Chapter 19 #2
“Did you ever question her? Or follow her?” I ask Delphine, practically humming with a new surge of energy. For the first time since arriving on the mountain, I feel close to something. Some clue or revelation that will change everything.
“Of course I didn’t follow her,” Delphine says with a huff.
But then she sighs and scrunches her eyes.
“I mean, technically, I suppose, I followed her once—but not on purpose.
I was just doing my job. Rowenna was wearing a white dressing gown, and I knew the head housekeeper would skin me alive if the garment came back soiled.
So I grabbed a more suitable cloak and ran after her.
I assumed she was going to meet a gentleman friend, so imagine my surprise when she slipped out a window, lowered herself down the castle wall, and slunk toward the sleeping city.
“I’ll admit, I followed out of curiosity then—and duty too.
Rowenna wasn’t allowed to leave the palace.
Especially not at night. And especially not by herself.
I figured she was going to meet an accomplice some Vanzadorian traitor who was secretly assisting her—and I couldn’t just let that happen.
But then, instead of following the paved road that leads from the palace to the grand square, Rowenna veered off onto an overgrown trail.
One of the old mining routes that lead to the highest reaches of the mountain. ”
“What’s up there?” I lean closer, eyes huge, not bothering to pretend I’m not completely in her thrall.
She could easily be making all of this up as punishment for Rowenna’s supposed cruelty.
But I don’t think she is. The way Delphine spoke about her own sister, and how she came to my aid despite the actions of my sister, feels genuine.
Empathetic in a way that can only come from a soul-deep understanding of the bond between sisters.
“That’s the thing,” Delphine continues. “There’s nothing up there but abandoned mines and empty caves. Our ancestors excavated those veins of gold and copper decades ago. No one has had any reason to return since they closed. It didn’t make sense.”
The thump-thump-thump of my heart quickens, because abandoned mine shafts seem like an ideal place to store things Soren doesn’t want anyone else to find.
Like memories.
Or bagrava.
“Did you see what she found?”
Delphine shakes her head. “We never made it to the caves. I’m not the most sure-footed, and I stumbled over a boulder in the dark.
A wash of pebbles rolled down the trail, straight into the boots of a night watchman.
Rowenna told him I forced her out of bed and dragged her into the wilderness.
She said I’d been threatening to shove her off a cliff if she didn’t pay me extra wages under the table.
I’ve never seen anyone lie so quickly and smoothly. It wasn’t natural.”
Delphine shudders. “I told the guard Rowenna was lying, but who do you think he believed? He beat me with a tree branch so soundly, I couldn’t work for an entire week. Seven days without pay, which meant I couldn’t afford Cloudia’s medication or a nurse to look in on her.”
Delphine bites down on her trembling lip and takes two deep breaths.
“When I returned to work, I was forced to apologize to Rowenna. She then commanded me to sacrifice my memories of that night. And I wanted to. I would have loved to forget your sister’s existence entirely.
But I refused to put myself in such a dangerous position.
I didn’t want to make the same mistake and attempt to follow her again, or let down my guard around her even slightly.
So I pretended to sacrifice the memory and continued serving Rowenna with a cheery smile, as if I had no recollection of that night and no animosity toward her.
It almost killed me,” Delphine murmurs darkly, only realizing the gravity of her statement when she catches my appalled expression.
“But I swear, in the name of the kings, I didn’t kill her,” she adds.
I lean back on my hands with a deflated sigh, weary to the bone of these terrible accusations against Rowenna and seething with frustration to have hit yet another dead end.
Delphine never made it up the mountain, which means she can’t tell me what Rowenna was doing up there. But, perhaps, I could convince her to take me there now, if I offered the right incentive.
Fear and excitement battle for hold of my stomach.
Part of me knows it’s dangerous, asking her to take me to such a remote location.
Everything she’s told me could be a lie.
She could be responsible for Rowenna’s death, and I could be inviting her to lead me to my own grisly end.
But I don’t think that’s the case. This serving girl is like me—a bit timid and out of her depth, but determined to do the best for her sister.
I reach out and place a tentative hand on Delphine’s bony shoulder. “Would you be willing to sneak me out of the palace and guide me up the mountain? So I can see for myself what Rowenna was up to?”
Delphine’s face goes white, and her head’s shaking before I’ve even finished. “I-I couldn’t—”
“I know I’m asking a lot, especially since your last journey up the mountain ended so painfully, but I would never sell you out to the guards. And I’ll help you in return, of course.”
Delphine’s head stops shaking, and she cocks a skeptical brow. “How can you help me?”
“I know a lot about plants. There could be remedies to treat your sister’s illness the Vanzadorian healers have never even heard of, since so little grows on this mountain.
I always keep a stash of dried herbs in my haversack that I’d be happy to experiment with.
And if that doesn’t work, I have dozens of seed packets I could cultivate in the growing beds Soren has provided.
If you take me up the mountain, I won’t stop until we find a cure for Cloudia. ”
Delphine’s mouth falls open. “Y-you’d be willing to do that?”
I hold her gaze and nod. “I’ll help you with your sister if you’ll help me with mine.”
Delphine studies me, anxiously fingering the end of her braid for what feels like an eternity.
“Please,” I beg. “This is the only lead I have to go on.”
After a long searching look, Delphine lets out a shaky breath. “Fine. I’ll take you tomorrow night. Secure an alibi for yourself—and ensure it’s ironclad. Soren has guards and councilors everywhere, and none of them can know we left the palace.”
“Not a problem,” I say. “In fact, I know just the thing. Can you bring a tray of lavender tea, a plate of scones, and a bowl of nutmeg when you return tomorrow night?”
Delphine gives me an incredulous look. “Be serious, Indira. This won’t be a picnic. We’ll be in real danger. We need a real plan.”
“Trust me,” I say with a blossoming grin. “A picnic is precisely what we need.”