What is Hidden

by Skidmore, Lauren

  “Should I accompany her?” Arianna asked the guard.

  He shrugged. “Might as well. All I know is things are all in an uproar. If you know anything, go with her and tell all you know. Everything else has been put on hold until we find the prince.”

  Leaving another guard at the doors, Matteo led us through the winding hallways and staircases to an unfamiliar wing of the palace. We stopped in front a collection of doors in a long, well-lit hallway. My stomach folded itself into all sorts of knots as I anticipated what could possibly be behind these doors.

  “These are the prince’s chambers,” Matteo told us. “The king, queen, and a few advisors are in here waiting for you. I will announce you, so follow me please.”

  I shot a panicked look at Arianna, whose painted white face was the perfect mask of calm. She gave me a tight, small smile in an attempt to calm me down, but it didn’t help. I was about to meet the king and queen. Not only that, but I was about to meet Aiden’s parents! And I still didn’t know what he’d told about our evening.

  But the guard opened the doors before I was ready and announced us anyway. I followed first, with Arianna a step behind me. She came to stand beside me and curtsied deeply. I clumsily tried to do the same.

  “Evelina,” the Speaker addressed me. I was too frightened to look at her and kept my eyes on the floor. Was this the part where I was sentenced to some horrible fate? “Evelina, please don’t be afraid to look up. We need your assistance.”

  That brought my eyes up as I stared at her in shock. “Pardon?”

  “The prince is missing,” she said gravely. “Not just missing—stolen away. When he was supposed to be making his engagement announcement, he was nowhere to be found. Guards were sent to retrieve him from his quarters, but they found this note instead.” She handed me a small folded piece of parchment. The following words were written in a scrawling script:

  As love was stolen from me,

  So shall the prince be stolen from his kingdom,

  And nothing but love can bring him back.

  A seal in the shape of the Mark on my cheek was the only signature, but there was no doubt it was from the Chameleon.

  I stared at the paper in my hands, shaking my head in disbelief. “Sire,” I said, addressing the king, “I mean no disrespect, but this can’t have anything to do with me. He ran away from me after I confessed that I loved him. I don’t know what happened to him after that, but I don’t think I can help you.” His running away wasn’t a direct result of my confession, granted, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d run away and left me alone.

  The king shook his head firmly and looked at the Speaker. “His highness has no doubt that you are the one we need,” she said gently. “And if I may be so bold, neither do I. The prince spoke of nothing but you. He was undeniably in love.”

  My heart suddenly lodged itself in my throat, and I involuntarily took a step back. “That can’t be,” I repeated, my voice thick.

  Then, to my absolute shock, the king spoke. To me. It was one thing for him to speak to nobility and councilors, but to a mere serving girl? I was so stunned I nearly missed his next words. “But it is,” he said, as the queen looked at him in alarm. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, my dear,” he chided her gently. “Time is precious right now, and I’m not going to let a dying tradition eat it all up.”

  My eyes couldn’t open any wider, nor my thoughts race any faster. The king was speaking to me. The situation was so much more than I expected. I struggled to rein my thoughts in, to concentrate on what the king was saying, and to think about how to help.

  The king sighed deeply. “My son has told us a great deal about you, Evelina. I know how close you two have become and how important you are to him. I was hoping you could shed some light on what happened last night. All we know is that the last time I saw my son at the ball was right before he said he was going to meet you. I knew what he was going to offer you. I haven’t heard from or seen him since. When he didn’t reappear to make his announcement, I sent two guards to his room, hoping he’d be there. What they found was this note,” he said, gesturing toward the paper still in my hand. “And we haven’t found or heard anything else since that discovery. Please, what happened?”

  “Sire,” I said, my voice shaking. “Of course. I will do whatever I can to help find him again.”

  Pushing aside any residual anger, I told him what I could. I told him how I’d been the victim of a Chameleon attack and sought refuge in the palace as a server. I told him how Aiden had helped me, but all of this seemed to be old information, as his face betrayed no surprise at anything I told him. Even after I told him how Aiden had provided the mask and dress for me, he remained unshaken.

  “You tell me things I already knew or suspected,” he said. “Aiden spoke to me often regarding you, I feel I need to remind you. What happened last night?”

  “He said he wanted to tell me something important, and we needed to go someplace private. He took me to, um . . .” I shot a glance around the room at all the listening ears and couldn’t bring myself to betray Aiden’s confidence about his secret room. “To where he goes when he wants to escape.”

  The king nodded to show he understood and motioned for me to continue.

  “I didn’t know he was the prince until he told me then.” I couldn’t bring myself to tell them of how we’d removed our masks—that seemed too personal to share with a roomful of strangers, not to mention his parents. And it wouldn’t help find him. “In turn, I told him some things about me. We fought. He ran off,” I finished helplessly. “That was the last I saw of him. I was angry, and I ran back to my old home and then to Arianna’s. She told me what happened and we came back here.”

  The king frowned. “That still doesn’t tell us much. When did you last see him?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, but then I remembered hearing the bells toll. “Wait! It was just before midnight.”

  His eyes lit up. “That gives us a precise timeframe, then. You there.” He pointed to two of the guards. “Go search the area from the north gate to the tree line. See if there are any signs of struggle or anything at all that might have been from the prince.”

  They bowed and hurried to follow his orders.

  “I still think he managed to make it all the way back to his room,” he murmured. “Why else would the note be here . . .”

  I glanced around the room. “Sire, what do you think the note means? What am I supposed to do? And how?”

  “I should think it would be obvious what you are meant to do.” He sounded surprised that I would ask. “It can only be one thing—you, as the one he loves and who loves him, are meant to bring him back.” He paused. “Do you mind my asking what you two fought about? It surprises me you would fight on a night like that. You do love him. Why else would you be here?”

  I froze.

  “I understand that this might be difficult for you,” the Speaker said while the queen whispered in her ear. “But this is our son. Anything might be a clue.”

  She was breaking my heart. I had no choice. I turned slowly and kept my eyes glued to the floor. “I told you—and him—that I’d been in a Chameleon attack. I neglected to tell you both, out of pride and shame but nothing more, that I’d been marked during that attack. That man tore off my mask and branded me with his Mark.”

  There were audible gasps around the room, and I pressed forward.

  “When I finally told Aiden this, he thought I’d been lying to him all along—that I was the Chameleon. Nothing I could say could persuade him otherwise.”

  “How can we be assured he wasn’t right?” the king asked, frowning. “If our son, who loved you enough to reveal himself, didn’t believe you, how can we?”

  “Because I have nothing to gain from this!” I shouted in exasperation and hurt. I immediately apologized when I saw their shocked faces. No one shouted at royalty. “I’m sorry, your majesties. But truly, I have nothing to gain here. I never knew he was the pri
nce before tonight—I didn’t think anyone did. And before I knew he was missing, I just wanted to be left alone. Aiden is the last person I wanted to see.”

  The queen placed a hand on her husband’s arm, and they exchanged a glance—the kind that said more than words ever could.

  “My son is a fool,” the queen said firmly, without the aide of the Speaker. My eyes shot up to meet hers. They were glistening with unshed tears. “It is clear to me that you care for him, and I’ve met you for only five minutes.”

  “Why didn’t he believe me?”

  “Because he was vulnerable,” she said simply. “He was so vulnerable. And he can be a bit stupid, sometimes. I am so sorry, dear.”

  =

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  +

  A young palace servant delivered another note containing instructions on where I should go, and things happened quickly after that. The servant was immediately questioned, but he couldn’t provide any useful information. The note had been passed to one of the runners by an ordinary looking boy who was now nowhere to be found. It was only when the runner brought it to his master, thinking it was only another piece of news, that he realized how important it was.

  I was to go to an old neglected manor that had been abandoned after it had been flooded a few years ago. I’d heard stories of it being haunted from neighbors that came to the market, but apparently it was being used for something more criminal. Only a handful of guards would be allowed to accompany me for fear of the Chameleon harming Aiden at the sight of an encroaching army. The king and queen would stay at the palace, preparing more men if they needed to attack the manor, and Arianna had been sent away on a mission of her own.

  I protested at first, insisting that someone better suited should retrieve the prince, by force if necessary, but the king wouldn’t hear it. The Speaker explained for him, “You’re the best way to solve this without any fighting. We’re in a time of peace. Our defense force isn’t prepared for this sort of attack.” It seemed once we were out of Aiden’s room, the haze broke and the weight of tradition was too heavy to ignore.

  “I still don’t know what I should do.”

  “You won’t be entirely alone, and plans are being made in case this one fails,” the Speaker unsuccessfully tried to soothe me.

  “It’s time!” a guard called out, and I was ushered into a carriage, carried down to the canals, transferred to a gondola with four men-at-arms, and rushed down the waterways.

  Before I knew it, we were at the manor. The sun was low, and the sky turned an ominous shade of purple in the fading light of dusk. Lights flickered down at us from the windows.

  I would have been impressed if I hadn’t been so terrified. The manor had clearly been magnificent once, and even then an eerie sort of beauty hung over it. Overlooking the ocean, it was quite large and imposing despite the half-collapsed roof and the bushes and vines claiming the walls. As we stepped ashore, I looked at one of the guards in alarm. “We’re not just going to walk up to the front door, are we?”

  He shrugged. “The simplest approach is often the best. Besides, he’s sure to be expecting you.”

  I couldn’t argue with his logic. The servant girl at the door took one look at me and ran inside without a word. Baffled, I stared at the closed oak door for a moment before it opened again, revealing another servant, an older boy this time, in a plain black mask.

  “You were expected, Miss Evelina, and I am pleased to bid you enter. Your company, however, is not welcome and is asked to please wait outside.”

  Looking to the guard again for direction, I saw him nod, and he said, “It is as we expected. If there is no other way, then we will wait for her return here.”

  “Those are my orders.”

  “Very well.”

  He had to give me a little push, but soon enough I was through the door. I looked back over my shoulder one last time, hoping the sight of my guards would instill some measure of confidence. Instead, I saw the young servant girl, this time with a heavy veil over her nose and mouth, brush past me with several small bundles in her hands.

  Before I could shout a warning, she hurled them at the guards. The bundles exploded in a silver cloud of powder and smoke. The guards shouted in alarm and began coughing violently as the girl slipped back inside and the heavy doors swung shut, blocking them from sight.

  I expected them to charge the door, but I only heard a moment’s more shouting before all went silent.

  “Poison,” the boy leading me explained simply. “You were instructed to come alone.”

  “They were going to wait outside!” I protested, horrified.

  “Don’t be so naïve. How were we supposed to trust the word of the enemy?” He shrugged and spoke as if the subject bored him. “Besides, this way is easier. Don’t worry, it was only a sleeping powder. We’ll return them once this is all over, good as new.”

  Dumbstruck, I wiped my clammy palms against my skirts as I was led down corridor after corridor, fighting to remember which way I’d come. The air was damp and heavy, and stank of decay.

  Finally, we came to a large open ballroom, flickering with candlelight. Curtains that had once been fine silks were now nothing more than ratty pieces of cloth draped on the walls. Some were pulled to the side to reveal small alcoves.

  The boy led me to one of those alcoves and directed me to sit on a mossy stone bench. “You’re to wait here, miss.”

  I nodded.

  “And you’re to remain silent. That is vital,” he warned me, and I watched a more intimidating man step out from behind a curtain with trepidation. “If we feel you’re unable to do so, we will have to take measures to ensure you make no noise. Do you understand?”

  I nodded again, feeling as if I’d been struck mute. I might have been expected, but I couldn’t have been welcome. Everything felt wrong. My skin itched and the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight.

  Another moth-eaten curtain was drawn over the alcove’s opening, sheer enough that I could still see through it, though only barely. I knew the light was dim enough that no one would be able to see me. Even without the curtain I was hidden in shadow.

  We waited in silence. I don’t know for how long. I heard my heart pound in my ears and struggled to keep my imagination under control. Were they going to torture me in some way? Or hurt Aiden in front of me?

  The sound of shuffling feet drew my attention, and I peered through the thin fabric. I could just make out the shapes of men, one of which looked all too familiar.

  I stifled a gasp, ignoring the dirty look from my guard as Aiden spoke angrily. “What is it you want from me? You don’t want me dead or you’d have done it already.”

  “No, I don’t want you dead.” The voice that answered was cold, and a chill raced down my spine when I realized how both familiar and unfamiliar it was. “I want you to suffer.”

  The memory of that terrible night flashed before my eyes and that face expanded to more than just the Mark.

  Joch.

  It had been Joch all along.

  How had I been so blind? How many hours had I spent alone with him, learning from him, admiring him? I felt sick, my stomach churning and threatening to empty itself. I swallowed thickly, forcing my body to obey, and the Chameleon continued.

  “I have someone I’d like you to meet,” he continued conversationally. “A young woman whom I’m sure you’re quite familiar with.”

  I braced my shoulders, sure that he meant me. But the servant shook his head, and the guard held up a strip of fabric, silently questioning if he should gag me.

  Instead, I watched as another woman—already gagged and hands bound—was brought before him.

  Joch held Aiden back as he called out my name, and I instantly understood.

  The other girl could easily pass for me in this dim light and from this distance. Worst of all, I realized with a shock and a surge of anger, she was wearing my glass mask—the one I’d spent hours and days toiling over, the one I was waiting to sho
w Aiden on a special occasion, and the one I’d made with Joch right beside me. This girl wore it with a simple black silk backing to make it opaque, and the gold caught the flickering light of the torches around us. It was beautiful, and it should have been mine.

  My heart sank, and I felt cold.

  The girl did not speak, but Aiden had enough to say for everyone. “Evie, I’m so sorry,” the words burst from him. “I shouldn’t have said any of those things, and I know you could never be what I accused you of. I was stupid and scared, and I never should have run from you.”

  A little bubble of hope started to form inside me. Though I was still hurt, it helped to hear he knew how stupid he was.

  “I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you, I swear it. Anything at all—just name it.”

  “How sweet.” Joch’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “You know, I was in a situation similar to this one. Fell in love, swore I’d do anything for her. And you know what happened, my prince?” I watched in horror as my double walked over to Joch and wrapped her arms around his waist. “She was taken from me.”

  “No!” I cried out, but the guard already had his hands over my mouth and was working to gag me before I could make enough noise to be heard across the room.

  “I don’t understand.” Aiden sounded so small and confused. “Evie?”

  “What if I told you all your accusations were correct?” Joch asked patiently. “Or that your timing for your apology was all wrong?”

  “I don’t believe you. I refuse to believe you. You’ve done something to her.”

  “The evidence is right in front of your eyes. Does she look at all afraid to you? Or like she’s being forced into something she doesn’t want? You were right the first time.”

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I bit down on my captor’s hand and let my body go slack, the deadweight pulling him off-balance enough that I could squirm around and kick him twice—hard—where I knew it would do the most damage. He grunted and curled in on himself as I ripped the gag from my mouth and cried out, “No, Aiden! It’s a lie!”