“His father has the islands. He’s a Duke now.”
“And Gilbert wants Salara. I used to tell him stories about her when I was her companion. He always loved the idea. An enchanted princess and a dragon, falling in love.”
Chapter 25
I dreamed of a dragon with green eyes and blond hair.
“Let me explain,” he said. “Give me a chance to explain, Salara.”
His voice was a growl. I understood his meaning in the way of dreams, not through individual words.
“You’re a traitor,” I said. “You’re a monster.”
“Because I killed a pirate? I’m a hero for that. He has terrorized the seas for years. Where are you? Let me help you.”
He reached for me with his claws. As he got nearer, his claws turned back into hands. If I reached for him, if I touched him, he would find me. I pulled my hands back, and he dissolved into smoke.
I opened my eyes and saw nothing but darkness.
Did the sun rise that morning? It was impossible to tell in the mines. The entire right side of my body, where I had leaned against the rocks, felt bruised when I woke up. I felt around the cave until I found a mining candle and tapped it against the floor. Staring at the hideous Salara portraits in the flickering light did nothing to improve my mood.
Across the room, Estrella yawned.
“These candles give me a headache,” she said.
“Morning already?” Roslynn said.
She didn’t open her eyes.
“Breakfast anyone?”
William came in with a fistful of dried meat. Shadow followed him with two buckets of water.
“I’m not sure how much more of this my jaw can take,” I said.
William laughed as I struggled to tear off a piece of the leathery substance.
“Be glad Shadow found that,” Estrella said. “Without food, we wouldn’t be able to stay hidden so long.”
“We can’t stay much longer,” Shadow said. “How do we contact Lady Alma?”
Everyone turned to Estrella.
“I don’t have any magic left,” she said. “I can’t even make stars right now!”
“What about soul magic?” I asked. “I could help. You could-”
“Soul magic has limits as well, and mine have been reached. If I try another spell I’ll faint. And since you keep insisting you don’t know magic, I can’t count on you to revive me.”
She crossed her arms and glared at me.
“Can we make a charm out of the salt in the mines?” Roslynn asked.
Shadow shook his head. “These have gone dark. There’s no magic left.”
“We could sneak into the palace again,” I said. “We could leave a message for her.”
“We were almost caught last time,” Shadow said. “It would be very risky to break in again so soon.”
“If we could make it in at all,” William said.
“We could send a message to Edsel,” I said.
“We can't trust him now,” Estrella said. “He’ll be looking to increase his position in the palace any way he can. He’d betray us in a heartbeat.”
“Ok,” Roslynn said. “What did you bring with you? What are our resources?”
Shadow pulled his dagger, several mining candles, and a Salara egg out of his pack.
“That’s disgusting,” Estrella said.
“I forgot it was there.”
“I’m surprised it doesn’t stink by now,” I said.
William tossed the egg against the wall. A rotten smell filled the room.
“Great!” Estrella said. “Just great!”
She pulled a pen, parchment, and a few bottles of potions from a pocket in her skirt.
I put my silver bracelets and healing charm on the cave floor. My hand caught something else in my apron pocket, and I pulled out the Rosas Rojas. I put it to my nose to mask the smell of the egg. It smelled like a rose, then the smell shifted to perfumed wig powder. I jerked it back and stared at it.
The movement brought the flower into the candlelight. Glimmers of red and green reflected onto the cavern wall.
Everyone stared. Estrella’s mouth hung open.
“Is that a Rosas Rojas?”
“Yes,” I said slowly.
“A real one?”
“I think so.”
She reached her hand out and stroked a petal.
“The souls of a hundred roses,” she whispered. “My mother brought one of these when she left Castana.”
“Great,” William said. “We have roses, silk and jewels. Let’s forget saving the kingdom and throw a garden party.”
“As if anyone would invite you to a garden party,” Estrella said. “The Rosas Rojas is a symbol of romance. Castanian noblemen give them-”
“To the girl they like best,” I finished.
“So how did you get it?” Roslynn asked.
“I took it from Lady Alma’s studio.”
That was the truth. At least, part of it.
“This is wonderful!” Estrella said. “A magical object that belonged to Lady Alma! I might be able to use it to reach her.”
She reached for the rose. I pulled it away from her.
“I thought you couldn’t work spells right now.”
“That has a lot of power stored in it. I won’t be working a spell. Just activating it.”
I pinched the stem. The rose glowed.
“It does much more than that,” Estrella said. “These aren’t just given away because they’re pretty. Mother used hers to communicate with friends back in Castana.”
Reluctantly, I handed her the rose.
“I need quiet.”
She held the flower to her nose.
“And fresh air.”
She left the cavern. The rotten egg smell grew worse by the second.
“We should move the silks,” Shadow said. “They’ll be hard to sell if they absorb this smell.”
We each grabbed a load. I couldn't carry the candle and the basket. I blew it out and walked with my shoulder against Shadow so I wouldn’t get lost. We had to walk a long way down the tunnel to get away from the smell.
“If Estrella’s plan works, we may need to get to Castlemont quickly,” Shadow said. “William, you and Roslynn see if you can find a path to the Ghone.”
“Sure thing.”
They didn’t light a candle. Roslynn took William’s hand, and they disappeared into the darkness.
“Want to take a walk?” Shadow said
I nodded. I suppose he saw me in the dark. He took my hand and led me down the tunnels. After a while, he tapped his candle. The flame reflected off the floor but did not reach the ceiling.
“It’s a shame I can’t make stars,” he said.
“I can’t work magic at all.”
It took me a moment to realize where we were. The lake reflected the cavernous ceiling, making it look like a pit in the ground. Our voices echoed in the open space.
We sat by the shore. I wanted to take my shoes off and dip my feet in, but decided not to disturb the dark water.
“Rook, about yesterday.”
“We did everything we could, Shadow. There was no way for us to know the Dragon would attack Captain. We couldn’t have saved him.”
“I meant about what I, um, did.”
Right. The kiss.
My cheeks flushed.
“I meant it,” he said. “I like you. I know this is terrible timing. We might be swept away by pirates or soldiers or a famine. We might not make it out of this mountain alive. But I wanted you to know.”
I should tell him the truth.
I couldn’t tell him.
And really, did I have to? Why couldn’t I be Rook forever? Elsie could be Princess Salara. She’d love that. It had worked so far.
Everyone would win.
My face flickered in Shadow’s eyes. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
“I like you too.”
He turned his head to look at me, and I kissed him on
the lips. My heart pounded. What was I thinking? What would he-
Shadow wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer.
“Shad- oh.”
Estrella kicked a rock as she walked toward us. It fell into the lake, and the smooth surface erupted into ripples. The splash echoed in the cavern.
She stared at us. Her face hardened into a mask.
“Sorry,” she said after a moment.
She didn’t sound sorry. Her right hand clenched the Rosas Rojas with enough force to crush a normal rose.
“Did it work?” Shadow asked. “Can we use it?”
He leaned away from me but slipped his hand over mine.
“No. There’s a trace of Lady Alma's magic here, but only a faint one. This never belonged to her.”
“Then who?” Shadow asked.
“Salara.”
His grip tightened on my hand.
“The Princess could use it. Or we could contact her through it. But it won’t get us to Lady Alma.”
I bit my lip.
“We’ll think of something else,” I said.
“We’re running out of time,” Estrella said. “Gerta’s well might have failed by now, and I don’t have any magic left. We don’t have money for food or the salt tax.”
She raised her hand to throw the Rosas Rojas into the lake.
“Don’t!”
I stood and grabbed it from her.
“It’s useless, Rook!”
I tucked it into my apron pocket.
“You never know when we’ll need to throw a garden party.”
Thankfully, the new cavern did not have Salara portraits. When we returned, I leaned against a basket of silks in a corner and stroked the Rosas Rojas. It smelled more like wig powder than rose now. What had Estrella done to it? Shadow and Estrella discussed possible strategies until William and Roslynn returned.
“We found a path to the Ghone,” Roslynn said. “And the Dragon’s store rooms.”
She and William held up leather bags.
“Gold?” Estrella asked.
“Dried meat,” William said. “But it is a few years fresher than what we have.”
“And there are crates with the royal crest on them. We’d need a tool to open them. They were sealed.”
“There’s not much there,” William said. “It looks like they cleared most of it out a while ago.”
“Were you able to contact Lady Alma?” Roslynn asked.
“No luck,” Estrella said.
“We can’t just sit here,” William said.
“We have contacts,” Roslynn said. “You’ve sold directly to Salarian nobles before.”
“Elsie and Edsel always set that up,” Shadow said.
“What about you, Rook?” Roslynn said. “Surely you have friends you can contact.”
“Maybe, but they’re all in the palace.”
“So we go back to Castlemont,” Shadow said.
He said it slowly. Deliberately.
“You said that was a bad idea,” I said. “That it was too dangerous.”
“They’ll be expecting us now,” Estrella said. “At the least they’ll have set up extra guards.”
“We’re out of options. We’ll go further into the palace. Steal gold coins directly so we don’t have to worry about selling anything.”
“You want to rob the treasury? Without magic? Are you insane?”
“We don’t have a choice,” Shadow said. “This goes beyond saving people from the mines. You can survive the mines. But you can’t survive without water. And if enough fields are ruined, there will be a famine. Merchants will import food, but it will be expensive. We need gold.”
“I don’t know a thing about the treasury,” I said. “I can’t help with this.”
“Shadow, this is dangerous,” Roslynn said. “You could be killed. It would be better to wait. We will find someone to buy all this.”
“You’re not responsible for the kingdom,” Estrella said.
Shadow’s eyes narrowed.
“After I escaped from prison, after my father died, there was no one to look after my sister. My mother was ill. They starved because no one was responsible. Don’t tell me not to help people. Don’t ever tell me to look away.”
We sat in stunned silence. Shadow stared at each of us.
“I’ll come with you,” I said finally. “I’ll do what I can.”
Estrella shrugged, her eyes filled with tears she refused to cry.
“If that’s how it has to be,” she said. “Let’s go tonight.”
William shook his head.
“Roslynn is in no condition to raid the castle, and I’m not leaving her.”
“We’ll need your help, William,” Shadow said.
“I won’t throw away my life. Not when she needs me.”
“We can contact nobles,” Roslynn said. “Some of Gerta’s orphans work for them. We’ll find someone to buy this.”
She gestured to the baskets.
Shadow nodded.
“Go then. Try to find exits close to nobles’ houses. I’ll scout the tunnels and find the quickest way back to the palace.”
He left. I stood to go with him, but Estrella grabbed my arm.
“I didn’t know,” she said. “It was a long time ago, and I didn’t know his family was in trouble. I would have helped them.”
The tears in her eyes finally spilled over and ran down her cheeks. William and Roslynn slipped out of the room.
“He knows that,” I said.
“Does he? Because we used to be close. We used to-”
She choked on a sob.
“He can’t forgive himself. He won’t forgive me. You think you know him. You think you know what you’re doing. But you have no idea.”
“And you do?”
She laughed through her tears but didn’t smile.
“I’m going to get some water.”
She took the candle with her when she left. I reached in my apron, but I had left my candle in the room with portraits. I crawled around the floor, searching for a light.
Nothing.
I fought back panic. I was trapped in the dark. How long would it take them to come back? If I tried to find them, there was no telling where I would end up. Roslynn had fallen in the river, and she had owl eyes. I found a basket and leaned against it.
I thought about Shadow. The kiss. It made me smile in spite of everything. He liked Rook, so I would be Rook forever.
It was that simple.
Elsie knew more about Salara than anyone. She had already impersonated me for days without a problem. Father could arrange her marriage to a responsible younger son from a neighboring kingdom who would rule Salaria well. They didn’t need me.
Shadow did.
Chapter 26
I drifted to sleep thinking of the palace. Where was the treasury? Probably underground. There were rooms in the heart of the mountain. What hallways led to them?
In my dream, I stood in Lady Alma’s studio.
“Princess Salara!” she said.
I stepped onto the pedestal and stretched out my arms. In the mirrors, I saw my hair was still short. Lady Alma waved her hands and blue fabric flew around me, replacing my peasant clothes.
“The salt curse has spread,” she said in the same airy tone she always used for court gossip. “The year’s crops have been destroyed. Everyone is eating their winter stores now. There won’t be anything left when the frost hits. And Castana is threatening war unless they get their shipment of fairy salt. We’ll have to send hundreds to the mines to get enough. The Dragon captured our last shipment yesterday. He sank it to the bottom of the ocean.”
“Sir Gilbert is the Dragon,” I said.
“Of course he is. I recognized the spells on his ship the moment he arrived. I tried to warn you about him, but you were quite smitten. Still, his Rosas Rojas came in handy. Clever girl, finding it where I left it for you.”
Another voice, muffled behind a door, whispered, “Ask about their
plans.”
“In time,” Lady Alma said. “All in good time.”
“We’re going to rob the treasury,” I said. “Get enough gold to pay the salt taxes and buy food for the kingdom.”
Lady Alma laughed.
“You overestimate the depths of the King’s purse, and they've doubled the city guard since Castana threatened war.”
“You’re Castanian. Do something.”
“You’re the Princess. You do something.”
“I’m trying! But everything is going wrong!”
The door opened, and Madame Delilah stepped through. Lady Alma frowned.
“We agreed you would stay behind the door.”
“Well, you’re making a terrible mess of this! She won’t sleep forever, and you haven’t told her what to do yet.”
“Oh, that won’t do any good. She never listens.”
Lady Alma winked at me.
“This is serious!” I said. “Elsie is the Princess now. She can do something!”
“That charade can’t continue much longer,” Madame Delilah said. “At this point, a marriage treaty may be the only way to save Salaria. And to do that, they need you. More soldiers left this morning. They’re searching the whole country. And someone started a rumor the Shadow has you in the mines.”
I stared at my feet in the mirror. My peasant boots looked strange with the blue silk dress.
“Are you really in the mines?” Lady Alma said. “I can’t think of a better place to keep your skin protected. You’ll look perfect for the wedding.”
“I’m not the Princess anymore! I’m not Salara!”
“You’re fairy blessed, dear,” Lady Alma said. “You can’t easily escape that. Being a princess is tied to the deepest part of your soul.”
“Watch what you say!” Madame Delilah said.
Lady Alma laughed.
“You’re the one who wanted to tell her what to do.”
Madame Delilah grabbed my shoulder and shook me.
“Wake up!” she said. “Wake up!”
Lady Alma’s studio, the two women, and my blue gown faded. Madame Delilah’s grip on my shoulder did not.
“Wake up,” another voice said.
I opened my eyes and saw Shadow smiling at me.
“Ready to rob the King?” he said.
I gulped.
Rook and Shadow (Salarian Chronicles Book 1) Page 22