Chapter 15
The man swung the door open, revealing a tavern. A group of three musicians played instruments off to the side while a dozen or so people danced. The fast, upbeat, lively music was unlike anything Sabine had heard before. On the other side, thirty or so tables filled the space, most occupied with patrons. Along the entire back wall, a bar spanned from one end to the other, every stool filled. The stone walls appeared to have been chiseled right out of the mountain.
“Are we below the palace?” Sabine asked as Lottie pulled her into the tavern.
“If you’re asking if this is in the mountain, it is.” Lottie patted Sabine’s arm. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been to a tavern before.” She led the way to one of the open tables.
Sabine had been to a tavern or two, but always with her brothers, and only to the more reputable ones in which people of similar station frequented. Her father never would have permitted her to go to the local tavern where the townsfolk went. “Are we allowed to be here?” As she scanned the people’s faces, noting most wore plain clothing, she figured these people were probably workers in the palace, not its noble inhabitants. She had no idea where the guard who’d followed her inside had gone.
Lottie rolled her eyes. “Why wouldn’t we be allowed?”
“Do people from the royal family frequently consort with commoners?” she asked as the two of them each took a seat.
“Ah.” Lottie folded her hands on the table and leaned forward toward Sabine. “Here, there are no titles. Everyone is equal. No questions asked.”
Sabine had never heard of such a thing. However, she found the notion intriguing. Looking at those around them, no one seemed to be paying them any attention, as if the people didn’t know that their princess and future queen were sitting amongst them.
Lottie waved a server over. “Two cups of your house ale.”
The server nodded and left.
“I don’t see any other noble people here,” Sabine commented. Unless they were dressed as commoners, but she didn’t think so. She and Lottie definitely stood out based on the coloring of their clothing.
“Their loss.” Lottie shrugged.
“Do you come here often?”
“I do since I can’t very well leave the palace grounds and go to a tavern in town.”
“I’m surprised your brother allows this.”
Lottie suddenly became very interested in a scratch on the table. “Well,” she said, “when he ascended to the throne, he asked that I not come here any longer and I promised him I wouldn’t.”
Sabine scoffed at her. “Then why do you?”
“Because it’s fun. Besides, nothing is going to happen.” She leaned back in her chair. “Rainer used to come here all the time before my father died.”
Sabine understood why the royal siblings would want to come here—the need to escape for a few hours.
“Oh look,” Lottie said, gesturing across the room, “Markis is here.” She smiled and waved at him.
Sabine peered across the room and saw Markis dressed in an outfit similar to everyone else in the tavern. It was nice to see him without his mask on. And now his eyes were glaring at her. Of course he’d be upset she was here.
The server returned, setting two mugs of ale on the table. Sabine knew better than to drink it without it having gone through a taster first. Lottie, however, took a long sip from hers, not seeming at all concerned about it being laced with poison.
Markis made his way over to Sabine. “What are you doing here?”
“I brought her,” Lottie answered. “We’re here to have some fun. You can join us.”
Markis didn’t look Lottie’s way—he kept his focus on Sabine. “Do you have guards with you?”
She nodded. “Sit so you don’t attract attention.”
He plopped on the chair, running a hand over his face, revealing dark circles beneath his eyes.
A guy who looked about twenty-five came over and asked Lottie to dance. She joyfully agreed and jumped up to join him.
“I actually need to talk to you,” he said, his voice low so no one nearby would overhear.
Sabine leaned toward him.
“I’ve been asking around,” Markis mumbled.
“And?”
“All evidence points to a professional assassin from Carlon.”
She nodded, trying to process the information.
“I also think someone in the palace hired him.”
Shock filled Sabine, and her pulse quickened. “Why do you think that?” If it were someone in the palace, then Sabine was definitely in danger.
“A lot of people don’t want a union between Bakley and Lynk.”
“Including the people in Lynk?” She assumed everyone would welcome the union since it meant bringing large amounts of food to the people here in this kingdom. And then it dawned on her. “It has to be someone wealthy or powerful.”
“Exactly. Someone who doesn’t want the king to succeed. At least, that’s what I think based upon my limited investigation.”
It was more than Sabine had managed to come up with. “Which means I probably met the person the night I was introduced to the court.” A shudder rippled through her at the thought of having danced with the man responsible for her sister’s death.
“My guess is the assassin didn’t even know who he was working for. He was paid handsomely and disappeared after. It was a job for him and nothing more.”
“We have to find out who hired him.” Which would be infinitely more difficult.
“Yes,” Markis replied, looking at her with his brows raised. “And the person who hired the assassin is probably upset you took your sister’s place.”
“Do you think the person will hire the assassin again?”
Markis shrugged. “Who knows?” He leaned on his elbows, rubbing his forehead. “You will need to continue to be extra cautious.”
Glancing around, Sabine said, “I should leave.” There were so many people in the tavern that any one of them could easily pull out a knife and stab her.
“You’re probably safer here with the servants than you are walking the halls in the palace with the nobles around.”
She grabbed her drink but then set it down, remembering it hadn’t been through a food taster. “Why are you here?” she asked, wanting him to distract her before she panicked.
“I’m here for the gossip. Servants see and hear things others do not. Then when they have a little alcohol in their system, they tend to talk. If I can piece together enough conversations, enough clues from the servants, I can come up with a list of possible suspects. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.” Markis yawned.
“When’s the last time you slept?”
He shrugged. “There’s work to be done.”
“You need to take care of yourself, so you don’t get yourself killed trying to protect me.”
“Yes, Mother.”
She wanted to slap him for the jab. “Are your knuckles scabbed from fighting Rainer?” She hoped nothing else had happened that she didn’t know about. Either way, she wanted to hear what he had to say about it.
“They are. He insisted on testing my fighting abilities. If I didn’t pass his test, I would’ve had to return to Bakley.”
“It’s a good thing you passed.”
The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile. “Was there any doubt I wouldn’t?” He stood and tapped the table. “I’m not going to learn anything from sitting here.”
“Go,” she said, shooing him away.
The music reverberated through the room, the sound loud and pulsing through Sabine’s body. She really wanted to dance—it looked like so much fun. Couples spun about, stomped their feet, and clapped to the music. People were laughing and cheering. Lottie was out there in the middle of it all, looking like she belonged. As if she’d done this a hundred times before. Maybe she had.
“How come you’re not out there dancing?” an older man at the table to Sabine’s left asked.
“I don’t want to dance,” she lied. As the future queen of these people, dancing with other men while engaged to the king didn’t feel right to her. It might be what people here in Lynk did, but it wasn’t something done where she came from. She couldn’t forego her morals just because the people here had different ones. And yes, she sounded so much like her mother it made her inwardly cringe.
“I’m not much of a dancer myself,” the man said.
The last time Sabine danced with such joy it had been with her sister. Tears filled her eyes at the memory. Overwhelmed with emotion, she needed to leave before she broke down crying. She glanced around, looking for her guard who stood near the door, still wearing his mask, watching her. She waved him over. “I want to go.”
He escorted her from the tavern. The rest of her guards stood waiting for her on the steps. She hoped Lottie wouldn’t be upset she’d left her behind. She exited the stairwell and bumped into Axel.
“What are you doing here?” they each said at the exact same time.
Sabine took a step back, away from him.
“I came here in search of my sister,” he said. “Did she drag you down there with her?” He pointed at the stairwell she’d just exited through.
“She did.”
“I’m surprised you’re leaving already. I thought that would have been something you enjoyed.” He tilted his head to the side, eyeing her.
“How do you know it wasn’t?”
“Because you seem…upset.”
He didn’t know her well enough to determine such things, and she didn’t feel like standing in the corridor having a heartfelt conversation with him. It was late, she was tired, and something about tonight felt off. “I’m exhausted from the day.” She bid him goodnight and hurried to her room.
After changing into her nightclothes, she heard the distinct patter of raindrops. She went over to the archway leading to her balcony. In the darkness, she could barely see the rain, but she could hear and smell it. It reminded her of home. A pain gripped her chest, and her eyes filled with tears. She missed her sister so much.
“I’m so sorry,” she said out loud to the sky, as if Alina could hear her. Tears started to fall. She’d been so wrapped up in wanting to find the murderer and dealing with being in a foreign kingdom that she’d shoved all her emotions aside. Not facing the pain had been easier than dealing with it. Now, everything came flooding in and grief overwhelmed her.
Stepping out onto the balcony, she tipped her head back and let the rain bathe her face. She gripped the fabric near her chest, as if that would help stifle the hurt. Her sister should have married, had children, and lived a full life. Sabine shouldn’t even be in Lynk. Everything was a disaster.
She stood there until there were no tears left to cry.
The next morning, Sabine awoke feeling exhausted instead of refreshed. Her sleep had been a mixture of nightmares about someone chasing after her, trying to kill her, intermixed with sweet memories of her and Alina playing together as children.
The sky remained gray, and soft rain continued to fall outside. It was the first gloomy day since she’d arrived, and she welcomed it. It matched her mood.
Someone knocked on her door, and she called for the person to come in.
Claire entered. “You’re supposed to train with the king before breakfast,” she said, cringing when she saw the state of Sabine. “He sent me to find out what is keeping you.”
“It won’t take me long to get ready.” Sabine climbed out of bed, stripped her clothes off, and went to take a hot bath. The warm water enveloped her, waking her up, washing away the tears from last night. This was just what she needed before starting her day.
When Sabine got out, a simple shirt and pants had been laid out for her to put on. Claire was nowhere to be seen. After dressing, Sabine went over to the adjoining door and knocked.
A guard opened it, letting her in. “His Majesty is downstairs in the training room.” He pointed to the open door next to the king’s office.
Sabine headed that way and went down the stairwell. At the bottom, she found a large, empty room. One wall was open, showcasing a pool that extended from inside to outside. Where the wall should have been, water cascaded down into the pool. She remembered Rainer saying something about when it rained, the roof was slanted in such a way to allow the rain to slide down, forming a waterfall into the pool. Which meant the king’s office was directly above this room.
“Oh good,” Rainer said as he came out of a doorway in the wall to the right, “you’re here. We can begin.” He was dressed similarly as her with loose pants and a shirt.
At least he wasn’t half naked like he’d been when fighting Markis. If he’d shown up without a shirt, she wouldn’t have been able to be alone in the room with him. At least not until they were married. His presence was so overpowering.
“Do you have any formal training?” he asked, standing a few feet away from her.
“No. But my brothers have shown me a few things.” Better to be as vague as possible.
“Do you know how to get out of a chokehold?” He stepped forward and gently took hold of her neck with his large, calloused hands.
For some reason, she hadn’t expected him to jump right in. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus and remember what Rolf had taught her. She slid her arms up, her hands going between his arms, and then pulled her arms outward, breaking his hold on her.
“Excellent. Then knee your attacker in the groin and run.”
She nodded.
His eyes remained locked on hers, not once looking elsewhere. It was unnerving. He placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her body so her back was to him.
“If someone comes up behind you,” he mumbled, close to her ear, sending a shiver down her spine, “what do you do?” He splayed his hand against her stomach, the heat of it penetrating through her shirt.
He was trying to rile her up, she was sure of it. Two could play that game. Gathering her courage, she leaned back into him and said, “Lean back and kiss him?” She lifted her chin, her lips hovering near his neck.
He sucked in his breath, clearly not expecting that to be her answer.
While he was distracted, she grabbed one of his fingers, pulling it back while simultaneously slamming her foot down on his. She easily moved away from him. Turning to face him, she patiently waited for his next challenge.
“Who taught you to fight?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest and studying her as if she were a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out how to put together.
The way in which he looked at her made her toes curl, and something deep inside of her yearned for more. She shoved her attraction toward this man aside, so she could keep her wits about her and not get lost in his eyes. “My brothers.”
“What about weapons?”
“I know the basics of a dagger. That is all.”
With his arms still folded, he lifted his right hand and rubbed his chin. “You definitely have some work to do. For now, I think it best if we focus on what to do during a physical attack. For example, if someone blocks the corridor or comes running at you with a sword.”
Sabine thought that wise and welcomed the chance to physically train in how to defend herself since Rolf had only taught her the basics. A small part of her acknowledged that if someone poisoned her, there was little she could do. At least her mother had shown her the most commonly used poisons and how to recognize them. For now, she would learn everything she could about how to keep herself safe—even if that meant working with this devilishly handsome man before her.
The two of them spent the next hour going over various scenarios and how to quickly escape each one. Rainer kept things professional and didn’t once try to be anything other than a teacher. He must have realized that she wasn’t one to be trifled with.
When her stomach growled loud enough for him to hear, he chuckled. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
Sabine followed Rainer out of the training room, up the staircase, and to the dining room where food had been spread out for them. She sat and began eating.
“I have two things for you,” Rainer said around a bite of food.
She peered up at him, wondering what he could possibly be referring to.
“First, a letter arrived from your father.” He withdrew an envelope from under the platter on his left. He slid it across the table to her.
Sabine picked it up, examining it. Her father’s seal was still attached, which meant Rainer hadn’t read its contents. “Thank you.” She set it aside, wanting to read it when she was alone so she could savor every moment.
“The, uh, second thing is a little unconventional.” He pushed his chair back slightly and twisted toward her. “I thought it might be a good idea. I figured you could use the companionship since you’re alone in a foreign kingdom, and it’ll be good for security reasons.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
He whistled, and a dog ran into the dining room, sitting beside Rainer. “This is for you. Her name is Harta, which means protector and defender.”
The dog looked expectantly at Sabine.
She’d never had her very own dog before. In Bakley, dogs were used out in the fields for herding and things of that nature. They were rarely indoor companions. She eyed the adorable creature, trying not to fall in love. “May I?”
“Of course.”
She slid off her chair and squatted before Harta. “Hello there.”
Rainer said, “Release.”
The dog immediately stood and began licking Sabine’s face. She laughed, running her hands over the dog’s short, brown hair.
“We train dogs to use for battle,” he said. “I have a facility over in the training grounds.”
Sabine remembered hearing the dogs and Lottie mentioning something about them.
“This one here has been trained to smell certain poisons. She’s also been taught a few other things I’ll need to go over with you. For example, if you want her to chase someone, there’s a command for that. If someone makes you uncomfortable, you give a command and she’ll move in front of you and protect you. You can also have her bark on command to get a guard’s attention.”
Sabine kissed the dog’s head then stood. “It seems you’ve thought of everything.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.”
The corners of his lips rose. “Good.”