Hearing Molli drawing near, Aya turned back and helped the other woman from the shaft. Once standing before her, the handmaiden donned a frown.
“You were supposed to let me precede you, highness,” she said. “There could’ve been trouble ahead.”
Aya wasn’t in the mood to argue. “Let’s simply be thankful we departed the scene unscathed. I admit, that wasn’t the scenario I’d envisioned.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
She nodded. “Yes. And tomorrow will prove a safer day—if only somewhat.”
“Marginally safer,” Molli agreed in a murmur.
Not replying, Aya started back along the corridor, quickly retracing her steps. Nearing the shaft that led to her own chambers, she was disappointed to discover Aharon hadn’t yet returned. But with no way to predict the circumstances he was to find in Seret’s quarters, she knew he might’ve had to wait for the woman to retire, or perhaps he’d lingered behind to search for evidence of poison. Due to such possibilities, Aya would give him a bit more time before deeming his absence a cause for worry.
Sometime later, the urge to panic was beginning to overtake her. Now seated on the floor of the corridor, she looked up at her handmaiden. “How long has it been, would you say? An hour?”
“At least,” Molli replied, glancing about.
Frowning, Aya shifted and pushed back to her feet. “He might be in trouble. We should check on him.”
“No, princess. It’s safer here.”
“I’ll stay, then. You go.”
The handmaiden shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.”
Frown deepening, Aya was considering her reply when Aharon’s voice floated out of the darkness toward them.
“It’s me,” he warned, “so don’t set me on fire or stab me.”
Engulfed in relief, Aya turned and watched him step into the light of her flame. Given his stealthy manner of moving, she thought he’d probably been wise to alert them to his sudden presence.
Now nearing, Aharon drew up and gave her a quick once-over. “Everything all right?”
She met his gaze, nodding, and observed the scratches on his face; she’d have to summon a Healer once they returned to her rooms, for these wounds were evidence that they’d be wise to conceal. “We were forced to kill Heni’s handmaidens to reach her,” she now informed him, “but all are dead.”
Seeming to note her lingering unease—he knew her better than anyone, after all—he looked frustrated while responding. “I was successful also.”
After briefly eyeing the blood on his hands, Aya looked back and spoke again. “What kept you so long?”
“Nevis was in there with her, along with some of his knights, so I had to wait for them to leave,” Aharon explained. “I also overheard some of his and Seret’s conversation, and it was informative. Nevis is our archer, while Seret claimed responsibility for poisoning Fermin.”
Aya’s eyebrows rose. “What of the other deaths?”
He shook his head. “Not their doing, which means many of our assumptions were wrong.”
She started to ponder, running through the list of remaining suspects, when Aharon took a step closer and brought a hand to her elbow, turning her about.
“We can discuss it once we’re free of these tunnels,” he told her.
While not looking forward to another uncomfortable crawl, Aya was more than ready to return to her quarters. “I think I’d prefer sleep over discussion,” she admitted wearily.
He nodded back in agreement. “It hasn’t been an easy day.”
They sent Molli into the shaft first, and once she began shimmying away, Aya looked to Aharon again. “I feel terrible,” she confessed.
“I’m not overjoyed with myself either,” he replied, “but blame the circumstances, not yourself. Or better yet, blame your father.”
“Hating him won’t help anything.”
“I find it of immense help,” he murmured.
She sighed. “You mean to do it, then?”
“At this point, I see no other option. But we still have three more of your siblings to eliminate first.”
“I’m honestly not sure I can do this again.”
“That’s fine. I’ll take care of it.”
“That’s hardly fair. None of this should’ve fallen on you.”
“That’s of no consequence now. I’ll see you through this, Aya, I promise. You and Neco both.”
She nodded. “I know you will.”
Aya believed this wholeheartedly, for aside from his recent two year absence—the reasons for which she understood, and didn’t blame him for—he’d never disappointed her, or failed to be there when she needed him. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t loved him, and now just longed for all this to be over, so they could finally marry and exist peacefully under Neco’s rule.
But while this dream was growing closer to realization, it wasn’t yet within their grasp.
“The smartest thing Neco’s ever done was summon you back here,” she told him now.
“I just wish I’d arrived sooner.”
“That wasn’t anyone’s fault. What matters is you’re here now.”
He nodded, looking distracted, before gesturing toward the shaft. “Molli should almost be through. Go on and I’ll follow.”
The thought of collapsing into her bed was unspeakably inviting, and as she turned and wedged herself into the shaft she realized just how exhausted she was. The physical exertions of the night aside, the act of committing two murders had been utterly draining on an emotional level.
She was almost to the exit when she heard Molli speak from inside her quarters.
“Princess?” the handmaiden called.
Aya paused, thinking her tone sounded strange. “I’m nearly through, Molli,” she replied. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m afraid not, highness. I need you to stay where you are a moment.”
Aya remained still, her weariness vanishing under a sudden wave of unease. “Molli?” she finally said, after several minutes of silence.
No immediate reply came, but eventually the woman answered. “Yes, princess,” she called. “You can come out now.”
Confused and unsettled, Aya hurried through the remainder of the shaft and emerged within the fireplace. Molli stood by waiting for her, and met her look with a set expression.
“What happened?” Aya demanded, quickly pushing to her feet.
“Someone was here,” Molli said. “Seta and Ioni…I’m afraid they’re dead, your highness.”
Aya stared at her in shock. “Where?” she then managed.
Molli seemed to falter a moment, and blinked quickly before answering. “This way,” she said, turning about.
Aya followed her toward the chamber’s entranceway, only to draw up in horror at sight of the two dead handmaidens. Both women lay face down, with large pools of blood seeping outward from beneath them. It appeared they’d had time to draw their daggers, but not use them, as these weapons were strewn on the floor next to their bodies.
Aya forced back her tears and averted her gaze. After years of faithful service, these women had been more than merely servants to her, but friends whom she’d loved. Seeing them butchered this way was agonizing.
Molli seemed to be struggling with her own composure as she now turned, looking to Aharon as he stepped through the archway and beheld the gruesome sight. He’d apparently collected his sword before joining them, as this weapon was now in his hand.
Observing the bodies a long moment, he then moved his gaze to Molli. “Do you know what happened?”
She shook her head. “They were stabbed. That’s all I could discern.”
Aya looked over. “I need to know who did this.”
“We’ll figure it out, but not here and now,” he returned, stepping toward her. “You’ll need to stay with Neco until this is finished.”
She wanted to argue but didn’t bother, recognizing this as the only logical option. “Wh
at of Molli?” she then asked.
Aharon looked back at the handmaiden. “It might be best for you to leave the palace for a short time. Just until this is settled.”
“No,” Molli returned firmly, and without hesitation. “I won’t leave my princess.”
Aharon nodded, looking unsurprised. “Very well. We’ll just have to convince Neco’s knights to accept you. Aya,” he then said, turning to her with a gesture.
She woodenly started forward, stepping around the puddles of red surrounding the dead.
Was this the price for taking my sister’s life? The cost my actions demanded?
The thought was disturbing and one she didn’t want to consider, or at least not presently. Moreover, she’d probably do well to keep her focus on reaching Neco’s quarters safely.
With Molli moving before her and Aharon beside, they started into the corridor and toward the staircase that would take them upward, with Aya holding to her Magic all the while.
Chapter 9
In the end, Neco’s knights flat-out refused to allow Molli into the prince’s apartment, so the handmaiden spent the night outside in the corridor. Rising early the next morning, and with the scratches on his face now healed, Aharon left Aya with Neco and headed back down to Aya’s chambers, hoping to glean further clues into who was responsible for killing Seta and Ioni.
The dead handmaidens remained where they’d fallen, and he turned the women over to gain a closer look at their wounds. As Molli had discerned, it appeared both had been stabbed, but with swords rather than knives. This led Aharon to conclude they’d probably been slain by knights, which would further explain how they’d been overcome so easily; assassin-trained or not, the handmaidens wouldn’t have stood a chance if confronted by several of these men.
Presuming this theory was correct, only two possible culprits emerged, Nevis or Padus. Either could have commanded the knights of their private guard to pursue Aya, as well as himself, Aharon surmised, although given the conversation he’d overheard between Nevis and Seret the night before, Nevis seemed an unlikely suspect. Indeed, the prince had specifically agreed to let his twin see to this matter.
Which left only sixteen year old Padus, one of three males still living and the youngest royal sibling. With just two older brothers remaining, Aharon thought it was entirely possible Padus had sent his knights to kill Aya and himself, in hopes that the act would clear a path to Neco, his true target. Like Nevis, Padus had likely concluded that getting to Neco would be difficult if not impossible so long as Aharon and Aya lived.
But what Aharon still couldn’t answer was whether this meant Padus was, in fact, the sibling who was receiving Siris’s help. If so, it didn’t make sense that he’d strike before Aharon made a move on the king, although Siris might’ve assumed that Aharon was in the tunnels, doing this very thing, when the knights were deployed. This implied Aya would’ve been the sole target, in which case Aharon could only offer his eternal thanks that he’d brought her into the tunnels with him.
In the end though, this was all speculation. It was just as likely Padus was working on his own, and had sent his knights to kill both Aya and himself. However, this begged the question of whether these knights would’ve disregarded the threat from their captain, that which warned against killing Aharon. The men of Prince Nevis’s private guard had refused to move on him—might Padus’s knights have taken a different view?
Sighing in frustration, Aharon could ultimately conclude nothing but that a conversation with Siris was now very much in order. Unfortunately, he presumed the jester was taking pains to avoid this precise scenario, and rightly so, for in all likelihood he wouldn’t survive it.
Failing to find any further clues, Aharon left Aya’s quarters and started down to the main floor of the palace. Predictably, he found much of this area abuzz, indicating that Heni and Seret’s bodies had now been discovered. Besides Neco and Aya, only Nevis, Tosis, and Padus still remained alive of the twelve royal siblings.
Once free of the grounds, Aharon set a fast pace toward the shore. Upon reaching the string of merchants assembled there, he selected enough food to provide for both breakfast and lunch, and was in the process of paying for his items when a commotion on the nearby street caught his attention. Looking over, he spotted a swarm of Justice troopers race by, shouting to one another as they sped up the block.
Having little care for Justice, his interest in the matter was already fading as he turned back to the merchant, who’d also paused to observe the spectacle. To judge by her expression, she was annoyed by the troopers’ presence.
“What’s this about?” Aharon asked, jerking his chin toward the receding group of white-clad figures.
She looked back with an irritated frown. “Bloody Justice. They’ve been up and down this shore since dawn, scaring away my customers. They’re seeking that thief, Fajen, as he robbed another money-house last night.”
Aharon grinned, and silently wished the man a successful escape. “If he’s smart, he’s already left the city,” he said.
The merchant shrugged, while shooting a quick glance at his Birth medallion. “I don’t care what happens, so long as Justice stops disrupting my business,” she then told him.
To judge by the way she’d suddenly begun eyeing him, Aharon thought she now suspected he was Fajen. Given their shared Thieves medallions and similar looks, he was actually surprised this hadn’t happened sooner.
“I’m not him,” he informed her with amusement.
She looked to his Birth medallion again, then nodded. “The latest sketch claims his medallions are silver, not gold. You share a strong resemblance, though.”
Still grinning, Aharon thanked her for the food and started back to the palace. As he moved, he wondered if anyone else would mistake him for Fajen, and as a result set Justice on his trail. If so, he’d be making a spectacle of his own, especially if they actually tried to arrest him. While it was unlikely to think any local trooper wouldn’t recognize him by sight, the name inscribed on the back of his Birth medallion would certainly clear up any lingering confusion.
Perhaps that’s how Fajen has evaded capture. Could be the troopers are mistaking him for me.
If true, Aharon hoped the man took advantage of the circumstances to abscond from Malat, and that he did so quickly—otherwise, and case of mistaken identity or not, it would be only a matter of time before Justice caught up with him.
Upon returning to the palace, the matter of Fajen had already left his thoughts, replaced by the many mysteries currently pervading the royal grounds. Passing through the courtyard, he caught sight of his father standing and speaking with a few of his knights, and after a slight hesitation Aharon veered toward him.
Spotting his approach, the captain waved away his company and turned to meet him. “Son,” he opened tonelessly.
Aharon drew up and spoke. “Two of Aya’s handmaidens were killed last night, and their bodies remain in her quarters. Would you send someone to remove them?”
His father nodded. “I’ll see to it. I trust Aya met no harm?”
“She’s fine.”
“So four remain. If this night proves as lethal as last, our lone, triumphant heir will finally emerge.”
Aharon paused a moment. “Four remain?” he then repeated in puzzlement.
His father’s look turned dryly amused. “Your confusion implies you weren’t responsible for the entirety of last night’s slaughter. I admit, I wasn’t sure how large a role you might have played.”
Aharon regarded him impatiently. “Who was killed?” he demanded.
“Prince Nevis’s knights found him in bed this morning, his throat slit. None can answer how the assailant gained access, for all eight members of his highness’s private guard were present in his quarters throughout the night.”
Aharon worked to keep his face expressionless, even while trying to understand how this could’ve happened. “Who else was killed?” he then asked, despite already knowing the answer.
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“Princess Seret was strangled in her bed,” his father told him, “while Princess Heni appears to have been stabbed and set on fire. Given the containment of the blaze, it seems likely there’s a mage involved in the affair—a pyromancer.” Falling silent, the man then sent a long glance to his son’s inverted Secondary.
Aharon sneered back at him in response.
His father nodded. “If not you or Aya, beware this person. Anyone capable of setting a princess ablaze in her own bed won’t hesitate to turn their powers on you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Aharon told him, before shifting his stance and narrowing his gaze. “I’ve heard it said that you threatened your knights against harming me. Is this true?”
“Not against harming you, no. Just against killing you,” the captain corrected.
Aharon was surprised by the admission. “Why?” he then asked.
“I thought the direction would benefit you.”
“You’ve never done anything to benefit me. So why now?”
The other man frowned. “Always so difficult, Aharon. For once, can’t you simply be thankful?”
“To you? Never.”
“In fairness, I’m not surprised. You’ve never possessed a shred of gratitude, only your mother’s stubbornness.”
“Say another word about my mother, and we’ll be having a second go of it here and now,” Aharon told him.
His father shook his head. “If this is how you insist on behaving, you’d best take yourself from my presence. But first, allow me a final warning.”
Aharon remained silent, and merely raised his eyebrows in a casual show of curiosity.
“The command I issued my knights was not a blanket protection, son. If you come for the king, I’ll strike you down myself.”
Aharon nodded. “It wouldn’t be the first time you tried,” he answered, before turning and starting away. Resuming his path through the courtyard, he heard no reply from behind him and shook his head while hurrying into the palace.
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