The Last Queen: The Book of Kaels Vol. 1 (The Book of Kaels Series)

by Wendy Wang

  “Highness? Are you all right?” Cai said, his voice groggy.

  “Yes, go back to sleep,” she whispered. “You’ll wake Gordon.”

  “What are you doing?” Cai asked. She could hear the alarm, even in his barely audible voice.

  “Keeping warm.” She held her breath hoping he wouldn’t banish her back to her bunk.

  “Wait.” Cai scooted over and turned on his side, making room for her. She spooned against him and he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Is this all right?”

  Her stomach flip-flopped and she nodded. “Yes.”

  He sighed softly against the back of her neck. “Close your eyes. Nothing can harm you here.”

  The slow rhythm of his breathing lulled her and she breathed him in. The faint scent of soap, sweat and spiciness soothed her. Her eyes grew heavy and just before she drifted off she thought she heard him say, “Sleep well, Highness.”

  Fourteen

  The next morning, Neala awoke with a start. She sat straight up and scanned the room, trying to determine where she was. The smell of onions and potatoes frying wafted upstairs, making her mouth water. She raked her fingers through her hair and quickly re-braided it. Had she slept the whole night? She must have, because she didn’t remember waking up and she didn’t remember dreaming. A first in the last two months. She stretched and threw her legs over the edge of the bed, laying her feet flat on the bare wooden floor. She was alone. Cai and Gordon had left her sleeping in the bunk undisturbed. She strapped on her sandals and noticed the jute between her toes had been softened and waxed. Gordon, she thought, her lips curving into a smile. In three steps, she crossed the room. Her hand twisted the round, brass doorknob and was met with resistance. Locked. She bunched her lips to the side suppressing a grin. Did they really think that would keep her inside? She shook her head in bemusement and concentrated on the lock’s mechanism. In her head, she saw the pieces rise and fall, slipping into place as if she had inserted a key and turned it. The metal clicked and she turned the knob and opened the door. She crept into the stairwell, closing and locking the door behind her.

  In the kitchen, she found Alessé bent over a wood-burning stove. It was like none she had ever seen before. Two brick towers flanked a metal grate. Iron doors cut into the center of each tower and a wood fire burned beneath the grate. Alessé stirred potatoes and onions with some sort of peppery spice that made Neala sneeze as soon as she entered the kitchen.

  “May the gods bless you,” Alessé said over her shoulder. “Good morning, Your Highness. I trust you slept well.”

  “Thank you, and I did,” Neala said. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

  “I believe I have it under control. But thank you.”

  “Where are Cai and Gordon?” Neala took a seat at the long kitchen table next to Alessé’s daughter in her high chair. The baby held a wide, ivory ring in her mouth, gnawing it. Her little chin was slick and shiny with drool but she gave Neala a smile.

  “I’m afraid they’ve left, Your Highness. Were you expecting to go with them?” Clad in a thick leather glove, Alessé opened one of the metal doors and pulled out two large skewers of meat. She scooped a good-sized helping of the fried potatoes and onions onto each plate and rested a skewer across.

  “Yes, I thought that’s part of why I was here.”

  “I think it would be very difficult to have a woman with them.”

  “Why?”

  “They told me nothing other than to keep you entertained.” Alessé placed a plate in front of Neala along with a fork and a brightly colored linen napkin. “But from what I gathered, where they are going women are not allowed. At least not anymore.”

  “Where did they go?”

  “To the four corners,” Alessé said, taking a seat at the head of the table next to the baby.

  “What are the four corners?”

  Alessé took a piece of potato that appeared to have no spice on it and mashed it up very finely with her fork. Spooning a small bite, she blew on it and offered it to the baby, who opened her mouth willingly. “The four corners—” Alessé began. She took her napkin and wiped the baby’s chin and half of the potato that the baby had spit out. Her dark eyes grew somber. “The four corners used to be the pillars of all that was good in Nydia. Beauty, education, law and justice. It is at the very heart of our city. Farrasce hopes to introduce the chief to his contact in the old Capitol building. It’s very dangerous for them to go. Taking you would’ve raised too much attention.”

  “I don’t understand how this could’ve happened,” Neala said shaking her head and cutting a potato with the side of her fork. Heat still radiated from the skewer and she touched her finger to the metal.

  “Careful, Highness. That’s very hot,” Alessé said, concern etching lines in hers smooth forehead.

  “It’s fine,” Neala said as she wrapped her hand around the end of the skewer, commanding the metal to cool on her touch. She scraped the pieces of meat off the skewer with her fingers then picked one up and took a bite. It almost melted in her mouth. Hints of ginger and garlic and cinnamon made her tongue tingle and she moaned a little at its deliciousness. “This is so good.”

  “Thank you, Highness. I’m afraid it’s all I’m allowed to do now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Since Atraxis took power two years ago, women are no longer allowed to work outside the home. I’ve become quite a good cook.” Alessé took a bite of her meat and fed the baby another spoonful of potatoes.

  “That is insane. I don’t understand. What’s the reasoning?” Neala asked, picking at her potatoes and onions with her fork.

  “He is Bohrs and they do not believe women should be seen or heard. If we’re in the home, then we’re hidden.”

  “How is that possible? Surely my mother would’ve intervened?”

  “I believe she tried but Atraxis took control of the weapons factories as well as any exports. Since he had done things rather nonviolently, it’s my understanding the Queen decided to negotiate versus declaring war. The problem was the realms still needed Nydia. I doubt very seriously the Queen knows how the women here are treated.”

  “She will now. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “And what good will that do, Highness?”

  “She can’t fix something that she doesn’t know about—”

  “Yes, but so far even Atraxis doesn’t have a good handle on his position. There have already been two assassination attempts just this summer.”

  “Peter—” Neala put down her fork. She lost her appetite.

  “Yes, we’re warring with the other realms and we’re warring with each other. And if this Peter is at the heart of it—” Alessé sighed. “He’s winning.”

  “I’m so sorry, Alessé,” Neala said. “I wish I could help somehow.”

  “Since you mention it, there is a situation that has arisen,” Alessé said. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing my husband can do. I’m hoping that you can take my concerns to the Queen.”

  “Of course,” Neala said. “I’m happy to help however I can.”

  “I was hoping you would say that,” Alessé said.

  “Tell me what’s happened,” Neala said.

  “I think it’s best if I show you. But we will need to take a walk,” Alessé said.

  Neala cocked her head and her lips tugged into a half-smile. “Walking happens to be one of my favorite things to do in the world.”

  “Well, let’s finish breakfast and then get you something more suitable to wear and then I’ll show you my city.”

  “I would like that very much.” Neala smiled and dug into her potatoes and lamb.

  ******

  After changing into a pale lilac-colored outfit with a matching veil, they left the baby with her nanny and set out for the marketplace. Neala followed Alessé through rows and rows of vendors of fruits and vegetables, household items, rugs and clothing. Even beneath her veil and hood Alessé stood tall, holding her head up as if to dare
any of the vendors to treat her as something less than she was. It struck Neala as odd that the only customers milling through the market were dozens and dozens of women. All dressed in pastel robes with matching pastel veils, all moving as silently as ghosts from booth to booth as they picked out food and goods for their families. The relative quiet was unnerving but more than that, Neala noticed no one was haggling over prices. The women pointed to what they wanted and paid whatever price was asked. Even if it seemed too high or unreasonable. Women without voices. It made no sense to her.

  They turned onto a narrow side street, winding their way through a maze of alleys until they came to a building of dingy red brick whose white stucco had peeled away except at the corners. The street looked empty and unused. Alessé and Neala walked away from the building but Neala still felt its presence hanging heavy behind her, calling to her. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been there before.

  Finally, several blocks away Neala began to breathe easier as she followed Alessé into a different building. This one looked more cared for. Its white stucco smelled freshly painted and boxes of flowers and herbs adorned the windows.

  As they ascended the steps into the building, Neala saw doors with numbers, flats where people lived their lives. She could hear laughter in the stairwell, children playing. Their giggles made her smile and her step lighter. When they got to the third floor, Alessé led her to the last apartment on the right. Alessé took a deep breath, raised her hand and rapped sharply on the heavy wood. A few minutes later, a young girl opened the door just enough to stick her face through the crack.

  “Is your grandmother here?” Alessé said. The girl’s eyes flitted to the hallway as if she were checking to see if they had been followed. “It’s all right, we are alone,” Alessé said in a reassuring voice.

  The girl raised her hand and waved them inside. She stuck her head through the opening, looking both ways before closing the door and turning the lock behind them.

  “My grandmother is in the kitchen,” the girl said. Her dark, haunted eyes bore into Neala. It occurred to her the girl had been trained to be distrustful of strangers. She smiled, realizing too late that the girl couldn’t see it through her veil. “Who are you?”

  “Hadraelle, show some respect.” A voice came from behind them. The girl’s eyes widened and she took a step back. An old woman put her hands on the girl’s shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. She bent close to the girl’s ears, whispering something. The girl nodded, casting her dark eyes at Neala one last time before turning and disappearing down the hallway. “Please forgive my granddaughter. She’s been under tremendous stress since her mother disappeared.” The old woman stretched out her arms and drew Alessé into a hug. “It’s been too long, my friend.”

  “Indeed, it has,” Alessé said. “Belldraelle, I would like to introduce you to someone who I believe can help your situation.” Alessé gestured for Neala to step forward next to her. “Belldraelle, I would like to introduce you to Her Royal Highness, Princess Neala.” The old woman looked her up and down, disbelief in her eyes. Neala pushed the hood off of her head and peeled the veil away from her face. The old woman’s eyes widened and she quickly knelt down in front of Neala, mumbling her apologies.

  “Please get up.” Neala reached for the old woman’s elbow and helped her to her feet. “That’s not necessary, really.”

  A smile stretched the old woman’s lips and her eyes became glassy with tears that did not fall.” Can you help me find my Paldraelle?” the old woman asked, taking Neala’s hands in her own.

  “I hope so.” Neala called up a sympathetic smile. “Can you tell me what happened to her?” Neala asked, grasping the woman’s arthritic hands and giving them a gentle squeeze.

  “Come, let me make you more comfortable. Would you like some tea?”

  Neala glanced to Alessé and she nodded and smiled. “Of course, I would love some.”

  “Wonderful,” the old woman said. “Please come in, come in and take a seat.” She ushered them towards a seating area in front of a small potbellied stove whose pipe stretched up and disappeared into the ceiling.

  Neala took a seat in one of the chairs and Alessé joined her on the shabby green settee across from her. Several moments later, the old woman emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with a teapot, three cups and a plate of cookies. Setting the tray on the small, round table, the old woman poured each of them a cup and handed it to them. The old woman sat on the settee next to Alessé. Her hands were knobby and misshapen from arthritis and shook as she stirred sugar into her tea.

  “It all began seven weeks ago.” The old woman’s voice trembled as she spoke. “My daughter—Hadraelle’s mother—had gone to the market with the girl. A few hours later—when I was sick out of my mind with worry, Hadraelle returned alone. She told me that two soldiers had arrested my daughter. I asked if they had said the charges and Hadraelle said all she heard was the word indecency. I asked if she had removed her veil for some reason and my granddaughter said no. They dragged her mother away in fetters. My husband is dead, so I have no one to go to court for me—”

  “So she came to see me—” Alessé said.

  “Why you?” Neala asked.

  “Because before Atraxis seized control of our realm, I was a Defender of Rights. That’s how I met my husband. He is a Defender of Laws.”

  “So you asked Farrasce—” Neala said.

  “Yes, and he checked for arrests. There was no record of her in the official court system.”

  “How could that be?” Neala asked.

  “It happens only one way.” Alessé sighed and scowled. “If Paldraelle was accused of being a dissident, she would not be arrested and put through the normal course of law. All her rights would cease to exist and she could be held indefinitely.”

  “What? How is that possible?” Neala said, sickened at the idea of any Kael’s rights being so ill-treated. Alessé’s brows tugged together and her eyes became vacant for a moment as if she were trying to figure out a way to answer Neala’s question.

  “This is Atraxis’ doing. I wish there was better reasoning, but there isn’t. What I can tell you is in the last six weeks, at least ten more women have gone missing this way—all in the market, all unmarried—”

  “Sweet Jerugia.” Neala said the words under her breath and leaned forward, putting her elbow on her knee. The image of steel bars in a dim room flashed through her head and her nose filled with the stink of mold and dankness. Somewhere close, she thought she heard the quiet moans of another woman. She closed her eyes, squeezing them against the memory.

  “Are you all right?” Alessé touched her arm, bringing her back to this place which was filled with light, and the smell of jasmine and baked cookies.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.” Neala straightened in her chair and forced a smile. “You want me to help you?”

  “Yes—perhaps tell the Queen?”Alessé said. Her dark eyes flickered with hope.

  “Of course.” Neala nodded. “I will tell her, but –”

  “But what?” the old woman asked.

  Neala glanced down at her hands. She pressed her lips together, hesitating. She could have left it at ‘Yes, I’ll tell my mother,’ but she knew it wasn’t enough. She knew that even if they got back safely to Tamarik tonight, there was nothing her mother could do for these women. Her mother would sympathize, would want to help. She might even insist that Cai find a way to help. Or her mother might make a hard decision—just like all the other hard decisions she’d made lately – and do what was best for all, not just a few. No, Neala knew there had to be a different solution—one that didn’t rely on her mother.

  “But.” Neala blew out a breath. “By the time I tell my mother, it may be too late for your daughter and all the others like her.”

  The old woman’s eyes welled up and she sat back hard against the couch. Her knobby fingers swiped at the tears that fell on her cheek and she sniffled. Alessé’s shoulders slumpe
d and she put her head in her hands. Neala grimaced, hating herself for robbing them of their hope.

  “My mother might not be able to help. But I can,” Neala said softly. Alessé and the old woman’s gazes shifted back to her, their faces full of questions, their eyes wary. “Or at least I can try.”

  “You?” Alessé asked her voice sharp. “What could you do?”

  Neala chewed on the inside of her cheek. Her eyes shifted from Alessé to the old woman and back again. She saw them both lean in towards her, expectant. Her belly fluttered and she thought she might be sick. Clasping her hands together, she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “I think I can find them and if I can find them, I can bring them home.”

  Alessé made a scoffing sound. She sat back and folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head. “First of all, the chief commander would never allow that. And secondly, shame on you, Highness, for toying with us this way.”

  “Toying with you?”Neala straightened. Alessé’s words may as well have been a slap. “How am I toying with you? I’m probably the only person who can help you.”

  Alessé laughed, but there was no humor in it. “And what makes you so qualified?”

  “Because I’m the only person to have escaped their fate,” Neala snapped.