The Whispers of Shadows (The Fifth Kingdom Book 1)

by Lisa M. James

  She started to walk with her handmaiden and one castle guard to the surrounding villages of the kingdom. The King insisted that a guard accompany her at all times. He did not say it, but she knew that many of the people did not want her there. They knew that her father locked her away all these years and many have heard the rumors of her abilities. No one was ever as bold as that first maiden she had met who had given her the bracelet. She wanted to know the townspeople but most were tentative to speak with her. Yet, she would smile in return to their cold stares and some would acknowledge her. She would complement the women on their beauty and the men on their sons and after a few days they started to warmly greet her every time she passed.

  “Come tomorrow Princess, I will bake fresh bread for you.”

  “Princess, please take the vegetables from our field.”

  “Princess, my wife just bore our fourth child. Please come see him!”

  After two weeks, Lucinda was summoned to the throne room. The room was occupied by the King and the Commander alone. The King extended a hand to her as she approached him. “You will be continuing your studies in the morning. One of my men will accompany you to the North Tower every day and remain outside the tower until your lesson is over. At the end of every day you will come directly back here and report to me everything that was done and said during your session. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, your Majesty.”

  “Good. Lucinda, it is important for you to be honest with us. Your mother trusted us and so should you. You do not need to face your battles alone in the dark. We will protect you as our own.”

  The next day, Lucinda was accompanied by one of the Western Guardsmen to her lesson, just as the King had said. He did not enter the tower, but stood outside as Lucinda entered. Inside was a young woman, of about 20 years of age but no more. Nigina was nowhere to be seen. The woman was beautiful. Long blond waves cascaded to her hips and a dark band crowned her head. She shared the same green eyes as Lucinda and Nigina but nothing else.

  “Good morning, my lady. I am Geenessa. I will be your Governess for the rest of the summer.”

  “I am Princess Lucinda of the East Kingdom. What happened to Governess Nigina?”

  The young woman smiled. “Nigina will no longer be your governess. She desired to mold you to be something she wanted, while the kingdom desires you to be whatever you want, my Princess. We simply will unlock your powers, but you will choose how you will use them. Shall we begin?”

  She never saw or discussed Nigina again.

  Chapter Five

  “What do you think the Princess does all day in the North Tower John?”

  “She trains.”

  “Trains for what?”

  “I don't know Matthew. Many women are a part of the eastern guard, perhaps she is training to rule them.”

  “A governess is training her? It seems odd.”

  “A guardsman goes down with her now. We offer different resources then the East. Perhaps next summer she will travel to the South Kingdom and then to the North Kingdom.” He stopped and considered. “It is odd though. We have hardly spoken to her since those first few days. She hardly says much during dinner. Father told us not to ask her about her days, but it seems cruel. She was so sheltered in the East and we are treating her with the same isolation here.” Matthew and John continued to make their way around the villages surrounding the kingdom. Any day they had free time their father had instructed them to greet the townspeople. John would be future king and it was important for him to know his people.

  “She came to the training grounds once a few weeks back and never again.” Matthew said to his brother. He was surprised to see her. Every day the maidens flocked to the training grounds, noisy and distracting. The same lot of them would come, but when Princess Lucinda came down she caught the attention of most of the young men. As she was leaving Matthew could have sworn she looked at him and smiled. The one warm gesture he received from her other than cordial, practiced responses. He was hoping she would return, but every day after Gwendolyn and the other maidens returned alone.

  “She has won the affection of the people. They were very cautious of her during her first weeks, but now when I speak to them they wish I brought her with me to greet them. When word spread that Father was bringer her to our kingdom, many of the people begged him not to. How hearts can change.”

  “Why shouldn’t she come here? She’s just a girl. Those ugly rumors are not true. She couldn't really turn into a beast at night.”

  His brother looked around them. “You must have heard some other stories about her? I’ve heard many when I traveled to the other kingdoms. Some believe she may have powers; like a sorceress. Some hateful people even believe she was the one who killed her mother in jealousy of her baby sister.”

  “That’s cruel.” Matthew wouldn’t believe it. Lucinda loved her mother and everyone knew Queen Lucille died from the effects of childbirth.

  “It is, but people fear what they do not understand. She is different and there is something Father is hiding from us. Perhaps we should visit her in the tower one day and find out for ourselves.” His brother suggested.

  “Father would never give us permission. Unless you are suggesting we do it in secret?”

  His brother smiled mischievously. “That is exactly what I am suggesting.” They laughed at the thought of it, knowing neither of them was bold enough to defy their father.

  “My lords,” a common woman bowed low before them. “If you would be so kind, we haven’t seen the Princess in many days and I would like to give her these. “ She raised a bundle of white roses directly in front of Matthew.

  Matthew smiled at the old woman. “White roses are plentiful in the East kingdom. It will remind the Princess of home. It’s kind of you to consider her.” He reached out to receive the roses.

  Don’t touch it! It’s poison! The voice came as a sharp whisper in Matthew’s ear. He stepped back suddenly and the bundle dropped to the floor. He looked around him to see who the voice belonged to but saw no one near.

  “Matthew—“ His brother started.

  “These flowers are poisoned.”

  “My lord you are mistaken, “The woman said in fear. He raised a blade from his pocket and placed it by the woman’s neck.

  “Speak truth. You tried to poison the Princess. Why?”

  The common woman’s distraught face twisted into a smile. “After so many centuries your loyalty has remained. It will be your downfall once again sweet Prince.” The woman twisted her cloak around her and disappeared. A crowd surrounded them. Matthew heard his brother’s voice in what seemed to be a distance moving the crowd back and calling his guards. Matthew scanned the crowd again to find the owner of the voice who warned him, but it was in vain.

  When they returned to the kingdom, the reports were given to his father and the bundle of roses were carefully collected and examined by the castle apothecary.

  “The roses were laced with poison, your Majesty. One prick of a thorn and the Princess would have become very ill, if not met by a worse fate. Perhaps even too much of a smell of them would have caused her to be bed ridden.”

  “The Princess may not have been the only target. The woman was careful to give this to my sons.” He turned to them then. “How did you know they were poisoned?”

  “She handed them to Matthew, Father. He was the one who knew they were poisoned.”

  Matthew thought about it. How could he explain it? It was a man’s voice in his head, warning him about the flowers. His father would think he was mad. “I just knew something was not right. The woman seemed odd and she was too eager to give us the flowers.”

  “Your Majesty, perhaps I should examine the princes as well, lest they touched or inhaled a trace of the poison.”

  John insisted he was fine so Matthew was sent to the apothecary’s chambers alone. The elder man performed every examination he could think of before declaring the Prince safe and healthy. It was late by the time he was
released and most of the castle had taken rest for the night. The halls were quiet and he could only hear his own footsteps on the hard stone. He passed the hall to the Maiden’s wing where Lucinda’s chambers were located. He stopped and thought about how tonight could have had a very different outcome if he had successfully delivered the flowers to her. They both could have been poisoned. His father had commanded John and Matthew not to repeat this incident to the Princess. He would command more watch for her, but there was no benefit for the Princess to know that there was an attack to her life. She was already so cautious and afraid.

  “Thomas, Thomas.”

  Matthew turned and looked around him as he heard the faint whisper of a woman’s voice coming from the Maiden’s wing. There was no one named Thomas within the Kingdom that Matthew could think of. He knew most guardsmen and attendants by name. Perhaps there was one palace baker named Thomas, but he surely would have retired for the night.

  “Thomas, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

  Matthew followed the whisper deeper into the Maiden’s wing. The sound disappeared, but from a distance he could see smoke coming from underneath Princess Lucinda’s door. He ran to the door and pressed against it. He quickly moved back as the stone was hot.

  “Lucinda!” He yelled and banged on the door. He heard no response and ran into the hot stone, over and over until it opened. A pillar of smoke enveloped him. He coughed and laid low to the ground. Flames and smoke consumed the room. He frantically searched for her. A little away from him he saw Lucinda knelt to the ground with her hands raised, moving her mouth feverishly but making no sound. He darted for her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She shook and turned toward him. She laid a hand sharply on his upper arm and looked at him wildly. Her black pupils consumed most of the green in her eyes. Matthew felt a sharp pain where her palm lay on his arm, but he yanked her to her feet and dragged her out the door. Several footsteps were racing up toward them.

  “Water!” someone shouted.

  They both fell on the floor away from her chambers. Matthew coughed frantically. He turned to Lucinda. She looked like she had just woken from a dream. He reached his hand out to hers and she grabbed it tightly.

  “Are you alright, Princess?” She breathed deeply but had no words for him. Several guardsmen were putting out the fire as Uncle Jonathan came upon them.

  He lifted them both to their feet. “What happened here?”

  The Princess had tears flowing down her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak.

  “Candles,” Matthew started. “The Princess lit prayer candles and fell asleep. The curtain caught on fire. I smelled the smoke.” The Princess looked at him and then to the floor. Matthew didn't know if his uncle believed the story but his eyes went from his nephew’s face to his left arm. Matthew followed the gaze to see a palm sized burn on his upper arm.

  “Come. You should both be attended to.” His uncle lifted Princess Lucinda in his arms. Immediately, she leaned on his chest and lost consciousness. He took them both to the apothecary’s chamber and laid the Princess on the bed. The apothecary started to attend to Matthew’s arm. “Don’t leave here.” His uncle instructed him before departing.

  “Back so soon my lord?” Matthew sat in a chair near the bed as the apothecary removed his shirt and spread something white and sticky up his arm. “I will be back my lord. I need to get an herb from the gardens. I will brew an elixir to free your young lungs from the poisoned air.”

  Matthew turned to where Lucinda lay. Her green eyes stared back at him, but she was not focused on him. “I didn't mean for it to happen.” Her voice was flat. “I simply dreamt of the fire, and when I woke it was surrounding me. I tried to put it out but it was spreading so quickly. Geenessa said that when I am not calm I lose control. Tell me, how can I control what I dream?”

  Matthew didn't know how to respond to her. Perhaps she was still in the dream. “What did you dream of that had fire?”

  She continued to stare through him without blinking. “A woman. Maybe a queen, I’m not certain. She was a royal woman. She looked much like me, yet she was older, with longer hair and much more powerful. She was surrounded by royal guardsmen. Cruel men. Hurling words at her. They had torches in their hands which they threw at her. They wanted her dead. The fires consumed her but she did not scream or cry out. But I screamed, and woke to fire. Geenessa told me I need to learn how to master fire.”

  Matthew didn't know what to make of the dream. A woman being lit on fire was a gruesome thought. “It was just a night terror Princess. You are safe now.“ She said nothing in response, but continued to stare absently. “Lucinda,” Matthew continued. “Who is Thomas?”

  She finally blinked at him. “I don't know my lord. Who is Thomas?”

  The door to the chambers opened and his father entered. He stared at both of them and said nothing. The apothecary entered shortly behind him. “Your majesty.” He bowed. “With initial inspection they both seem to be fine. A little shaken but they will make a full recovery.

  “When you are done with my son send him to my chambers.”

  The apothecary wrapped up Matthew’s arm, gave him a bitter elixir to drink and sent him away before attending to the Princess. The King was standing by a window in his chambers when Matthew entered.

  “Father—“ Matthew started.

  “What happened? How did the room catch fire?”

  “Candles—“

  “It will not serve you to lie to me. Start again.”

  Matthew hesitated. Would his father believe the tale that Lucinda had told him? He hardly believed it himself. “I only know what Lucinda told me. She had a dream of a queen being set on fire, and she awoke to a room with fire. I saw smoke coming from her chambers and I entered. She was kneeling on the ground. She didn't look like herself. She told me she was trying to put out the flames. ”

  His father looked at his arm. “How did you get that burn?”

  He considered this. “I only remember her grabbing my arm and feeling a pain when her hand came upon me.”

  His father was silent for a long time. “Why were you in the Maiden’s wing?”

  “I heard a woman’s voice like a frantic whisper. Calling for a Thomas and saying she’s sorry.”

  For a moment, Matthew thought his father’s eyes widened but it was fleeting and he couldn't be sure.

  “You will tell no one about this.” His father continued. “You will repeat the story of the prayer candles and say nothing more.” His father sighed. “I thought it would be best to keep her powers from you, but she needs more protection than I thought. You must not tell anyone else about it. It could put the girl in greater danger.”

  Her powers, Matthew thought. “I don't understand Father. There are many maidens who practice sorcery. Why does Lucinda need to hide it?”

  “It’s more than sorcery. There was a prophecy given to her mother at her birth. She was born with the powers and it grows stronger by the day it seems. It’s late. You don’t need to concern yourself about these things now. There’s something else you should know.”

  “What Father?”

  “A woman was found by the castle gate a short time ago. She was burned from her neck to her toes and her body was covered with white roses.”

  “Is she dead?”

  “Yes. You and John will have to examine it, but we believe she was the woman who gave you the flowers. Her body was found shortly before I was told of the fire in the castle.”

  Chapter Six

  The day after the incident Lucinda was told not to go to see her governess. She was removed from the Maiden’s wing and brought to a bedroom closer to the hall the royal family inhabited. She stayed in her new chambers and waited to be summoned by the king. He would send her home. She knew it. A letter was probably sent to her father already. He would never let her leave the castle again. She couldn't remember the details of last night so well. If the King asked for her account she would have very few words. Her guilt would wear apparent on her
face. And there was the prince, she thought. How did he get to her chambers? What would have happened if he didn't come? She had burned him. She didn't know how but she remembered that much.

  No one came to her that day, nor was she invited down to dine. They fear me, Lucinda thought. They are afraid I will burn the whole castle down. She considered venturing out on her own, but was too scared. The next morning her handmaiden woke her up early. “We must get you ready, Princess. Your governess will meet you early today.” Lucinda left the castle and walked to the castle gate to wait for her escort. When she approached the gate, Prince Matthew was standing waiting for her. He bowed slightly to her.

  “Princess, my uncle has chosen me today to escort you to the North Tower. I hope it doesn't displease you.” His words were polite but his eyes showed no emotion. He fears me, she thought glumly. Just as everyone fears me. She rode with him in silence with her arms wrapped around his waist. Why were they torturing her? Why didn't the King just send her home today? Did he want to make sure that word reached her father before she did? She pictured her father in anger locking her in her room till the very end of her days. Feeling weary, she leaned her head against Matthew’s back and tightened her arms around him.

  She felt the horse slowing. “Are you alright, Princess?”

  “I didn't mean for it to happen. I never wanted to bring this curse to your kingdom, but it was my mother’s wish that I come here when I came of age. She always believed that I could learn to control it. I thought that I could too and finally show my father that it truly is a gift. How can I make your father understand I never wanted this to happen?”

  “He does understand Lucinda. You needn’t worry about it anymore.”

  They rode slowly and continued in silence until Matthew spoke softly to her again. “Your governess is not a true governess is she? She teaches you to control your powers?”

  She answered hesitantly. “She tries too. She says I'm very strong and it will take time. She’s not sure if the summer is long enough.”