The Stolen Jewel

by Lisa Dawn

  “How nice,” I said in a pleasant tone. “I’ve heard it’s lovely there around this time of year. What brings you to Klingland?”

  I kept my focus razor sharp. This could be a matter of life or death for my aunt and cousins. I felt the magic pour into him as his eyes lit up a second time.

  “I was hired to come here.”

  “For what purpose, if I may ask?”

  For a brief moment, his eyes returned to normal. He gaped in horror as he realized he had just compromised his identity to a stranger, but the magic forced him to continue talking.

  “That’s none of your—Sneak attack. It should be an easy job.”

  When the truth rune’s magic wore off again, he pulled out a dagger without a moment’s hesitation. Some other guests who were drinking at the bar glanced cautiously in our direction.

  “Who are you?” he asked with fire in his eyes.

  “Just an innkeeper’s apprentice,” I replied, maintaining my calm air.

  “Then I suppose no one will notice if you were to go missing.”

  Though it was frightening to risk danger yet again, I had been trained to remain at ease in such situations. It was a sad fact of life that royals are threatened constantly by those with less power. It was usually just a ploy. It was time to incorporate some of the negotiating tactics my castle tutor had taught me. Who knew I would still need them when I was no longer royal?

  “If I understand correctly, you are trying to run a covert operation. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to cause an incident that would draw attention to yourself.”

  I gestured to the other guests. If this knight attacked me in public, any one of them could find a guard outside to report it. Maybe he wouldn’t mind having his face plastered all over town, but from what he had told me, becoming a person of interest in Klingland would completely blow his cover for the rest of his troops as well. The frustration on his face revealed that my tactic was successful. He sheathed his weapon.

  “I’m just visiting from out of town,” he said innocently. “I don’t want any trouble.”

  “Then tell me this. When and where is this planned attack?”

  When I had asked Braydon this many questions, I felt fatigued, but now I felt only pure determination. Edgar was right. If I placed enough concentration on my objective and ignored all distractions, it was much easier to control the rune without letting it control me. The knight’s eyes flashed yellow again.

  “Tomorrow night in the woods on the east side of the castle.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “That’ll be two silvers, please.”

  The knight threw two coins over the edge of the desk as hard as he could. I narrowly dodged their trajectory. They slammed onto the floor and spun around. I knelt down to pick them up.

  “You’d better watch your back,” he grunted.

  I placed the coins in the lockbox and stood up.

  “It was a pleasure doing business with you,” I said cheerfully.

  I watched cautiously as the knight went to sit with one of his companions at the bar. The look of wide-eyed innocence that he gave the knight revealed that he was likely a squire. I gagged to myself as the young man made eyes in my direction. It was clear they were talking about me, even though I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  I raced to find Edgar. Fortunately, he was still in the back room taking inventory of the cleaning supplies.

  “Edgar, I need a day off.”

  “What’s this? Can’t handle the pressure already? You were doing so well.”

  “No. There’s just something I need to take care of.”

  “Now that Greta’s working at the castle, I’m afraid I can’t handle everything here by myself. We’ve been getting packed with guests for the new princess’s wedding.”

  Somehow Krystal was still managing to ruin my life from afar. I doubted even she could have premeditated a sneak attack from Sederia.

  “Half a day then. Please. I wouldn’t ask if it were not of utmost importance.”

  “Is this about that young man I saw earlier? This isn’t that sort of establishment, you know.”

  “It has nothing to do with Braydon, I swear.”

  “Braydon? Isn’t that the name of the prince from the wedding everyone’s so excited about? What was he doing here? You attract trouble like flies to honey.”

  “I didn’t ask for any of this. If it were up to me, I would be giving back every last rune we confiscated at this very moment.”

  Edgar sighed.

  “Fine. You can take tomorrow morning off. But you’d better be back in time for the lunch rush.”

  “Thank you! I’ll be prompt.”

  I raced up to my room and hid the rune inside my pillowcase. Who knew how much more trouble it would cause if I kept it on all day and asked more accidental questions? Tomorrow I would find a way to warn my family of the danger and save them before it was too late. I couldn’t bear the thought of the people I loved getting hurt because of me.

  Chapter 18

  I’m standing at the drawbridge to the castle. Just on the other side, I see Henry, Lily, Krystal, and Aunt Denise surrounded by Sederian soldiers pointing spears at them. My family sinks slowly into a dark purple vortex, screaming my name.

  “Charlotte! Why have you abandoned us?” yells Denise.

  “You’re the worst friend ever!” shouts Lily.

  “This is all your fault!” screams Henry.

  “How could you let this happen? You took away my one chance for happiness!” cries Krystal.

  I race across the drawbridge, but I never seem to get any closer. The Sederians kick my family further down into the pit until all I can see are their horrified faces.

  “No!” I yell. “I’m the one you want! I’m the true heir! I’m the one who should be punished!”

  But it’s no use. I watch helplessly as they fade away into the abyss. The last thing I see are Lily’s fingers reaching out desperately toward me. The Sederians storm the palace triumphantly. I kneel the ground with my head in my hands.

  “No! You cannot take Klingland away from me! It’s all I’ve ever known!”

  It’s as though I am invisible.

  “You did everything you could.”

  I turn around to find Braydon behind me. He takes me in his arms and holds me close as I weep for the loss of my loved ones. I feel his fingers lift up my chin as he leans toward me, his brown eyes sparkling in the morning light.

  “I’m truly sorry for your loss,” he whispers, “but at least now we can be together.”

  “Oh Braydon, I just don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve lost everything.”

  “You still have me.”

  Our lips draw closer and closer until—

  My eyes fluttered open as I pulled myself back to reality. That took an unexpected turn. Was my subconscious trying to tell me something? I shook my head. That wasn’t important. The important thing was finding a way to warn my family about the Sederians before it was too late.

  I considered my options as I pulled my brown dress over my head. Could I go to the castle and find Frederick? No, the drawbridge wouldn’t be down until the wedding tomorrow. Perhaps I could write a letter and send a courier, but that might not arrive with enough time for them to come up with a plan. I glanced out my window as the first rays of daylight poked through the trees.

  That was when it hit me. In the morning, Henry liked to sneak off to an open field just outside the border of the capital to practice his swordsmanship. Frederick was on guard duty whenever Henry wanted to spar. Krystal adamantly refused to practice with him. Even I tried my hand at it once or twice, but I never quite picked up on the skill. He said he was determined to master the skill even if no one would help him, so he spent his mornings practicing on scarecrows.

  I pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill pen and got to work on transcribing the warning. It needed to sound as official and urgent as possible. I did my best to disguise my handwriting and signed it as an anonymo
us citizen. Hopefully, the official wax seal from Edgar’s inn would be enough proof that I witnessed the knight in question staying there with his squire.

  With no time to waste, I made my way through the marketplace. Vendors set up their wares. It looked surprisingly peaceful compared to how violent they were toward me during my first few days. Now that I wore a humble peasant garb, no one seemed to notice me hustling along past the tables.

  “Mommy, isn’t that the princess?”

  I recognized the little girl who accidentally gave away my location when I was running from the angry mob. I held my breath as her mother glanced in my direction.

  “No, sweetie,” she said, “That’s Edgar’s new apprentice. Run along now.”

  It’s amazing how a simple change of clothes can disguise someone so completely. Aside from Lily’s relative, no one at the inn recognized me. With my humble dress and my hair tied back, I looked no different from anyone else in the village. Truth be told, I didn’t feel much different either. My old memories could have just easily belonged to someone else. All this time I thought I was born only to be a queen, but now that was a single dream amidst an endless sea of possibilities.

  Though I made sure to grab a roll of bread and some water from the kitchen before I left the inn, I found myself exhausted by the time I reached the duchy that Henry liked to practice in. The duke who owned it had so many acres of land that he never paid much attention to that field. Since his servants knew Henry was the son of the regent, they never gave him much trouble either.

  To my relief, I located Henry in his usual spot, slashing arms and legs off several nearby scarecrows with his sword. He was so focused on his work that I worried he might not see me when I ran up behind a scarecrow that was swiftly decapitated by his blade. The poor thing never stood a chance.

  “Henry! Don’t strike!” I shouted as I ducked down behind the severed head.

  He stared at me for a moment, trying to place my identity. I suppose it’s not every day your estranged cousin shows up looking like a pauper.

  “Charlotte?” he asked. “You almost lost your head!”

  “Not with that form,” I chastised. “You need to stop practicing with dummies.”

  “There aren’t many people to practice with around here.”

  “What about Braydon?”

  Why did my thoughts wander back to him? Henry scoffed. He and Braydon didn’t seem to get along very well. Maybe he was worried about Krystal. He put his sword down and got a closer look at my baggy old dress.

  “You look awful!”

  I dusted myself off.

  “Thanks.”

  “What sort of labor do they have you doing at that inn?”

  Why did Lily have to be such a gossip? I wondered how many people she revealed my shame to.

  “That doesn’t matter,” I insisted. “I need you to deliver this to your mother.”

  I handed Henry the letter I wrote.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  “It’s an anonymous message about an attack on the castle. You need to convince King Mercer to send his troops to protect our family.”

  Henry pinched the sealed parchment between his thumb and index finger as if it was a foreign object. He poked at the wax seal, trying to decide if he should break it.

  “Who wrote it?” he asked.

  “I did. But you can’t tell anyone.”

  “If you keep causing trouble like this, Mother will never let you come back.”

  I wondered if Henry and Lily were trying to convince Denise to change her mind. Maybe they missed me more than I realized.

  “I need you to do something for me in return,” said Henry, interrupting my thoughts.

  “What?”

  “Stay away from Braydon.”

  If my dream from that morning was any indication, Braydon wasn’t going to stay out of my head no matter how much I wanted him to, not that it was any of Henry’s business who I spent my time with.

  “I did not come here to be hounded about my personal affairs.”

  I noticed one of the duke’s servants approaching the field.

  “You had better leave before someone discovers you,” said Henry.

  Was that it? Was he going to put everyone at risk because of my love life?

  “You cannot deny everyone’s wellbeing over such a trivial matter,” I insisted.

  “I thought you knew me better than that.”

  “So did I. I’m counting on you. Good luck.”

  “You too, Char.”

  I knew Edgar wanted me back at the inn by lunchtime, but I couldn’t help wondering if I had done enough. Henry seemed more concerned with protecting Krystal’s feelings toward Braydon than he did about the danger. I felt so anxious about the attack that I made a rash decision that was even riskier than taking the rune.

  Chapter 19

  “What do you mean you need to leave early?” Edgar moaned. “I already let you skip the breakfast shift, and now you’re skipping dinner too? The royal wedding is tomorrow! I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so many guests.”

  “I realize the timing is awful for you, but it really is a matter of life or death.”

  “The timing is awful for you,” Edgar corrected me. “I already granted you one favor today.”

  “I don’t think you understand the urgency of the situation. This is something that I must do with or without your permission.”

  “Then you’re going to have to decide how much you like staying here.”

  The inn was crowded to capacity, but the guests were surprisingly compliant. I wasn’t sure if it was because I had gotten better at my job or that everyone was too excited about Krystal and Braydon’s wedding for petty squabbles. It was probably a combination of both. I wove in and out around the tables balancing everyone’s orders on each arm and cleaning every spilled drop and stray crumb I could until the bright light shining through the window gave way to an orange glow. If this was going to be my last day working for Edgar, I might as well make the most of it.

  It was already dark by the time I reached the forest. Working at the inn had strengthened my muscles. My feet weren’t nearly as sore as they had been my first day out of the castle. Over the moat, I could see that the drawbridge was up. Dorranese knights were posted around the castle. It looked like Henry had taken my advice to ask Mercer for help. As much as I hated accepting aid from my worst enemy, I was grateful someone had the means to protect my loved ones.

  As I wove in and out of the trees, I heard the sound of galloping hooves nearby. Was I crazy to come out here alone while perfectly cognizant of the fact that there was going to be an attack? A hand covered my mouth as a familiar arm gripped my waist, pulling me away from the open path. Ordinarily, I would have been terrified, but I got the sense that my perpetrator meant me no harm.

  “Charlotte, it’s me, Braydon,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m going to let go, but you have to promise not to scream. Do you promise?”

  I nodded. What was he doing here? Did he not trust his own father to defend the castle? He pulled me into the protective shadow of a large tree.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Braydon. “You could have gotten yourself killed!”

  “I needed to be sure Denise and Mercer got my message.”

  “What would you have done if they hadn’t?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s my duty to protect Klingland no matter what.”

  “Not that I don’t admire your spirit, but—Get back!”

  Braydon shielded me against the tree as an army of Sederian soldiers rode past us on horses. They didn’t notice us. The ground rumbled from the pressure of galloping horses. Our guards would have never stood a chance against them alone. They waited patiently by the raised drawbridge as if they were expecting someone to lower it for them.

  I looked over the moat to see what was going on. Indeed, there were two Sederian knights in front of the castle. They must have removed their armor to swim across the mo
at. A skirmish broke out at the castle gates between them and a Klinglish guard. They forced him to open the drawbridge. The knights in the forest raced across on horseback. I struggled to chase after them, but Braydon wouldn’t let me go.

  “They got across the moat!” I whispered. “What if they infiltrated the castle? They could go after Elsie or Lily!”

  “No one got in. My father posted his strongest knights at every entrance.”

  “But how can you be sure?”

  “Think about it. Most of the Sederian soldiers were waiting back here for the drawbridge to be lowered. The primary objective of the two that crossed the moat was to open it for them. Why would they waste time going inside first?”

  He had a good point, as much as I hated to admit it. I knew that I’d never stand a chance against a Sederian knight, but I hated the feeling of helplessness. Fortunately, the Dorranese knights were holding up quite well. Braydon and I watched as the Sederians were knocked down in quick succession. They didn’t stand a chance.

  “Retreat!” yelled the Sederian captain.

  The horses thundered back over the drawbridge carrying their fallen and injured knights. I threw my arms around Braydon to celebrate their victory. He reciprocated with a comforting hug and smiled at me.

  “They did it!” I exclaimed.

  As the Sederian army thundered back over the drawbridge en masse, Braydon climbed onto a large branch several feet up the tree. He offered me his hand and helped me up next to him. I didn’t have a lot of experience climbing trees, so I was grateful for the assistance. Now we wouldn’t have to worry about getting trampled

  The view from up the tree was similar to looking out from a castle window. I saw all the horses below me running back toward the village. Yet, the captain of the Sederian army ran the opposite direction. Was it a trap? What if he was planning to sneak into the castle? I would not let that happen. I carefully climbed back down before Braydon could stop me.