I took a deep breath. “I do not want the marriage, but King Hendon is pushing for it for reasons unknown. My mother fears that the king is using the wedding as a way to take over all of the Gifted Lands. She sent me to find my real father, Joichan, to help us stop the wedding. Which is why I asked for your help to find Joichan. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Another long silence met my words. Blood pounded in my ears. Now that I was no longer keeping secrets from my friends, I hoped that they wouldn’t reject me, but I knew I had no right to ask that of them.
I suddenly felt arms around me, and looked up into Farrah’s sympathetic face. “All is forgiven.”
Suddenly embarrassed, she pulled away. “I meant to say, Your Highness, it doesn’t matter that you lied to us. Uh, I mean...... Oh, dear. Was it okay that I hugged you?”
I smiled. “Of course. I’m glad you’ve forgiven me. And... I’m so used to not being called ‘Your Highness’ now that is seems odd to hear you say it.”
Farrah laughed as I pulled her back into a warm embrace. Behind her, Rhyss grinned, the tension gone from his face. I hugged him next. When I let Rhyss go, I turned to Beyan. His expression was more enigmatic, but he smiled at me. Our embrace was brief, yet somehow felt full of unspoken thoughts. Next to me, I felt the tension in my father ease.
Beyan gestured toward the fire. “Feel free to stay awhile. I’m sure we have a lot of things to talk about.” His glance lingered on Joichan.
“I wish we could,” I said. “We need to get inside the castle. If we can come back, we will.”
“Please do.” Beyan looked like he wanted to say something more, but Joichan touched my shoulder, indicating we should leave.
As we turned to go, Beyan called out to us. “Allayne... I mean, Your Highness. Princess Jennica. Before you go...”
He pressed something into my hand. I looked at the simple little ring in the center of my palm. I slipped it onto my littlest finger, grateful to have it back. “Thank you,” I said. Beyan nodded at us and stepped back.
Joichan and I continued on our way. We had reached a rare quiet spot in the midst of the campsites when my father stopped me. “Can you get ahold of your friend? If she’s available, she can help us get into the castle.”
I doubted Taryn would answer my call, since we had been unable to connect the last several times I had tried her. But there was no harm in trying again, and my father was right — it would be near impossible to gain entrance into the castle without assistance. And I certainly didn’t want to alert the guards, or worse, King Hendon, to the fact that I was back.
I quickly sketched the gestures and spoke the words for the calling spell. I held my fingers out, not expecting anything to happen. So I was taken by surprise when Taryn’s face appeared almost immediately.
“Taryn! I can’t believe it! I tried to get in touch before, but — ”
“Princess! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to respond before, and I don’t have much time now. It’s all gone so very, very bad here. I’m being watched as well.”
“But what — ”
“I don’t have much time, and there’s too much to tell you.” Taryn glanced over her shoulder at something I couldn’t see. As much as I wanted details, I could sense her fear.
“Then I’ll be brief. Taryn, we’re back in Calia, just outside the gates. We need help getting back into the castle.”
“We?”
Joichan shook his head at me, warning me not to give away his secret just yet. “I’ll explain when I see you. But for now — can you help us?”
“Yes, of course! I’ll mark the path through the tunnels, just in case you need to use them without me around. But I’ll meet you outside the castle, where the secret door is. You remember the location?”
I nodded. “We should be there shortly.”
“Good. I’ll see you soon.”
Taryn’s face disappeared as the magic faded.
Joichan and I made our way to the castle wall without incident. Even though there were so many visitors camped outside the castle — and presumably, overflowing the nearby town — the guards didn’t challenge any who passed by them. I guessed they were probably used to it by now. The servants we had overheard talking had seemed to imply that the days and weeks leading up the wedding celebration were full of around-the-clock revelry.
We loitered by the hidden door, trying to blend into the deep shadows and not attract attention. We waited. And waited. And kept waiting.
Joichan’s quiet voice in my ear startled me. “She definitely should have been here by now. Do you think something happened to your friend?”
I worried about that too, but hearing him say it out loud made it now seem like a real possibility.
“What should we do?” I whispered.
“I suppose we’ll need to find another way in.” He sounded doubtful.
I nodded absentmindedly. There was something small fluttering in the breeze, caught in the wall right around eye level. I stepped closer, reaching out to grab it. It was a hair ribbon, pale in the moonlight.
I reached out again, my hands brushing against the smooth unbroken stone... until suddenly it wasn’t unbroken anymore. My father and I looked at each other. I grabbed the lip of the hidden door and pulled it open a little wider.
“I think Taryn was here.” I indicated the ribbon in my fist. “I don’t know what’s happened, but I don’t think we should wait any longer. She said she’d mark the passageway, so we should be okay.”
My father followed me into the cool, dank tunnel. He tugged the door shut behind him, making the darkness in the passage complete. “Illumine,” I said, and light flared above us.
True to her word, Taryn had marked the way we should go. At each turn a ribbon pointed the way, indicating the path she had taken. It made me wonder if the ribbon I had found at the hidden door had been left on purpose or not. When we found Taryn, I would ask.
It didn’t take us long to reach the end of the marked path and find the door leading back into the castle. Since I wasn’t sure where Taryn’s path had taken us, I indicated to my father that we should be quiet, and snuffed out the magical light. Slowly, carefully, I pushed open the door and peeked out.
A hand reached out to pull the door open wider. Standing on the other side was my mother; we had made our way back to her chambers. When she saw me she immediately pulled me into her arms and held me tight.
“Jennica! I’m so glad you’re back, and you’re safe! I worried so much.”
I hugged my mother tight, never wanting to let her go. She pulled back, looking me over. Then her eyes went to the person who had walked in after me, and was standing just behind me. She gasped.
“Joichan?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER stared at each other. I stared at them, staring at each other.
Then suddenly they were in each other’s arms. “Joichan! It is you!” My mother was laughing and crying at the same time.
“Melandria. It’s been far, far too long.” Joichan’s voice was thick, as if he was also fighting back tears.
I looked away, feeling like I was intruding on a private moment.
“Melandria, I’m sorry,” Joichan said. “I should have returned sooner. I should have — ”
My mother cleared her throat and stepped out of Joichan’s embrace. Her bearing changed, and we were suddenly seeing Melandria the queen, not Melandria the woman.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Joichan.” Her voice was gentle but steady. “We have a beautiful daughter — ” she smiled at me “ — and you’ve come back when I needed you the most. I... We... The kingdom... need your help to stop... my husband.”
Joichan nodded. There was a definite change between them, a wall of propriety and obligation that neither dared cross. My heart ached at how fate had treated them both.
“I am at your service, Queen Melandria.” Joichan made a little half bow, using the formality to put more physical distance between them.
&nb
sp; I spoke up, hoping to ease the awkwardness in the air. “Mother, what’s going on? Are you well? Taryn said you were under house arrest. And that our wedding deception had been discovered. And she was supposed to meet us to lead us here, but — ”
My mother laughed softly and sat down, indicating that we should do the same. I closed the entrance to the secret passage, and then sat down next to her. My father took the chair across from us.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” she said. “As do I.” She pointedly looked between my father and me. “But let me tell you what’s happened while you’ve been gone.”
As Taryn had told me, King Hendon had grown suspicious of the queen and placed her under house arrest. When my disappearance was discovered, the king had questioned my mother intensely, for several hours.
“He tortured you?” I asked in horror. Joichan stirred restlessly, looking ready to strangle the king with his bare hands.
“Not physically,” my mother said. “He knows he can’t lay a hand on me and get away with it, especially with the wedding day being so close. People would see something was wrong and question it. He may be the king, but he only holds the title because I inherited the kingdom.”
“What did he do, then?”
“He used magic to force my mind, and my mouth, open against my will.” My mother looked down at her clasped hands, which were so tense her knuckles were white. “I held out as long as I could, but he’s too strong now.”
“Now? What do you mean? I thought he hated magic.”
“He does, outwardly. But he’s not above using magical items or people to gain what he wants. And somehow, over the years, he’s acquired some magical skill of his own. I didn’t realize... I’ve failed you, Jennica. Us. Because I should have been paying attention. I didn’t know what he’s become. I worry that we may be too late to stop him.”
I shook my head, still not quite understanding. Hendon was a spell caster in his own right? If this was true, then he had fooled us all. And how had this happened?
My father took off his moonstone necklace and held it in his hand, studying the stone and scowling ferociously. “I think I have an idea of how this occurred,” he said, and I realized I must have asked my questions aloud.
He held the necklace toward us, as if we could see what he saw in its creamy depths. “When a soulstone is created, it contains the essence of the person it is linked to.” He indicated my amber necklace. “As you saw when we created yours, Jennica. And as you use your soulstone, it will gain more and more of your power, which is shared freely between you and the jewel as you use it. It is, quite literally, an extension of you. You can do without it, of course, as I did all these years. But it will always be a part of you.”
He rubbed his thumb over the moonstone. “When Hendon stole my gem, he was able to tap into it and use my power to drive me away. He couldn’t defeat me with it, because how could I defeat myself? But he definitely used it to cripple me and drive me away. I often wondered how he was able to do it, but when we did Jennica’s ceremony I figured it out.
“I think somehow Hendon blood-linked to my soulstone, which should be impossible, but somehow he did it. And by linking to it, he was able to draw on its power, and also learn how to use magic — whatever spells I had cast using my soulstone. And as I am a long-lived dragon, and was rather ambitious in my youth learning magic... he would have been able to learn a lot.”
“Hendon wears a lot of jewelry, but I’ve never seen him wearing the moonstone necklace. And it’s been years. I don’t think he’s tapped into your necklace in all that time.” I looked to Mother for confirmation, who shook her head as if to say, I don’t know.
“He wouldn’t have to,” Joichan said. “When you gave it back to me to help me heal, I noticed there was hardly any power left. There was just enough to tap into to close my wound, and that was it. As I’ve been using my necklace these past few days, it’s been replenishing the magical supply, but I think Hendon siphoned my essence from the necklace. Either he used it all, or — more likely, I would guess, if he’s grown as powerful as Melandria has said — he’s stored it in something.”
This was so disturbing, neither my mother or I commented on the fact that Joichan had used the queen’s name so familiarly.
“That makes sense,” my mother said. “How will we find it? And once we find it, what do we do?”
“If he’s able to perform such powerful magic, then my guess is that it’s something he’s carrying it on his person,” Joichan said. “So he’s able to tap into it at will. Once we identify it, we need to take it from him. And destroy it.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
IT WOULDN’T BE EASY to discover. The king reveled in his powerful station, and loved showing off his wealth and position. Besides his wedding band, he often wore a lot of jewelry — several rings, a few necklaces, wrists full of bracelets. I had never sensed anything magical emanating from any of them, but then again, I hadn’t known what to look for.
My mother quickly summed up the rest of her story. King Hendon was enraged to find out I was gone, but had decided to go ahead with the “wedding” anyway. We had thought to use the pre-wedding isolation tradition to our advantage, but now he was using it to his. Citing Calian custom, the princess didn’t need to appear at any of the state functions and pre-wedding celebrations leading up to the event. So my disappearance wasn’t widely known, except to the king and queen. And Taryn.
My mother said, “She waits on me regularly, so we can plan and discuss. When Hendon discovered you were missing, he changed the servants’ schedules so only Taryn was allowed to ‘attend’ you until the wedding. I’m unsure if he knew that Taryn was involved in your disappearance, but he threatened her with her family’s safety to keep her silent. I know she’s being watched as well, but to my knowledge she is still able to move about freely.”
I showed my mother the ribbon I had found in the castle wall’s hidden door. My mother gasped. “I gave her the ribbons to hang in the passageway, but this is Taryn’s own hair ribbon. It’s her favorite; she said it was a gift from her brother. So if you found this... and she wasn’t at your appointed meeting place... darling, I hope it is nothing, but I fear that it might mean something has befallen her.”
I started to shake, overcome with sobs that I tried desperately to hold back. Mother held me, stroking my hair. My father stood up and started pacing.
“So we need to find your friend,” he said. “And we need to stop this wedding.”
My mother and I both looked at Joichan. He answered our unasked question. “I find it suspicious that Hendon is still moving forward with the wedding, even though he doesn’t have Jennica in hand, and has no guarantee that he will. There’s something more here than just saving face with Rothschan. If he wanted to do that, he wouldn’t have invited all the other five kingdoms to come here. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Find Taryn. Stop the wedding. Stop Hendon. How are we going to do all of that?” I hated how thin and scared my voice sounded.
“First things first,” Joichan said. “We can’t stay here.” He looked longingly at my mother. “As much as I’d like to.” She looked away. “Nowhere in the castle will be safe for us, and we can’t risk your mother’s safety.”
“We can stay with my friends outside the city.”
My father nodded slowly. “Yes, that could work. We’ll head there now, and figure out what our next steps should be. Perhaps your friends would be willing to help us.”
“You should go now, then,” my mother said. “Hendon is hosting a feast for all the visiting nobles, and while I’m sure there may be some who will continue the festivities late into the night, most of them will be leaving soon.”
I hugged my mother fiercely, fighting tears for the second time that evening. Our meeting was much too brief, but I was glad to know she was safe.
My father and I made our way through the secret passage and back outside the castle. Although there was less activity on the groun
ds than earlier, we were still able to get back to the campgrounds without incident.
Beyan, Farrah, and Rhyss were where we had left them, sitting by the fire. Beyan looked concerned. Farrah had a scowl on her face. Rhyss was eyeing them both, as if he was unsure if it was safe to say or do anything. When we approached, Beyan jumped up. “You made it back!”
I shifted uneasily. “Yes. Um. Would it be too much of an imposition if we joined you for the night? It’s not safe for us in the castle.”
“Of course. We still have your bedroll. And I’m sure we can cobble something together for... um...” Beyan refused to look at Joichan.
My father held his hands out toward Beyan in a gesture of peace. “Come. Take a walk with me, young man. I think we have a lot of things to talk about.”
To all of our surprise, Beyan actually obeyed. The two men left the campsite and disappeared into the night.
While they were gone, Farrah, Ryhss, and I caught up with each other while we ate a late supper. Finally I was able to learn what had happened after we all got separated.
When Joichan had flown off with me, the group hadn’t lingered in the area. My behavior — or, betrayal — had made it clear that a rescue attempt would not have been welcome. Instead, they immediately headed north. Beyan’s new mission was to come to Calia, to demand an audience with Queen Melandria to find out what had been the real purpose of our trip.
“He encouraged us to return to Orchwell.” Farrah looked at Rhyss, who seemed uncharacteristically somber. “But it didn’t seem like a good idea to leave him alone. In all of the years I’ve known him... I’ve never seen him so... I don’t know. So single-minded. Heaven help anyone who got in his way.”
“With the upcoming wedding, I can’t imagine he’d be able to see the queen. Even during regular times it would be hard enough. What did he plan to do with the information, if he could get it?” I said. What could Beyan possibly be thinking? Farrah’s and Rhyss’s blank faces told me they didn’t know, either.
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