He frowned into the darkness, his grey eyes wide open and alert. All thoughts of sleep had fled. Perhaps she meant that she had discovered how Wilhelm had taken over. He thought back to the first days of his ascension, and his brow creased with confusion. He remembered the coronation. He remembered everything after that with a crystal clarity that astounded him. However, how Wilhelm had actually managed to take the throne in the first place was more than a little muddled. The official story was that his army had marched on Colonodona and taken the kingdom in battle. Yet, when Ipsinki tried to think of which kingdom Wilhelm had come from, or what the battles looked like, he was drawing a blank. This disturbed him greatly.
Sitnalta had said that she knew the reason this all happened. Could she know something about Wilhelm that he didn’t? Could that be how he got into power so easily to begin with? Ipsinki was almost certain of it. In fact, he was certain that there was nothing natural about this situation in the least. He just had to figure out how.
* * *
It had been several days since Navor’s dream, and since then, he had had several more. Each one came with the certainty that he was remembering more than he was actually dreaming, and the idea terrified him. He still spent his days in the library with Princess Sitnalta, trying to find information on the wizard, Kralc, but his mind was always elsewhere. He kept catching the Princess staring at him out of the corner of her eye, as if she were trying to see whether or not her old friend was actually inside the Prince, and this thought was driving him crazy.
Sitnalta could see that Navor was on edge, and she saw the dark circles under his eyes becoming more pronounced with each passing day. Her heart broke knowing the pain he was in, and she wished she could do something to fix it. At the same time, the idea that he was Najort in some shape or form thrilled her. This meant that her dear friend had never really left her. But how could this be possible? Before Najort had died in the forest, had Navor even existed? Did Najort’s spirit take residence in the Prince’s body? She really hoped that the second possibility was not the case. If it was, then it was not fair to either of them. She just knew that, regardless, it was even more important that they find Kralc. Surely the wizard could help Navor and save her kingdom. She turned and looked at the Prince once more, taking in his haggard appearance and wishing he would let her help him.
“Stop it!” Navor hissed at her.
“Stop what?” Sitnalta asked in surprise. “I didn’t do anything!”
“You keep staring at me. I don’t like it.”
“I’m sorry,” Sitnalta sighed. “I’m worried about you.”
Navor grunted in response and turned back to his book. He slammed the cover shut in frustration. “Have you always known?” he asked her.
“Known what?”
“That I’m, you know...” he gestured to himself, “Him.”
Sitnalta pursed her lips together and thought. “I don’t know,” she slowly answered. She considered her words carefully, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “I always thought your eyes were the exact same colour as his, and you liked the same jokes —”
“Is that why you kissed me?” Navor interrupted. His eyes flashed with anger.
“Excuse me?” Sitnalta squeaked.
“It is. Isn’t it? You kissed me because you think I’m him, and you love him. Not me.”
Sitnalta opened her mouth to speak, and abruptly closed it again. She was angry and hurt. Her whole life was turning upside down. Everyone she loved seemed to be in danger, and he was accusing her of something that seemed so ludicrous to her mind.
“How dare you?” she said. “I kissed you because I...I...I care about you. You. Navor. My friend. Yes, your eyes are the same as his. Yes, you laugh at the same things. And you are just as warm and honest and kind. But at the same time, you love adventures, and you love to have fun, and you are so daring. You are so many things he never was. He was also so many things you are not. You, Prince Navor, are very much your own person. And you have some nerve to even suggest that I kissed you because of...that.”
Sitnalta roughly pushed her chair away from the table, trying hard not to think about what she had almost blurted out. She turned away from Navor trying to hide the fact that she was on the verge of tears. She needed to get away and gather her thoughts.
“I am going for a walk. Maybe I will see you at lunch,” she whispered before she ran from the room, tears starting to fall down her cheeks.
Navor sat at the table and stared at his hands. “I am so stupid. How do I fix this mess?”
Unsure of what to do, Navor opened the book in front of him once more. It was a book on the lives of great wizards, and he had already read through it several times. He stared at the frontispiece as if he were willing the text to magically change and tell him something new. He sighed. The fingers of his hand idly picked at the glued down corner of the cover, and he noticed that there was a strange bulge in the middle. He ran his hand over it and frowned. It felt as if there was something folded up under the front of the book. He could distinctly feel edges and corners; almost as if something had been folded and inserted into the book. He pried the paper up off the cover, wincing as he did so. He hoped that there was no one lurking in the library to see him defacing the antique volume. Soon he could see what had been hidden in the book. It was a piece of parchment, or rather, a letter. Navor’s pulse quickened as he scanned the document, and he jumped up and ran out of the room, leaving the broken book on the table, no longer caring who found it.
Sitnalta walked through the garden muttering to herself. She was furious. What right did he have to speak to her like that? She knew that he was going through a lot, but so was she! She resolved that she would never kiss a boy again — not if this was what it led to.
Yelling broke her out of her reverie, and she turned and saw Navor running towards her, a piece of parchment clutched in his hand.
“Sitnalta!” Navor yelled as he approached her.
“What do you want?” Sitnalta replied in an icy voice.
Navor’s face fell as he saw how upset she still looked. He cleared his throat and looked down at the ground.
“Look, I’m really sorry. I’m just really confused right now. I haven’t told my parents what’s going on. I’m afraid they’d think I was crazy if I told them. You’re the only one who knows, and I took it out on you. It wasn’t fair.”
Sitnalta felt chagrined at his words. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, too. I know you’ve been going through a lot. You look exhausted, and I’m worried about you. I care about you regardless of who you are. You’re very special to me. Okay?”
Navor grinned at her. “I have something,” he said. “I found it just after you left.”
Sitnalta took the letter and read it, her eyes wide with excitement.
I do not know if anyone will ever find this letter. I hope one day someone does. I have made a calamitous mistake. If anyone were to find out, I fear the world may be done for.
There was a time when I travelled to the City of Arches. This was a time when I was younger, and far more ambitious than I am now. I look back on this time with a heavy heart. It was this time that led me to create a horrible thing. This thing is a coin that can bring about disaster. At first glance, it seems harmless, but this particular coin can bring about the heart’s desire of the one who wields it. In the wrong hands, entire nations can topple. Even in the right hands, it can bring pain and madness for the most well-meaning of requests.
I am going to take this coin someplace safe where it can be cared for and guarded by one who understands that it must NEVER be used. If it is found, may the gods have mercy on us all. Find me then. Burn this letter, and I will know. I will do what I must and destroy it. Maybe when the time comes, I will finally have the strength to do so.
Kralc
Sitnalta looked at Navor with hope in her eyes. “So?”
“Let’s burn it,” he replied with a small smile.
Chapter Ten
Waiting
Sitnalta and Navor stood alone in the King’s study. Sitnalta watched as Navor lit a candle with shaking hands.
“Don’t be scared,” Sitnalta said to him with a reassuring smile.
“I can’t help it,” Navor said. “We only have the one chance. There’s only one letter. If this doesn’t work, we’ve destroyed the only clue we have to help us find the wizard.”
Sitnalta felt her stomach flip as she digested the Prince’s words, and in spite of the warmth of the room, she shivered as Navor held the letter to the candle’s flame.
He kept his hand as steady as he possibly could and watched the parchment burn. He didn’t know if he was expecting the wizard to miraculously appear in a puff of smoke, or the fire to magically change colour as the letter burned, or for a shower of sparks to explode off of the page. He had expected something, but nothing occurred.
Sitnalta sighed as she watched Navor drop the remains of the letter onto the stone floor, and they both watched it turn into a small pile of ash.
“Now what?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she answered. “Do you think it worked?”
Navor shrugged as he opened his mouth to speak. As he did, the door to the study opened and his father entered. The King appeared startled to see the Prince and Princess shut up together in the small room, and his surprise gave way to a small smile that made Sitnalta and Navor blush.
“I was looking for you,” King Parven said to Sitnalta. “I was going to inform you that I was about to command a small group of my men to enact a jail-break of King Gerald and Queen Aud.”
Sitnalta’s heart quickened as she heard the King speak. “Do they have a plan to make this work?” she asked. She was almost afraid to hope.
“They do,” Parven replied. “My men have a contact in Colonodona who knows his way there quite well. He has supporters who will be helping them.”
Sitnalta smiled to herself. She was certain she knew exactly who their “contact” was.
“I believe that we should be able to reunite the three of you quite soon,” the King said.
Sitnalta’s smile grew even wider as she rushed forward and she impulsively embraced Navor’s father as tightly as she could.
“Thank you,” she said to him.
King Parven cleared his throat and gently pulled away. “You know that we are all here for you,” he said. He looked from the Princess to his son. “Now you two; go outside. It is a beautiful day.”
Sitnalta and Navor ran outside. She was excited and nervous at the same time. If Kralc didn’t respond, she still had a chance at being reunited with her family. The prospect of that happening made her so happy she could sing.
“I think that this is good news,” Sitnalta said. “Your father is a good man and is true to his word. If anyone can save Aud and Gerald, I believe he can.”
Navor looked at Sitnalta incredulously. He tried to understand her good mood. “Have you given up on Kralc?” he asked her. “Have you given up on the idea that the coin is to blame? That it should be destroyed?”
Sitnalta was at a loss for words. She stared at him, her mouth agape.
“I thought we had a plan,” Navor said. “I thought we were going to stop Wilhelm for once and for all. You can’t possible mean that King Gerald and Queen Aud should live out their lives in exile.”
Sitnalta scowled at him. “Of course not!” she snapped. “But I also have no desire for them to suffer in a dungeon while I remain here making plans in the comfort of your home.”
Navor was chagrined. “I didn’t mean to imply —”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sitnalta said, cutting him off with a wave of her hand. “I know how badly you wanted the letter to give us our answers.”
“Didn’t you want it to work as well?” Navor asked.
Sitnalta bit her lip and considered the question. She desperately wanted Kralc to come and help them get and destroy the coin. Yet there was a part of her that was worried about what he might say when he met Navor.
“I did,” she said. “I just...”
“I see,” Navor replied. He knew exactly what was making her hesitate. The problem for him was that reason was exactly why he needed Kralc to show up.
Sitnalta made her way to the nearest bench and sat down. She looked down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap and said nothing. Navor slowly sat down beside her.
“I’m afraid,” Sitnalta said quietly. “I’m afraid of what he will say about you.”
“You’re afraid he’ll say that I’m not Najort,” Navor said, afraid to meet her eyes.
Sitnalta turned to look at him. “Actually, I’m afraid he’ll say you are Najort.”
Navor’s head jerked up as he looked at her in shock. His eyes scanned hers looking for some sign that she wasn’t telling him the truth, but he saw nothing but open honesty in their violet depths.
“I — I don’t understand,” he stammered.
“I’m afraid that if Kralc says you are Najort, then I’ll lose you. I’ll lose Navor,” Sitnalta said. She paused, trying to find the words. “It’s not that I like you better, it’s just that...I don’t know...I’m not really sure how to explain it. I feel as if I already lost Najort once, now I might get him back, but lose you, and I...”
“I think I understand,” Navor said, taking her hand in his.
They sat like that for a long time, just enjoying each other’s closeness until they were called in for supper. It was with reluctance that they rose and went in, Sitnalta’s arm tucked firmly into Navor’s, leaning against him for support, enjoying the warmth of his body alongside hers.
Chapter Eleven
The Unexpected Guest
Sitnalta woke up gasping for air. She looked around her bedroom, trying to get her bearings. She was looking at her palms frantically, only beginning to calm down when she realized they were clean and dry.
In her dream, she had been holding Najort in her lap, begging him not to die, not to leave her. She had held him close, her hands hot and sticky with his blood. It had had the clarity of a memory, and she was certain she had been awake at the time. It had been months since she had been visited by such a dream, and she worried that it had returned with such a vengeance.
She supposed that the dream might have returned due to the guilt she felt over her admission to Prince Navor. Surely it was that, coupled with her anxiety over her family. It had been two weeks since King Parven had sent his men to execute the jailbreak of King Gerald and Queen Aud. So far, there had been no word. Sitnalta was trying not to let the worry get to her, but if her dream was any indication, she was failing.
Sitnalta took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She set about getting ready for the day, choosing to leave her hair down and skimming her shoulders, and grabbed the first dress she could find before making her way down to the breakfast table to find that everyone was already there eating. She mumbled her greetings and sat down across from Prince Navor.
Queen Kika looked up from her breakfast and regarded Sitnalta with concern. “Are you all right?” In the brief time she had been there, the Princess had grown on her.
Sitnalta nodded as she swallowed a mouthful of porridge. “I am,” she said. “I just had some trouble sleeping last night.”
The Queen frowned. She had a feeling her young guest wasn’t being entirely truthful with her. But with all the strain the Princess had been under, she appreciated that the girl must be feeling overwhelmed.
“If you need anything, do not be afraid to come to me,” Kika said gently. “We are all here for you.”
Sitnalta smiled, touched by the Queen’s concern. “I will,” she replied. “I promise.”
Breakfast ended, and as Sitnalta walked out of the dining hall, Navor jogged up alongside her.
“What were your plans for the day?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she responded. “I thought that maybe we coul
d head back to the library. Maybe we could look for the ‘City of Arches’ that the wizard Kralc mentioned in his letter. If we find it, we might be able to find him.”
“I have a better idea,” Navor said, taking her hand in his. “Come with me.”
Princess Sitnalta let the Prince lead her out of the castle and through the gardens to the stables. When he stopped walking, she turned to him with her eyebrows raised in confusion.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
“We are going to go for a ride,” Navor answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I asked the kitchen to pack us a lunch. My parents have agreed that we can have this time to ourselves.”
Sitnalta felt a rush of excitement. Navor had gotten permission to take her outside the castle? She had thought that they were keeping her there for her own safety. Now she would get to see the kingdom outside the castle walls!
“But we have so much to do!” she protested weakly. “We have made no progress at all. We can’t possibly drop everything now.”
“I think we can,” Navor argued. “I also think we should. You look exhausted. As a matter of fact, you have been a bit cranky lately. I know I’m exhausted. We are no good to anyone if we get so run down, and if we get so caught up in our own stress and worry. Let’s take one day and remember what it feels like to relax and be happy.”
Sitnalta hesitated a moment before nodding in agreement. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”
Navor walked her over to where two horses stood ready and waiting for them. Sitnalta crossed to stand in front of a beautiful chestnut mare and greeted her, stroking the horse’s soft nose. The Prince watched as Sitnalta swung herself up into the saddle with a practiced grace before turning and mounting his dappled grey stallion.
“Where are we going?” Sitnalta asked, as they rode out of the stables across the castle grounds.
The Kingdom Thief (Sitnalta Series Book 2) Page 5
