“Wait!” Rosalind reluctantly shouted. “There is one other thing I neglected to tell you. But I must. I made a promise to do so.”
Mr. Tupper studied the pained expression upon her face as he walked back into the room. Molly sat next to Rosalind on the bench, anticipating how difficult it would be for the princess to tell of her promise to Jeremiah.
“What is this other thing you speak of?” Mr. Tupper gently asked. “To whom did you make a promise?”
“Before we were imprisoned in the storage room…” Rosalind began in an unsteady voice. “Before Jeremiah was taken away from me again, I…”
Molly took her hand. “Take your time, Rosalind. You don’t have to be afraid. Tell us when you’re good and ready.”
“But I am afraid, Molly,” she whispered. “I’m more afraid than I’ve ever been in my entire life.” She paused a moment, thinking about the torment Jeremiah was enduring at this very hour, then suddenly her spirit hardened with resolve and she stood up. “But I will not let that fear paralyze me! If Jeremiah must fight Belthasar, then I certainly can, despite the consequences. I have no choice.”
“That’s the attitude!” Mr. Tupper said encouragingly. “Now continue.”
Rosalind wiped away a remaining tear and turned to her companions. “Before Belthasar’s spirit overpowered Jeremiah this last time, he asked me to make a promise. More than anything, Jeremiah despised the possibility that Belthasar might be crowned King and rule over Solárin with his true identity unknown to all. Jeremiah would give up his life rather than see such a horror inflicted upon his people. And I…” Rosalind took an unsteady breath. “And I promised Jeremiah that if all our efforts failed to free him, then I would see to it that his request was granted.”
“What are you implying?” Mr. Tupper asked, his face as colorless as the dawn.
Molly was equally taken aback, her eyes filled with worry and fright. “Rosalind, what did he ask of you?”
“Jeremiah told me that if ever the moment arrives when King Alexander’s crown is about to be placed upon his head while Belthasar still holds power over him, then…”
“Then what?” whispered Molly.
“…then his royal archers should strike him down dead. The most skilled few are to be given these instructions in advance and in secret,” Rosalind said. “And if the need arises, his orders are to be followed without question.”
Mr. Tupper’s jaw dropped. “This is insanity, Princess Rosalind! How could Jeremiah say such a thing? How could he make you promise such madness?”
“I didn’t want to, Mr. Tupper. Honestly, I didn’t. When he told me his idea in the storage room, my spirit froze. It knocked the very life out of me,” she sadly recalled. “But when I heard the conviction in his voice, the brave concern for his subjects above himself, I…” A slight smile appeared on Rosalind’s face. “I was horrified, yes. And still am. But a part of me is proud of him, too. I am only now realizing that.”
“Prince Jeremiah is a courageous man to suggest such a thing,” Molly said. “But I can’t believe there’s nothing we can do to prevent the situation from ever coming to so horrible an end. We’re still safe inside the castle and Christopher is doing what he can on the outside. We need another plan–and fast!” She pounded a fist into the palm of her hand. “We’ve got to act while we still have the element of surprise.”
Some minutes earlier, shortly before Molly and Rosalind had begun their discussion with Mr. Tupper, several of the kitchen workers fanned out through the castle corridors on their morning rounds carrying breakfast trays for Prince Jeremiah and his advisors. A talkative young girl, Melinda, trudged up a staircase to one of the upper chambers and knocked on the door. One of Jeremiah’s new advisors opened it, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes though he had been up for nearly an hour.
“We were told to deliver breakfast extra early today,” Melinda said, displaying a cheerful smile as she handed the man his tray. “Probably because it’s such an important day, don’t you think?”
“I guess,” the man muttered, taking the tray with a scowl before ducking back inside the room. Before he could close the door, Melinda piped up.
“Are you excited about the coronation later? I know I am. We’ll have enough time to slip out of the kitchens for a little while to watch the main festivities. We’re busy down there, but probably not as busy as you are,” she said with a nervous laugh.
The man glared at Melinda through the opening, though she appeared not to notice. “I’m sure we’re just a tiny bit busier,” he said sarcastically. “Perhaps if you have time someday, we might sit down with the prince over tea and compare your kitchen chores to his duties of state.”
“I’d like that!” she said, her eyes sparkling like sunshine upon water as the man rolled his eyes. “Perhaps Princess Rosalind could join us too. I can’t wait to see how beautiful she looks at the coronation!” The man started to close the door as Melinda continued to babble on. “Though the princess always looks beautiful, just as she did this morning. Maybe someday I’ll be lucky enough to have such stunning attire as she does.” The door swung back open and the man glared down upon the girl as if stunned by an electric shock. Melinda flinched. “Or maybe not…”
“You–you saw the princess, you say? This morning?”
Melinda nodded. “Yes. Down near one of the kitchens on my way to work. She and another young girl were talking to Mrs. Rudkin. Probably discussing preparations for the big banquet, no doubt.”
“No doubt,” he softly said. “And how long ago was this?”
“Not very. Shortly before I came up here to do my breakfast rounds,” Melinda replied. “Is something the matter?”
“Oh, no, no, no,” he said, trying to sound pleasant. “I just thought that all the banquet arrangements had been finalized. Princess Rosalind probably has a few more ideas. Good ones, no doubt.”
“No doubt!”
“Well, you had better run along, miss, and let me enjoy this wonderful breakfast,” he said, shooing her away with his hand.
“Okay!” she chirped, scurrying down the corridor on her way back to the kitchen.
The advisor set his breakfast tray on a table, then exited his room and quickly strode over to Prince Jeremiah’s quarters in another corridor close by. He was one of the three men who had accompanied Morgus Vandar down to the storage room when they had imprisoned Christopher, Molly and Princess Rosalind. He knocked frantically on Jeremiah’s door, hoping he was already awake. A moment later the door opened.
“What is it?” Jeremiah said icily, his eyes as gray as ash.
“We have a problem,” he whispered as a few beads of sweat dappled his forehead. “A big problem.”
“Inside!” Jeremiah snapped, glancing down each end of the corridor before closing the door. “What’s going on?”
A few minutes later, Jeremiah stared blankly at the hole in the storage room wall, scratching his head in disbelief. The iron vault door remained jammed in the stone blocks, looking like a lifeless dinosaur stopped dead in its tracks. The spirit of Belthasar boiled with rage, and in no time Prince Jeremiah was barking out orders. Several teams of his new advisors were quickly dispatched to quietly search the castle for Princess Rosalind and Molly.
“If those meddling women think they’re going to disrupt my plans, then they are gravely mistaken,” he muttered. “Now find them, and find them fast!”
As Mr. Tupper scurried through the corridors to locate Darius, the shock of Princess Rosalind’s story still weighed heavily on his heart. He kept looking over his shoulder like a frightened mouse, though he encountered no one along the way. He finally found the chief guard in one of the armories on a lower level and rushed him back to the map room, believing that only Rosalind’s words would convince him of the truth.
When they entered the map room, Princess Rosalind was gazing solemnly out the window, a hint of daylight slowly erasing the last remnants of night from the thick glass panes. She was happy to see Dari
us and introduced him to Molly who had been leafing through some maps at one of the tables. Darius was a few years older than Jeremiah and quite tall, wearing a tangle of blond hair down to his shoulders. Molly thought he looked quite professional, decked out in his dress uniform in honor of the coronation. The sky blue stripes around his shirt collar and along his sleeves matched the background color of the Solárin flag.
“Thank you for meeting us here, Darius, especially on such a busy day,” Rosalind said.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job, my lady, if I neglected your concerns about the safety of this kingdom,” he politely replied.
“Has Mr. Tupper told you what those concerns were?”
“He gave me a few subtle hints,” Darius said, standing straight as an arrow. “But he thought I had better hear the entire story from you.”
“And so you shall,” she said, indicating for him to sit down before again recounting the agonizing details of Belthasar’s return and her promise to Jeremiah. Darius appeared even more shocked and angered than Mr. Tupper upon hearing the news, but vowed to fulfill Rosalind’s dire promise only as a last resort.
“I won’t abandon our future King no matter how bleak the situation. There must be other options to drive that foul Belthasar from our leader and out of this land,” he assured the princess.
“I’ll do everything to help him,” Rosalind said as a flicker of hope rekindled her spirit. “I’ll do anything to save him.”
“Then let’s discuss details,” Mr. Tupper said, indicating for Molly to join them in the conversation. “Stop poring over those maps, little miss, and give us your thoughts. After all, you helped rescue the princess from this castle before. Maybe you’ve got an idea about rescuing a prince, too.”
Molly grinned, pushed the maps aside and hopped off her chair just as the door to the map room flew open. Four of Jeremiah’s advisors, all armed with swords, rushed inside and closed the door. Two of them immediately leapt at Darius and disarmed him before he could draw his sword. Mr. Tupper and Molly stepped in front of Rosalind to protect her, but none of the men attempted to harm any of them. They merely stood guard at the door to prevent them from leaving. When confident that the prisoners were under control, one of the men left to inform Jeremiah of their success.
“Three times you were imprisoned inside this castle, my dear princess, and three times you have escaped,” Jeremiah said with a disgusted sigh after he entered the map room a short while later. “The game is growing rather tedious.”
“Would you care to try for a fourth?” Rosalind said.
“Or maybe you should just find another hobby,” added Molly.
Jeremiah smoldered. “You, young lady, are getting on my nerves. I–” He glanced about the room. “Where is that brother of yours?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know!” Molly teased.
Jeremiah scowled and pointed a finger at her. “If I had but a moment to spare…”
“Stop trying to intimidate the girl,” Darius said, noting the brave face that Molly displayed. “Though I see, Belthasar, that she recognizes you as nothing more than a blustering fool.”
“Spare me your clever comments!” he snapped, raising a hand to stop Mr. Tupper from joining in the chorus. “I have neither the time nor the desire to deal with any of you right now. In a few short hours I will control this kingdom, and then I shall conduct matters at my own leisure. But in the meantime…” Jeremiah indicated to three of his advisors to escort Mr. Tupper and Darius to the prison below. “I trust you’ll be very comfortable in your individual cells.”
“Belthasar, this fight isn’t over!” Darius promised, his face reddening. “You won’t get away with this.”
Jeremiah dismissed his comment with a wave of his hand before addressing Rosalind. “And as for you, princess, you and your little sidekick will be under guard in a place full of fond memories. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely stay.”
“Since you won’t be there, Belthasar, it can’t be all bad,” Rosalind scoffed. But inside she couldn’t help but wonder what Belthasar had in mind for them. They soon found out.
While Mr. Tupper and Darius were separately escorted to the prison cells below, Molly and Rosalind were hurried up the spiral staircase on their way to the corner tower where the princess had been imprisoned four years ago. The sad and distant memories flooded back as they trudged along the parapet under the watchful eyes of two guards, all looking like dim drifting shadows under the cloudy gray dawn.
“I’ve got to do something,” Molly thought, contemplating every possible way to escape. But the few ideas she envisioned ended in failure.
She knew that if she and Princess Rosalind were locked up, and if Christopher failed in his attempt, then all would be lost. In a few hours, Jeremiah would be crowned King of Solárin, but Belthasar would control the reins of power with his subjects being none the wiser. In his madness, he would swiftly rearrange life in the kingdom as he saw fit with no one to question or oppose him until it was too late. By then, people would be imprisoned, families ruined, and the brightness and beauty of the kingdom destroyed forever. Rule under Malaban would be a picnic, Molly believed, compared to what Belthasar had in store for them.
“Quit dragging your feet and move along,” one of the guards muttered as they approached the tower. The flag of Solárin hung lifelessly in the bleak light on top of the tower as if already giving up, perhaps knowing it would soon be replaced by a red and black banner.
“You’ve made a big mistake by taking orders from Belthasar,” Princess Rosalind said to the guards. “You can save yourselves and earn the praise of the real King by letting us go.” The men merely grunted as the damp morning air swallowed up her desperate words.
The guard in front hurried to the tower door and opened it, awaiting the prisoners’ arrival. Off to their right on the adjacent corner of the castle stood another tower containing the aviary, now barely visible in the gloom. Molly recalled when Princess Rosalind accompanied her and Christopher there before the big storm to send a message to Endora. Then an idea grabbed her and she knew it might be their only hope.
“Buy me a few seconds,” she whispered to Rosalind as they approached the tower door. “I need a little time.”
“What…?” Rosalind asked, a puzzled expression upon her face.
Molly looked right into her eyes. “I need a head start,” she softly said, indicating the aviary with a slight turn of her head. Rosalind nodded, now understanding. “In five, four, three…”
As they approached the guard standing next to the door, Rosalind suddenly pivoted on her heels to face both men, raising her hands wildly in the air as if she had gone mad. “You mustn’t do this to us!” she cried, pushing one of the men in the chest. “You can’t treat us like this!”
Both guards grabbed hold of Rosalind by the wrists to restrain her.
“Now don’t make a fuss, princess! Cooperate and everything will be just fine,” one of them said as they tried to lead her into the tower.
With their attention diverted for an instant, Molly fled down the parapet toward the next tower, her heart pounding like a wild drumbeat. Rosalind escalated her struggle to buy more time, and it took several seconds before the two guards realized that Molly had run off.
“I’ll get that rascal!” one of the men shouted, racing after Molly as the other guard tried to subdue Rosalind.
Molly reached the tower and ran inside, the interior looking much like the other one. As there was no lock on the door, she immediately headed up a short staircase at the back of the room leading to the aviary above. She swung the door open and stepped inside, the gentle cooing of several dozen gray and white pigeons greeting her. Some of the birds slept in wooden cages while others stood on various perches suspended from the ceiling. Streams of tired light slipped through cracks in the oak shutters shielding the room’s only window. But before Molly could write a message of warning to King Rupert, she needed a little more time. She frantically looked about the room an
d spotted several wooden crates containing small sacks of bird seed and other supplies.
“That’ll work!” she said to herself, quickly dumping one of the crates then slamming it to the floor and breaking it up into a half dozen flat pieces. Several of the pigeons fluttered excitedly, some bouncing around in their cages while others alighted from one perch to another in distress. “Sorry about the noise,” Molly remarked as she gathered up the several pieces.
“You’ve got nowhere to escape now!” the pursuing guard shouted from the chamber below. “Unless you want to jump out the window!”
Molly could tell by the man’s tone that he was taking his time to reach her, believing she was trapped. Her spirits rose slightly upon gaining a few precious seconds. Quickly, she slammed the door shut and pushed several of the flat pieces of wood under the bottom, then slid another crate over and rammed it again and again against the slats to jam them in tightly. Satisfied that the door was wedged closed, Molly shot over to a small table cluttered with tiny pieces of parchment, quill pens and bottles of ink. She dipped a pen into some ink and scribbled out a note to King Rupert.
King Rupert, stop the coronation! Jeremiah is really Belthasar. Endora is going to be attacked. No time to explain. Rosalind and I are trapped inside the castle.
A booming thud rocked the door.
The Endora Trilogy (The Complete Series) Page 32
