Lily of the Desert (Silver and Orchids Book 4)

by Shari L. Tapscott

  “Why?” I demand. “It’s not your fault the lily didn’t work—the king’s own physician said it was the only thing that could cure him.”

  Gorin huffs out a staccato sigh and gives me a helpless shrug.

  I turn to Avery. “What do we do?”

  He flashes me an eager smile. “We sneak in through the back. And if that doesn’t work, we fight our way in. Well, except you, Lady Greybrow. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here.”

  “Do you honestly think I’m going to let you go without me?”

  “It was worth a try.”

  Sebastian steps forward. “I have a compromise.”

  We turn to him.

  “Gorin, Yancey, Esme, and I will cause a distraction—fight our way in as Avery said. Meanwhile, Falene will sneak Lucia and Adeline in with Flink.”

  Avery thinks about it for a moment, and then he turns to Adeline. “How confident are you in your destructive magic should you need it?”

  Her lips tip with a tiny smile. “Fairly confident, Captain.”

  He turns back to me and gives me a look so stern, the familial resemblance between him and Sebastian is startling. “Take your bow. Shoot anyone who looks at you wrong.”

  “Don’t you think that might draw unnecessary attention?”

  “And the dragon won’t?”

  I smile, ready. I’m confident this will work as long as we can reach the king…and convince Flink to breathe his nullifying flames. It’s not exactly something he does on command.

  We sneak into the palace gardens once more, where Falene’s handmaid was instructed to wait for us. She looks half-asleep, but she leaps up when she sees us.

  “Tell the princess we are here and ready,” Gorin instructs the girl.

  She won’t look him in the eye, ashamed for what she’s done. Silently, she nods and then slips into the shadows, heading toward the palace.

  Secure on his lead, Flink sniffs about, more than happy to be out and about in the middle of the night. Gorin paces, tense as a wild cat.

  Finally, Falene appears. Gorin quickly explains our plan, as she nods, her face serious as she takes it in.

  “I’ll disguise them.” She turns to the girl. “Glenna, hurry into my chambers. Bring two of my dresses and several scarves.”

  I clear my throat, mildly self-conscious, and motion to my stomach. “I’m not sure they’ll fit.”

  Falene wears her gown cinched tight, and I’m afraid I now need something with a high waist and flowing skirt.

  “Oh,” the princess says, looking at me in surprise. “That’s all right. Glenna, snag one of Hildi’s dresses as well, but be careful about it.”

  “Hildi?” I ask.

  The princess nods, trying not to laugh. “She’s my aunt. Her gowns are very…roomy.”

  Avery holds back a snort, and I purse my lips. All right then.

  ***

  I hold out my arms, horrified. Trying to be as tactful as possible, I say, “It’s a bit large.”

  Falene scrunches her mouth to the side, studying me. “It looks like a tent on you.”

  Adeline, who’s lovely in the Elrijan princess’s marigold-yellow gown, frowns at my voluminous frock. I can tell from the look in her eyes, her mind is already working on a solution. She takes a scarf and wraps it under my bust, cinching the gown in just above my growing stomach.

  The neckline dips too low, obviously intended for someone far more voluptuous than I, and the dress falls off my shoulders. Undaunted, Adeline takes another large scarf and wraps it around my shoulders, hiding the entire top half of the dress along with my bow and quiver. The fabric bulges in places, but there’s nothing we can do about it.

  “What do you think?” Adeline asks Falene.

  The princess nods. “Better. How does it feel, Lucia?”

  We’ve had no choice but to quickly become acquainted with the princess, what with us having to strip out of our clothing in the royal palace garden.

  “I feel like a walking coat rack.”

  Falene grins and wraps yet another scarf around my hair, shading my face as well. “Well, as long as you can walk.”

  Flink sits on his haunches nearby, watching us quizzically. His bright amber eyes are narrowed, and I’m not sure he cares for my new outfit.

  “It’s all right,” I assure him, holding out my hand.

  He snorts, breathing out a small cloud of golden sparkles.

  “Just do that again in a few minutes, and this will go perfectly,” I tell him.

  Glenna assists Adeline with her scarf, covering up every stray strand of her bright auburn hair. The maid’s shoulders are hunched over, and she looks as if she’s attempting to make herself as small as possible.

  I know we’re in a hurry, that we have very little time, but I can’t help but ask her, “Why did you do it?”

  Her eyes flicker to me, looking horrified to be addressed, and then she looks at the ground. “I wanted Falene to be happy.”

  The princess frowns, looking torn. It’s obvious there is affection between them, but this is a rift that will take more than a night to mend.

  “Do you really think the dragon can save him?” Glenna whispers.

  “I know he can. If we can reach the royal chambers, and if we can make him breathe out the flame.”

  Then I roll my shoulders, preparing myself. Adeline hurries around the tall wall, off to tell the men we are ready.

  When she comes back, Avery’s at her side. His eyes widen with surprise when he takes in my ridiculous appearance. Then he grins, and my chest tightens.

  This is one of the most dangerous things we’ve done. Avery will be going up against the king’s trained guards. Someone could get hurt. Or worse.

  “Please be careful,” I whisper.

  He gives me an incredulous look, his eyes bright. “Lucia, darling, you can either be careful or astounding—but never both.”

  “Then be astounding.”

  Kissing me softly, he says, “For you, my lady, anything—now go save a king.”

  I’m about to turn back to the Adeline and the princess when he grasps my hand, tugging me back. He kisses me again, just long enough I’m almost out of breath when I pull back.

  “For luck,” he whispers, using my words from long ago, back on the Greybrow Serpent when we were about to cross into the sirens’ water for the first time.

  The memory makes me long for home—but not the one I grew up in. For a ship and endless waters and mostly, Avery.

  Soon.

  After one last long look, Avery lets me go and walks around the wall, out of sight.

  “Now we wait,” the princess says.

  We stand here, tensed and listening for several long minutes. Just when I begin to question whether we will hear the chaos caused by the men’s distraction, we hear a loud yell.

  “Come on,” Falene says, and she ushers us into a small door into the palace.

  I tug Flink along, trying to get him to hurry. There are new smells, and he wants to explore them all. Candles burn in iron sconces along the walls, and the dragon’s scales glisten in the dancing firelight. We see no one as we hurry through the back routes of the palace, but we stay quiet anyway.

  “We’re almost there,” Falene assures us, but as she says the words, footsteps echo from around the corner in front of us. Horrified, the princess looks at the dragon. “We must hide him!”

  How?

  The footsteps grow louder, and I panic and do the only thing I can think of. I straddle the dragon like he’s a miniature horse and toss my huge skirt right over the top of him.

  Horrified, he shifts and flails, but I hold him tight. “Flink, shhh!”

  A guard turns the corner, and his eyes fall on the princess. “Your Highness, there’s a situation at the gates. You should go to your chambers.”

  Flink twitches and wiggles, but I hold the fabric out, trying to disguise the movement. Fortunately, the man is flustered, and he never gives me or my wiggling skirt more than a passing g
lance.

  “I will go to my father,” Falene says, feigning concern.

  He glances down the hall we just traveled, in a hurry. He’s probably off to guard the door we just entered. “Would you like me to accompany you?”

  “Of course not. I can find my way.”

  Bowing his head with respect, he continues at a fast clip. Once he turns the corner, I free the squirming beast.

  “Honestly,” I hiss at a whisper, looking Flink right in the eye. “You couldn’t hold still for five seconds?”

  He stares back at me, miffed.

  Adeline clutches her chest. “That was the most foolish thing I’ve ever seen in my life. How didn’t he notice?”

  “He was preoccupied,” I say as I motion for Falene to continue. “Let’s hurry before we meet another.”

  “It’s just around this corner,” Falene says after we’ve walked another few minutes, and then she comes to an abrupt stop. “I don’t know what I was thinking. There’ll be guards posted outside his door—I’m sure of it.”

  Adeline rubs her hands together, looking nervous but determined. “I can handle them.”

  “How?” I demand.

  “Sleeping charm.”

  Of course.

  After taking a deep breath, she holds out her hand, silently telling us to stay, and then she turns the corner.

  Sure enough, a man calls out to her, asking her to state her business.

  I close my eyes, worried for her. She’s come so far since we met her—grown both in strength and confidence. But she’s still Adeline, and it feels like sending a kitten into the lion’s den.

  “I’m afraid I’m rather turned around,” she says, her voice breathy and wobbling. “And I heard there is an attack at the gates?” Her voice breaks at the end, making her seem timid and overly-feminine. “Please, can you help me?”

  And I realize my worrying is for naught. Immediately the men jump to her assistance, offering soothing words and bold offers of protection.

  I roll my eyes, expecting nothing less.

  “Thank you so much—I am fortunate to have stumbled into such valiant soldiers. How silly of me to get so worked up.” She laughs as though she is relieved. “Feel my hands—I’m trembling.”

  Now surely they’re not stupid enough to fall for that. I can’t help but peek around the corner. There are two of them, both in front of her, bemused. She holds her hands out to them, and like fools, they each take one.

  Instantly, a current of blue magic flows from her palms, encompassing the men. They crumple to her feet like rag dolls.

  She turns to me as I step around the corner. “You know,” she says, biting back a smile, “I think I’m getting better at this.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Prince of Guilead

  Feeling bad for the men, Adeline insists we help them into a more comfortable position—wouldn’t want either of them to wake with a crick in their neck, after all.

  Flink sniffs the guards, probably hoping for hidden snacks. Much to his disappointment, he finds nothing.

  “Are we ready?” Falene’s about to open the doors. “There might be more inside.”

  I hand Adeline Flink’s lead. After a few awkward clothing adjustments, I pull the bow from my back and nock an arrow, but I do not draw it yet. “All right.”

  The princess presses the door open and enters first.

  A low lamp burns in the outer chamber, but there are no more guards. Sighing with relief, Falene waves us in.

  And then we see him, sitting in a chair in the shadows.

  Daniel, Prince of Guilead—the man who hired Akello—stands slowly, drawing himself to his full height. It strikes me how young he looks—no older than Gorin or the princess. “Hello, Falene.”

  “Oh, Daniel,” Falene says, sagging with relief. “We know how to save my father.”

  He comes to her, his face soft with sympathy, and he takes her hands in his. “Beloved, I know how hard this must be for you, especially with the loss of Gorin on top of it all, but there comes a time when we must come to terms with the inevitable.”

  “No, you don’t understand—”

  “Falene,” I say quietly, my mind frantically trying to find a way to get her away from him without causing alarm.

  But she ignores me completely. “The lily didn’t work because it’s not a disease—Father isn’t sick. He’s been cursed.” Her face lights with excitement. “And Lucia’s dragon has a nullifying element—but we must hurry. He’s fading so quickly.”

  The prince’s expression flickers at my name, and he slowly turns his eyes on Flink and then me. “Hello, Lady Adventuress. I’ve heard much about you.” His eyes wander over the bunching fabric, and he smiles with dark humor. “Though I didn’t expect you to be quite so…rotund.”

  His eyes drop to my bow, and he gives me a grim smile.

  “We had the pleasure of meeting your good friend, Akello,” I say, irked. “I’m sure he sends his regards.”

  “I don’t suppose I have to explain to you that I’m not going to let you or your dragon anywhere near the king, do I?”

  “No, I already gathered that.”

  Falene looks just as surprised and confused as Gorin. This man must have played his part well.

  “Forgive me,” he says to the princess, and then he pulls her close, yanks a dagger from its sheath at his side, and places the blade at her throat.

  “Daniel,” Falene breathes, horrified.

  Noise drifts from the hall just outside the room, likely more guards. What will they do when they find their princess at the edge of the prince’s dagger?

  “Leave now,” he says, his voice eerily calm and cordial. “Take your dragon and your companions and go back to Kalae. You should have never gotten involved in our affairs.”

  My fingers twitch on my bow, itching to draw it. “When her father dies, Falene will become queen.”

  “That’s rather the point, isn’t it?”

  “And your betrothal agreement with him will be null and void. It will be Falene’s choice alone who she marries. Do you think she’ll choose a man who held a blade to her throat? A man who let her father die?”

  The prince’s eyes flicker with indecision, and Falene stares at me, her mouth open. Apparently she never thought that far ahead. Not that I blame her—who wants to ponder the events after a parent’s death?

  “Let her go, and let me save him.” I’m already edging toward the door leading into the king’s bedchamber.

  Daniel gulps. “Stop.”

  “You need him to live, Your Highness,” I urge. “It’s the only way you’ll end up with the princess—the only way you’ll rule over Elrija as the prince consort.”

  He has no time to answer because several men rush into the room, weapons drawn. Gorin and Avery are in the lead, followed by Sebastian, Yancey, and several of the king’s guards. They come to a crashing halt when they see the scene in front of them.

  Gorin’s face twists in a look that is nothing less than venomous, but he keeps his distance, not wanting to risk goading Daniel into doing something foolish.

  “Bring me a bishop,” Daniel orders the guards. When they don’t move, he presses the dagger closer to Falene’s neck, making her gasp. A trickle of blood runs down her skin, showing that he’s serious. “Now.”

  “Daniel,” Gorin finally says, “let her go. You don’t want this.”

  “I will marry her here, tonight. And this will be over.”

  His eyes have moved from me to the men, perhaps considering the female in the room to be the lesser threat—that is a deadly mistake to make. Avery sees me, and our eyes lock. He knows what I’m doing, and though he doesn’t like it, he’s not going to stop me.

  But I need Daniel to release Falene. I don’t know the prince well, but I’m afraid he is slimy enough to kill the princess the moment he feels himself losing this battle.

  Too casually for the situation, Avery nudges Yancey and loudly says, “It’s a sad a day when a pr
ince feels the need to hide behind a princess.”

  The room goes silent.

  Daniel slowly turns his eyes on my husband. “Do I know you?”

  Avery leans against the door frame, lazily crossing his arms and feet. “I’m the man who bound and gagged your mercenary and brought him back to you, stretched across a horse like a sack of grain. I didn’t have to cower behind a woman to do it, either.”

  The prince’s eye twitches. “Captain Greybrow.”

  Avery sweeps low in a mock bow. “At your service.” Then he raises an eyebrow. “Tell me, just so I’ll understand, are you a novice swordsman? Do you not believe you could best Gorin in a battle of blades? I see no other reason why you’d stoop to such a cowardly level.”

  “I could best you,” Daniel says, his voice low and calm.

  The captain laughs in the most mocking, obnoxious way possible. It even grates on my nerves, and I know he’s doing it for show. “What are you, eighteen? Perhaps nineteen years old? It’s not wise to challenge a man” —Avery steps closer, drawing his sword and pointing it mockingly at the prince— “when you are still a boy.”

  Yes, that does it.

  In a rage, Daniel tosses Falene aside and lunges at Avery. Before he has a chance, I let my arrow fly. It pierces the prince’s shoulder and brings him to his knees.

  The king’s guards surround Daniel in an instant, closing in on him as he screams obscenities and curses. Avery makes his way over to me and rests his arm on my shoulders. He grins as they haul the prince from the room. “You do realize I could have taken him, don’t you?”

  “He called me rotund,” I explain, and Avery nods as if that’s a reasonable answer. “He’s lucky I missed his heart.”

  Avery smiles knowingly. “You were ten feet away. We both know you didn’t miss.”

  I shrug. “What can I say? I’m a forgiving person.”

  Gorin already has Falene in his arms. Still looking murderous, he dabs the slow trickle of blood from her throat. She turns to face me. Daniel’s betrayal cloaks her like a smothering fog, and her eyes are haunted. “Please, save my father.”

  I look at the door, unsure for the first time. This had better work, or we’re going to be in a lot of trouble.