“Why do you need to apologise?” He asked her, sitting down at the pond’s edge.
“Because I knew more, and I didn’t come and tell you. They were getting suspicious, and I didn’t trust that you would keep my sister safe,” she answered.
“Why tell me now?”
“Guilt, I suppose.” She shrugged. “I knew that the Agents were mighty, but I didn’t think that they would storm the barricades like they did. I’m so sorry, Elijah.” Lilliana whimpered. He didn’t know if it was fake emotions or not, but he knew now that he couldn’t trust her.
“You knew they were all coming, and you knew numbers?” He repeated. “That could have saved John’s life. Merrick and Leon wouldn’t be spending time in the infirmary and I...” His voice trailed off, leaving them in silence once more.
“What was I supposed to do?” Lilliana asked through her tears. “They were looking for excuses to kill off members that weren’t helping, they needed to think they had the upper hand. They said they knew where Kenna was, I couldn’t take the risk your protection would fail. I didn’t know they were going to kill him; I didn’t know…”
Her hand reached over his shoulder and Elijah brushed her off, not wanting to be touched by her. He played over scenarios in his head where they could have been more prepared, and the prince would not have died. Unsure of which ending he liked worse, Elijah shuffled himself away from her.
“It’s alright. I promise you, Kenna is safe and being protected. You do not need to worry about your sister.”
She looked up at him. “Why would they listen to you?”
“Why wouldn’t they? We keep her safe, you help us fight the Agents of Cyran.”
“It’s no use. He is coming and he will win.” She fidgeted with her hands.
“Then I better tell the king.” Elijah stood up. Lilliana protested and reached for him, his shirt slipped revealing his shoulder. She let go and stepped back.
“It’s you…” Lilliana pointed to him. “You have the mark of the dragon.”
Elijah tried to see his shoulder. No-one had ever called it that before. Was the magic Merrick used to hide it wearing off? “I don’t know what you’re on about.” He readjusted the shirt and stopped her from trying to leave. “You saw nothing, you hear?”
“I won’t tell anyone.” She stepped back and bowed her head. “As long as my sister stays safe, I won’t say a word..”
He nodded, uncomfortable with yet another person knowing who he was with the threat of a madman coming to kill him having over his head. “Go and remember to tell me everything you find out.”
When Elijah entered the main hall, he was met with the faces of King Roderick, the queen, and two king’s guards, Besk and Davnar. He’d expected to see Jaxon but assumed he was in the infirmary checking on Merrick.
“Ah Elijah, I am glad you’re here first. There’s some pressing news I must speak with you about,” King Roderick said as he spotted Eli.
“How can I help?”
“Hmm.” The king put an arm around him and walked him over to the others. “There have been rumours about one of the maids. A young lady, with long blonde hair. She’s about this big.” The king motioned in the air before eyeing him carefully as he spoke. Looking for any signs of recognition. “She’s been overheard speaking to people about the Agents of Cyran and the fabled missing prince.”
Should I say something? Before he could answer, the doors opened once more. Jaxon walked into the room with Merrick and behind them was Gianna and Sahab. Smiling, they came over and stood next to him.
“How are you feeling?” Sahab and Gianna said together.
“Better. I see he’s recovered quickly” Elijah nodded towards Merrick who was embracing King Roderick.
“We both know he shouldn’t be out of bed so soon, it’s only been a few weeks. He didn’t want to miss out on getting information first hand. Naoko only agreed to let him out if we all brought him back within the hour.” Sahab looked over at their trainer. “He’s getting better Eli; his flesh wounds have healed, but he still needs to rest until he is fully recovered.”
“Right,” King Roderick boomed, getting everyone’s attention. “Some news has come out about the attack. The Agents of Cyran are working for someone called The Master. No-one seems to know what the Master’s actual name is. This Master believes the Missing Prince is standing in his way and must be eliminated.”
Around the room everyone was focused on the King’s words. Elijah already knew this information and was going to tell Merrick. He assumed this meeting was about rebuilding the castle and training more guards.
“Considering the recent events, and the sad passing of Prince John, I have heard there is another rumour going around the castle. This news cannot spread to the towns and villages.”
“He’s still alive, isn’t he?” Besk said, his fingers folding into fists.
Elijah looked at Merrick, who gestured for him to stay calm. Calm. How was Eli not to worry? They were about to discover that he was still alive!
The king looked at Elijah, scratching his neck as his eyes travelled around the room, stopping with Merrick. “What you are all about to learn in this room must stay in this room.” The four guards nodded their head as Elijah gulped. “What we know for certain is this; The Agents of Cyran murdered King Hector and Queen Rhohesia Kane. She had a son, never documented in the Royal Lineage records, and they did not find his body in the castle after the attack. The Master believed this baby was Prince John and now someone has started a rumour that it wasn’t.”
Goosebumps ran along the back of Elijah’s neck. He tried not to look panicked, but he could feel eyes staring at him. Merrick and King Roderick were both looking at him, protectively. Sahab had a confused look on his face, and Gianna was looking at the king. Uncomfortable, Elijah shifted his weight from his right foot to his left and rubbed his shoulder again.
“Are you alright?” Sahab whispered, as the king continued his speech.
“Not really.” Elijah looked at his friend.
“If the prince wasn’t the one The Master was after, then someone else is going to die,” Davnar said, speaking the words that ran through Eli’s mind.
The king cleared his throat. “The reason I know Rhohesia had a son is because I am one of the people who helped get him out of the castle. His nanny took him to his uncle, and he has stayed hidden ever since. We know who he is, we know where he is, but we must squash these rumours and find out who they think he is. We must protect him at all costs.”
Elijah felt Sahab and Gianna stiffen next to him.
“Your Majesty, who is it we are protecting?” Gianna’s question broke the silence that followed the king’s words.
This couldn’t be happening. Merrick said he wasn’t to tell anyone and yet here they were about to tell a room full of people.
“A boy from another village. He has been sent for and will arrive at the castle in a few days. Once he is here, he will be the top priority.”
Eli felt his entire body relax.
“In the meantime, Elijah, Sahab, can you please go to the library and see if anyone other than my daughter has been checking out books. Gianna, once Leon is up for walking around, I want you to talk to the servants and see if they know a girl with long blonde hair who has been overheard talking about the prince and the Agents of Cyran. Jaxon… Take Merrick back to the infirmary and make sure he stays there until fully recovered. Dismissed.” The king waved a hand, gesturing for them to go.
Everyone dispersed, and Merrick tried to persuade his brother to let him stay. Jaxon wasn’t stupid. In the king’s mood no-one would think twice about questioning an order from him. Elijah started to leave with Sahab, he was barely two steps outside the hall when a hand came down onto his shoulder. Turning, Jaxon and Merrick were right behind them. Sahab carried on walking, not noticing Elijah had stopped.
“How are you doing?” he asked, seeing the pain in Merrick’s face.
“Better, and I would get bette
r faster if they let me out of that damned infirmary bed,” Merrick moaned. “But I needed to hear the news from Roderick. To make sure there were no surprises, to make sure it was what we agreed and to make sure you were safe.”
“You knew he was going to tell them the prince lives?”
Jaxon smiled. “It is in everyone’s best interests that the rumour is ‘the prince lives’ and not ‘Elijah, Hector’s son lives.’” Elijah widened his eyes. “Yes, I know. I have always known. You are my brother’s nephew.”
Someone walked into the hallways, and they stopped talking. “Come on, old man, time to go back to Naoko. She’ll only make it worse if we are late,” Jaxon said, after a few moments of silence. Merrick’s eyes were so full of emotion, glazed over almost. He could see the pain flash through them when he moved too much. He was helpless, but Eli knew there was nothing he could do to help until Merrick had recovered.
“Hey, what are you do… oh sorry,” Sahab said, registering Merrick and Jaxon. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t, Elijah is just expressing his concern for me.”
Sahab nodded. “Could you pass a message to Gianna and tell her she’s going to have to stay with Leon for another hour or so?”
“Of course,” Jaxon answered. He helped Merrick to walk again, and they set off for the infirmary. Elijah smiled weakly at Sahab as a thank you, and they made their way to the library.
The doors were wide open when they arrived. Buisan was pacing up and down the room. As they got closer to the room, the librarian noticed their presence and stopped. Buisan took a deep breath and strode over to meet them.
“Master Eli,” Buisan said with his familiar ’s’ rolls and a bow of his head. “How can I be of service?”
“We were asked to see who had been in the library these past few weeks.”
“Other than the princess,” Sahab added, stepped in front of Elijah.
The librarian looked to the floor and then shook his head. “I’m afraid the answer will not be something you will like. The princesses handmaiden is in here now. She asked for the books Osmar had before.” Buisan stepped back and allowed them past, dipping his head as Elijah walked by.
Leading Sahab around the maze of the bookshelves, Elijah knew exactly which turns to take. As they neared the table, Eli slowed their pace. Coming to a stop before the last corner where he knew she would be sitting. Pressing their backs to the bookshelves, they sidestepped until Elijah could peek around the corner.
Sure enough, as Elijah had thought, Lilliana was sitting at the table. She was looking through the book Osmar had given him when he wanted to look at the Royal Family history. If he was such a secret, he wondered why they still had these books in the library.
“There must be something here I can use,” he heard Lilliana mutter to herself.
A hand hit his chest as he tried to move forward. Sahab shook his head. “We need to wait,” he whispered.
Lilliana threw a book on the ground with a growl. It landed at his feet and he had to fight the urge to kick it.
“This isn’t working. What the hell do these riddles even mean?”
Frowning, Elijah tried to picture what she was looking at. Then it hit him. On the Royal portraits, there was writing around the borders. But he never realised that it meant something. He thought they were badly written poems.
“What riddles?” He said stepping out, making Lilliana jump. She pushed her chair back and stood up.
“Elijah, what are you doing here?”
“We could ask you the same question,” he answered, taking another step forward.
“I-I was just looking through some books, for research.” He could tell instantly she was lying. Lilliana had never stuttered before when speaking to him. Now, she looked nervous, scared almost.
“There’s no need to lie, we’ve caught you, now tell us what you are doing.”
“I don’t even know who that is.” She jabbed a finger through the air at Sahab.
“This is my friend and fellow Elite member, Sahab Menda. There, you know who he is,” Elijah said. “So, tell me what you are doing.”
“I need information.” Her eyes looked Sahab up from head to toe. “Can I speak freely?”
Elijah gulped. I’m going to have to break my promise to Merrick and tell him my secret. “Sahab, you need to promise me what you hear right here, right now, will never, ever, be repeated.”
He frowned. “Okay…”
“Yes, Lilliana, you can speak freely.”
“I need to find something to give him without implicating who the prince is.”
“So, you’re the spy they are looking for,” Sahab said in a low voice. “You knew who she was?”
Elijah nodded with a sigh. “She’s helping us, but she also can’t not help them or they will kill her and her sister.”
Sahab crossed his arms. “And are you being helpful? The prince did get murdered.”
“And many people didn’t because I warned you about that attack. Are you done?”
“Well, if you’re going to be rude, I can call in the guards now?” Raising an eyebrow, Sahab cocked his head to the side.
“No!” Lilliana stood up as she said the words. “Please, I’ve already agreed to tell you everything you want to know. My sister…”
“It’s alright Lilliana, he was teasing. Tell us what you are doing here.” Elijah crossed his arms, expecting her to tell him something untrue because he had brought Sahab with him.
“Osmar down in the dungeons asked me to look into something. The portraits of all the kings and queens have writing around them.” She turned the book around and pointed to the portraits of Elijah’s parents. “The Kanes’ don’t. Except for the blank portrait of their son.”
Elijah grabbed the book before Lilliana finished her last words. Sliding it across the table so Sahab could see it too. He flicked through a couple of pages to check if she was right. Sure enough, the only two portraits in the book that did not have any writing were his parents.
“What else did Osmar say to you?” Elijah said with a little more venom than he intended. “He must still be in contact with this Master, or whatever you call him. How is this happening?” Elijah moved forward until he was close enough to hit her, anger radiating off him.
“All I know is that I had a note through my door telling me to go to the dungeon. That’s where I spoke with Osmar, the librarian, I didn’t know his name at the time. He told me to look within the Royal Lineage and see if there was anything the Master could use.” Elijah didn’t like the sound of where this was going. “I’ve looked through these books a thousand times and I’ve found nothing but these bloody riddles.”
“Let me take a closer look,” Elijah demanded, holding his arm out for the book. Sahab picked it up and handed it to him. Stopping Eli from getting too close to the table. Holding the spine of the book in his left hand, Eli ran his fingers over the text. The pictures of his parents and then down to a blank one which he assumes would have been filled in if things had been different.
Ancestral Knowledge lies where the drapery resides. North West then North again, your answers hidden behind the glen.
“These would only make sense to someone who lived in the castle,” Elijah said, thinking he knew what this meant. He cursed himself for speaking so openly. I shouldn’t be telling her anything that might aid this Master. He rubbed his head as more memories crept to the surface.
“What do you mean?” Sahab asked.
“Well, it references ‘ancestral knowledge’. So, it would have to be someone from a long time ago who lived here. At least that would be my assumption.” Elijah shrugged. There was nothing else he could think of that would make sense.
“Hmmm.” Sahab, stroking his chin. “I’m not sure that is what this is referencing.”
“Not as easy as you thought, huh?” Lilliana said.
“Well, I wouldn’t need to figure it out if you and the other Agents of Cyran would stop following the word of
a mad elf and stop trying to kill me.”
“You?” Elijah flinched at Sahab’s words. How could I have been so careless?
He turned to look at his friend and nodded. “Yes, me. Merrick is my uncle by marriage. His sister-in-law was… well, you know who they are.”
Sahab stepped back. “How long have you known?”
“Not long,” Elijah replied, shaking his head. It wasn’t that much of a lie, but it still felt like tar in his mouth. “Merrick told me in the infirmary.”
“What about her?”
“It’s not that hard to figure out now that I am back here. I think that’s why Merrick left Adelith all those years ago.”
“This is all very touching but, shouldn’t we be focusing on the real problem here?”
“Did you know about this before or after they killed Prince John?” Sahab asked, ignoring Lilliana’s question.
Elijah shook his head. “I’m not sure, everything has blurred. With my memories coming back, the threat of this Master and protecting the princess, I haven’t really been keeping track of the timeline in which I learn things.” He paused, not sure what else he could say.
“What about the boy the king is bringing in? Did you know when they said that?”
“Yes, and I do not know who or what they are planning. But it’s to protect me. Merrick doesn’t want to lose any more family, they already took his wife and child. Sahab please, you have to understand.”
“I understand. I’m not sure why no-one trusts the people sworn to protect the royal family, but that is an issue to raise another time.”
Silence hung in the air as time felt frozen. Lilliana scanned the book again while Sahab stared at the floor. If Elijah could look inside his head, he would have seen the cogs turning as his friend pieced together everything that had happened since Merrick and his arrival.
“Why don’t you all just stop following him?”
“He’ll never give up,” Lilliana answers Sahab. “The foretelling is something he believes deep in his soul. He believes the only way he will become powerful is to kill you as you are destined to make sure he fails.”
Kingdom of Lies (The Kane Saga Book 1) Page 18