by J. D. Wright
“Okay, here goes.” Reciting the first spell, Dagan held his arms out to the side. When he finished, he immediately began to recite the second spell. Both spells were required to make a small hole in Larkin’s defenses, and he was lucky that his grandfather had taught one of the spells to Sarita before he passed.
Just a moment after he finished the second spell, he stepped closer and held out his hand, touching an invisible wall that stood before him. The first spell had revealed the wall to him though the others couldn’t see it yet. Touching the wall, a small hole began to form around his hand, then spreading wider until it was wide enough for at least two men to walk through. Dagan stepped back and turned his head, nodding to the others. They couldn’t see the wall, but they could see the faint white outline of the doorway that he had just created.
“It will hold until dawn, or until I close it. Whichever comes first,” Dagan said.
Finnley and Sir Luthias left first, following a map they would use to get Finnley into Larkin’s chambers. Sir Nicholas and Sir Ainsley entered next, heading toward the back of the castle, where they would meet Sidonie, later. Finally, Rowan and Dagan left the security of the forest and walked through the magical doorway. Once inside, Dagan used a location spell to locate Cicilly. Though he didn’t have his scrying mirror with him, he used a small cup of water instead, to reflect the image of her location. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. There must have been something else still blocking him.
Rowan glanced down at the empty water. “Well, at least we weren’t depending on the location spell to work,” he said, shrugging. Then Dagan tossed the cup into a bush nearby and they crept up to the castle. Dahlia had told them about an entrance on the side, used to load barrels of food, liquor, and anything else the king didn’t want the villagers to know about. No one had asked, but it was clear that Cicilly was probably brought into the castle using the same entrance.
They stopped next to the doorway and Rowan poked his head around the side quickly, counting the number of soldiers standing guard.
“There are two soldiers, just like she said.” Rowan pulled his daggers from their casings.
“Alright. What is the plan th—“. But before Dagan could finish his question, Rowan had left his side without making a sound, sneaking up behind the first man and slitting his throat with one of his daggers. Dagan looked around the corner just in time to see the second man crumble to the floor, blood gushing from his neck. Rowan stood over the bodies, wiping his blades on a rag he had tied to his belt. Dagan stepped into the doorway.
“Whoa. You are one scary man.” But Rowan just grinned.
“Here, help me move them out of sight.” They drug the bodies out of the entrance and hid them behind a large bush. Then they returned to the castle.
Elsewhere inside, Sidonie was lost. She knew she was on the right floor of the castle, but there were so many rooms on this level and every door looked the same to her.
This same situation is how I ended up in Dagan’s room in the first place, she thought to herself. Then she decided to try the door closest to her. At this point, she had nothing to lose. The door was locked, so she used her magic again, to unlock it. When she opened the door and stepped inside, the woman sitting across the room from her wasn’t Cicilly.
“Dahlia. Come to torment me some more?” she said.
Sidonie had no idea who this woman was, but she decided to play along. “Do you need me to torment you? You look rather pale already.”
“Ha! If your husband locked you away so he could play with his new obsession, you wouldn’t handle it so well either.”
So this was Vallica, Silas’ wife, and Dahlia’s stepmother. Sidonie wished she knew more about their relationship. At this moment, she wasn’t sure if she should hate this woman or feel pity for her.
“Thankfully, I have no husband to lock me away.”
“For now,” Vallica replied. “But your father was already entertaining ideas of suitors for you, just before you left on your last escapade. Looks like he wants you out of this castle as much as I do.”
“I doubt that matters much now, seeing as he all but damned me to death just yesterday.”
Vallica snorted. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard? I was captured in Junacave. The queen offered to trade me for her mother. My father refused.”
“What? He would rather let you die than to return that bitch to where she came from?”
Sidonie tried not to flinch at Vallica’s choice of words for Cicilly, but Vallica didn’t stop there.
“Of all the vile, cruel, and heartless things that devil of a man has done, this one takes the prize. Locking me in here, leaving you to die. Is there anything he cares for? Other than her?”
“Apparently not.”
Seizing the opportunity, Vallica rose from her chair and crossed the room. “Dahlia, I know we have had our quarrels, and I will be the first to admit that I have treated you unfairly in the past, but we simply cannot stand for this. We must do something.”
“Like what?” All Sidonie wanted to do was get out of this room and find Cicilly, but she didn’t see a way out at this moment.
“Let me go, out of this room. We will escape the castle, together. With your wits and my charm, we can go anywhere, start over.”
Sidonie didn’t know this woman at all, but even she could tell Vallica was lying. However, if it got her out of the room, she would agree to near anything.
“Fine. Let’s go.” Sidonie turned and walked out of the room. She had barely made it into the hallway when she was hit on the back with something hard, knocking her to the floor. Vallica stood over her, laughing as Sidonie writhed in pain, trying to crawl to the wall to pull herself up.
“You are more gullible than I thought, Dahlia dear. Like I would ever go anywhere and leave my bastard husband to enjoy his spoils.” Then she turned and left.
~*~
“Wheeeww, wheeww, whewwww,” Finnley stood in the corner of Larkin’s room, trying to control his breathing. He had begged Sir Luthias to stay longer, but he had orders to join the other knights downstairs and unlock the back entrance for them. He could hear the wizard opening the door and ran a quick hand through his hair to muddle it up. If he was going to attempt to fake seduce a wizard, he might as well do it right.
Larkin stepped into the room, wearing long black wizard robes, entirely too large for him. Finn cleared his throat and stepped into the light. Larkin spun around, eyes wide in surprise. His long dark beard was braided, much like Sidonie often braided hers. And his beady eyes made him look rather harmless though Finn knew better. Larkin stepped forward, studying Finn, but he didn’t touch him.
“You will do,” he said, then he turned and walked toward his wardrobe on the other side of the room, pulling out a different set of robes.
Finnley exhaled the breath he had been holding ever since Larkin first looked at him.
“So are you my prize for the dream walking or for enchanting the amulet?” Larkin asked. Finn didn’t answer, unsure what to say. Larkin looked back at Finn, giving him a look from head to toe. “Perhaps you are a reward for both. It seems my king went above the typical this time.”
Larkin poured wine into two goblets, then turned and handed one to Finn, who pretended to drink. He certainly couldn’t lose his focus right now, even if this situation made him desperately want to drink. Larkin gestured toward the bed and Finn carried his goblet over and sat on the edge, trying to stay far enough away from Larkin as he could, without looking like he was scared. In Sire, it was an honor to be chosen to lie with the wizard, or so Dahlia had told him. Right now, he wondered if she had only said that to get him to agree. Either way, if he appeared to be too nervous, Larkin may suspect something.
The wizard made small talk, asking Finn his name, which he lied about, then about his family, which again Finn lied about. He was beginning to relax around the wizard until Larkin reached over and placed a h
and on Finn’s leg, causing panic to return.
“Oh, I’m out of wine…” Finn stood abruptly, walking around the side of the bed, pretending to refill his goblet. He could hear Larkin coming closer. Just distract him for a while longer. Keep him busy, keep him talking. But that thought was short lived as Larkin reached out and patted Finn on the rear, causing him to jump.
“Whoa, sir. I just poured my wine.”
“Finish it later,” Larkin said as he moved closer. Finn moved out of the way just in time to avoid Larkin’s grasp.
“I think we should get to know each other better, don’t you? I’m not the kind of man to just jump into things.” Finn was rambling at this point, but he didn’t care.
“Playing hard to get, hmm?” Larkin smiled, his yellow teeth showing as Finn flinched. “I like to play games, just the same as any man, but I am afraid I am rather tired this evening. Best we move things along.”
Larkin walked over to Finn, who was stuck in the corner of the room with nowhere to go. He leaned in and kissed Finn, right on the lips. Immediately as he began to pull away, Larkin’s face froze, then the rest of his body followed. He fell backward onto the floor behind him with a thud.
“Ugh.” Finn wiped his mouth clean, then lifted the goblet and drained every last drop of wine.
“I’m sorry, old man,” he said, “but I’m afraid my heart lies with the ladies.” Then he slipped out of the room.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Dagan said, frustrated because the map had them going in circles around the first floor of the castle. “It says we should have found the stairway by now, but it isn’t here. And you’ve already killed ten men trying to find it.”
“Twelve.”
“What?”
“Twelve. I’ve killed twelve.”
Dagan gave him a blank stare. “That still doesn’t help us.”
Rounding the next corner, they found themselves in the same spot as they had started at when they entered the castle. The same portrait hung on the wall with the same blood splatter from the first two men that Rowan had killed. Something wasn’t making sense.
“Did she do this on purpose? Fudge the map so we would get stuck?” Dagan was growing impatient.
“With Dahlia, there is no way of knowing.”
“And here I thought I was going to be able to forgive her…”
“Forgive her, for what? Having your father’s amulet? I’m the one she forced herself on!”
“Oh, be honest. If you weren’t so enthralled with Queen, you wouldn’t have minded a quick roll in the hay with Dahlia. She seemed to strike your fancy at the harvest festival.”
“She was a distraction. And why do you call her that? Queen? It annoys her.”
“I know. That’s why I do it,” Dagan replied, grinning. Rowan laughed.
“Let’s just try this door,” Rowan said, pushing it open. They stepped inside, but couldn’t see anything for a giant dark blue drapery that was hanging in front of them.
“Well, that wasn’t helpful, either,” Dagan said.
Rowan looked down at the map, then noticed the compass in the corner. He groaned as he turned the map around so that north pointed up. “It was upside down.”
“Oh, I see,” Dagan said. “Perhaps you should have held the map, then.”
“Obviously.”
“Hey, my skill is in hiding, not tracking. Still, even turned this direction, I’m still not sure where we are.”
“Umm...” Rowan began as the drapery in front of them fell to the floor. He elbowed Dagan, who was too focused on the map to notice they were not in the room alone. And it wasn’t just any room they were standing in. This was the king’s throne room, and standing across the room was Silas himself.
“Holy hell.”
~*~
Sidonie finally found the room she was certain Cicilly was in. It had to be, as it was the very last room in the hall and, other than Vallica’s room, it was the only other door that was locked. Slowly, she pushed the door open and found Cicilly wearing a gorgeous ivory nightgown, curled up on the bed in front of her. Sidonie was surprised at the room, which was much more lavish than she would have imagined a prisoner would be kept in. Bree did say that Silas called Cicilly his soul mate, though. Perhaps he was trying to impress her.
Cicilly opened her eyes and started to scream. Sidonie closed the door behind her, trying to calm Cicilly down before someone heard them.
“Queen Mother, Queen Mother, Cicilly! It’s me, Sidonie.”
Cicilly stared at her, terrified and confused.
“I know you are Ethel, Dahlia. You are not Sidonie, too. You can’t be all of these different people!”
“No, no. I mean I am Sidonie, wearing an amulet to make me look like Dahlia.”
“What?” Cicilly was leery to believe what this person was telling her. She had trusted a guard in the courtyard in Junacave, who turned out to be the enemy.
“Ask me something. Something only I would know. Sidonie.”
“Alright. Why were you in the forest that night, with Dagan?”
“Oh, umm... Well... You see…” Her cheeks began to turn pink.
“Oh, Sidonie, I am so happy to see you!” Cicilly rushed over and pulled Sidonie into a firm hug.
“Wait, how did you know it was me? I didn’t even answer.”
“You’re blushing dear…” Cicilly said, simply.
Sidonie was still confused but decided to ignore it. They were short on time.
“I’m here to take you home. I need to get you downstairs, to the back gate so we can escort you to safety.”
“We? There are others?”
“Yes, but we need to hurry. I’ve already wasted too much time trying to find the right room. Do you have a cloak or coat? We don’t have time to dress you in a gown, but I also don’t think you should leave in your nightgown…”
Cicilly glanced down and shook her head. “No. But Silas did leave one of his robes in here, a few days ago.” She walked over to where his dark blue robe was lying, draped over one of the chairs. It still smelled like him, which made her want to gag when she threw it over her shoulders. She would certainly burn it to ashes, the moment she got back to Junacave.
They snuck out of the room and Sidonie locked the door behind them. Then they tiptoed down the stairs, pausing when necessary and hiding behind curtains or random objects when someone passed by. When they reached the back gate, Cicilly could see Nick waiting for her, with his sword drawn. She rushed to him, planting a rather large and noisy kiss on his mouth. He dropped his sword and gathered her into his arms, swinging her around. When he sat her down, he drew curious glances from his companions, but there wasn’t time to explain.
Finnley came around the corner and startled them, meeting several blades pointed his way.
“Where are Dagan and Rowan?” Sidonie asked. “They’re supposed to be with you.”
“I know,” Finn replied. “They never showed up to get me. I paralyzed the wizard and waited for them, but they didn’t show.”
“Something is wrong,” Nick said. “We’ll go back inside and find them.”
“No,” Sidonie said. “I will go. If they’ve been caught, Silas’ soldiers will be scouring the castle and grounds, and he may already know Cicilly is missing. You need to get her to safety. I’m the only one they won’t think is out of place, as Dahlia.”
Sir Luthias gave Sidonie a small knife. “Tuck it under your skirts,” he said, handing her a small belt, “and tie it with this. Just in case. We’ll get the Queen Mother to the forest and the horses, then we’ll return for all of you.”
“Sidonie,” Nick said, just as she turned to leave. “If you can’t save them, we understand. Protect yourself first. But if something does happen, will you please tell Rowan that I love him and I am proud of him.”
“I will,” she said, nodding.
As she turned to go, she hoped sh
e would never have to utter those words.
~*~
Vallica caught sight of herself in the reflection of a silver shield, hanging on the wall. She hadn’t been allowed a mirror in her chambers, for fear that she would break it and use it to cut herself or someone else. Looking at herself now, she was disgusted by what she saw. Her usually sleek and smooth black hair was knotted and in need of a comb, which was something else she had gone without, for no good reason at all. Silas had wanted to make her life as miserable as possible. She tried to compose herself. If she was going to confront this soul mate of her husband’s, she wasn’t going to do it while looking a mess.
She checked Red’s old chambers first, assuming he would have brought Cicilly there, but the chambers were empty, showing no signs of being inhabited recently. Either he was keeping her somewhere else or she was with him now. Vallica turned around and slipped into the back of the throne room. What she found, however, was not Cicilly. Her husband was with two men, neither of whom she recognized, but she was absolutely certain one was a wizard by his clothing. She quietly snuck back out into the hallway, peeking around the doorway to watch.
“I am quite pleased to meet you,” Silas said. “It isn’t often that we have another wizard in our company here in Sire. I am surprised my dear friend, Larkin, hasn’t sensed you already and come to meet you. I’m sure he’ll be along shortly.”
If everything else went according to plan, Larkin wouldn't be sensing anything for a while, Dagan thought.
“Yes, that is a shame,” he said.
The soldiers had their knives and swords out, surrounding him and Rowan, though thankfully, none had tried to subdue them yet. He knew Rowan would put up a fight and probably win against a few of them. Dagan, however, wasn’t sure if he would be able to use his magic inside the castle since the location spell hadn’t worked. He failed to mention this to Rowan, though. Perhaps he should have…
