The Kingdom Thief (Sitnalta Series Book 2)

by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  Wilhelm sniffed as he took in Supmylo's fetid breath, but he stood his ground. “Done,” he said and strode from the cell. Each step he took was punctuated by Supmylo's maniacal laugh as he made his way back up to make his preparations.

  * * *

  Sitnalta sat and ate her dinner by the fire, calmed by the presence of those she loved. They may not be at home in the castle, but they were together, and for her, that was enough. Josiah's men had been singing songs from home, and Navor had joined in when he could. She had smiled at the music, and felt happy to be there. It was wonderful to let loose after days of fear and stress.

  Ipsinki watched the Princess as she smiled and laughed. He had been worried about her ever since he had pulled her from the trunk. He remembered the girl who had loved stories and songs. She had been full of dreams and full of life, yet the girl he had rescued had been a shadow of the one he remembered. However, tonight, it seemed as if the Sitnalta he had known from his life at the castle was not lost to him, and that thought filled him with hope. He saw her flanked by Aud and Gerald, and for the first time in a while, he found himself dreaming of a family of his own. He entertained the thought that once this was all over, he would try to pursue that dream and settle down.

  A cracking sound from within the trees caused Ipsinki to turn and look. He didn't see anything, but he felt deeply unsettled. Something did not seem right. He went to get Josiah.

  “What's going on?” Josiah asked as Ipsinki approached him. He could tell that something had disturbed him.

  “I heard something from the tree line,” Ipsinki said. “It may be nothing. I do have men patrolling the woods. Perhaps not enough, but...”

  “It's worth checking out,” Josiah agreed. He rose from his spot. “I will go and see. You stay here and keep an eye on things.”

  Ipsinki nodded and turned back to the fire. He hoped that it would indeed turn out to be nothing, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the peace was not to last.

  Josiah walked through the trees, his sword at the ready. So far, he had found nothing, but he felt the need to be thorough. He frowned as he spotted a low lying branch, hanging as if someone had leaned up against it. He crouched down and examined the ground below. It was clear that someone had stood there a short time before. Josiah felt a chill as he realized that they were being watched. He stood to return to the clearing and warn the others. He turned and found himself face to face with King Wilhelm. His cry of warning, cut short by the King's blade.

  At the clearing, Ipsinki began to pace. He knew that the captain should have been back by now, but he had yet to return. He went to go find the second in command and was stopped by Frederic.

  “You seem worried,” Frederic said.

  “I am,” Ipsinki confided. “I'd heard noises in the trees, and Josiah went to investigate. He should have returned, but has not. This isn't right.”

  “No,” Frederic agreed. He looked around in trepidation. “We should tell the others. If there is danger, we don't want to be caught unawares.”

  As if on cue, a volley of arrows pierced through the clearing. Ipsinki heard the yells, as some of them met their marks. He looked around in panic for his royal family and saw Sitnalta yelling for everyone to run into the cave. He felt a surge of pride as she showed true bravery by helping men stuck with arrows make it to safety. He ran forward to help and felt the searing pain as an arrow buried itself in his side. Cursing, he pushed himself forward, ignoring his wound as he ran for the mouth of the cave. Only when he had entered the dark confines within, did he let himself collapse.

  Inside the cave, Sitnalta stood, taking stock of all who was there. She saw Aud and Gerald, alive and unharmed. Navor stood close by, a deep scratch on his arm where he had been nicked by a flying arrow. She looked for Ipsinki, and gasped in horror as she saw him reclining against the wall, face pale, breath coming in gasps, the shaft of an arrow poking up from his side. She ran to him and knelt beside his prone form.

  “You're hurt!” she exclaimed.

  “Yes,” Ipsinki wheezed. “But I will be fine. We just need to find out who's shooting at us.”

  Sitnalta looked around. “Where's Josiah?” she asked. “He helped me with my hand. Surely he can help you.”

  Ipsinki chuckled. “That's a bit ironic,” he said. “The guy who knows how to treat wounds is the one I sent to check out the scary noise I heard.” He coughed, and groaned in pain. “He's missing, Princess. He never came back.”

  Sitnalta bit back a cry of frustration. “Surely there's someone else who can help!” she looked around the cave. “Is there anyone else wounded?”

  Her heart sunk as she heard several of the men answer in the affirmative. Most added that they were merely suffering from minor injuries.

  “Can anyone help treat them?” Sitnalta asked.

  “I have someone.”

  Sitnalta's eyes widened with fear. She knew that voice. It was Wilhelm.

  “Come out of the cave, Princess,” Wilhelm called. “Turn yourself over, give me the coin I know you have, and I will give you my healer.”

  “Don't,” Navor said urgently. He knelt by her side and gently turned her face to his. “Don't do it. He will not do as he says. He will destroy you.”

  “He's right,” Aud said in a gentle voice.

  Sitnalta looked to see Aud and Gerald at her side. She wanted to cry as she saw how scared they both looked.

  “Please, Sitnalta,” Ipsinki said. “I gave everything to keep you safe. Don't make it all for nothing.”

  Sitnalta gritted her teeth in frustration. She looked from Navor, to her family, to Ipsinki. She looked down at her hands, only mildly startled to see them stained with blood.

  “No,” she said. She did not trust Wilhelm one bit, but she felt she needed to do whatever she could to protect her family. “I will not let this happen again.”

  Navor gave out a cry of anger as he realized what she meant. He moved to stop her, but she pushed him aside, and fled from the cave into the waiting arms of her father.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Family Reunions

  Sitnalta struggled in vain against the iron grip of Supmylo. She recoiled against the smell of his unwashed body, and tried to scream for help, but he had clamped his hand firmly over her mouth.

  “There's no use fighting me,” Supmylo laughed. “I finally have you back where I want you. This useless disguise of yours will never fool your father. I see through this ridiculous hair colour. Believe me; I know my own flesh and blood.”

  Sitnalta swallowed down her disgust and bit down hard on the hand that silenced her. Supmylo bellowed in rage.

  “You're not my father!” she shrieked. “Wilhelm has teamed up with Supmylo! Stay where you are!” She didn't know what they had planned for her; she just knew that she had to keep everyone safe from it. She turned her head and glared at Wilhelm. “You said that if I came to you, you would send a healer.”

  “I lied,” Wilhelm said with a smirk.

  Sitnalta's heart sank. She knew that it had been a long shot that Wilhelm would keep his word, but she knew she'd had to try. “What do you want from me?” she asked in despair.

  Wilhelm knelt down so he was eye-level with the struggling princess. “I want what any King wants,” he said. “I want a Queen, and I want heirs.”

  Sitnalta felt nauseous at the prospect. “I'd rather die,” she vowed.

  “That could be arranged, too,” he said with a shrug. “The choice is yours.”

  Sitnalta felt Supmylo's chest vibrate against her back as he laughed at her plight.

  “It seems you were better off with me, my dear,” he said. “At least then you would have been Gerald's Queen.”

  Sitnalta eyes widened as she was struck with a plan. She resumed her struggles and managed to get her good hand into her apron's pocket. She fought with all she had.

  “Stop squirming!” Supmylo snapped at her.

  “Never,” she
promised. She fought harder. She felt her fingers brush against the cool metal of the coin and smiled. She hoped it would be enough. “You know what I wish?” she asked.

  Wilhelm's eyes flashed with rage as he realized what she was doing. “Don't you dare,” he growled.

  “I wish you were all frozen.” Her smile turned into a full blown grin as Supmylo, Wilhelm, and his men became frozen in place. She almost laughed at the shocked look on their faces. She wriggled her way free from Supmylo's embrace and ran for the mouth of the cave.

  “It's safe to come out now,” she called.

  Aud, Gerald, Navor and his men emerged from the cave. They blinked in surprise as they took in the sight before them.

  “What happened?” Navor asked.

  “I had no choice,” Sitnalta said. “I made a wish.”

  “You can't leave them like that,” Navor said.

  “I know. I wish I could though.”

  “You and I both,” Gerald said as he came up behind her.

  Sitnalta turned towards the trees as she heard a man clear his throat. Her hand instinctively went to her pocket as she saw Kralc approach.

  “I'm not giving you the coin,” she called to him.

  “Now this is an interesting solution to the problem,” he said, ignoring her declaration. He walked through the crowd of men, all frozen in place.

  “I acted on instinct,” the Princess said defensively.

  “And that is precisely the problem I mean to correct,” Kralc said in a stern tone.

  “Not at the expense of someone's life,” Sitnalta shot back.

  “Then we are at an impasse,” Kralc replied, spreading his hands in a gesture of surrender.

  Kralc breezed past her and entered the cave. Sitnalta kept her eyes on his every move, not trusting his motives. She waited a moment before following. She saw him crouching over Ipsinki, and she felt faint seeing how much blood he had lost. Her friend had lost consciousness since she had left him, and he looked far paler than he had before. She could see he was covered in a sickly sheen of sweat. Her every instinct told her that he didn't have long. She thought of wishing to save him, but she didn't know how the coin would do that. He could wind up permanently crippled, or saved as a person in another form as Najort had been turned into Navor. She couldn't do that to him.

  Kralc heard her approach, and looked up at her, regarding her critically. “This man is dying,” he said.

  “I know,” she said, her words catching in her throat as she struggled to hold back tears.

  “I could save him,” Kralc said.

  “Please,” Sitnalta begged.

  “First, you must give me the coin.” Kralc held his hand out, counting on the Princess's compassion to cause her to hand over what he wanted.

  Sitnalta took a step back, her injured hand held up to her throat. “I...” she stopped herself. “Why can't you just save him?”

  Kralc looked at her, and for a moment his heart ached for the position he had put her in, but he knew what had to be done. “You told me,” he said. “Remember? You said that the coin should not be destroyed at the cost of another's life. Well, what do you do if not destroying it cost someone their life? Choose, Princess. His life,” he gestured at Ipsinki. “Or your Prince.”

  “You are a cruel, horrible man,” Sitnalta whispered, venom lacing her voice with rage. “What happened to make you this way?”

  “I pray you never find out,” Kralc said, his voice heavy with emotion.

  Sitnalta turned and fled from the cave, tears falling freely from her eyes. She ran to Aud and Gerald, and let herself sob into their arms.

  “What happened?” Gerald asked.

  “He's awful!” Sitnalta cried. “He's making me choose.”

  “I don't understand,” Aud said. “Choose what?”

  “He says he can save Ipsinki, but only if I give him the coin.” Sitnalta felt her heart breaking. “If I do that, then I lose Navor.”

  “How can he do this?” Gerald said. He was appalled. “I will talk to him.” He disentangled himself from Sitnalta's grip and went towards the cave.

  “Don't bother,” Sitnalta said. “It will do no good.”

  “He's a monster,” Aud said. Her hand rubbed Sitnalta's back. She hoped the small gesture afforded the Princess at least a little comfort. “Poor Ipsinki,” the Queen sighed.

  Sitnalta looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

  Aud looked at her in surprise. “You're here, I assumed...”

  Sitnalta shook her head. “I know,” she said. “You assumed I chose Navor. My heart wants to so badly, but to be responsible for Ipsinki's death...I can't!”

  The Princess turned and saw Navor standing by the mouth of the cave. She set her shoulders and walked towards him.

  “I heard what was going on,” Navor said. He looked at her, and he wanted to hold her close and tell her that everything was going to be fine, yet he knew he couldn't do that. He bit his lip and took her hand. “Sitnalta...”

  “No,” Sitnalta pleaded. “Don't say it.”

  “Give him the coin,” Navor said. “It's for the best for everyone.”

  “No it's not!" Sitnalta protested. “There has to be another way!”

  “I can't see one. Besides, I'm not even supposed to exist.” Navor shrugged, trying to appear as if he didn't care, but inside, he was shaking with fear.

  “You are supposed to exist,” Sitnalta argued. “You mean so much to so many people. I love you.”

  Navor smiled sadly. “When Kralc destroys the coin, you won't even remember I existed. I will have never been here. I will never have been real. No one will miss me. Please. Do as Kralc asks you. If he destroys the coin, no one will mourn me. But if he doesn't, everyone will mourn Ipsinki. It's the lesser of two evils.”

  Sitnalta was crying. “It's not fair! You deserve so much better.”

  Navor stepped forward and pulled Sitnalta in for one last kiss. “I love you,” he whispered. “Now please, do this for our friend.”

  Sitnalta turned and walked into the cave, the taste of Navor's kiss still lingering on her lips. She pulled the coin from her pocket and held it in her hand. She saw Kralc look up from the fallen duke.

  “You chose?” Kralc said.

  Sitnalta nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. She looked down at the coin in her hand. Its engravings blurred through her tears. She couldn't understand how something so small could cause so much trouble. If only...

  Sitnalta felt her pulse quicken. She smiled a small smile to herself. She tightened her grip on the coin and held it out to the wizard. He reached out for it.

  “You know,” the Princess said. “On a day like today, I wish this were no more than a normal, powerless coin.”

  Kralc's expression was full of shock as Sitnalta dropped the coin into his outstretched palm. He held it, completely bewildered. He gave a small chuckle as he brought it close to his face, and muttered exclamations of surprise.

  “My Princess,” he says. “You surprise me. Sometimes the simplest solution is often the one that eludes us the most.”

  “The coin?” Sitnalta asked.

  “Worthless,” Kralc said. He tossed it to her, watching as she caught it with her good hand.

  “Will you heal him?” she asked, gesturing towards Ipsinki.

  “I will,” Kralc promised.

  Sitnalta whooped with joy and ran from the cave, eager to tell everyone what had happened.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Kingdom Returned

  Gerald and Frederic set to work tying the hands and feet of Wilhelm, Supmylo, and the soldiers they had brought with them. The wizard had unfrozen them all moments after Sitnalta had made her final wish. Frederic derived a special pleasure from seeing Wilhelm tied like the prisoner he had once been. The two men scoured the forest looking for more soldiers, and both felt a sharp pang of grief as they came across the body of the fallen Captain Josiah.

 
; “He was a good soldier,” Frederic said as he knelt and closed Josiah's eyes.

  “He was a good man,” Gerald corrected.

  "That he was,” Frederic agreed.

  Together they carried their fallen comrade back to camp. Navor greeted them with a solemn face.

  “I feared this was the case when we didn't know where he was,” the Prince said. “I will be sending him home as soon as I can.”

  “Of course,” Gerald said.

  Navor turned to Sitnalta. “It seems wrong to be happy after this, but I can't believe it's over.”

  “I know," Sitnalta agreed with a smile. “It's over, and you're still here. Ipsinki will live, and Gerald and Aud will rule Colonodona once more. I remember when all that seemed impossible.”

  Navor laughed. “I've long since learned that nothing is impossible where you are concerned,” he said as he pulled her into his arms.

  * * *

  Sitnalta sat by Ipsinki with Aud waiting for him to wake up. Navor was outside with Gerald watching over their prisoners while Kralc tried to figure out a way to undo what had been done by the Princess' wish.

  The Princess watched her friend as he still lay unconscious. Already, thanks to the wizard's magic, his colour was looking much better, and he was breathing far easier. She turned to Aud and smiled.

  “He's going to be okay,” she said. “Kralc did it.”

  “He did,” Aud said. “So did you. I am so proud of you. You helped save us all.”

  Sitnalta blushed with pride. “Thank you.”

  A shout was heard from outside the cave, and Sitnalta began to rise. She turned back to Aud, who nodded towards the cave's entryway telling her to go see what was happening.

  “I am your King!” Wilhelm was screaming. His face was contorted in anger and hatred. “I command you to release me at once!”

  Gerald looked at him with a mild expression on his face. “I think your claim to the throne has no merit here,” he said. “We both know how you acquired it. As such, I am taking it back.”

  “You can't do that!” Wilhelm shrieked.