All of us were preparing for battle, whether we knew it or not.
Axel nodded his head at me and bowed a little. My position was higher than his, and it was only a formality.
He exited my office, and I grabbed our written conversation. I lit it on fire using the candle I had sitting on my desk. No mole would see our secret discussion.
I will protect Violet at all costs because she has sworn to protect her family, our family. I will do everything I can to ensure that our plans for these coming months run smoothly.
I looked around, wondering if tunnels were running through the walls of my office as well. Learning of the tunnels has unsettled me. I now feel like I am never alone or safe.
My next stop will be to the armory where I would find myself a dagger, which I hope I never have to use.
CHAPTER FOUR
Violet
Ihad been searching every wall in the downstairs floor of the castle for what felt like hours. I got looks from the kitchen staff and some cleaning crew, but no one said a word to me.
Could one of these people be a mole? I hoped not, but you never know. It was scary to think about; a trusted person could be gathering information to plan your demise.
When I didn’t find any hidden doors downstairs, I walked up the back staircase that dumped me behind the throne room. I walked down the back hallway, looking for anything on the walls that seemed out of place. When I came to a random tapestry hanging on the plain wall, I lifted it.
I saw the small hole in the stone. That was when I knew I had found what I was looking for. I stuck my hand in the hole and used it to push the rock out of my way. I couldn’t move it at first because it was so heavy. I put all the force in it I could, and it still didn’t budge. I called on my magic and used it to guide the stone out of my way.
Once it had been moved to the side, I walked through the perfect opening in front of me. I let go of the tapestry that covered the entrance to the tunnel. It cut off the outside light, and it became pitch black inside.
I couldn’t see a thing.
I thought about making an orb of light to brighten up the small space around me, but if there were someone in here with me, I couldn’t let them see me before I knew they were there. The element of surprise was never to be doubted. So I stuck my hands out to touch the walls and used them to guide me. It hugged what I assumed was the back wall to the throne room and wrapped around the side.
My feet kept hitting things, and I wasn’t sure what they were. I was too scared to look. I put my eyes up to the cracks in the walls, which had allowed in light from the throne room. I was right next to my throne. I could see one of the castle cleaning staff members polishing it. It was creepy knowing someone could be sitting only three feet away from me without ever having a clue.
I kept following the narrow passageway. A few steps later, I started smelling food.
This hallway shouldn’t be anywhere close to the kitchen. Why was I smelling food? I looked down and saw the cores of what looked like apples. There were peels to some other kind of fruit, and there was a piece of hard bread.
So there really was a spy? Someone has been here recently. If they had been here a while ago, the food would have rotted away. I was still taking in this new information when I felt hands wrap around my waist from behind me.
I was trying to let out a scream when I felt one of the hands move to my mouth. My heart was racing, and I was preparing to fight back.
“Shhh, it’s me,” was whispered into my ear. I relaxed against the hands. It was only Axel.
I turned around to face him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
“I heard you might be able to use a little help, and you left the door wide open” he was actually wearing a smile.
I thought he might be upset when he found out I had been exploring without telling him, but he didn’t seem mad.
“Well, I am glad you are here. Look what I found,” I whispered.
I pointed to the food at my feet.
“What you were hungry?” he asked me, smiling a little.
Of all the times for him to joke around with me, it would be now, when I need him as serious as I am. I missed this side of him, the one that brought me to care about him. But I need that at night when we are alone, not now.
Maybe my thoughts were transparent on my face because he quickly recovered and became serious, “I know I smelt it as soon as I saw you.”
“Let’s keep going,” I said to him.
My eyes had now adjusted to the dark, and I could see around me. There is lots of stone, everywhere I look. There are also spider webs; lots of them.
“How? It is a dead-end,” he replied.
“No, it’s not; look at the floor over there. Does that not look like a trap door to you?” I asked him.
“You are right; it is,” he said to me as we got closer.
He lifted the door in the floor open, and we coughed as a bunch of dust littered the air around us. I brought the top layer of my dress skirt up to cover my mouth and nose.
“Light please?” he asked.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I whispered back.
“It would warn someone we are coming.”
“If we can’t see, we will break our necks,” he whispered back.
Point taken.
I created a small ball of light much dimmer than what I was used to and sent it ahead of us. Axel walked down the steps first with his sword drawn. I followed closely behind him. We walked down at least five sets of stairs going down in spirals. If I was correct, we were now below the basement or dungeon level.
Finally, we got to the bottom, and you could instantly tell that we were below the ground. The air was musky and very wet feeling. It was almost like being coved in a warm wet blanket. The stickiness clung to your skin.
Then I heard someone calling out.
“I see light,” a voice said in full panic.
“Be ready,” Axel said to me.
I nodded that I was. We took a few more steps, and then the room opened out into a big room carved out of the dirt. There were cages all around us with men and women, even some children occupying them. There were at least a hundred people in this room. It smelt so bad and felt so cramped.
My eyes were watering from the smell of human waste and body odor. Both Axel and I started gagging. It was like nothing I had ever smelt before.
“Who are you?” one of the men behind bars asked.
“I am Queen Violet,” I said to them, “Why are you down here?”
“I don’t understand. Where is King Eduard?” the same guy asked.
He was super skinny. I could see most of his ribs. He was balding and squinting into the light like he hasn’t seen it in a long time.
“King Eduard is dead. I have taken over the Kingdom. Please answer my previous question,” I demanded.
“We were trapped here by him, my dear Queen,” he said as he bowed.
“We are magic workers. Eduard was doing experiments on us. Are you a Magic worker?” he asked.
His eyes kept going from me to the orb of light floating right next to me.
“Yes, I am,” I answered honestly.
“If you promise not to harm us, I will free you from these cages.”
“Oh, please!” he begged, as everyone else chorused in their pleas.
I walked up to the first cage and used my magic to force the pins in the lock into the right positions. I turned the mechanics inside of the lock, and it gave way. I grabbed the bars to the door and pulled it open.
I went to all of the remaining cages and opened them the same way. When everyone was free of their cages, I thought of something.
“I am going to release you all and get you outside of the castle, but we need to do it secretly,” I told them.
“Why does it need to remain secretive?” one of the little girls asked.
I thought about my answer for a moment.
“Honey, you all ar
e so dirty and smelly, it would scare everyone. I am going to find some clothes for you all. Sir Axel is going to stay here and protect you. I will give you all some money and get you outside of the castle’s gates. Then you will be free to do what you want. I just ask that you not tell anyone where you have been. I have a feeling I know why you were not mentioned to me.”
Everyone chorused that they agreed to my terms. Axel objected to him staying, but I ordered him to. He had no choice. I didn’t like doing that, but these people would storm right out of here if he didn’t stay. We both knew it.
I split my ball of light in half. One half stayed here in this room while the other half followed me as I ran back up the stairs. I was sprinting down the narrow passageway when something sparkled on the floor just up ahead. When I reached it, I bent over to pick it up. That is when I saw the symbol, and I knew this was all really bad.
I raced to Trin and had her grab as many outfits as she could for me. She came back a few minutes later with all kinds of clothes in different sizes. She raced back with me into the secret hallways and down the stairs. I dropped the clothes on the floor at my feet at the bottom of the stairs.
“These all are yours, but I need you to answer one question for me first. Has anyone else come down here to visit you?” I asked.
One woman took a few steps closer to me and bowed. She then straightened herself and spoke up.
“Yes, someone came to visit us a few nights ago,” she said.
“Do you know who he was?” I asked.
“No, I am sorry, I’m afraid it was dark, and I could not see his face. But it was a new voice, no one that I recognized,” she answered.
“Do you know what he wanted?” I asked.
“He only asked why we were down here. None of us answered, but I believe he already suspected why,” she responded.
“Thank you,” I said.
I backed away from the clothes and let everyone come grab what they could wear.
Everyone grabbed articles of clothing and covered as much of themselves as they could.
“I am going to arrange to get you out of the castle. But I need you to stay down here a while longer. Can you do that for me?” I asked them.
The man from earlier spoke again.
“Why must we be kept secret?” he asked.
“I believe you might be in danger. We are on the brink of another war, and you are part of the prize. I want you all to go into hiding once you leave this castle. Spread out as far as you can from here and don’t reveal to anyone your gifts. I wish to keep you safe, and this is the only way how. Anyone from Tate or Corone should be considered your enemy,” I told them.
Trin looked horrified as she took in everyone in the room. She didn’t have any idea that these people had been down here, and that scared her just as much as it did me. She was so transparent; she couldn’t hide the horror on her face.
We left the magic workers to their own devices. I told them they could hide in the secret hallway upstairs as long as they were quiet. They had informed me that this room was suppressing their abilities. I imagined the hallway would not, as I had used mine.
Axel, Trin and I walked back up the stairs in the glow of light cast by my orb of light. We walked down the secret hallway and to its exit. I popped my head out of the entranceway that was covered by the tapestry. I didn’t see anyone in the hall, so I stepped out. Axel and Trin followed.
“They are the reason,” I said.
I am so sure they are it.
“The reason for what?” Trin asked, trying to connect the dots.
“They are the reason Kennan wants to bond with me,” I said. I began to walk down the hall, moving rather quickly. Axel and Trin promptly caught up, one on either side of me.
My two most trusted staff. Now I just needed Wisdom to make it a party.
“Why would Kennan need those magic workers?” Trin asked, still struggling to make sense of it all.
“Don’t they have magic workers there?”
“I am not sure,” Axel answered.
Out of us three, he would know the most about them.
“If Eduard thought they were important, he wouldn’t kill them like the other magic workers he hunted. What if they had a business deal going on? What if Eduard promised him the prisoners in exchange for something?”
I knew Axel was on the same page, and a look of understanding crossed Trin’s face. This wasn’t just about revenge for Kennan. It was about using these magic workers for some master plan. The fact he would force me into bonding with him, and merge our Kingdoms to gain the Morthland’s wealth was all the icing on the cake for him.
I was beginning to understand what made this man tick. He was a go-getter, setting his sights on what would put him ahead, and he would stop at nothing until he got it.
That meant we needed to get these prior prisoners out of the castle as soon as possible. I needed to get these people as far away from Kennan as they could get. I don’t know what kind of powers they have, but I hope it will help them defend themselves because they will need that and luck to avoid recapture.
“I need to know if Kennan is still thought to be in the Morthlands. If he is, I want him brought to me. He isn’t to know we know anything about the prisoners. As far as he will know, I am still deciding on his offer of bonding. I need him preoccupied while we secure the safety of those prisoners. This is of utmost priority,” I said, not slowing down my pace.
I excused them both as I walked towards my bedroom. I trusted they would sneak all of those prisoners out of the castle tonight. I had things I needed to attend to in Arlington. Things like stealing enough emeralds to take my friends between the worlds.
Kennan thinks he can send in a spy to my castle. Screw that; I have a rich kid’s house to break into.
CHAPTER FIVE
Iwoke up in my bed in Arlington.
I am having the hardest time wrapping my mind around what I have learned.
Kennan is like me, He can travel back and forth between Earth and where-ever it is that the Morthlands exist. Not only can he travel, but he is in a position of power. He is essentially blackmailing me. He wants to get hitched and merge our two Kingdoms.
But what game is he actually playing at? Is this revenge for me turning him down in front of the school? Is this revenge for putting an end to a needless, but profitable war with his ally Corone? Maybe all of this was chance? All I know is that the predatory look on his face as he stood in my throne room really got to me.
On top of that, if I were to take the bait in the Morthlands, then what, are we married on Earth too? The idea of being with him made me ill. Not even six months ago, I was fantasizing over him. Now he was trying to steal my kingdom and get in my pants.
This can’t just be about me. When I emptied the general dungeons only three days before my coronation, it had become big news. I was highly praised, and word travels fast. I wonder if Kennan is looking for someone specifically? Was he trying to get his hands on one or all of the magic workers that were in the secret dungeon? He did send a spy to check in on them after all.
If so, Axel and Trin must get them out of there as quickly and quietly as possible. None of those innocent people need to be caught up in his games. I also don’t need them used as more leverage against me.
Things are already complicated enough.
I will need to figure out why they were held there by Eduard, what they could do, and if Kennan knew about them. I will have to bribe Eduard the next chance I get for some more information. It infuriated me that he didn’t mention this to me when I bribed him earlier.
I looked around my room for a minute, just letting these thoughts go through my head. Then it hit me what I had woken up to do. I needed to break into one of the wealthiest homes in the town and steal precious gems.
How am I going to pull off a heist like this? I’m sure the movies and books make it look much easier than it actually is.
Maybe I could pay someone to get the emeralds for
me?
If I did that, there is no guarantee I would get the emeralds. The hired thieves could take my money as well as the jewels and run. Then I would be really out of luck. At least I knew that there was a strong chance of at least one emerald being in that house. Kennan admitted that they brought some of their wealth from Tate with them to Arlington.
I don’t even know what Kennan’s house looks like, or if anyone would be home. It is a school day, so I am hoping that no one will be there.
I walked downstairs after my morning routine and took my morning apple from my grandmother. Mom handed me my heavy jacket from the coat closet as she grabbed hers. After we were bundled up to protect ourselves from the sudden onslaught of chilly winds and wintery temperatures, we headed out to the van.
This is the same van I used to ride in when I wasn’t liked at school. Now no one cares that I’m dropped off in this rust bucket every morning. My family’s lack of money doesn’t matter anymore.
It’s ironic since I have more money in the Morthlands than I know what to do with.
I waited for Mom to pull away and then started walking through the parking lot. There was a bus stop right next to the entrance to the lot, but I couldn’t wait there. If I did, administrators would question why I was skipping class. They wouldn’t be pleased. If I ever told them why, I would probably be kicked out of the school, regardless of Grandma’s connections.
So I walked to the next bus stop on the other side of the road and half a mile away. When I got there, I only had to wait a minute or so in the blistering winds for the next bus to arrive. When the doors opened, I climbed up the steps and gave the driver the required change. I waited for the nearest bus stop to Kennan’s house.
When I got there, I still needed to walk another mile to get to the Smart residence. This walk felt like it took forever. Not because of the distance, I could easily walk a mile now that I was so in shape from my training. The problem was the walk in the blistering cold. I was wearing my school uniform, which consisted of a skirt. My legs were bright red from the cold.
Emerald Mountains (The Dream Traveler Series Book 2) Page 3