Missing Royal

by Konstanz Silverbow

  My legs carry me as fast as I can go, barreling straight into the assassin. He doesn’t have time to react. The knife catches in my armor but doesn’t pierce through. We both fall to the ground. His head lolls as air is knocked out of him.

  For good measure, I punch him as hard as I can, making sure he is unconscious. “Shanice, what is going on?” The king stands there, looking furious—at me.

  “He was an assassin, Father. Come to kill you and the queen.” I’m filthy and tired and I can’t stay. Mendina is bold enough to send assassins to kill my parents while I’m away but she’d better learn fast that I won’t leave them unprotected.

  “This man was here begging for food for his family. What proof do you have that he was an assassin?” I never once thought that saving the life of the king would get me scolded. But if he wants to act this way, two can have a royal temper. I stand my ground.

  “I just saved your life. Proof? Have you ever seen this man before? Has anyone seen this man before? Is there proof he has a starving family in town? This man was about to kill you. And not even you would’ve seen it coming.”

  With that, I turn on my heel and walk away. The only reason I don’t leave for Garverdale right this second is because I don’t know how to find Garverdale. So I go in search of the person who I know I can count on to help me. Javiar.

  My anger pumps through me, the adrenaline keeping me moving. I don’t stop when the people I pass curtsy or bow. I pretend not to see them at all. I continue walking until I find a maid I’ve seen before.

  “Wait!” I shout to get her attention, startling her. “Do you know where I can find Javiar?” She nods, wide-eyed. “Sorry. Please show me where he is.”

  “Ma’am, I am working for the queen. But I can tell you.” She looks around, frantic, unsure which orders to follow.

  “Where?”

  “The library.” She points the way I need to go.

  “Thank you.” I don’t wait for a response. I just continue stomping down the corridor. Once I’m standing outside the library door I take a calming breath and compose myself.

  I realize I must be quite a sight—wearing men’s clothing and armor, chainmail and cuffs, my hair braided back. My face covered in dirt, my fingers still icy from the mountain. I open the door. The room is silent except the occasional murmur of pages being turned.

  I look around until I see him, his back turned to me as he flips through book after book stacked on the table. I step beside him, reading over his shoulder. I don’t see a full two words before the book slams shut and he whips around.

  “Oh. What’re you doing here? I thought you were speaking to the Oracle.” He moves around the edge of the table, a book clasped behind his back.

  “I did. I also just saved my parents from an assassin my father doesn’t believe is an assassin, but that isn’t the point. I don’t know how to get to Garverdale, and I’m not going alone. Pack your bag and meet me in the stables in twenty minutes.” I stomp back out.

  “Shanice!” Javiar says. I turn to see him rushing towards me. “Take a break. Allow Star to rest, pack more supplies, and then we’ll go. Promise.” He places his palm to my cheek. I take a deep breath.

  “Okay. Two hours and then we’ll go.” Relaxed a bit, I leave him to pack and I go to put Star in the stables before resting, myself.

  Two hours later, as promised I return the stables where Star is ready to leave, so ever patiently waiting for me. The stable boy is at her side.

  I take the reins from his small fingers and lead Star to the stables myself. I remove her saddle and brush her coat.

  Ten minutes later, I put the saddle back on Star and mount just as he walks in the door. “What’s going on? You’re angry, panicked, in a hurry, and not really following instructions.”

  “How long is it till we reach Garverdale?” I ask, ignoring all of his questions.

  He glares at me before mounting. “At least two days’ ride. We’ll for sure have to camp tonight,” he adds.

  “Let’s go. Lead the way.”

  I hate camping, I hate constantly traveling, I hate soup of every kind, and I hate that I’m here with Javiar and not Valentino. I keep my back to the fire, curled up in a ball, thrumming my fingers on my leg and hope the night ends soon. Javiar is watching me. I can feel it. I know he’s going to ask me something any minute now. I wait, tensed, knowing I won’t appreciate whatever he wants to say.

  Three minutes pass. “We’ll both be warmer if we sleep closer together,” he says. I know. Thinking back on the same situation with Valentino, I am aware that we could both be warmer. But I can’t. It doesn’t feel right. Doesn’t feel the same.

  “Shanice, are you really willing to freeze because it’s me instead of him?” Javiar touches my arm. My first instinct is to jerk it away. My second instinct is to sit up and talk to him. I go with the second option. I know I’m being rude.

  “It has nothing to do with him or you,” I snap. “I’m not cold.” I say, knowing well it’s all a lie. I hate myself for it. He doesn’t deserve my anger.

  “What’s going on? When you got here, you were confused but you knew that we needed to be friends. You kept Valentino and me from killing each other, and you were kind and sweet. But now you’ve been here a week and just like that, you’re distant. Let me help you. That’s why I’m here.”

  I wipe away the tears sliding down my cheeks. I hug my legs and rest my chin on my knees. “I know. I’m more lost and confused than I’ve ever been before. Valentino told me something, and he didn’t like my response. Since then, he’s been distant, and now I feel like he doesn’t want anything to do with me.” I was going to stop there, let it go. But now that Javiar’s got me talking, I let it pour out.

  “My own father scolded me today for saving his life—he doesn’t believe the man was an assassin. But he pulled a knife out of his pocket while speaking to the king. I don’t know how or why but I had all these feelings, this power built up after speaking to the Oracle, and I knocked him to the ground.”

  “Perhaps you just misinterpreted things. Maybe it was an offering, a gift. That dagger could’ve been anything.” Javiar tries to console me, to convince me I was wrong.

  “The Oracle told me everything in riddles but one thing was very clear. Mendina doesn’t plan on destroying my kingdom. She plans to kill me and take my throne.” I wipe more tears with the back of my hand.

  I expect Javiar to respond as Valentino would have, asking me about my real reasons for being upset, asking about my father. Instead, he asks a question. “The feelings you’re having—what are they like?”

  “Unused energy, like I have all the power in the world just waiting to let loose. I can’t stop moving when I feel it. I fidget. I can run faster than ever before. I—I don’t know.” My hands are shaking. I hate this.

  I’ve never felt like this before, energized and tired all at once. “Shanice,” he whispers. I don’t know why he’s whispering when we’re the only ones around for miles. I don’t even know how I know that. I just do.

  “Why are you whispering?” I can’t keep still. Now my foot taps on the ground.

  “I need you to remain as calm as possible. Listen to me and listen carefully.” He takes my hands in his, grasping them tighter than he probably should.

  He pulls me to my feet and starts walking towards me, forcing me to walk backwards. I try to pull away but he grips my hands so hard they start to go numb. “Javiar,” I begin. But he cuts me off.

  “What you’re feeling is a little more than energy or an adrenaline rush. The man in the throne room? You could have killed him, and your father knew that. I’m sure you left before he could stop you. Is that right?” He speaks slowly, calmly, as if I were a child. He clenches my fingers, locking my elbows in place.

  I nod, focused on his every word. “But-” I try to tell him to let me go.

  “Shanice,” He says, his voice calm and soothing, successfully shutting me up. I look into his eyes. I fear if I look away, if
I say anything, I’ll explode. “Shanice, I’m going to tell you something, and I am begging you to remain calm. Do you understand?” He squeezes my hands a little harder. I nod again.

  “Do you trust me with your life?” he asks. His voice lowers.

  I gulp, nervous as to why he would ask that. But I nod again. The sound of rushing water breaks my concentration. I turn to look, but before I can, he shoves me, letting go of my hands. I turn to catch myself two seconds too late and fall face first. “You have magic!” is all I hear before the rush of icy water engulfs me. I go under for what feels like hours but was more like two seconds before I break the surface.

  I can’t catch my breath. My throat burns, my eyes stinging. I want to say I feel cold but I’m pretty sure I’m actually numb.

  I can’t believe the little dirt bag pushed me in the river! The icy, freezing cold river. I grab hold of a rock at the bank and pull myself out. I’m shaking, this time from the cold rather than the built-up energy. Javiar is lying facedown in the dirt.

  I consider leaving him there but I know I can’t. I touch his shoulder. “Javiar?”

  He moans. “Holy dragons, Shanice.” He sits up, looking pretty hurt. It doesn’t stop me from slapping him across the cheek.

  “What was that for?” I scream.

  “Ugh, my head!” He puts his palms on his temples, applying pressure on the pain. I stomp off toward camp to find something warm and dry to wear. He has the decency to stay out of sight until I’ve changed my clothes.

  I plop down in front of the fire and throw in more sticks to keep it going. My braid came undone, leaving my soaking wet hair dripping all over the place.

  “I’m sorry.” He sits down beside me, wrapping another blanket around my shoulders. “I had to do that if I wanted to save myself from getting blown up. Probably saved your life, too.” He says the words but they don’t make any sense to me.

  “How did freezing cold water help save both of our lives?” I spit.

  “Shanice, you have magic. And because no one has told you that, all your power has been building up inside you for seventeen years. You’ve probably felt a lot of pressure in your life. And I bet you don’t feel it now, do you?” he asks sympathetically.

  I think of all the times I felt under pressure, all the times I wanted the weight lifted. I think of how when I arrived, I felt a little release. I think about how I feel now, and realize the pressure is gone. There’s no weight. The Oracle’s words come back to me—about my power.

  Fine. So Javiar’s right. Whatever. “How did throwing me in the river help anything?”

  “The shock factor. You weren’t expecting it, and all that energy went in to protecting you while you were freezing to death. The blast knocked me back ten feet.”

  I roll my shoulders, trying to find warmth. “So why am I still cold?” I say, my teeth now chattering.

  “Because all the energy went into the first blow. It’s up to your body now to find the warmth. Your energy will renew but you’re going to have to use your powers to keep that from happening again. We need to get you warm and rested.”

  I nod, though I’m not sure he can tell because I’m shaking so much. He doesn’t offer to keep me warm, as I thought he would. Instead, he walks to the trees where both horses are tied and undoes the rope. He somehow manages to get both of them to lie on either side of me. I lie down, snuggled between the horses in three of the four blankets we brought, and try to sleep.

  I almost offer Javiar a blanket but before I can, he squeezes between his horse and myself and climbs under the covers with me. I want to protest but there’s no way I’ll survive the night without as much warmth possible.

  It seems like only minutes have passed since I actually fell asleep but now he’s waking me. “Shanice, we need to go.” He shakes my shoulder gently.

  “Why so early?” I mumble.

  I hear him laugh. “Because if we leave now, we can reach Garverdale by dark,” he says before getting both horses up. With my heaters gone, it’s a lot easier for me to get up too. Sure I’m a sight to behold, I’m grateful I didn’t bring a mirror.

  I comb through my hair with my fingers and braid it back. But without Edda’s hairdressing abilities and an elastic to hold it in place, the braid comes undone. I don’t try to re-braid it. I let it go. My hair is already a mess – how much worse could it get?

  The sun sets but Javiar asks that we push on, knowing that we are almost there. I am ready to give up for the night just as lights twinkling in the distance give me hope. I’m ready to run for it. We’re so close.

  I expected to see more people but the cobblestone streets are barren. Not a stir is made, and I realize I don’t know where Valentino is. He said to meet him here. But he never specified which home—or the inn, perhaps.

  “You’re leading from here on out.” Javiar says. He doesn’t know either.

  “Let’s start at the inn. I want a hot meal and a warm bed.” I turn down one street hoping I’m even going in the right direction. I hear laughter from inside the large building to my left. A sign hangs above the door but I can’t make out what it says.

  “Not there.” He rides up beside me and puts his hand on my arm.

  “Why not?”

  “That’s no inn—that’s the alehouse. A whole lot of drunkards there. No, this is the inn.” He leads us farther down the street. There is noise from within but not laughing and shrieks. I’m glad he stopped me—I’m glad I brought him with me.

  I follow Javiar’s lead and dismount. We walk the horses down the small alley behind the inn and put the horses in the stables. I don’t want to leave Star but I can’t bring her in with me.

  Once the horses are as secure as they’ll be in a place like this, we walk back around the inn to the front door. A wave of smoke and the smell of drinks, vomit, and body odor hit me when we walk through the door. There’s drinking and eating, singing and storytelling. People of all kinds sit in a large room heated by a fireplace. At the back of the room is the bar, and a large man with a short beard and mustache of black and white greets us jovially.

  “Wha’ can we get yer?” he asks Javiar, not even noting I’m there.

  “We need a room for the night,” Javiar says. I wish he had asked for two but then I look at all the people and change my mind. I don’t want to be alone.

  “Tha’ll be twelve ’oppers.” He holds out a hand. I don’t know what he’s actually asking for so I’m glad Javiar understands, though he doesn’t look happy about paying the man. I wonder if that’s a lot of money.

  “Will yer and lady be needin’ supper as well? On the house, of course.” He looks to me. I want a hot meal but I let Javiar do the talking.

  “Yes. Brought to our room.” Javiar nods.

  “Of course,” the man says, winking. I shudder. “Marda!” he yells. A woman half his size walks out from behind the counter holding a single key.

  “This way,” she says. No smile, no greeting. She doesn’t seem pleased. We follow her up a flight of stairs that makes so much noise, I’m pretty sure it should be condemned. She uses the key to open the last door on the left before handing it to Javiar and leaving. I look inside, not happy with this arrangement.

  I thought the stables were bad – the stalls filthy, no lights, and very little food. I had hoped inside would be better – it was a false hope. One small bed, the room is filthy, The place reeks.

  “Don’t worry. We only have to stay one night. Tomorrow, we’ll go door-to-door if we have to in order to find Valentino,” he says, annoyed at the look of disgust on my face. I can’t blame him, though.

  I’m afraid to touch anything. “Are you sure it’s okay to eat here? We won’t die?” I feel sick to my stomach.

  “You haven’t been the castle kitchens, have you?” He laughs. “I assume you aren’t used to this, but this is a nice inn. Used to be one of the best, actually, before the kingdom was destroyed, the castle burnt to the ground, and travelers stopped coming through here. Now it’s
a little dingy, but I bet if we restored it, this would be the place to stay every night again.” He talks as if he lives here. It makes me wonder about him again.

  “What’s your story, Javiar? Who are you?” I sit on the edge of the bed and wait for him to speak. He folds his arms across his massive chest and turns away, clearly not wanting to discuss it.

  “Come on. How did you end up in Umare? You know a lot about this place. Why is that? Did you grow up here?” I get up and stand beside him, leaning against the wall. “It seems I’m not the only one having issues letting people in.”

  His voice catches. “I can’t tell you. I can’t tell anyone who I really am.” He turns away so his back is to me.

  “Why not?” I touch his arm. I’m not the only one who’s alone, either.

  The room reverberates as someone pounds on the door. Javiar looks at me. “Everyone has their secrets, Shanice. Some are best left that way.” Before I can respond he takes two steps and answers the knocking.

  The same woman has a tray of food for us. Javiar takes the tray and sets it on the table then places more coins into her hand. She thanks him before leaving us alone again.

  Javiar hands me a plate of food before sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard and digging into his own food. I walk around and sit beside him.

  “Sometimes secrets haunt us and hurt us more than they protect us. Eventually, all secrets come into the light, and sometimes you’re better off telling them before that happens. Whatever secrets you have, you can trust me with them. We may have started off as less than friends but it doesn’t have to always be that way.” I say before taking a bite of my food – hoping it doesn’t kill me. I gulp it down, avoiding looking at it.

  “If you bury your secrets deep enough, no one ever has to know.” Javiar says between bites.

  “When you bury them that deep, you lose part of yourself. What has you so afraid that you can’t even open up to me? What could be so awful that you’re willing to be alone forever if it means that your secret stays safe?”