by CJ Archer
He flipped out the long tail of his gold brocade coat and sat. He crossed his feet at the ankles, showing off his gem-studded shoes, and spread out his hands, welcoming his guests to the grove. Hammer and Max stood on either side of him, slightly set back in the shadows. I couldn't see Hammer's eyes but I knew his gaze would be darting around the crowd. I had expected to see more guards. Perhaps they were hidden, like the musicians.
Footmen ushered guests to the tiers to sit and it wasn't until one drew near me that I realized the guards had been disguised as footmen. I refused his assistance and quickly turned away, hoping he hadn't recognized me.
With everyone settled, the king stood. He raised his arms to the sky, puffed out his chest, and bellowed, "Let the entertainments begin!"
A trapdoor I hadn't noticed opened near the dais and four women and two men emerged. The women wore bands over their breasts and skirts no bigger than a handkerchief, and the men wore nothing but loincloths. Their oiled skin gleamed. They danced and tumbled, performing acrobatics, sometimes with fire. When they finished, another act followed then another and another. Some acts incorporated magic tricks. The final performance with six horses that the acrobats leaped over while the horses trotted around the arena had the crowd gasping in awe and me on the edge of my seat.
Afterward, we were directed back to the banks of Lake Grand where the tables had been set with more food. All remnants of the earlier refreshments had been replaced. Even the crumbs had been swept away. Footmen wove through the crowd and I plucked another glass of wine from one of their trays.
I caught sight of Lady Deerhorn standing in the shadows at the edge of the clearing. She appeared to be waiting for someone. A moment later, her daughter joined her. Lady Violette Morgrave glanced around and sidled closer to her mother. Their hands touched, and Lady Morgrave opened the purse dangling from her wrist and slipped something inside. Without a word to one another, the two ladies separated.
I tried to see where Lady Morgrave went but I lost her among the crowd. It was easier to find the king, however. He was the center of attention, regaling several ladies and gentlemen with a commentary of the performances that had them listening intently. Hammer stood a few steps away, looking serious and impossibly handsome in his black uniform with the gold braids, sword strapped to his hip, and piercing gaze that saw everything. Including me.
I knew the moment he realized I was there when his eyes briefly widened then tightened at the edges. I suspected I was not a welcome sight. Even with the possibility of a scolding, however, I had to warn him.
He moved away from the king and positioned himself where he could speak with me and see the king at the same time. His gaze darted back and forth, and didn't settle on me again.
"You didn't go home," he said simply.
"I wanted to see the entertainments." It was hardly a good defense but considering I didn't have one, it was all I could offer. "Miranda loaned me a dress."
"I didn't think you'd brought it in your medical bag."
"There's no need for sarcasm, Captain."
His gaze met mine. "Would you prefer I tell you how angry I am?" He looked away again.
"Sarcasm is fine."
"Now that the revelries are over, you can leave. The sooner the better. Make sure no one sees you. I'll have one of my men—"
"For goodness’ sake," I hissed. "There's no need to assign anyone to me. You can't spare any men, and I am perfectly capable of asking for a carriage to take me home."
He regarded me with severely arched brows as if questioning my right to be angry with him. It was unnerving. "I know I don't belong here," I said hotly. "I know this dress doesn't hide the commoner I am underneath."
His jaw softened and he shifted his stance. "If the king sees you here, he'll be furious. He won't allow you back to the palace, not even for a medical emergency. That's not what I want. Do you?"
Well, when he put it like that, it was almost flirtatious.
"I'll go," I muttered. "But first I need to tell you that I saw Lady Deerhorn surreptitiously pass something to Lady Morgrave just a few moments ago. It was small enough to be concealed in her hand."
"Thank you."
"Did you speak to her about buying poisons off Tam?"
"She denied it," he said. "She denied going to his house at all but she was lying."
"How do you know?"
"I can usually tell when someone is lying."
"Good to know." I smiled.
He scowled.
"I'm going, I'm going."
I took a circuitous route back to the palace, avoiding the king and the people near him. Lady Lucia was still glued to his side, but he often glanced around, looking for Miranda, perhaps. I spotted her near one of the tables, surrounded by gentlemen who couldn't keep their gazes off her. Two guards dressed as footmen stood nearby, holding trays. I hoped Hammer could see her from his vantage point. I glanced back at him, only to find Lady Deerhorn right behind me.
We both gasped, but she recovered from the surprise quicker. She grabbed my wrist. "You're the doctor's daughter."
I tried to pull away but her grip tightened, cutting off my circulation.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped.
I jerked free, picked up my skirts and rushed away. This time I did not look back. I followed the path into the formal gardens, only to stop again when I heard a distressed woman's voice coming from behind a hedge.
"Stop this, Lucien," she said. It sounded like Lady Claypool.
"Stop what?" The man's voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. "Stop loving you? I can't. I've tried and I can't."
"I'm a married woman, and happily so." It was definitely Lady Claypool.
"Happy? Living in the middle of nowhere with that arrogant prick? You don't have to pretend with me, Minette."
"I'm not pretending. Now let me go." She gasped. "Lucien! Enough!"
"Merdu, but you're a cold-hearted bitch."
"Stop it! Stop this at once. Let me go or I'll scream."
"Go ahead. No one can hear you."
"Don't!" The crack of a hand slapping skin seemed far closer than the voices.
"You bitch!"
Her response was muffled. I picked up my skirts and raced around the side of the hedge. Then I did what any woman from the village would do if a friend was being attacked by a man—I jumped on his back, forcing him to let her go.
She fell backward into the hedge and stared up at me, riding on the duke of Gladstow's back. He grunted and growled like a wild beast, swatting at me with his big paws, turning around and around in an attempt to dislodge me.
When Lady Claypool was well clear of him, I jumped off him, grabbed her hand, and ran.
Once back on the path, I gave her a little shove in the direction of the revelers. "Go that way. I have to return to the palace."
"Thank you, Miss Cully," she said, her voice shaking. She gave me a wobbly smile then hurried off in the direction of the chattering voices.
I ran toward the palace, honing in on it like a moth to a beacon. When I reached the twin ponds, I slowed to a walk. No one had followed me, and I was quite sure the duke hadn't seen my face. I hoped he left Lady Claypool alone, not just tonight but every night. Perhaps I should inform Hammer.
I sat on the edge of the fountain and dipped my fingers into the cool water. It was blessedly quiet here. I couldn't even hear the music. Lake Grand seemed miles away, as far off as Mull. The two worlds were as disparate as the sun and moon. Life's mundane moments took place in Mull. In the village, people lived and died and went about the business of survival in between. The revelries, however, were all about glamor and amusement and enjoying this moment.
The description didn't really do the village the justice it deserved. There was joy to be had in the friendships, the daily routines of going to market, of seeing patients. Not to mention the perpetuity of the village itself. Mull had existed long before I was born, and it would exist long after my passing. Each year, new
life was added while others were taken away, and each life wove another thread through the village's fabric. In comparison, the palace felt like a shell. Without their memories, the staff would never fill it with chatter and laughter. It would never feel like a home for them.
I couldn't help wondering about Hammer and the others—where they'd come from and what made them lose their memories. The lack of answers frustrated me. It frustrated me even more that the king seemed to be withholding information from them. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became. Hammer's insistence that he trusted the king no longer rang true either, but I couldn't explain why. The problem was, he was too loyal to admit it to me, and perhaps even to himself.
I was not so loyal.
I strode into the entrance hall and emerged on the palace's eastern side beneath the pink colonnaded portico. It was darker here, although a few torches had been lit to keep the shadows at bay.
Now that I knew where it was, I easily found the external entrance to the garrison. I was surprised to find the door unlocked, however, despite all the guards being on duty at the revels. I found the set of keys in the drawer then grabbed a lit torch from the wall sconce.
The right room wasn't as easy to find. I traversed passages, climbed stairs and descended them again. I backtracked twice and almost bumped into a maid carrying a bedpan. She looked as surprised as I felt.
"Are you lost, my lady?" she asked, bobbing a curtsy. She must think me a noblewoman.
I was about to give her an excuse then thought the truth might be better, but not all of it. "Actually, I'm Miss Cully, the doctor's daughter. Captain Hammer asked me to check on the woman."
"Woman, miss?"
"The one kept in the room. The one who cries out." I held my breath, hoping it was a good enough description yet vague enough too, and hoping she even knew the answer. I showed her the keys.
It seemed to convince her. She pointed along the corridor. "Next right will take you there."
I thanked her and didn't wait to see if she found my request odd. I recognized the corridor and the padlocked door. It was my third time there, so I ought. The fourth key on the iron ring slipped easily into the lock. The clank of it opening echoed all around me and seemed to follow me as I entered.
I thrust the torch out front like a weapon but remained in the doorway, prepared to back out and slam the door shut if someone attacked. But nothing moved, and no wailing greeted me.
I took a step inside, two, and held the torch high. The room was more comfortable than the prison cells. Indeed, it was cozier than my own room, with a big bed, dressing table, table and chairs. Blue velvet cushions softened the wooden chairs, and a thick rug covered the stone floor. The pile of blankets on the bed looked warm, inviting.
They moved.
I held my breath as fingers curled over the blankets and pushed them down, revealing a mass of dark hair framing a pale, oval face. Small eyes blinked against the light. I recognized her. It was the maid who'd run into the village months ago, before I'd ever been to the palace. The guards had retrieved her. It would seem they'd locked her away in here with no light, no fresh air, and no company.
Merdu, why?
"Who're you?" she said, voice cracking. "Where's Hammer?"
"My name is Josie. Hammer is…he sent me." I approached slowly, carefully, not sure whether my caution was for her reassurance or mine.
She shifted away, taking the blankets with her, revealing the space beneath the bed and the box stored there. No, not a box; a wooden cabinet.
The king's cabinet.
I was caught between my desire to see what was in it and to find out more about the woman. My hesitation cost me.
My only warning came in the widening of the woman's eyes as her gaze shifted to the doorway behind me.
Then pain tore through my skull and I couldn't stop myself falling.
Chapter 16
My head felt like it had been split in two, but somehow, by some miracle, I didn't black out. I fell forward, landing heavily on my hands and knees.
The woman in the bed screamed, the piercing sound shattering my nerves as thoroughly as the blow had. It roused me into action, and I managed to look over my shoulder at my attacker.
Lord Frederick stood over me, raising a bloodstained club above his head. His lips parted with his gasp and his grip slackened. "You're not Miranda."
The moment's hesitation was all I needed. I kicked as hard as I could, smashing my foot into his knee. He fell, roaring in pain, and dropped the club.
I scrambled backward until I hit the bed. The woman still screamed.
Lord Frederick lurched to his feet and limped toward me, his face twisted with pain and distress. He began to cry, the tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked like a man standing on a cliff, about to reluctantly throw himself off it.
"I'm sorry," he said through his tears. "I thought you were her. But you're not, and I can't let you live now. I'm so sorry."
A maid appeared in the doorway only to disappear again. Lord Frederick hadn't seen her, thank the goddess.
He kept advancing toward me, his limping gait slowing his progress. "Hailia, forgive me."
"Please, don't," I begged. "Killing me won't help your sister with the king."
"It will when I remove Miranda."
Merdu.
I felt behind me but my fingers met only floor and bed. "Why do you want Lady Lucia to be with the king? I thought you loved her."
"That's precisely why I'm doing it. She wants to be queen, and I want to please her. Once she delivers him a prince or two, she'll be mine again. I simply have to bide my time and give her the thing she desires the most. Then she'll love me again."
I shifted to the side, my fingers dancing behind me, searching. Finally I touched wood. "They'll know it's you," I said.
"They'll think the madwoman did it. I've kept enough poison for her that it'll look like she took her own life after taking yours. I'm sorry, Miss Cully, but you shouldn't have dressed as Miranda." His mouth twisted and his sobs made him difficult to understand. "You shouldn't have become involved in this. Nor should your father. I didn't want to kill him or Tao, but I had to. Your father's prying left me no choice. And now you leave me no choice." He bent to pick up the club.
Terror and desperation must have propelled me because in the barest blink of an eye, I'd dragged the cabinet out from beneath the bed and jumped to my feet. I lifted it above my throbbing head and brought it down on Frederick's.
He collapsed onto the floor, face first, unconscious.
The woman did not stop screaming, but I had no capacity to comfort her. My heart felt like it would smash through my ribs and my head was on fire. I could do nothing more than sit on the floor and lean back against the foot of the bed.
Running footsteps echoed along the corridor and Erik appeared. He took in the scene and swore in his native tongue. He nudged Lord Frederick with the point of his sword. Frederick groaned but did not get up.
"Are you hurt, Josie?" Erik asked.
I touched the back of my head. The hair was sticky and my fingers came away bloodied, but it seemed like the bleeding had stopped. "Not too badly."
He helped me to my feet then leaned over the bed. "Hush, Laylana. It is over. You are safe."
Her scream changed to a wail, the same one I'd heard before. She looked terrified. Erik sighed and moved away. He nudged Lord Frederick with the toe of his boot.
"Why did he want to hurt you?" he asked.
"He thought I was Lady Miranda," I said.
His gaze took in my dress. He nodded. "He is poisoner?"
More footsteps thudded along the corridor and Hammer stepped into the room. "Josie!"
Brant bumped him as he passed and Hammer had to put his hand on the doorframe to regain his balance. He leaned heavily on it for a moment then pushed off with effort.
"What in the god's name is going on here?" he snapped. I opened my mouth to speak but he put up a finger to stop me. "Erik?"
"A maid tell me there is trouble here," Erik said. "I come and see Lord Frederick like this." He shrugged. "He is not dead."
Brant kicked the body. Lord Frederick groaned.
"Josie?" Hammer prompted.
"He came up behind me and hit me on the head." I touched the spot again, pressing gently to test for fractures. Merdu, it felt like I'd been hit all over again. I'd tested for fractures on others dozens of times under my father's guidance but never realized how much pain that alone caused the patient until now. "When I turned around, he saw that it was me and hesitated," I went on. "He thought I was Miranda. I was able to take advantage of his hesitation and hit back."
All three men looked at Lord Frederick as he groaned again. He managed to roll over and open his eyes. He closed them again upon seeing the guards and whimpered.
"You are strong woman." Erik clapped my shoulder. "Good."
Brant's gaze scanned my length and heat flared in his eyes. "Well, well. She can heal and kill. Impressive."
"He's not dead," I shot back.
"He could be." His fingers tightened around his sword hilt as he arched his brows at Hammer.
Hammer gave his head the slightest shake. Brant sighed and released his sword.
"He is poisoner," Erik announced.
"How could he mistake me for Miranda?" I folded my arms and rubbed, but a chill sank into my bones anyway. "We look nothing alike."
"From the back you do," Brant said with a lift of his top lip that was part sneer, part accusation. "And in that dress. What's she going to say when she finds out you stole it?"
"I didn't steal it. She loaned it to me so I could blend in at the festivities. As to looking alike, everyone in Glancia is tall and blonde. Half the women at court look like this. Why would he—? Oh." I touched my temple and looked down at my clothing. "I remember now. She told him she was wearing a blue dress with a high neckline then she changed her mind and wore something else."
