by Lee Monroe
‘Next time you want to stage a rebellion, enrol the help of the big boys,’ she said. She closed her lips and I saw her face return to normal, the gleam in her eyes disappearing.
‘It will happen,’ he said, headstrong to the last. ‘Your days are numbered and you know it.’
‘Oh shut up and get off your horse,’ she said wearily. ‘My companion and I need to be somewhere, now.’
He made no move to dismount.
‘I said, get off your horse, boy!’ she roared, and he scrambled off, standing, resentfully by while she climbed up.
‘Come,’ she said, holding out her hand to me. ‘We haven’t got much time.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
The palace was awake. Slipping through by the kitchen entrance, Raphael heard the sounds of footsteps running up the great staircase.
He hesitated. He needed to find his way up to his great-parents’ room. But he couldn’t be seen. The kitchen corridor was dark, silent. But how long before it was full of ruffled servants?
Quickly, he darted to the door leading into the hall. Looking around it, he saw with relief that it was deserted.
Soren was still locked away underneath the palace. Safe. He would deal with him later. No one could get to the boy without Raphael’s authority.
He ran up the stairs, and headlong into a servant carrying some small brown bottles.
‘Your Highness,’ she said nervously, ‘we have been looking for you …’
‘What has happened?’ he said, his face a picture of concern. ‘It’s the middle of the night.’
‘Oh, there has been a break-in, master …’ she stammered, clutching her bottles. I have just been to administer calm remedy to the Great Mother – she is very distressed.’
‘Who … where have they broken into?’
‘Into the library, sir, ’ she went on. ‘There is glass everywhere, master. A terrible sight.’
‘Nobody has taken anything?’ He eyed her. ‘Is there anything strange?’
‘I – I am not sure. The house butler is in there now. Are you well, sir ?’ she pointed at the tiny cut on his cheek.
‘Yes, thank you,’ he said dismissively, pushing past her and on up the stairs. He glanced up the next flight to the floor where his great-parents were. But he had no time. He needed to get to the library.
Luca saw the lights go on, one by one in the palace. He frowned. There was no sign of his brother, or of Raphael. He had searched everywhere around the palace: the stables, the fields. He dropped to his knees, rubbing at his scalp anxiously. There was a throbbing in his head, a low deep throbbing that matched the beat of his heart. Shutting his eyes, he willed the thud to go away, but it persisted, and behind it a picture was forming. She was forming, as though thousands of tiny pixels were rushing together, making up her silky dark curls, and her eyes, grey like pretty slate.
Why had Jane come back so forcefully into his head? For months now, he had managed to keep the strength of his feelings for her at bay, replacing her with other things – his family, Lila. The right thing.
He somehow imagined that Jane had gone home … But it seemed she was still here. He could feel her presence, together with another, fiercer presence. The thud in his head reduced to a hum now – like a radio that continues to buzz after it has been turned off.
Luca lifted his head – the lights were still on. He saw shadows moving behind the windows. Was she in there somewhere? He bit his lip, thinking, and a moment later realised he had bitten so hard he had drawn blood. He could taste it, sweet and somehow a relief. A release of something.
No, Jane was not in the palace. But she could be somewhere locked up in the grounds … Underneath the palace, where prisoners were kept.
Luca got to his feet. The likelihood of him gaining access to the palace cellar was slim. Impossible, in fact. But he knew he had to try.
Turning the collar of his coat up, he glanced over at the trees where his horse was tethered. The animal would be all right for a while.
Luca approached the same guard he had spoken to earlier. As he hoped, the man was asleep. Luca peered into the box where he sat, looking up to the side where he found what he wanted: a large bunch of keys hanging on a hook. Reaching inside, he carefully unhooked them. Checking the guard was still snoring, he unlocked the palace gates as quietly as he could.
CHAPTER FORTY
As Raphael entered the library, he was careful to register shock on his face.
‘What on earth … !’ He scanned the room. ‘How could anyone have got in here?’ Then his gaze went across to the open window. ‘Somebody left a window open.’ He looked sternly at Sion, the chief butler, who held two shards of glass – one in each hand.
‘I will find out who it was and they will be punished,’ Sion said earnestly. He added the pieces of glass, one on top of the other, to a growing pile of shards on the floor.
Soren studied the table. The opened book, the documents, they were still there. He pointed at them.
‘It seems they were after something …’
Sion frowned. ‘I did see, yes … Your Highness.’
‘This will need to be reported to the state police,’ Raphael said authoritatively. ‘Whoever broke in here was looking for some kind of’ – he turned the book around, pretending to read the open page for the first time – ‘information, or – what’s this?’ He picked up the book. ‘My father’s death certificate and the reported case of the killer cub?’
‘Master?’ Sion came forward, peeling off the gloves he had been wearing. His brow creased as he took in what was there on the table, then looked up at Raphael. ‘I know it was not made public knowledge, but I recall that terrible tragedy when I was a junior footman – people at the palace talk …’ He shook his head. ‘The boy cub was banished by – well, by your father, in fact, master. Gabriel ordered him to leave Nissilum. We all thought it was rather strange under the circumstances. That kind of massacre …’ He trailed off, realising he had spoken out of turn.
But Raphael was pleased that Sion had been so forthcoming. Sion had provoked the very discussion he wanted. Except that he wanted it to be in front of his great-parents. He wanted Celeste and Cadmium to stop hiding the truth. A public confrontation would give them no choice.
It was unkind perhaps … But the alternative, to overthrow his family would be worse. And he wanted answers, not a battle.
Sion handed him a large plastic wallet with a zip. ‘Perhaps this would be useful?’ he said tentatively.
‘You will be my witness,’ Raphael told the man seriously. ‘For this to be investigated, there needs to be a witness.’
‘Of course.’ Sion nodded.
‘Witness to what?’ A soft feminine voice spoke behind Raphael.
Celeste trod unsteadily into the room, seeing the glass still splintered on the floor. She inhaled a sharp breath, putting her hand on the door frame to support herself.
‘We have had an intruder.’ Raphael felt a lurch of compassion for her, whatever she had done. But his anger was still there. ‘It seems they were looking for something …’
Celeste looked ashen. ‘What in heaven … ?’ Her eyes had alighted on Gabriel’s death certificate. ‘But this document has been stolen from the state files!’ She moved forward, looking stronger. Raphael saw her glance quickly at the book, colour finally creeping into her cheeks. She looked up at him with fear, or shame visible in her expression.
‘What I’m wondering is why they have left all of this out – for all to see?’ he said, watching her carefully. ‘What is the significance?’
Sion moved uneasily towards the door, clearly sensing a family crisis and not wanting to be witness to that also. With a furtive look at Raphael, he disappeared out into the hall landing.
‘Celeste,’ Raphael said softly, now that they were alone, ‘before this becomes public knowledge, before all this is sifted over and examined by those you have put in power to legislate, before that, perhaps you can tell me what this all means
?’
‘I …’ She lifted a hand to her cheek, touching her flushed skin. ‘I suppose I knew this would all come to light, eventually … I just didn’t know how to tell you.’
‘Well. The time has come.’ He sighed, pulling out a chair for her. ‘So tell me.’
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Vanya pulled Lowe’s horse to a stop, right by a tree, where another horse was tethered. We were outside the palace.
On the ground I rubbed at my thighs, which were aching from the ride. Looking up, I saw the palace lights blazing.
‘That’s odd,’ I said. ‘It’s late …’ I looked at Vanya, who was a dramatic vision in her white cape. ‘Something has happened.’
Vanya regarded the palace. ‘Good. They will be too busy to notice us breaking out Soren.’
‘The guards will notice. Unless you do that thing where you hypnotise them …’
‘Glam them?’ She grimaced. ‘I’d rather not. I’m out of practise, and it is exhausting.’ She thought for a moment. ‘But a little persuasion might be in order.’ She took a pair of gloves out of her pockets, silky and white, and pulled them on up to her elbows.
‘Intimidation chic,’ I said, half smiling.
‘I believe one should always look one’s best – however unsavoury the task,’ she said, looking me up and down. ‘A philosophy you might want to adopt yourself, darling … No offence.’
‘None taken.’ I zipped up my hoodie. ‘So, we need to get past him first.’ I pointed at the man sitting in his little booth outside the palace, suspiciously slumped in his seat.
Vanya and I exchanged a look.
‘Conveniently asleep,’ she said, clasping her hands together. ‘This might be a little easier than I thought.’
But as we approached the gates, we saw that they were already unlocked, swinging a little in the breeze.
I frowned. ‘What’s going on? Do you think Lowe got here first?’
‘I can’t think how, but we’d better hurry.’ Vanya pulled her cape around her, pushing the gate open wider. ‘I don’t like the look of this.’
Luca gave the iron door one more push, but it was most definitely locked up and unrelenting. He pressed his forehead against its coldness. That thud was still there in his head. The pictures more muddled and confusing now.
He turned and fell to his knees, leaning back against the door.
Voices – he heard voices. They weren’t in his head, they were real. But Luca felt as though all the strength had been drained from him. He should move, but …
‘I can’t see how we will get to him.’ A female voice … Luca’s heart skipped a small beat as he recognised it.
‘Leave that to me …’ An older, also unmistakeable voice.
‘Vanya?’ Luca tried to get to his feet, but he couldn’t move.
‘Well.’ Vanya rounded the corner and saw him first. ‘You’re the last person I expected to find here.’ She stopped, turning slightly to her companion, who moved out from her shadow.
‘Luca?’ Jane stepped closer to him. ‘What’s happened? What are you doing here?’
They eyed each other. She was back to her normal self. No make-up, her dark hair curling messily over her shoulders. She looked beautiful. He tried not to stare at her, but he couldn’t help himself.
‘Have you seen the palace?’ he asked hoarsely. ‘Lights on at this hour. There is some trouble brewing. I can’t find my brother …’
‘Last seen in the Celestial village,’ Vanya told him, snippily. ‘We relieved him of his … mode of transport.’
‘What have you done to him?’ Luca tried to stand again, but still his muscles were not obeying him. He saw Jane watching him, her eyes wide with concern.
‘Nothing! That boy is pure poison,’ Vanya shot back. ‘Really, I know he’s your flesh and blood, but he’s a nasty piece of work.
Luca didn’t bother to defend his brother. He could well imagine Lowe’s behaviour. Relishing it, too.
‘It doesn’t make sense,’ he said. ‘Why would Raphael want to go against the Nissilum code?’
‘Oh, I’m not remotely surprised about that.’ Vanya brushed a stray lock of hair off her face. ‘Once that boy officially ascends to the Celestial seat, I am sure he will reverse many of the state rulings. He has a great deal of anger issues.’
Jane bit her lip, and Luca could see she was trying not to smile at Vanya’s turn of phrase. It was then, close up that he noticed the exhaustion in her face, in her grey-velvet eyes.
He just wanted to kiss those shadows away.
‘Anyway. I’d love to stand around chatting, but I need to get Soren out of that hellish little cell.’ Vanya took a deep breath and advanced towards the iron door.
‘Good luck with that,’ Luca said flatly. ‘That door is indestructible.’
‘Have you tried knocking?’ Vanya told him patronisingly. ‘It is customary to knock if you want to be let inside.’
Luca rolled his eyes and, as he did so, he caught Jane’s impish smile.
‘I have been banging at that door for a good ten minutes …’ He trailed off.
‘Move,’ Vanya ordered. ‘Let me try.’
Luca obligingly got to his feet.
‘Are you OK?’ Jane asked softly.
Before he could reply, Vanya’s voice peeled out shrilly.
‘I demand you open this door immediately,’ she said, banging hard on it.
Almost at once there was the sound of a key turning in the lock, and then the door creaked open, to reveal a young guard, rudely awoken by the looks of it.
‘I’m sorry, madam, I have orders only to let the Celestial family in,’ he said, nervously, as Vanya was glaring at him, her shoulders pulled back.
‘Now listen to me, young man,’ Vanya stuck one hand in the door jamb, ensuring that if the guard shut the door, it would be at the cost of her fingers, and woe betide him then. ‘There is trouble at the palace – as we speak, there is quite a commotion going on. I have spoken to Raphael and he needs all the men he can get over there. He sent me personally to deliver this information.’ She sniffed. ‘He would have called, but there is no signal down in the cellars, as you must be aware.’
Her bluff was impressive, Luca thought, awed by Vanya’s nerve.
The guard scratched his head, looking unsure.
‘I don’t know … I have a prisoner down in a cell. He needs constant surveillance. The master was very firm about that.’
‘Which is exactly what we are doing here,’ Vanya told him, before altering her tone to something a lot more gracious. ‘The three of us.’ She jerked her head back to indicate Luca and Jane. ‘We will watch the prisoner.’
But the man looked thoroughly unconvinced – and with an exasperated sigh, Vanya glanced quickly behind her before her arm snapped out and her long fingers closed around the guard’s throat.
Luca was appalled. He stood frozen to the spot.
‘Now, listen to me …’ Vanya leaned into the man, and Luca saw his eyes widen in what looked like shock, then lock in position, his mouth hanging open slack. Her hand stayed where it was, her nails digging into his flesh and a glazed helpless look replaced the shock on his face. She released her hand and the glammed guard swayed a little. Then looking down at the keys in his hand, he opened the door wider, motioning for the three of them to go through.
‘Thank you,’ said Vanya, patting his chest. ‘Now run along. Your prisoner will be safe with us.’
The guard moved passively past her, pausing only to say, ‘He’s dangerous, my lady. You’d best not provoke him.’
‘Yes, I’m sure. Off you go.’ She stared at him until he was safely outside, then gestured to Luca and Jane to follow her.
Only Vanya Borgia would be able to achieve the impossible, Luca thought.
‘He is still here … that’s the main thing. Raphael hasn’t decided to inflict some sadistic punishment on him.’ Vanya marched ahead, Luca and me in her wake.
‘So it’s true,’ Luca asked.
‘He really did that to his family? Why have I never heard of this … massacre? A wolf cub committing such a crime? It just seems strange that my family don’t know about it.’
Vanya slowed in front of him. ‘Well it was hushed up, of course,’ she said quickly.
‘Why “of course”?’
Vanya jangled the keys in her hand, stopping outside the cell door.
‘Because of the disgrace,’ she said. She was about to put the key in the lock but hesitated, turning to Luca, her face deadly serious. ‘An angel fathering a wolf child? Not exactly something the family would want broadcast to the nation.’
‘What?’
‘His father is – was – an angel, darling. Mixing blood like that …’ She shuddered melodramatically. ‘Can you imagine the scandal.’
Luca turned to me and I saw the same shock I was feeling in his eyes.
‘Gabriel,’ I breathed. ‘Gabriel is Soren’s father?’
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Celeste wrung her hands. ‘Cadmium must not find out that I have told you,’ she told Raphael. ‘It would kill him.’
Raphael lowered his head, he didn’t trust himself to look at her. He felt sick.
‘I don’t really care any more what Cadmium thinks,’ he said in a low and threatening voice.
‘Don’t say that, dear. He did what he thought was best.’
‘He watched my father tear himself apart,’ Raphael snarled. ‘Yet again, because of the laws of Nissilum. His own son, he made him pay for his involvement with that mortal girl.’ He snapped back at her. ‘We are not a good and forgiving family, we have no compassion. We are rotten.’ He stood and paced the library, the glass breaking under his feet. ‘And Soren lives to haunt me.’
‘I dreaded the day he would return,’ Celeste’s voice shook. ‘That night after the parade … I felt sick to my stomach.’
‘He returned because he means to reclaim what he thinks is his – the kingdom,’ said Raphael. ‘It seems obvious to me.’