Chapter 19
Cai
I opened the window in my room, allowing the fresh morning air to seep in.
After getting dressed quickly, I headed for the dining room, hoping I would catch Elara for breakfast. It had been two days since we talked, and though I wasn’t on track to agree with everything she said, I could no longer take the silence between us.
She’d been ignoring me the whole of yesterday and, partially, I did not blame her. Our conversation could have gone much better.
I hoped I wouldn’t run into Lance like I had the day before.
He was part of the reason we were arguing in the first place.
I knew it wasn’t likely that he had intentions of coming between us.
He was, after all, the one who’d suggested she ask for my hand in marriage all those months ago.
But it didn’t mean I wanted to be his friend right now.
I walked into the dining room to find Gwen sitting there with her book.
“Two days in a row? You must really miss me,” she said, slightly teasing, and I forced a smile her way.
“I wish I could join you but I’m looking for Elara again.”
“Is something the matter with you two? You’ve been acting strange.”
I sighed. “We had a fight, and I need to talk to her.”
“I’m sorry,” Gwen replied and shifted in her seat with some discomfort.
It wasn’t a wonder she took long breakfasts every morning with her reading material.
It would be a while before she would be able to walk normally and go back to other leisurely activities.
I bet she missed the archery range back home.
“How’s your ankle feeling?”
“Still the same.” She shrugged. “It’s becoming quite a nuisance, I’ll admit.”
“Well, I’m sure it will feel better soon.” I rubbed my hands together with some awkwardness, knowing I hadn’t been a good brotherly figure to her in recent times. Knowing we both couldn’t deal with what Thatcher had done and not knowing how to be there for her. Or how to even talk about it.
“Maybe you should try Her Majesty’s chambers. It’s still quite early, after all. She might be getting ready.”
“Right.” I nodded in thanks and headed back to Elara’s rooms. I was surprised to find the doors standing wide open, with Anesta inside the room, her face as white as a sheet.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” she breathed out. “I’ve asked Rhen to go and look for her. Maybe she’s just gone out for an early ride without telling us.”
“What do you mean Rhen is looking for her? Why would he be looking for her?”
Anesta looked at Elara’s empty bed and then back to me. “She was acting strange all of last night. I thought maybe she just wasn’t feeling well or something but now I don’t know . . .”
“How do you know she’s not just somewhere in the palace?”
“I looked through her trunk. Her cloak, her gloves, even her satchel weren’t there. I think she’s gone.”
My heart sank from my chest all the way to my feet.
Gone?
“Gone where?”
“I don’t know,” Anesta said again, although I already had a few ideas in mind and none of them were good.
My eyes drifted to her sheets, the bed neatly made as she had left it. As I walked over to the bed, I spotted a folded piece of paper on a small table nearby. It was practically invisible between all the trinkets, but I spotted my name in her handwriting.
I quickly grabbed the paper and unfolded it. Letters from Elara were never a good sign.
Dear Cai,
Please don’t be angry.
Well, it was a little too late for that.
We both know the importance of this key and the diary. I really believe it to be the answer to everything. Tell everyone that I’ll be all right and not to send anyone looking for me. See you soon.
See you soon. Soon was too vague.
“What does it say?” Anesta asked.
“She’s gone to look for a key to the diary. I don’t know when she’ll be back.” I held out the letter towards her.
“Just like that?” She took the piece of paper from me. “She left just like that, without telling anyone?”
“She knew I thought it was too dangerous and that I would try and stop her,” I admitted.
“But I doubt you would do so without good reason, Your Majesty.”
“When has Elara ever listened to good reason though?”
She looked to the open bedroom doors behind me. “Should we alert the court?”
As much as I wanted to send the whole guard and every available man to look for her, letting the court know that the queen was missing could create chaos.
“Not yet,” I told her. “Not until we absolutely need to. How long ago did you tell Rhen?”
“About two minutes before you walked into the room.”
“Okay.” I ran my hands through my hair. “As soon as he is back, we’ll start devising some kind of plan. Maybe we can send out a search party or something.”
“But Her Majesty specifically asked us not to—”
“Do you think I care?” I cried out, louder than intended, and Anesta’s eyes widened a little.
“I’m sorry,” I apologised quickly, rubbing my hand across my face. “I’m just worried about her.”
“I know.” Anesta looked to the empty bed again. “Me too.”
Rhen walked into the room with a stone-like expression. He closed the doors behind him.
“I cannot find her.”
“We know.” Anesta handed him the letter. “She’s gone to find the key to King Evrin’s diary.”
Rhen read the letter before looking back up at us. “I’ll have to talk to the guards on shift, find out why no one saw her leave.”
“She would have taken a horse. Maybe the stable boy saw something,” Anesta added and Rhen gave a nod.
“I’ll speak with him as well.” He gave the piece of paper back to me.
“Her letter doesn’t say where she went. Probably because she didn’t want anyone going after her.”
“I know where she went.” And I would have placed my bets I wasn’t the only one, if Lance had been the one to tell her where the key was in the first place. “We should probably gather a search party, but I don’t know how far we’ll get. Elara is not in the easiest place to reach.”
“Where did she go?”
“The most dangerous place in Everness.” I told him. “The centre of the forest.”
Rhen’s face fell. He’d been there the day Elara and I went missing in the mist. Some of Aries’ men even died in there. He knew the horrors of the fabled mist in the middle of the Evernean Forest.
“Why the hell would she go there? And on her own, no less.”
“Because that’s where Lance told her the key was, and now she’s going after it.” I clenched my jaw. This was bad.
“I’ll have to talk to him as well.”
“Maybe you should leave that conversation to me.” I imagined how much I would enjoy hitting Lance in the face. I’d never got to repay him for what happened at Woodsbrook Manor, after all.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Rhen raised an eyebrow. “We still need Lance alive after it.”
“Do we?” I asked with some sarcasm, though I was so filled with anger at the fact that he knew what kind of danger Elara would be putting herself in and let her go anyway.
Of course, he would be too cowardly to get it himself, but I bet Lance was eager for the answers in that diary just as much as we were.
“Well, let me go with the search party, then. I know how to get there.”
Rhen seemed hesitant. “While your consultation would be appreciated, Your Majesty, you might need to stay at the palace.”
“For goodness’ sake, Rhen, how can I stay here and wait while she is out there somewhere, maybe hurt or lost or who knows what? The forest is dangerous regardless of the mist. She could be lost or hungry or something might have attacked her.”
“I know,” Rhen said with understanding. “Very well, Your Majesty. We will arrange a search party and leave as soon as possible.”
Elara, how could you do this?
“Anything I can do to help?” Anesta crossed her arms shyly.
“If anyone asks, tell them the Queen is currently indisposed. I’ll have someone stand at the doors and make sure that no one enters.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Anesta gave a small curtsy before leaving the room.
“I’ll need to find out exactly where she was heading,” Rhen said, looking back to me.
“Well, I think we both know who we need to talk to about that.”
* * *
We found Lance in the library, sitting in front of a chessboard.
“You have some explaining to do.” I pointed at his face as Rhen and I walked into the room.
“Whoa, hey fellas.” Lance put up his hands slightly defensively. “I’m already outnumbered, there’s no need to crowd me.”
“This is serious, Your Highness,” Rhen responded. “We need your help with something.”
“Well, of course.” Lance dropped his hands and folded them together. “What can I help with?”
“Elara is missing.” I cut to the chase. “And I think you know where she went.”
He didn’t respond at first and moved one of the chess pieces. Then he looked back to us and finally said, “I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Something inside me snapped. I stormed over and tipped the chessboard off the table before grabbing Lance by his collar.
“Your Majesty!” Rhen called out but made no attempt to stop me.
“If you don’t tell me where she is, I will not hesitate to beat you beyond recognition. I’ve been thinking about it for a while actually.”
Lance didn’t show any concern about my threat. He only looked at me with a blank expression.
“She made me promise,” he said while I still gripped his collar. “Are you going to make me break a promise to her?”
Part of me had hoped that while Lance had put the idea in Elara’s head, she had done the rest on her own. The fact that she had actually consulted him on this plan only hurt me more.
“This is her life we are talking about,” I said, with no intention of lowering my voice. “She could die out there and you know it!”
“You have so little faith in her,” he said softly, wickedly. “No wonder she didn’t want to tell you.”
I was about to strike him when Rhen was smart enough to step in and pull us apart. “Maybe I should continue with the questions,” he suggested diplomatically.
“Fine,” I spat out, not wanting to hear another word that came from Lance’s mouth anyway.
* * *
I spent the morning walking up and down the palace grounds, trying not to think about all the things that could have gone wrong for Elara, while Rhen arranged our travel.
I knew Rhen would give his life for Elara, so I had to trust that he would do his job.
I didn’t feel like having breakfast, but the air grew too cold to stay outside.
I ventured back into the palace and found Gwen sitting in a drawing room.
She had her injured leg stretched out in front of her and another book in her hand.
“Still reading.” Her expression turned into a smile as I walked into the room and fell into one of the chairs. Heat radiated from the fireplace on the far wall. I watched the flames dance back and forth, my mind on an endless wander.
“Did you manage to speak to Her Majesty?”
Right, no one had told Gwen, yet.
“We have a problem on our hands.”
She put the book down in her lap, giving me her full attention.
“Elara’s missing.”
“Missing?” she said a little too loud, looking to the open door and then back at me. “What do you mean missing?” she asked, in a softer tone this time.
“She’s gone to find the key that will unlock the diary of the old Evernean king.”
Gwen looked away with an expression of surprise. “And no one knows where she is?”
“We have some idea. Rhen and I are going to look for her. But we cannot let anyone know she’s gone.”
“Definitely not,” Gwen agreed, her eyes lingering on me while the room was silent for a few moments. “I’m sure she’s fine.” She tried to reassure me. “She’s not an easy person to take down.”
I wanted to believe her, but my stomach turned with thoughts of the wood and all its dangers. Even if Elara did manage to make it out of the misty woods, there were so many other things that could befall her.
“We have to stay hopeful,” Gwen continued, taking in my expression of dread.
A figure entered the drawing room and I turned to look, with the hope it was Rhen and that our search party was ready to leave.
Somewhat surprisingly, it was Alastor who stood in front of me.
“Your Majesty.” He gave a bow, still dressed in his riding attire, as if he’d arrived at the palace and come straight to look for me.
“You’ve returned quickly.” I stood up, awaiting any good news at this point.
“I’ve been in contact with the nobles of Norrandale.
Many of them said that once you have a firm foot to stand on in the kingdom, they would be willing to go to battle with you.
This, of course, includes any men they might be able to provide.
” That was entirely fair of them. I couldn’t very well expect them to fight for me while I hid out in Everness.
Our army needed a base. We needed a foothold.
“Something like taking back Mistwood Palace most likely.”
“It would seem so, Your Majesty.”
“Taking back the palace?” Gwen chirped, still seated on her chair. “Have you gone mad? That place is crawling with Argonian guards who would kill you without question.”
“Naturally we wouldn’t just walk in the front door,” I argued before turning back to Alastor.
“This is something.” I crossed my arms. “At the very least we can start devising some plans.”
“There’s more, Your Majesty.”
“Oh?” Based on his tone, I couldn’t tell if it would be good or bad.
“Though this is something we would probably need to discuss with Queen Elara. But on my way back here, I came across our old friends in the forest.”
Old friends? Does he mean the bandits of Fairfrith?
“Olwin’s men initially tried to attack me but when I informed them I knew their leader, they agreed to take me to him.”
Olwin, of the Baruk clan. He was Elara’s uncle’s enemy and had turned on him during the rebellion.
“What happened?”
“I told him about matters in Norrandale and Everness, about the possibility of war. He said he would be open to some negotiations if the Queen wanted him and his men to fight in her army.” Olwin’s men were fierce and ruthless, a relentless clan of bandits with no concept of mercy.
Having someone like him fight on our side could be very beneficial but there was no telling as to his loyalty or what he might want from Elara in return.
“Thank you for all your efforts, Alastor, I greatly appreciate it.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Things were looking a little less dire than before. If we could raise an army and manage to find all three Myrgonite objects, we might stand a fighting chance against Argon.