“Chester said things were weird here,” I say, which is true. “I think I remember him mentioning a man.” A lie, but I need to find out who this guy is. “Unimportant is how he described him. I can’t quite remember what else,” I continue, playing a role I know I need to play. “I should’ve never accepted anything from him. He doesn’t seem like a good person.”
The man slides me onto the couch and then gets up to pace back and forth. “Unimportant,” he huffs, mostly talking to himself. “More important than a common fool.”
Chester leans in conspiratorially. “You ready for another secret?”
Fully enraptured, I nod. “Yes.”
“Rumor has it, there’s a man in the castle who’s been plotting her demise right under her nose.”
“No!” I gasp.
“Oh yes.”
“Well, if it were true that you could kill the queen and then be the one in power, why wouldn’t he just kill her? He has access.”
Chester shakes his head. “A woman has to do it. There will only ever be a queen. Never a king.”
“So, he’s trying to convince women to kill her for him? That would still leave him a nobody.”
“Not quite, my dear,” he replies with a smile. “There is a loophole.”
“What is it?”
The memory leaves me as quickly as it arrived, but as I watch this man in his too-shiny shoes, crisp shirt, and wrinkle-free pants pace before me, I begin to piece something together. I can’t let on that I know, or at least, presume to know. I have a role to play.
“I just remembered something,” I announce, bringing his pacing to a stop.
“What is it?”
“Chester hinted at how many people hated the queen. They want her gone, but fear her wrath if they fail to kill her. Plus, I’m sure it’s very hard to get inside the castle.”
“That is not new information.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just something I remembered. Honestly, she doesn’t seem to be the kind of person you want in power. Death for breaking curfew? That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think? Maybe there’s someone else in the castle who would be better suited for the job.”
It was a risky statement. If he actually is a soldier for the queen, I could very well be on my way to death soon. But if he’s not—if he’s actually someone more important than the soldier of the queen, then I’ve got a job to do.
He regards me for a long time, his eyes narrowed into slits as he watches me bring my legs to my chest and wrap my arms around them.
He sees me. Docile, compliant, perhaps even naive. That’s exactly how I need to be seen.
Something sparks behind his eyes, and then he’s down on his knees, grabbing my hands and holding them gently.
“Maybe you’re right.” He strokes my cheek with his knuckles. “You’re such a sweet girl. I know I’ve been holding you in here, but I’m also aware that you’ve been trying your hardest to remember.”
I nod, giving him sweet, innocent doe eyes while looking pathetically sad. “I want to help.”
“I know you do,” he responds. “You’re a good girl.” He pauses, weighing his words. “But what if I needed you to do something bad?”
“Like what?”
“I think that because you’re so pure, you should be in charge. You could change things around, with my help, of course.”
My eyes grow in size as I lean back. “What are you talking about?”
“I could take you to the queen,” he whispers, an evil smile on his lips. “You could kill her before she even recognized you as a threat.”
“No, no,” I reply, shaking my head. “I can’t kill anybody. The queen?” I shake my head some more. “I don’t think I can do it.”
He sits on the couch and cradles me like a baby. “I’ll help you. I’ll tell you what to do. She isn’t a good person, Allison. She’d behead you for simply speaking your mind.”
“I-I don’t know,” I reply, chewing on my lip. “You’ll help me?”
He nods. “Always.”
“Okay.”
Chapter Nine
As we make our way through the room, heading to the hall of mirrors, I squint my eyes while rubbing at my temple, dreading the impending headache. “Okay, so, where are these meetings taking place? Why the dancing and the music?”
“The dancers help keep the soldiers tied up while someone runs into the meeting rooms to alert them.”
“If they’re planning to overthrow her, but the only way is to have a woman murder her, what exactly happens in these meetings? They try to decide who to send?”
“That, and figuring out how to get to her. The castle is well-guarded. Not many people can get in.”
“Were they behind those doors we were just against?”
He shrugs. “Maybe. Maybe they’re somewhere else.”
“I know you know.”
“Do I?” he counters. “You think I’m in on these meetings to overthrow the queen?”
“So, you like her?”
“So curious,” he replies with a grin.
“Well, whatever. You’re annoying and I have a headache, so I’m going to go back to the hotel and sleep. This was not at all adventurous.”
As I’m about to storm back the way we came, Chester’s voice stops me. “But if you go to the hotel, you’ll miss all the adventure.”
I angle my head over my shoulder. “What’re you talking about?”
“Well, you could sit in on the meeting they’re having. You’ll gain some information, maybe some insight. Might be fun.”
I scrunch up my face at him. “Right. Sounds like a blast. No thanks.”
“Or.” He pauses for effect. “You could go through the secret door, see where that takes you.”
My interest piques a bit. “What’s the secret door?”
He knocks on one of the full-length mirrors with his knuckles. “You have to go through it and see.”
“There are doors behind these mirrors?”
“Some.”
“Where do they go?”
“Different places.”
“Are you coming, too?”
He shakes his head. “No. I have other things to do.”
“Well, I don’t want to go by myself.”
“It’ll be fun, Allison. I assure you. Live a little.”
“There won’t be soldiers of the queen waiting to kill me?”
“Why would I want you to be killed?”
“I don’t know you. Who knows why you brought me here?”
He shrugs, unaffected. “Well, that’s fine. You can go back to the hotel. We can do something tomorrow.”
I eye him suspiciously. He gave in way too easy. “Are you sure? You’re not mad?”
That wide smile stretches across his face. “I’m never mad. Come on, let’s get you back safely. There’s likely a few soldiers out there patrolling the streets.”
“What? Really?”
“Yep. Here, follow me.”
Chester tightens his grip on my hand and pulls me back through the hall that seems to stretch longer than I remember.
My head throbs, my stomach begins to cramp, and I start questioning whether I should’ve taken that pill and whatever that drink was.
“Chester. I feel sick. What did you give me?”
He doesn’t answer, and I double-over, feeling sick.
“Almost there,” he says, dragging me along.
I keep my hand over my eyes, because all I can see are tiny flashes of lights, like mini fireworks exploding in front of me.
A few seconds later, I hear the sound of a door creaking open, and then Chester yanks me forward, making me fly through the open door. I stumble and fall to my knees.
“Dammit, Chester!”
When I pull myself up and turn around to scold him, I’m met with nothing but a wall of stone.
I rush to the wall, searching for a knob, but it appears to be completely sealed. I must be behind one of the mirrors.
“Chester!�
� I yell, banging my fists against the stone.
A noise behind me catches my attention, so I spin around and flatten my back against the wall. This tunnel is dark, but I begin to see flashes of color alternating down the path like footprints.
As I follow the lights, trees shoot from the ground on either side, towering several feet above me. A scream rips from my throat as I begin to pick up my pace. Brightly colored flowers sprout up, singing a song like a well-trained choir.
I shake my head, not believing what I’m seeing. This is impossible. There can’t be singing flowers and full grown trees shooting up from the ground.
My feet carry me further down the path where sea creatures fly in front of me. I hear voices before I see teacups and teapots thrown at my head.
I drop to the ground and crawl, continuing to follow the flashing lights. What I once thought were human footprints, I can now see are paw prints. They’re leading me to the far end of this tunnel that’s turned into a forest.
Smoke wafts through the air, and I can still hear faint singing in the background.
My heart pounds in my chest, and I briefly think it’s beating so hard it’s going to burst through my skin and fall to the ground below.
Everything I’m seeing is complete madness. Chester drugged me with some sort of hallucigen, and now I think I’m losing my mind.
I get up and run as fast as my feet can move. I keep going and going, and when I finally come to a stop to catch my breath, I realize everything that was once here, is gone.
There are no more trees and singing flowers. No animals, or lights, or smoke. I’m in a small, darkened room.
Exhaustion hits me fast. My legs struggle to move, and my head continues to throb. I’ve been up way too long. My body and brain need rest.
I hear footsteps and spot a shadow on the wall.
“Chester.” I try to yell his name, but it barely comes out as a whisper.
I stumble, running into a table. A man’s silhouette fills a doorway in front of me. Too big to be Chester, but maybe he’ll help.
“You’re late.”
His voice is deep, menacing, and if I wasn’t about to pass out, I’d turn and run. Instead, I collapse into a helpless heap.
Chapter Ten
“What’s your name?” I ask my captor.
He glances down at me with a tight smile. “It’s Allerick.”
“Allerick,” I murmur, trying the name out. “It’s nice.”
“You’re nice, Allison,” he replies.
I wonder if he thinks he’s fooling me with these fake niceties. I know he’s only manipulating me, but I guess I’m doing the same, so I can’t say much. “So, we have to do a couple things first. I need you to talk to Chester. I need some information from him.”
“I don’t know how to find him,” I say, shaking my head.
“Don’t worry about that.”
“When you see him, you’ll pretend you never came in contact with me. You’ll just say you’ve been wandering around, lost. Get as much from him as you can. Any plans he may have had. His ties to Eloyra. I need it all. After that’s done, I’ll come get you and we’ll find the queen. Here’s your clothes,” he says, handing me a bag.
After I change, Allerick grabs a hold of my arm and escorts me through the door. We walk in silence for nearly five minutes before he pulls me to a stop.
“Here’s a key. Say you found it and tried every door until you came to this one.”
“Wait, what?”
“Time to prove to me you’re worth keeping around. Walk a couple yards and the door will be on your left.”
He slinks back through the underground tunnel and disappears around the corner.
I think about what I have to do, then I run. When I get to the door, I slam into it and fumble with the key to get it to unlock.
Inside, Chester sits against a wall, his arms shackled to a bar that runs along the bottom. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees me.
“Allison!”
“Chester, what are you doing here? What’s going on?”
“How did you find me?”
“I’ve been lost since I left you. I don’t know where I am or how to get it out. It’s like a maze. I found this key and I’ve been trying every door I’ve found. None of them have opened until now.”
“Have you come across anybody?” he asks.
“No. I thought I heard voices, but I wasn’t sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me. I saw some crazy stuff that first night. Did you drug me?”
A tiny grin plays on his lips. “It’s a party drug, Allison. I just wanted you to have a good time. A little LSD isn’t going to hurt you.”
“Acid? You gave me acid?”
“Oh, come on. It’s not that big of a deal.”
I want to keep arguing about this, but I have a job to do.
“Why are you locked up? What did you do?”
“I may have broken some rules.”
“Wait. Does that mean we’re under the castle? Did the queen put you here?”
“Good ol’ Underland,” he says. “No, the queen didn’t put me here. Just a madman with control issues. See if your key can unlock me.”
I step toward him, then pause. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“You can’t.”
“Then why would I free you?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” he counters.
“Why can’t you ever answer a fucking question!” I roar.
“Oh, testy.” He smiles. “What do you want to know?”
I lie again. “I heard a man talking. He mentioned a white-haired woman who worked at a hotel. She was at my hotel. I think they have her here.”
“No, not possible.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s dead.”
“What?” I shout.
“People die all the time, Allison.”
“How did she die? She was so young.”
“She was also planning something with the prince. She was playing a risky game with a man who has the ability to make things ten times worse around here. She had to go.”
I take a couple steps back. “Did you...kill her?”
That wicked grin spreads across his face. “Why would you think I’d do that?”
“You just said she could’ve made things worse. Did she want to kill the queen? Become queen herself?”
“Nobody will replace Queen Annika!” he snaps, showing his true colors, and his allegiance. “Now, come. Let me out of these cuffs so we can go.”
“Why did you throw me into the tunnel?” I ask, fingering the sharp edge of the key.
Chester sighs, slouching against the wall. “I’ll be honest with you, because I like you. You were only meant to be a distraction. Something to keep Allerick busy while I did what I had to do.”
I nervously scrape the key across my hand. “What do you mean?”
“Eloyra was never meant to fall for his tricks. There are hardly any women on this island that are brave enough to do what I need them to do. I thought it would be Eloyra, but she’s disappointed me.”
“What do you need them to do?”
He tilts his head. “Isn’t it obvious? Kill Allerick.”
“But why?”
“Because he’s trying to kill the queen.”
“And you like her.”
He smiles like he’s keeping a secret. Maybe he’s involved with her in an intimate way.
“I needed him to find you. I needed him away from Eloyra so I could dispose of her.”
After a pregnant pause, I ask. “Why me?”
He sighs, annoyed he has to answer my questions. “I went back home to the states once I realized Eloyra had fallen in love with him. When I landed in Pennsylvania, I saw a full page ad in the newspaper about how the Governor's daughter was turning eighteen, and in her honor, there would be a masquerade party. It was pure luck that I saw that, and was able to slip on a mask and get in without any questions asked. An eighteen year old girl stuck
at home with wealthy, conservative parents. I figured, of course she’d want out. And you did.”
“What does Allerick get out of all of this?”
Chester sits up straighter. “He wants to become King.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I thought there wasn’t a king.”
“I told you about the loophole.”
With a shake of my head, I say, “I don’t remember that. You know, because you drugged me.”
He huffs, frowning at me. “Allerick is Prince Allerick of Redquin. If he marries a woman and that woman kills the queen, not only does she become Queen, he becomes King. It’s the only way it can happen here.”
My face contorts. “That’s ridiculous.”
He shrugs. “Call it what you like, but it’s the rules.”
“If I free you, what happens?”
“We get out together. I’ll help you find your way home.”
“Just like you helped me get to my hotel?” I question, scowling at him.
“I don’t want to die here, so yes, I’ll help you get out. With Eloyra dead, I don’t have to worry about Allerick killing his sister anytime soon. He’d have to go through all sorts of obstacles to find another woman to manipulate. And since it’s so easy to do that to women, I’ll just have to figure a way to get close to him, and kill him myself.”
“But I go home?”
He blows out a long breath. “Yes.”
“Just like that? We go home. You aren’t going to try to force me into getting involved with him like Eloyra?”
“You? Kill Allerick?” He laughs. “A mere distraction. A pawn. That’s all you were meant to be. Turns out, he was distracted anyway, while you ran around down here like a lost kitten.
My anger flares. All I can think about is how he’s manipulated me, drugged me, and could care less what happened to me. And then there’s Allerick and everything he put me through. They both act as if I’m this useless, worthless creature. But who’s locked up? Who needs me to get what they want?
I have all the power, and they’re about to find that out.
Chapter Eleven
“I love how highly you think of yourself, Allison,” he goes on. “But the truth of the matter is you haven’t even been here a full week, and all you’ve managed to do is get yourself into trouble. Didn’t your parents teach you not to take rides from strangers? And yet, you take a plane ride all the way to another country. You take pills and drinks from a man you don’t know. You’re naive and gullible.”
The Dark Kingdom Anthology Page 19