“Meet me here the day after tomorrow then,” he smiled at her. “I’ll get Kenna protected and you can tell me what you know.”
“Okay, um, Eli?”
“Yes?”
“Could I have some time alone here now? This is where I come to think.” Her voice was so quiet now. Like he’d peeled back layers to see the inner soul. Lilliana, although clearly conflicted in her emotions, was shy when it came to her own issues.
Alone. “Of course,” he said, taking his leave. Half expecting her to attack him on the way out, Elijah had one hand on his sword as he walked back to the corridor.
19
Passageways
Sunlight fell across Eli as it beamed through the small window above him. Still half asleep, he misjudged the size of his bed and rolled over, landing on the floor. After giving himself a few seconds to catch his breath, he wiped the sleep from his eyes.
Standing, he re-orientated himself with his surroundings and pulled out his Elite uniform. As he slipped his top over his head, there was a knock at the door.
“Eli, it’s Sahab. You need to get up now, you’re late,” his friend called. Elijah opened up and looked at Sahab. “Why are you wearing your uniform today?”
Looking down at himself, and then at his friend, he noticed Sahab was dressed in tight black trousers with high boots, a white shirt, undone and a jacket with puffy shoulders. The colours were a combination Elijah had never seen before.
“Ah well, means I don’t have to change for the party later.” Elijah shrugged, laughing it off. “You, however, are very dressed up. Planning on impressing the cook’s assistant. What’s her name, Levanna?”
“What?” Sahab spun around but shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re on about.”
“Oh, come on.” Eli swung an arm around his friend’s shoulders as he caught up to him. “You went completely silent when she came into the dining room with Filip. You were jealous.”
“Okay, let’s move on.”
Raising an eyebrow, Elijah smirked. His friend was definitely into her, and if he had a chance, he would tell Levanna.
“Right, what are you making me do today?” Elijah asked, taking his friend’s comments under advisement and changing the subject of the conversation. Hopefully, something good would come out of it.
“Well, you missed training. Merrick is not happy with you.” Sahab laughed. “You get to do a run tomorrow morning before we switch with the reserves.”
“Great, exactly what I needed to start my day off.” Elijah rolled his eyes. “Seriously, what are we doing?”
“We are going exploring.”
“Exploring?” Elijah was cynical. He thought back to the passageways Maevine had taken him and how his childhood memories had come rushing back to him. “Are… are you sure that’s something we should do?”
“Yes, I’m sure. The librarian has said they can get me an old map of the castle,” Sahab said, grinning. They turned the corner and went through the doors.
There were many people in the library when Sahab and Elijah entered. Buisan could be heard instructing people on what sections to audit. Considering the vast size of the library, Elijah wasn’t sure if the extra staff were enough to catalogue every book in one day. Buisan, catching Sahab’s eye, stopped his conversation and glided over to them.
“Ah, Sahab,” Buisan said with his elongated ’s’ hisses. “I have those maps you were looking for. It took a long time to find the right ones.” The librarian pulled some paper from inside his cloak and handed it to him. “You should both be very careful. While this is not widely known information, a lot more people know about it than the king would like.” Buisan gave Elijah a stern look, like he was talking to Eli in particular.
“We will be discreet, Buisan. Elijah is like that.” Sahab chuckled. “I’ll bring them back this evening.” Sahab hit Elijah in the chest and turned to leave the library. Something in Buisan’s eyes made Elijah stop for a moment before following his friend.
Catching up to Sahab was easily done, he had stopped on the corner of the corridor. Elijah followed his friend into a small room, which was more like a cupboard that had nothing more than a table in.
“You’ve been planning this for a while, haven’t you?” Elijah asked, looking around at the setup.
“Maybe, here look at this,” Sahab answered, steering the conversation back to the map. He laid it out on the table, which, from a quick glance, looked like the grounds and layout of the castle. Taking a closer look, Elijah saw that its secret passageways were all highlighted. One that stood out was connected to the princess’s chamber. It led to the queen’s garden pond and there was another one that led outside. If there’s a map showing these, then the Agents of Cyran might know about them too.
“How does Buisan have a map of the castle showing secret passageways, Sahab, and why are you so interested in it?” Elijah instantly regretted the last question. Was he suspicious of his friends now, too?
“Buisan, I don’t know. And I wanted it so we could explore, see if these are real?” Sahab shrugged. “Do you not like the idea?”
“It’s a marvellous idea, I’m not sure if now is the time to be sneaking around. Especially with all the extra guard patrols and this Cyran threat.”
Sahab nodded. “I thought if they were, then we could bring it to the king. Have them blocked up, or at least guarded, to stop anyone from using them to get access inside the castle.”
Eli smiled. “And it’s better to check them to see if they need that first, right?” Sighing, Eli couldn’t hide the fact he was a little excited about checking out his old home. Home… “Okay, let’s start with these, and then share your idea with Gianna and Leon?” He pointed to one that he knew. A passageway between the stables and the servant’s quarters.
Sahab’s eyes lit up. He folded up the map and was about to stuff it in his pocket when he looked up at Elijah. “You should look after this.”
“Why? You’re the one that has to give it back to the librarian,” Elijah said, pushing Sahab’s hand away.
“If we get caught, I don’t want this on me. You take it, the princess likes you. She’ll be more lenient.” Sahab’s words were so casual it was as if he knew it to be true. “Don’t look at me like that. Anyone within a mile of both would see you both making googly eyes at each other.”
“Stop,” Elijah warned, grabbing the map from his hands. “Forget you ever said that to me.” Rolling his eyes, Eli slowly opened the door and stepped out. The corridor was empty, or as empty as it can be with guards on every corner. Starting off towards the stables, Elijah got the feeling he was being watched, and not just from being followed by Sahab.
“Are you okay?” Sahab’s voice made Elijah jump. “Hey, it’s only me. No need to be freaked out.”
“Sorry. I feel like someone is watching us.”
“Who would want to watch two boys walking to the stables?” Sahab shrugged.
“Now isn’t the time to try and be funny, Sahab,” Elijah said, his voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s probably just in my mind. Let’s find this passageway.”
Trying to lift the mood after his harshness was something that he never did well. Sahab was a little tense as they walked towards the passageway opening. Elijah forgot to pull out the map and pretend to look for it. Which he only realised when they ducked inside.
“How did you find this so fast?” asked Sahab once they were safely under cover. “You only looked at the map once.”
“Uh, I remember things easily. Photographic memory.” Shrugging his shoulders, Elijah walked on to avoid any more questions.
The passageway was a little different from the last time he was here. There was a little more growth, which was to be expected, but there was now a gate in the way. Grabbing the handle, he found it was unlocked, luckily, and Eli pushed it to the wall. The shrubbery and plants hid the gate perfectly, as you could hardly see any details in the dim light of the tunnel.
“This is so cool,�
� Sahab muttered. “Should I close this?”
“You don’t have to speak so quietly Sahab, no-one is down here with us.” Elijah laughed.
“But you never know who may know about these secret entries to the Castle. I think we should lock the gate, in case the Agents of Cyran attack.”
Elijah had to admit to himself that was a good idea. Pulling the gate closed again, he used the hanging chain to lock it up, so it could not be opened unless it was from this side. He hoped that was enough to stop whoever had been following them.
The rest of the passageway was dark, but easy to navigate. There was enough light coming from an above exit that allowed them to reach a doorway to the servant’s quarters. What Elijah did not expect was to walk straight into King Roderick as he stepped out.
“Elijah?” The king raised an eyebrow. Sahab stumbled out of the passageway as King Roderick spoke and pushed Elijah forward. Elijah scowled at Sahab as he turned back to face the king.
“Your Majesty, my apologies.”
A hand clamped down on his shoulder and squeezed. “There’s no-one around, I’ll let you off the hook this time.” The king winked. “Did you manage to find the person you were looking for?”
“Not yet, we agreed to meet this afternoon. I should have some information for you later today.” Elijah said, his eyes flickering to Sahab for a moment. “I’ll bring it straight to you once I have it.”
The king nodded. “Thank you. It will be good to be one step ahead of them this time.” Roderick looked to the entrance of the passageway they had come out of. “Be careful exploring those. Some of them still have traps in from when Merrick and I used to roam them.”
Sahab smiled. “Do you think many people know about them? I thought we should check a few out, clock them up, get guards on them in case the…” his voice trailed off.
“It’s a good idea, I’ll mention it to Merrick and the advisors.” The king nodded to Elijah. “Report to me as soon as you can Elijah, we need to stop this threat. For everyone’s sake.”
Elijah bowed his head as the king strode away from them. Sahab followed suit, and they waited until the king was around the corner before resuming their conversation.
“I better get going and meet up with, uh, my contact. I’ll catch you later and fill you in?”
“Sure. Do you want me to come with you?”
“I’m not sure that would be a great idea. They’re pretty worried about their leader finding out about them. The fewer people who know, the better. So, don’t tell anyone?”
“I won’t,” Sahab said. “Catch you later.” He disappeared into his room and Elijah started towards his mother’s secret garden to wait.
Waiting for Lilliana made Elijah nervous. A dampness coated the sword worn skin of his palms as his heart struck heavy, rapid beats against the inside of his chest. He paced like a caged lion, waiting for his captor to kill him. She was late, and he was panicking. Running his fingers through his hair, Eli sat down on the edge of the pond and dipped his hand into the water. It was cold. Splashing some on his face, he wiped it off and dried with his shirt.
“What are you doing?” Lilliana asked from behind him.
“Waiting for you, you’re late.” Elijah hoped his tone showed his annoyance.
“I’m sorry, I can’t slip away as easy as you, especially when I am being watched by more than one set of people.” Lilliana was snappy, but Eli couldn’t blame her under the circumstances.
“Just tell me what you came here to say and then this can be over for now,” he replied, standing up and facing her.
“What about my sister?”
“I have that handled.” He didn’t, but he would. When he spoke to Merrick and the king, they would handle it. Even if he had to look after Kenna himself. “She will be protected as agreed.”
Lilliana frowned, sighed, and then nodded. “They’re coming. Here to the castle, they asked me to find a suitable time and place to attack Prince John.” Her voice was quiet, like she didn’t want to admit what was happening. “I heard the king talking about afternoon tea for Sienna and John. Would that be a good time?”
“Are you seriously asking me when a good time to attack is?”
“I thought you wanted to be prepared?” Lilliana’s eyes widened at Elijah’s question. “I can’t not give them something so if we agree then at least there’s a chance you’ll have the upper hand.”
“Why are they coming for him?” Elijah asked, needing to understand his past.
“I’ve told you this already Eli,” Lilliana looked to the floor and walked around. He could tell she was remorseful, but if she had the answers about his past, Elijah knew she would tell him. “I have no more information to give you.”
“Tomorrow, at afternoon tea. How many of them will there be?”
“We need to be careful, if you have too many extra guards, they will know someone helped you. If they find out, it was me…”
“Hey…” Eli was standing now, comforting her. “I’ll do whatever I can to make sure nothing happens to you, or Prince John.”
“But you can’t die either,” she blurted out. “You need to keep Sienna safe.”
He stepped back and looked at her. “I won’t and I will.”
Not knowing what to do next, Eli sat back down next to the pond and stared into its clear blue waters. Lilliana sat beside him, close enough to feel her presence, but not close enough to touch.
20
Afternoon Tea
Elijah felt like he hadn’t slept as all as he tucked into a hot bowl of porridge with a dash of honey and a glass of milk. A common combination which Elijah enjoyed. He scooped up the last spoonful and tried to not make eye contact with Sahab. He wasn’t sure he could answer any more questions. King Roderick gave him enough last night.
After seeing Lilliana, Elijah reluctantly went straight to Merrick, the only one he could speak with who knew the whole truth. They had agreed Lilliana’s identity needed to stay a secret, and they’d agreed to keep Kenna safe. She was innocent in all this, so they were moving her to a hidden location even he didn’t know. Merrick also noted that Lilliana could potentially be lying. After some convincing and an argument between King Roderick and Merrick, afternoon tea was still happening, but they’d doubled the guards on every entrance as a less obvious measure.
As much as Elijah hated giving up some of his escape routes and secret passageways, he knew it was for the best. If Lilliana knew where they were, so did the Agents of Cyran, and who knew when they were going to make their move.
“Elijah, are you ready for today?” Sahab asked.
“Have you ever had to pretend you don’t know something is happening while simultaneously protecting someone you care about?” Elijah responded, monotone.
“Uh…” Sahab’s voice trailed off.
Idiot. Why did you say that? “Sorry.”
“Well, you don’t have to be so dramatic about it.” His friend pouted. “I was only trying to have a conversation. You need to hold it together a bit more.”
“I’m sorry, Sahab. Today is just going to be difficult for me,” said Elijah. “I don’t… what exactly is the plan today?”
“If you paid attention when people tell you information, you’d know the answer to that. We are chaperoning them on the balcony and making sure everything goes smoothly.” Sahab grabbed Elijah’s empty bowl, stacking it on top of his, and took them to the sink.
“Thanks,” Eli said, standing up. “Come on, we don’t want to be late. The reserves are going to want a rest.”
Leaving the kitchen, Eli noticed the number of people about had increased. The servants, although not actually cleaning, were dotted everywhere. Pulling back curtains, making sure all escape routes were accessible and known. Eli noticed two sets of guards standing on either side of two secret passageways that led to the outside world. A shiver went down his spine at the thought of who might be waiting out there.
If I didn’t know about the passageways, would I know wha
t they were protecting? Does anyone know why there are more guards around?
As they passed by the main hall, Eli noted the doors were closed. Meaning no visitors and no parties. Eli wondered where the afternoon tea was taking place and hoped it wasn’t the gardens again. The princess did not need another allergic reaction right before an attack on the castle.
Reaching the princess’s room, Elijah slowed his pace. It wasn’t the reserve team outside the princesses’ room; it was two kings guard. Besk was pacing up and down the corridor. Arms were behind his back, his blonde hair ruffled at the front.
“You’re late,” Erleon said. Pushing himself off the wall. “The princess is still inside getting ready.”
Eli nodded his head and Sahab stepped up to his side.
“We need to go to the king now.” Besk’s voice was rough and his eyes were focused on Erleon. “You,” he said, turning to Elijah, “need to sort your priorities out. Take this position more seriously.” He moved forward, pushing past Elijah and hitting his shoulder. Erleon shrugged as he followed Besk, and the pair of them disappeared around the corner.
“Do you understand what just happened?” Sahab shook his head at Eli’s words. “And are you worried about it?”
“I have no idea what to say.” Sahab said, after a few moments of silence. “Let’s just get Princess Sienna to her afternoon tea with Prince John and do our jobs. If there was any imminent danger, they would have cancelled it, right?”
“Right.” Sahab nodded. “Elijah, are you annoyed because of what Besk said or because there might be something that could endanger the princess?” Sahab leant against the wall.
“Shhh, keep your voice down,” Elijah hissed. “She’s only in there. I don’t need everyone knowing. Thought you were my friend.”
Kingdom of Lies (The Kane Saga Book 1) Page 14