so far proved resistant to flame, sword and axe.
I slapped a hand to my mouth, my eyes going wide. Several things began to make sense. Ercole’s father had been quartermaster before him. Ercole had grown up around court, almost the same age as my father. And everyone said that Melisande had been as beautiful as any of my sisters. The princesses of Lanover always were.
Perhaps he hadn’t lost his loyalty to our family, perhaps his loyalty had always been to a different member of the family. My aunt had used one magical object to curse me. Perhaps she had access to more. Perhaps she had built the hedge herself, only now she had lost control of it and needed to be rescued. Perhaps the two of them had been laying plans this whole time, biding their time, preparing against the day when Melisande could have her final revenge on my family. If only Ercole could find a way to free her…
The woman must be unhinged, of course. But I knew better than anyone the power of a beautiful face. And how much people were willing to overlook when faced with great beauty. I had wondered who led the rebellion but had somehow overlooked the most obvious answer. Only one person had ever attempted to bring death to my family before.
But that still left the question of who had made the official order. Were my parents trying to contact my aunt after all this time? Why would they attempt such a thing?
I ushered William out of the room. I knew he must be curious, and I appreciated his restraint.
“It would appear that our intruder has an interest in Princess Melisande, her whereabouts, and the means being used to re-establish contact with her.” I didn’t mention that I had no idea who had given the original order to test the hedge. Or how far my suspicions extended.