by Genia Avers
The air wouldn’t come. A scream of agony escaped her lips. She jolted upright.
And sat in her bed.
In a bed?
“Subena?”
She tried to focus. After rubbing her eyes furiously, she recognized Queen Winsome.
“Winsome. How did I…”
She blinked again, swallowing hard. The air felt like fire circulating through her ailing body.
She placed her hand on her head. A bandage covered her forehead and eyebrows. Every bone, tendon, and muscle ached.
“Merciful angels, you’re awake. You’ve given me such a scare.” Winsome’s smile wobbled. “You seem to have some of the restorative magic of our ancestors. I’m so glad, Subena. Without your ability to heal, you would surely have perished.”
Memory flashed through her brain. “How did I get here? I remember…the tunnel.”
“Take it slow, dear. You must rest and let your power heal your body. It’s a miracle you survived the avalanche. It’s beyond miracles that you have no broken bones. The healer said you’d be out at least twenty-four hours. Even Rothart, who’s the most powerful of our kind, would not wake this soon.”
Horror grabbed for her. “How long have I been here?”
“Only a couple of hours.”
Full memory flooded her senses. “Kamber. Is he…”
The queen nodded. “He found you. But he hasn’t returned.”
Subena touched her face, almost too afraid to ask. “Ronan?”
Winsome’s pallor turned deathly white. She shook her head, unable to speak. After swallowing, she tried again, “Remington’s searching. Merk said Kamber was still at…love, why were you in that godforsaken hole?”
“Who’s Merk?” Hurt put a chokehold on her heart. Ronan languished in the tunnel. Near death.
“We’ll talk later. You must rest.”
She couldn’t rest. “There’s no time. Ronan’s in that tunnel. I followed Taslin and heard him talking to someone. That person took Ronan and I don’t know who it was.”
“You think Ronan’s…” Winsome gasped. “I told him to stay away from…”
“Winsome,” Subena spoke softly, “If Ronan’s down there, Kamber will find him.” Her love had found her. He would find Ronan.
Her mother-in-law blinked away a tear. “I don’t know whether to applaud your courage or throttle the two of you. You scared me to death. Subena, what if Kamber hadn’t found you?”
She tried to smile. “I knew he’d find me. I left the cloak so he’d know where I was.”
“I didn’t hear about any cloak. Merk heard you breathing. If he hadn’t been with Kamber… When you’re feeling better, I’ll introduce you to the brave mercenary who saved your life. He got hurt during your rescue, but he’s doing better.”
“Heard me breathing?” Subena’s brain hurt. She didn’t think even Kamber could hear breathing beneath rocks and dirt. Not a hundred meters below ground. She rubbed her bandaged head. “Who took the cloak?”
The queen shook her head, her expression still grim. “Merk didn’t find any cloak.”
She tried to relieve the tension with a joke. “Maybe that silly maid followed me and took it. She’s always asking for my clothes.”
“Maid? What maid?”
“Kelsie. The maid you assigned me. I’ve been trying to dismiss her since the first day I arrived, but she just won’t leave.”
“Subena, I know how you feel about servants. I wouldn’t insult you by assigning a maid.”
“Bockle help us.” She stared at her mother-in-law. “I should have placed her accent earlier.”
“Let me guess,” Winsome snarled. “Northern.”
Subena’s eyes widened. The gesture hurt. “How did you know?”
Winsome explained about the mercenaries and their search for the renegades. “Rothart sure picked a fine time to be out of the country. Typical.”
Subena felt the hurt in her mother-in-law’s voice. As much as she wanted to comfort Winsome, she needed all her strength to focus on the immediate crisis. “Kelsie must somehow be connected to the renegades.”
Winsome’s eyes widened. “What are you thinking?”
“When those thugs tried to kill Kamber in his study, they wanted to make it look like his death was my fault. Someone wants the treaty to disintegrate and I think they wanted me to disappear, too. Kelsie was always roaming the halls—she’s behind all the trouble. The question is, who is she? And why is she doing this?”
“They tried to kill Kamber?” Winsome screeched. “I thought that horrible thing dangling from the rafters was some kind of morbid joke.”
Subena leaned forward, intending to get out of bed. Dizziness overtook her. She gripped the bedpost.
“What are you doing?” The queen scoffed. “Lie down.”
“Can’t.” She repositioned her body, deciding she’d rest her head on the pillow for one more minute. When she gathered enough strength to speak, she told Winsome about the attempt on Kamber’s life.
As she talked, an idea formed in her throbbing head. “Whoever’s behind this doesn’t know I’m still alive. I think Rekita’s involved somehow, too. I know she is. We must question her and Kelsie at once.” She stared at Winsome. “Who knows I’m conscious?”
“Just me.”
“Good. Spread the word that my injuries are extensive and you don’t expect me to regain consciousness.”
“Subena, no.”
“You must. It’s our best shot at getting Ronan back.”
“But…I…we Gatslians believe strongly in self-fulfilling prophecies. I can’t say that. We don’t know for sure where Ronan is.”
“Someone kidnapped him, Winsome.” She didn’t add, “And he’s dying.”
The queen shook her head. “You ask too much. I can’t say you won’t recover.”
“You have to.”
Winsome placed her open palms on her cheeks, her breathing shallow. “What makes you think Rekita’s working with this so-called maid?”
“My clothes. Rekita knew the dress I wore to the brunch was from Taslin, but only Kelsie could have slipped it into my room. I also think they used the dress to identify me. Whoever placed those cocoa bars on my plate probably didn’t even know me. They looked for the dress.”
“Slow down. You’re going too fast. What does all this mean?”
“It means they wanted to cause discord between Kamber and me. When they couldn’t get me to leave Gatsle, they became more desperate.”
The queen wrung her shaking hands. “I’ll question Rekita, but I don’t know if I can say those awful things about your health.”
“Please. Rekita will talk more freely if she thinks the plan has worked.”
Winsome nodded, not looking convinced. “I’ll have to talk to the guard first—he may have heard me talking to you.”
Subena nodded. The pain in her head made her wish she’d remained still. “Good idea.”
She tried to smile to reassure Winsome. “Be careful when you question Rekita. We don’t really know what she’s capable of.”
After Winsome left, Subena fretted. She needed to be doing something, but every time she stood, dizziness overtook her. She felt relieved to hear someone tap on her door.
The queen burst through the double doors before Subena could say “Come in.”
“We can’t find this Kelsie. Rekita’s asking to speak with me. She came forward before I could send for her. What do I do now?”
“We stick to our original plan. Ask the guard to come in.”
The young guard entered. Subena addressed him by name. “Kulley, the queen’s going to invite Rekita into the outer room. I’m not sure what will happen, but you must not let her leave this room. No matter what. Understood?” The guard nodded. “In the event she becomes boisterous, you must also keep her quiet. Can you do that?”
“Yes ma’am.” The guard’s expression never changed but curiosity lit his eyes.
She turned her head toward the queen.
“Let Rekita do the talking. If she mentions anything about Ronan or me, bring her into this room and I'll finish the interview. Once Rekita enters this room, she can’t leave. We don’t want her to warn her cohorts.”
Winsome nodded.
“Okay, then. Bring her in.” Subena hid behind the door, doing her best to keep from swaying.
“My dearest queen,” Rekita said. “I’m so sorry to bother you.”
Winsome’s distaste echoed in her voice. “I’m very distraught, Rekita. I hope this is important.”
“Yes, my lady. I feel there’s something I must tell you.”
Subena wondered if Winsome’s surprise equaled her own. If so, the queen’s tone gave nothing away.
“Tell me what you want. My dear daughter-in-law is so gravely ill…” The queen sobbed.
“How is the princess?”
Subena wanted to gag. She couldn’t hear Winsome’s reply, her soft voice didn’t resonate loud enough. She just hoped the queen hadn’t lost her nerve.
“My lady, I don’t know how to say this.”
“Just say it, Rekita.” Winsome spoke louder. “Can’t you see how difficult conversation is for me?”
“Perhaps it is naught, but one of my servants swears she saw the princess in the woods with Ronan yesterday morn.”
“What nonsense is this?”
Subena wanted to hug Winsome. She’d responded brilliantly.
“You’re right, perhaps the servant is mistaken, but still she swears…” Rekita let the sentence linger. “Since Ronan’s missing, I feared Subena might be involved. The two of them seemed unnaturally close. I mean, Subena’s supposed to be married to Kamber.”
“We must not speak where the guards can hear!” Winsome snapped. “Come into the inner chamber.”
Subena jumped back, not anticipating events would unfurl so rapidly. She leaned against the wall as the two females entered, flanked by Kulley. The guard closed the door, bolted it, and posted himself in front of it.
Rekita stared at the guard and then turned. She shrieked when she saw Subena.
Another wave of dizziness attacked, but Subena managed to remain upright. The queen assaulted the beautiful facade of a female. “Rekita, what have you done with my son?”
“My lady, I would never…”
“Arrest her.” The queen motioned to Kulley, who came forward with shackles.
Where the devil did he get those? Subena stifled a smirk when she realized the chain came from the candelabra.
“No!” Rekita begged. “I swear I don't know where Ronan is.”
The queen crossed her arms over her chest. Subena had never seen the gentle Winsome look so formidable. “You have three seconds to tell me where my son is or I will personally see to it you never get out of the cell-yard.”
Rekita shook her head back and forth in rapid succession. “They told me to come and say Subena had him. They said they would kill Taslin if I didn’t.”
Subena interceded, playing the good bailiff. “Who are they, Rekita?”
“I don’t know. Kelsie came to me after the treaty was proposed and told me she’d help me get Kamber back if I did as she said. Once I got involved, she wouldn’t let me stop. She threatened to tell everyone what I’d done if I didn’t keep helping her.”
“Who’s she working with?”
“Other than Taslin, I don’t know. I swear I don’t know.” Subena believed Rekita’s tears might actually be real. “I was so jealous at first because I thought Taslin was Kelsie’s lover. But he isn’t. He can’t be, because that creature Kelsie’s threatening to kill him.”
“Where’s Kelsie?”
Rekita shook her head again, more tears streaming down her face. “I don't know. They don’t tell me anything.”
“When did she tell you to come and lie to the queen?”
Rekita’s head popped. Subena glared at her, although the effort pained her throbbing head.
“This morning. She told me to wait two hours after the evening tea. I was to come here and talk to the queen. I’m sorry.” The little wretch sobbed. Subena suspected the sobbing was enhanced to save her own hide.
Rekita reached for the queen’s hand, but Winsome backed away. “I came because Kelsie said she would kill Taslin. Queen Winsome, you know I’d never hurt you. You’re like the mother I never had.”
Subena worked hard to keep from rolling her eyes.
“Don’t play me, Rekita.” Winsome glowered at the troublemaker. “No daughter of mine would ever be part of such evil.”
Evil. Subena remembered the heated conversation in the tunnel. How does Kelsie know Taslin? “Rekita, were you working with Kelsie before you met the duke?”
“Yes.” The defiance in her face seemed more like the Rekita she knew. Subena and the queen exchanged a look over the witch’s no-longer-sobbing head.
“So when did you meet the duke?” Subena asked.
“Kelsie brought Taslin to Gatsle for a meeting. She introduced us. We…connected. I wanted to go back to Mydrias with him, but they wouldn’t let me. The way he waited for you, like a lap dog. It made me sick.”
Rekita took a half step toward Subena. She cowered back when Kulley moved toward her.
The queen motioned for the guard to step back. “Don’t raise your voice again, Rekita,” Winsome warned.
“So what exactly did you do for Kelsie?” Subena asked.
“Nothing big. I just had to listen and tell her anything I heard. She wanted to know everything about the treaty.”
“How is Taslin involved?”
“I don’t know. He showed up after the treaty had been proposed. Kelsie said I was to follow his orders. He told me to keep sleeping with Kamber. Even after he and I… I hate him for making me act like Kamber’s slut.”
Rekita glared at Subena. “I heard about you and Taslin, and I hated you, too. Then Tas came back here and told me he'd never loved you and…” She started to sob again.
“Rekita,” Winsome hissed. “Stop sniffling or I'll have you gagged.” The sobbing stopped.
Subena asked, “Who found the entrance to the tunnel?”
Rekita didn’t answer.
The queen barked, “Unless you like shackles, Rekita, I suggest you tell Subena everything you know.”
“I found the entrance by accident. I followed Ronan every time he looked for it.” Rekita talked so fast, little bits of spittle flew from her mouth. “The day you rode with him, I had to conceal myself behind the big rock. I accidentally sat on the mechanism that opened the door while I was hiding.”
“Did you shoot at us?” Subena asked.
“What?” Rekita and Winsome spoke in unison.
“The day I went riding with Ronan, someone shot an arrow at me.” The queen’s mouth gaped.
Rekita shrugged. “It wasn’t me.”
Winsome swallowed hard. “I suspect that much is true, Subena. Rekita thinks a bow is something you wear in your hair.” The queen whirled and fixed a stare on the Rekita. “One more thing, missy. Where’s my mother’s ring?”
Rekita’s jaws puffed when she swallowed. “I don’t—”
“No more lies. Give me the ring and tell me how you got it.”
Subena’s jaw dropped when Rekita pulled the ring out of her pocket and handed it to the queen. “Taslin gave it to me. He didn’t even know I recognized it.”
Winsome handed the ring to Subena. “I believe this belongs to you.”
She met the queen’s gaze. “How did you know she had it?”
“I have eyes, dear. I saw her flash it under your nose at the luncheon. After that, I made some inquiries and found out my foolish son lost it in the tavern. Apparently Reklaw, or one of his spies, hovered nearby and picked it up.” Winsome winked at her. “I have my sources, too, you know.”
The queen called for another guard. “Have someone locate Remington immediately. Then send me another guard, I have a warrant to issue.”
Rekita looked up. Her eyes magnified her terror.
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br /> “Not you, you silly twit. Not unless you open that mouth of yours.”
The queen sprang into action, a bundle of nerves. Subena remained still. She knew what she had to do.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Subena paused, letting her body adjust to the persistent dizziness. Winsome put her hand on her shoulder. “You must lie down. The healer told you to stay in bed.”
“I have to go.”
“You can barely walk. I’ll send the guard to assist Kamber. Remington will be here soon.”
“No, I have to go. Now.”
Winsome froze. As if she’d been struck. The look in her eyes hardened into understanding. The queen’s intuition was also strong.
“I’m going with you.” Winsome looked determined.
“No—no time. I have to hurry. Have someone saddle Pollo—and fast.”
The queen opened her mouth but closed it again without attempting to argue. She rushed to the door, barked orders, and returned. “Put your arm on my shoulder. I’ll help you down the stairs.”
They waited by the palace entrance while a lad ran to the stables to saddle the equestor. The crisp night air cleared some of the fog from Subena’s head, but standing upright proved a tricky endeavor.
Ignore the pain. Her body convulsed in protest.
The queen gripped her arm. “This is crazy. You can barely stand. Let me at least send—”
“No time. I may be the only one who can find them. Send someone after me as soon as you can.” She refrained from moving but another wave of pain assaulted her body.
The queen fidgeted with the buttons on her gown. “I don’t mean to embarrass you, but I know you have visions. Did you have a vision about Ronan? Or Kamber?”
“No vision, just intuition.”
* * * *
Kamber saw a blazing flame but felt no warmth. The bolt of light disappeared only to be replaced by a bolt of pain. His head hurt like hell.
Being a seasoned fighter, he knew the drill. He regulated his breathing and heart rate so the pain would get less oxygen. When he managed to contain his agony, he remembered where he was.
Without raising his chin, he looked around. He felt the bindings that restrained his hands behind him. His fingers groped at the constraints. Metal shackles instead of rope. Frig. He could’ve gotten free of rope.