by Jody Hedlund
“So Sister Agnes took me to St. Anne’s?” I asked.
Sister Katherine nodded. “Yes. That’s where I looked for you first. But of course, it has lain deserted all these many years since King Ethelwulf went on his crusade to capture as many nuns as possible.”
“I do not remember living there. I was yet a babe when Sister Agnes brought me to this convent.”
“I did not know the sisters had found refuge here in the caves,” she said, peering around the abbess’s chamber at the thick stone walls and low ceiling. “They have done well all these years keeping themselves hidden from the world. I have been in the Highlands looking for you for months, and I would probably still be searching if I had not seen the eagle lift you onto the boulder.”
“That was Sheba, a harpy eagle Edmund has trained from a hatchling.”
“Edmund?”
“Another orphan the nuns took in and kept safe these many years.”
“Then he’s been trained as a Fera Agmen?”
I had the overwhelming desire to boast about my friend, about his skills with the animals, and about all our escapades growing up together. He and Colette had been like a brother and sister to me. Without them, I would have had a lonely childhood.
Before I could formulate my thoughts regarding Edmund, the abbess spoke up. “Edmund learned his skills as a Fera Agmen from one of the older nuns who has since passed on. But his main tasks at the convent have been hunting, working in the forge, and providing protection under the guidance of Wade.”
Sister Katherine was silent for a moment as if taking in the information. “I would like to meet Edmund before I depart.”
“Of course,” said the abbess. “As soon as Colette returns with the chest, I shall send her for Edmund.”
“You have just arrived,” I said, settling my hand into Sister Katherine’s more firmly. “Surely you do not intend to leave soon.”
“I must be on my way at the break of day.”
“But you are sore and tired,” I protested. “Allow me to provide you with infusions and poultices to ease your aches and pains.”
“You are kind, Your Highness, but I must find your twin sister and so complete my mission.”
“I shall help you find her.” I sat up straighter, suddenly eager to meet my twin. Until moments ago I hadn’t known I had any family alive. Sister Agnes had only told me my parents had died during King Ethelwulf’s invasion. She’d never mentioned I had sisters or a twin. And I didn’t hold it against her. She’d known me well enough to realize such knowledge would have spurred me to try to find them, that I probably would have taken risks and caused danger to myself and the convent.
But now, the time was right. I could feel it deep inside.
“Emmeline is living in Inglewood Forest. And it will take many weeks of hiding and slow travel before I reach her.”
The thought of riding out of the Highlands and seeing new parts of Mercia made my heart thud with the same longing I’d felt earlier when speaking with Edmund about what life would be like out there. What if this was my one and only chance to travel beyond the confines of the convent before I took my vows? What if another opportunity never presented itself?
“No, Your Highness,” Sister Katherine continued. “You must withdraw from Mercia as soon as you are able and join the queen in Norland. You will not be safe here much longer.”
I had no intention of leaving the convent permanently, but a short visit to Norland to meet my older sister wouldn’t harm my plans to become a nun. Perhaps the trip would satisfy my desire to see more of the world before I returned and took my vows.
“Will the queen receive me?” I asked.
Sister Katherine smiled, revealing blank spaces where her teeth had been knocked from her mouth. Even with her missing teeth and other deformities, I could see the goodness and kindness of her spirit in her expression. “She is already searching for you, the same as I have been these past months. I have seen her men from time to time. She will rejoice to have finally found you.”
“But how shall I prove to her that I am her sister?”
“She will recognize herself in your features.”
At that moment, a knock sounded. The abbess rose, slowly walked to the door, and opened it. She spoke in hushed tones to Colette before closing the door and returning to us holding a wooden chest in her hands. Made of solid oak, it was engraved with intricate carvings and encircled with decorative leather straps.
The abbess smoothed a hand over the box. “Before her death, Sister Agnes told me to lock away two of her possessions. I put them in here.”
“The two possessions belong to Princess Maribel,” Sister Katherine responded. “She is now ready to receive them.”
The abbess unlocked the chest, lifted the flat lid, and gave me the first item—a large glossy ruby in the shape of a teardrop. I cradled it reverently in my palm, noting the dark-red tones mixed with faint hints of blue.
“It is a rare, flawless ruby,” Sister Katherine explained. “There are only six of them in the entire world, and they were embedded on the royal crown that once belonged to Queen Dierdal of Mercia.”
“Then this came from my mother’s crown?”
“Yes, upon her death, she instructed her lady-in-waiting to take two of the jewels with her—one for you and one for your twin sister. Someday, if you need to prove your legitimacy as a daughter of Queen Dierdal and King Francis, this jewel will match with the other rare originals in the crown.”
I turned the ruby over in my hand, marveling that it had once belonged to my mother and that she’d worn it in her crown. From the stories Sister Agnes had told me regarding the previous king and queen of Mercia, I’d known them to be just, merciful, and kind rulers. And for a moment, I was saddened I would never have the chance to meet them.
Nevertheless, I was too excited to dwell on the sadness, especially when the abbess removed the next item from the chest—a golden key the size of my hand, from my wrist to the length of my middle finger. It was elegant, with an oval bow and a long, thick shank. The bit on the end had a tiny symbol. I lifted it toward the light to study it. The engraving was an ancient one of healing and life: a circle containing a tree with its branches full and blossoming at the top and its roots deep and thick on the bottom.
Sister Katherine was watching my face and not the key. “It is one of three ancient keys that unlocks Solomon’s treasure.”
“If I have this,” I said, “does that mean my sisters each have one too?”
“Correct,” Sister Katherine replied. “The keeper of the keys was supposed to have the three in his or her possession at all times. However, when we separated you princesses, we split up the keys as well.”
I examined the key again, marveling at its beauty and the fact that my father had once held it, along with the great rulers before him. “Where is Solomon’s treasure? And is there any of it left? Surely the previous kings and queens have used it up by now?”
“Of course, stories and prophecies point to the treasure being brought here to the Great Isle. But due to the passing of time, no one knows exactly where it is or what’s become of it.”
“Surely there are clues leading to the treasure.”
“Many believe the keys themselves are the clues.”
The key was the clue to the treasure? I fingered the engraved symbol of the tree of life and healing. What could the picture mean? What was its secret?
“An old prophecy foretells of a young ruler filled with wisdom who will use the ancient treasure to help drive evil from the land and usher in a time of peace like never before seen or ever seen again. This is one of the reasons why you and your sisters need to be reunited. Together you will use the keys to unlock the treasure that can help restore the land.”
The cool silence of the cavern room descended around us. I didn’t understand all of what Sister Katherine had explained. In fact, more and more questions formulated within my mind, questions that demanded answers. But I had the feeling
Sister Katherine had told me everything she knew, and now my curiosity would only be sated by seeking out the answers for myself.
Chapter
4
Edmund
I’m tasking you with the job of delivering the Princess Maribel safely to her sister, Queen Adelaide Constance, in Norland.
From my pallet on the forge floor, I stared at the glowing embers inside the open stone oven. Sister Katherine’s words hadn’t stopped echoing in my head since she’d spoken them to me hours ago.
I’d been surprised when Colette had rushed into the forge earlier and told me the abbess and Sister Katherine wanted to speak to me. I couldn’t remember ever being called to visit the abbess, and I assumed she planned to give me my due punishment for endangering the convent and Maribel on our escapade down the mountain.
As I’d followed Colette to the abbess’s chamber, I hadn’t believed her whispered declarations—that Maribel was one of the lost princesses, that Sister Katherine had even addressed her as “Your Highness,” and that the abbess had asked for Sister Agnes’s personal items to be brought to her in order to prove to Maribel she was the princess.
I’d waited outside the abbess’s chamber door for some time before Maribel finally emerged. Her odd expression as she’d passed by me should have been enough to confirm everything Colette had already spoken. But it wasn’t until I was called inside and stood before the abbess and Sister Katherine that the truth hit me like an avalanche.
Maribel was a princess. I’d been able to sense it in Sister Katherine’s demeanor and face even before she uttered a word. And I’d realized that’s why the nun had come.
She wasted no time getting to the point of my summons. I’m tasking you with the job of delivering the Princess Maribel safely to her sister, Queen Adelaide Constance, in Norland. You must be gone in two days and never come back.
I flipped onto my back and expelled a sigh. Why had Sister Katherine given the job to me? Wade was the warrior. He was more capable of protecting Maribel and seeing her to safety than I was.
Wade’s familiar, heavy breathing came from the opposite side of the room. He hadn’t missed a beat of his hammer when I’d explained to him that Maribel was the princess. He’d accepted the news almost as if he’d already guessed the truth about her identity long ago. Maybe he’d always known. After all, he’d served King Francis and Queen Dierdal. Maybe he’d noticed the family resemblance in Maribel’s features. Or perhaps Sister Agnes had confided in him about Maribel’s identity.
I lifted to one elbow and watched the rise and fall of Wade’s brawny torso under his coverlet, the wide chest that had protected me beneath his cloak when he’d carried me through the crowds, away from Delsworth, away from the lifeless bodies of my family swaying from the gallows.
Once he’d delivered me to the convent all those years ago, he’d had no reason to stay. He could have continued on to Norland where so many other elite guards had escaped. The nuns would have raised me regardless of his presence. Had he decided to remain because of Maribel? To be her protector?
I flopped back to my pallet. Sister Katherine should have asked the fierce elite guard to accompany Maribel to Norland. Not me.
Whatever the case, I hadn’t been able to refuse the nun, not when she’d looked into my eyes as if she could see inside my soul. Her gleam had told me she’d guessed how much I cared about Maribel and would do anything for her, including laying down my life if need be.
Yes, I desperately wanted to go with her. Yes, I couldn’t bear the thought of her departing without me. And yes, I’d do anything for her. But her safety mattered more than my desires.
Two soft scratches at the bottom of the forge door sent my pulse sputtering forward. The sound was part of the mouse communication I’d taught Maribel and Colette when we’d been younger. Back then, we’d used the secret language as a way to converse with each other when we were supposed to observe the rules of silence. In recent years, Maribel had taken to using the scratches when she wanted me to sneak out of my room and meet her in the chapel.
Wade was normally a light sleeper, trained to listen for every noise even in slumber. But the mouse scratches didn’t rouse him. And most of the time my stealthy exits from the room didn’t wake him either.
Within minutes, I was creeping through the dark passageway, my heart thudding with every step. I was more than ready to talk to Maribel and discover how she was feeling after learning about her identity. Knowing her as I did, I expected her to be excited but confused.
Had she heard that Sister Katherine had asked me to accompany her to Norland?
I rounded the bend, and faint light ahead guided my steps the last distance. We’d chosen the chapel as our rendezvous point because one of the candles on the altar was always lit. And Maribel said we could offer extra prayers in between our talking. She’d decided the sisters couldn’t condemn us for that.
When I entered, Maribel was already kneeling on a prayer cushion at the front. Silently, I lowered myself next to her.
Her eyes were closed, and her lips moving in prayer. For a moment, I relished watching her without her realizing I was doing so. In the faint candle glow, her profile was almost angelic. Her veil had slipped off her shoulder, leaving more of her visible than usual. From her high cheekbones to her perfectly rounded chin, to her long neck, she was so graceful and beautiful she nearly stole the breath from my lungs.
She opened an eye and peeked sideways at me, as though she’d felt my attention upon her. “Are you as shocked as I am?”
“Quite.”
“Then wait until you see what else I have.” She lifted her hand out of the long, wide mouth of her sleeve and opened her palm to reveal a large, golden key. “Sister Agnes had it among her belongings.”
I’d taken part in the education Sister Agnes had insisted on giving us orphans. From our history lessons, I knew as well as Maribel what she was holding: one of the three keys belonging to royalty who’d been charged with their keeping. Keys that could supposedly unlock an ancient treasure.
While I’d assumed the lessons about the treasure and keys were more fable than truth, Sister Agnes had always insisted she had proof.
Now I knew why…
“I need your help in figuring out how this key is a clue to the treasure.” She pressed the metal object into my hand. I wasn’t sure I should touch it. But she released it to me, and I had no choice but to take it.
“You are the smartest person I know,” she continued. “If anyone can decipher the meaning of the key, you can.”
“I’m the smartest person you know only because you don’t know many people.”
She smiled and nudged me with her elbow. “Even if I knew everyone in the kingdom, you would still be one of the smartest.”
I loved her confidence in me. She’d always believed in me and trusted me. I just hoped I wouldn’t let her down.
I lifted the key and inspected it from the oval bow at the top to the bit at the end. I noted everything about it—its weight, length, and pattern. The engraving of a tree of life and healing certainly had great meaning. But I suspected there was something else about the key we needed to know first before we could understand the symbol.
“The weight of a solid, pure-gold key should be heavier.” I examined the point where a thin band separated the shank from the collar. “Thus the key must be hollow.”
Maribel bent her head closer to mine, and I caught the exotic scent of herbs that surrounded her all the time. I breathed her in and was tempted to lean even nearer. But I forced myself to focus on the key.
“Can you locate the hollow place?” she asked.
“My guess is that it’s in the shank.” I twisted at the thin band, but it didn’t budge. It was likely tight from disuse. Or perhaps it had a secret catch somewhere inside that had to be pressed in order to open. Either way, I had to pry deeper.
After a minute of winding a piece of thread from my shirt into the band, it clicked and the shank loosened.
Maribel clapped softly. “You did it.”
I guessed if anything remained in the shank, it would be wedged far inside to mask its presence—yet not so far it was unreachable. Whoever had designed the keys had made the hiding place difficult to find but not impossible. “We need a needle or a pin to poke up into the shank.”
Maribel was on her feet and out the door before I could stop her. I guessed she was going a few doors down to the weaving room. She returned a few minutes later beaming and holding a needle.
It took me no time to pry loose a tiny piece of parchment. I unraveled it and squinted to see the faded print. “S.C. Abbey.”
“S.C. Abbey,” Maribel repeated.
We both sat in silence, staring at the scrap of paper. Until . . .
“St. Cuthbert’s Abbey,” we whispered in unison. A thrill shot through me. And when I met her gaze, I could see an excitement that matched mine. Our smiles broke free at the same moment.
“You did it.” She gave a soft, jubilant laugh and then threw her arms around me.
I was used to Maribel’s occasional bursts of emotion, but it had been awhile since she’d hugged me. My head told me I needed to remain brotherly in return—keep her slightly at bay and end with a quick pat on the back.
However, my arms betrayed me and slipped around her entirely, pulling her tight so our bodies connected, and the side of her head brushed against the side of mine. I closed my eyes and basked in the pleasure of holding her near.
I realized I’d hugged her a moment too long when she wiggled to loosen herself. Reluctantly, I released her and tried to make my expression passive so she wouldn’t see just how much her embrace had affected me.
I shouldn’t have worried about her noticing my attraction. She never did. In fact, she reached for my hand and grasped it in hers, clearly not understanding how her merest touch sent fire into my limbs. “Let us go to St. Cuthbert’s.”
“Sister Katherine has charged me with escorting you to Norland.”
