He joined the others.
“Aren’t those flowers pretty?” Patteon said to Ari, pointing at the flowers near her feet. “You can pick some and take them back to your room if you like.”
Lareissa turned away, suddenly interested in the water.
“Don’t touch them,” Savenek said.
“Why not?” Patteon asked. “They’re just flowers.”
“Ari is allergic to flowers,” he lied.
Ari kissed his cheek. “Thank you for your concern, brother. But I haven’t forgotten I’m allergic to flowers. You don’t have to be so overprotective.”
“We should leave,” Savenek said. “Before you have a reaction to these.”
The prince’s eyes narrowed.
Savenek smiled at him as he took Ari’s arm, leading her back toward the palace.
“You have to admit, it is beautiful here,” Ari commented.
Savenek couldn’t disagree more. This valley reeked of death.
That night, Savenek crept into Ari’s room while she was soundly sleeping. He took a chair and shoved it under the door handle, just as he’d done in his room, ensuring no one would be able to get in while he was gone.
“Ven?” she whispered.
“Go back to sleep.”
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry if I woke you.” He came over and sat on the bed next to her.
“It’s too hot to sleep in this place. I hate it here.”
He agreed on both counts. Reaching out, he pushed a strand of hair off her damp forehead.
“Why are you dressed?” she asked.
He took a deep breath. There was no harm in telling her the truth. That way, if something went wrong, she would be prepared. “I’m going to do some investigating.”
“What do you hope to discover?”
He explained about the correspondence he’d found between Russek and Apethaga. “I need to discover if the man from Russek is still here, and if he is, why.”
“Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I will.”
She sat up in bed, her hair a mess as if she’d been tossing and turning for hours. “Are you sure this is wise?”
“When the prince took us to the golden lake, that was an assassination attempt. Those red flowers are highly toxic.”
Her eyes widened.
“Tomorrow we go to the king and queen. We will insist they negotiate directly with us.”
Since their lives were in jeopardy, Savenek didn’t want to sit around and wait until something bad happened—especially if they were never going to secure a weapons deal anyway. It was best to learn as much as they could about Apethaga and Russek, and then be on their way. He stood to go.
“Wait.” Ari reached out, grabbing his wrist. “What if something happens to you?”
“I already told you—leave immediately. Don’t trust anyone here.”
She slowly nodded, the moonlight reflecting off her hair. “I could go with you.”
“I’m trained to work alone.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Try to get some sleep.”
Tonight he planned to infiltrate the servants. Someone is this palace had to know something, and Savenek was determined to find out what it was.
He climbed out the window and to the ground. Careful to stay in the shadows, he made his way to the service entrance on the east side of the palace. When he came to the small wooden door, he picked the lock and entered. The hallway was long and dark. Earlier today, he’d stolen the uniform of a kitchen runner. If anyone saw him, they shouldn’t question why he was there.
Going over the palace layout in his mind, he tried to figure out where the kitchen would be in relation to where he was. Bottom level, east side. That meant he needed to head to the left the next chance he had. While the rest of the palace was vibrant with open windows and an airy feeling, the servants’ passageways were narrow and windowless, which made him feel claustrophobic. He’d never felt claustrophobic before, and he’d been in the underground tunnels in Emperor’s City. Those tunnels went on for miles with no reprieve.
At an intersection, he headed left. After five hundred feet, the sound of people talking and pottery clattering came from up ahead. The kitchen had to be close. Before he reached it, he passed a room where a man was filling buckets with water from an underground well.
“You there!” the man called out.
Savenek peered into the room. “Yeah?”
“These gotta go up to level four. Queen wants a bath.”
“You need me to carry these buckets to the queen’s room?” Savenek asked.
“No,” the man said, laughing. “The queen don’t want to see the likes of you.” He shook his head as if Savenek was the dumbest man he’d ever encountered. “Carry the buckets to level four. From there, the queen’s servants will take them and fill the tub.”
Savenek grabbed two buckets, wondering why the queen would want a bath so late at night. Some of the water sloshed over the side. It was blessedly cold. He wouldn’t mind being submerged in the stuff right now.
Another young man entered the room, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Hey,” he said to Savenek. “I’m Lance. You here to help?”
“Yeah.” Savenek stepped into the hallway, waiting for Lance. When Lance exited, Savenek followed him up the stairwell to the fourth level where they deposited the buckets before running back down to get two more. “How many of these do we need to carry up?”
Lance shrugged. “Till they tell us to stop. Usually about a hundred. With the two of us, it should go much faster than it usually does.”
What a pain. Did all royalty take luxurious baths in water carted by servants like this?
During his fifth trip up the stairs, he asked Lance, “Do a lot of guests stay at the palace?”
“Don’t really keep track of the comings and goings.” He set his two buckets down with a thud and descended the stairs.
Savenek did the same. “I was told to deliver a message to a man with black markings on his face. Only, I don’t know who that is.”
“Is it someone who's visiting?” Lance entered the room and picked up two more buckets.
Savenek also grabbed two more and followed him. “Don’t know. Some fancy lady stopped me when I was coming in from the stables. She told me to find the man and to deliver a message. She didn’t say if he was staying here or not.”
“Hope she gave you money for your troubles.” Lance was heaving in deep breaths as he climbed the stairs.
“She did. Mighty good coin, so I’d like to make due and deliver the message.”
“Tell you what, when we finish here, I’ll ask around for you. See if we can find the marked man.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ve never seen you before,” Lance commented.
Savenek had been expecting this. He quickly told the lie he’d thought of while hauling buckets up the stairwell. His father was in the army, and he was supposed to follow his father’s footsteps. However, he turned out to be a big disappointment because he lacked skill with the sword. His father sent him here to be in service to the royal family since he’d failed so miserably at being a soldier.
“You’re lucky they let you in,” Lance said. “Your father must be pretty high up if you weren’t sent to the Kepper Mines.”
“The Kepper Mines?”
“You know, where they send the criminals, less desirables, or anyone who offends the royal family.”
Bullocks. Now he needed to figure out what was being unearthed in the Kepper Mines.
When they’d finished delivering the buckets, Savenek’s hands were bright red from the rough rope handles.
“Let’s go to the kitchens,” Lance said. “The people who work there know all the gossip. If there’s someone here with marks, they’ll know.”
The kitchen was huge with three fires blazing. A handful of long tables were situated throughout where people worked. At one table a couple of women were chopping vegetables, at
another table half a dozen women were kneading bread, and at yet another table a man was chopping herbs.
“Listen up!” Lance bellowed. “Need to know if any of you have seen a man with black marks on his face?”
Everyone looked at Lance, shaking their heads.
Savenek couldn’t believe the heat in the kitchen. Sweat poured down his face and back. How did these people work in these conditions? He could barely breathe.
“Anyone?” When no one answered, Lance turned to Savenek. “Sorry, man.”
“Thanks for helping.” Savenek left before Lance could question him any further.
He spent the next couple of hours roaming through the servants’ passageways asking anyone with whom he came into contact if they’d seen a man with marks. No one recalled such a man. Finally, he exited the palace and climbed up to Ari’s room. At least the night hadn’t been a total waste—he’d met Lance and learned about the Kepper Mines. Intuition told him there was something significant about those mines.
“I did some checking,” Ari said, “and the king and queen will be in the throne room today.” She sat on the sofa in Savenek’s bedchamber while he scarfed his breakfast.
“Do you want something?” He pointed at the tray of food on the low table.
“No, I already ate.”
“Can we just show up in the throne room? Or are we supposed to send word first?” Each kingdom had different rules for how the royal family held court. He didn’t remember offhand how Apethaga did things.
“People coming from outside the palace must send word and be granted permission to attend court. However, since we are staying here, we may go to watch the proceedings.”
“Once we’re there, we’ll try to speak to the king and queen?” he asked, not sure how they’d broach the subject of weapons in such an open forum.
“I’m not sure the best way to handle it.” Ari tapped on the back of the sofa, something Savenek noticed she did when deep in thought. “I’ll figure it out once we’re there. Does that work for you?”
“That’s fine.” There was no point in coming up with a detailed plan since plans rarely went the way they were supposed to.
“I’ve thought of something,” she said, her hand stilling. “Those men you saw in the courtyard with Princess Conditto.”
“The sailors?” he asked, taking another bite of bread.
“Yes. Could they have been from Russek?”
Thinking back to the men, Savenek didn’t remember seeing any marks on their skin which would have indicated they were from Russek. Nor did they have the other usual characteristics of Russek men: pale skin, large frame, longer dark hair. “They were speaking the Apethaga language. Why?”
“I’ve been thinking.” Her finger started tapping on the back of the sofa again. “You saw those men around the same time you saw the man from Russek. I thought maybe they came together. But since they were speaking the Apethaga language, I guess not.”
“They could still be working with one another,” Savenek said.
“In what capacity?”
A feeling of dread filled him. Not only had he seen correspondence between Princess Conditto of Apethaga and Queen Jana of Russek, he’d learned that the two kingdoms might be aligning themselves through marriage. If Princess Conditto married Prince Kerdan, Emperion would have an enormous problem. Russek was a war-hungry kingdom with blood-thirsty and lethal soldiers. The only thing they lacked was money for weapons. And Apethaga clearly had both in abundance. If the two kingdoms aligned themselves, Emperion would have to face well-armed enemies from both the north and the east.
“What if the man from Russek is here to oversee a weapons deal? And what if those sailors are transporting the weapons to Russek?” The bread suddenly tasted stale in Savenek’s mouth. He struggled to swallow, no longer hungry as he considered the possibility that Russek was a step ahead of them.
Savenek and Ari stood arm in arm off to the side of the throne room. The king and queen sat in golden chairs on the dais. The two princes and two princesses were nowhere to be seen. Savenek hadn’t attended court before, but he was fairly certain the entire royal family was supposed to be present.
“Those who are given permission to attend,” Ari whispered, “come to state their grievance to the king. If there is enough evidence, the king makes a ruling. If not, he can request additional information.”
The people in the throne room waiting to state their case to the king were richly dressed in silks and fine fabrics. To Savenek, they looked like members of the upper class. Was the lower class not permitted to attend court? Who dealt with their problems?
“The king is only here for two hours,” Ari continued. “Those who do not have a chance to speak today must come back next week.”
Ari and Savenek weren’t allowed to stand in line alongside the Apethaga people waiting to speak to the king. Only citizens were granted that right. “Once the king is done hearing grievances,” Savenek murmured, “let’s try and approach him.”
Ari nodded just as a servant came by passing out wine. She reached forward and took a cup, but Savenek refused. He needed a clear head. They remained standing off to the side while Apethaga citizens aired their problems to the king and queen. Most of the issues were minor, and the king ruled justly. Only a few required more information.
When the session came to an end, the nobles who had been standing around listening at the edge of the room, started to mingle. Now was the time. With Ari still clutching his arm, Savenek headed toward the king and queen. The king looked their way, and Savenek locked eyes with him. The king leaned toward his wife, whispering in her ear. She nodded and rose, descending the dais and exiting the room.
Savenek released Ari and sped up, heading toward the exit through which the queen had just left, hoping to head off the king. As Savenek rushed by, several people looked at him, their eyes wide with shock from his behavior. But he didn’t care. He had to reach the king. The king quickened his pace, his guards surrounding him.
King Theon reached the exit and stopped, looking at Savenek still ten feet away. A slow smile spread across his face as two soldiers stepped in front of Savenek, forcing him to come to an abrupt halt. The king gave a curt nod before stepping out of the room.
There was no way for Savenek to follow him. He cursed and focused on the two soldiers blocking his way.
Ari caught up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Stand down,” she whispered in his ear. To the soldiers, she said, “My brother is not feeling well and is looking for the privy. Would you kindly point him in the right direction?”
“It is the opposite direction you’re going,” one of the soldiers said. “Turn around and head that way.” He pointed behind them.
Ari thanked him and dragged Savenek from the throne room.
Anger swelled inside him. How could the king dismiss them so easily? Did he have no moral compunction? How could he not side with Emperion? Maybe if Savenek punched one of the soldiers that had been standing in front of him, he would feel better. But Ari had asked—no told—him to stand down. He sighed and let her take the lead.
Out in the hallway, he whispered, “We’ve failed. We have no hope of securing those weapons.”
“We didn’t fail because we never even had a chance.” Sadness seeped through her voice.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger. “Is your bag packed?”
She nodded.
While he’d thrown a few things together, he still needed to acquire food.
“Are we leaving?” Ari asked.
“Not yet.” There were still several unanswered questions. If Savenek could find the man from Russek and interrogate him, he’d be able to learn a lot. And if Emperion went to war, that information might be vital. He could really use a training room right about now to release his pent-up energy and to help him think.
“Let’s go back to that tavern we found the other day,” Ari suggested.
He looked sidelong at her. “That is an e
xcellent idea.” And one he thoroughly supported. He didn’t think many women of her station attended such places. Maybe that was why she suggested they go.
They exited the palace and made their way past the wall and into the town. Again, the streets and buildings were so impeccably clean that Savenek had trouble believing they were off the palace grounds. The sun had already started its descent, but thick heat still permeated the air.
As they entered the tavern, it took Savenek’s eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim lighting.
“Welcome back!” the man working behind the bar bellowed.
Several of the men sitting at the bar pounded a fist in greeting.
“Two cups of ale,” Savenek said before leading Ari to one of the tables off to the side so his back was to the wall.
A server immediately brought their drinks over, setting them on the table.
“I have a question for you,” Savenek said to the server before she hurried away. She nodded for him to continue. “When we came into Apethaga, we entered through a gate in a large wall to the west of here. Does that wall surround the entire kingdom of Apethaga?”
Her cheek twitched indicating that she was suspicious of his question. Or nervous. “It does.” She turned to leave.
“Wait.” He reached out and gently grabbed her arm. “If my sister and I wanted to return home,” he said, lowering his voice, “how would we exit Apethaga? Do we have to use that gate? Or are there others?” Savenek pleaded with his eyes, begging her to answer his question.
The server glanced around before saying, “There are only four exits. One exit leads to Dromien, one leads to Emperion, and two lead to Telmena. Of the two going into Telmena, one is at the base of the mountains and one is closer to Emperion, in the southwestern corner of Telmena.” She quickly stepped away and headed to the bar.
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