Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Between the stifling humidity and Sabine’s restless thoughts trying to decipher what Rainer knew about her time with Evander, sleep eluded her.
After tossing and turning for hours, she finally gave up and got out of bed before the sun had even risen.
Since the king had left the palace, she needed to be as productive as possible and not squander this opportunity.
She sent word to her brother and Markis to meet her at the front of the palace in thirty minutes.
Then she searched through her closet until she located the bag she’d given to Markis to hide there.
She opened it, pulling out her crown. Since the late queen’s personal journal was still tucked inside, Sabine shoved the bag back behind her clothes, out of sight.
She quickly dressed and placed the crown atop her head.
Satisfied with her appearance, she exited her room and headed to the front of the palace, her guards trailing her.
It felt strange to walk the halls so early in the morning.
While there weren’t any nobles about, there were plenty of servants cleaning, carts of food being brought in, and the smell of baking bread wafted through the corridors.
Otto and Markis were already there waiting for her. They all quickly made their way across the bridge to the dirt road opposite it.
“Rainer didn’t say where he was going or how long he’d be gone for?” Otto asked.
“No, he did not.” Sabine couldn’t imagine her father treating her mother that way.
“Since Rainer isn’t here, there’s no need for me to stay,” Otto said. “Once we’re done with this, let’s make arrangements for me to return to Bakley with the missing children.”
Sabine froze. “You don’t think he’s marching south right now to wage war, do you?” Her stomach rolled with nausea at the mere thought.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
They reached the last building, the one right next to the edge of the cliff.
Markis knocked on the door and an elderly woman opened it, granting them entrance.
The room was lit by a single torch. The old woman knelt and opened a door built into the floor, revealing a steep staircase. Two of the guards began the descent.
“Are we going down there?” Otto asked, pointing at the opening.
“We are.” Sabine remembered the first time she came here and how afraid she’d been to go into the ground like that.
Markis went next, waving for Otto to follow him.
“Thank you,” Sabine said to the elderly woman, smiling at her.
The woman grunted.
Sabine went next, the remainder of her guards after her. Cold air wrapped around her as she descended the staircase. She’d only been down here once before, and she didn’t remember it being this cold.
When Markis reached the door at the bottom, he knocked three times, then kicked it once. The door swung open, revealing an enormous cavern. Sabine prayed soldiers were there training and not marching south with Rainer.
“This is unbelievable,” Otto mumbled as he stepped inside. He hadn’t traveled through the lava tunnels like Sabine did, so there were a lot of things he didn’t know about Lynk. “Is this under the town itself?”
“It is.”
“If Bakley had something like this,” Otto said, “we’d have a large army too.” He went to the railing that overlooked the floor of the cavern twenty feet below where hundreds of people were running drills and training.
Relief filled Sabine—the soldiers were here. “If Bakley had this, then we’d have no flat land. I’d take hundreds of farms over this any day.” She hated the heat and humidity and missed her horse, her barn, and even the flower fields.
“Now that we’re here,” Markis said, “how would you like to proceed?”
Focusing on the task at hand, she gripped the railing, trying to decide if she should just announce herself or give some sort of speech first.
“Your Majesty,” a deep voice said, gaining her attention.
Sabine turned and spotted Felix approaching. “Commander, it’s good to see you again.”
He bowed. “What can I do for you this morning?”
“King Rainer thought it would be a good idea for the soldiers to swear fealty to me as soon as possible,” Sabine said, the lie sliding right from her mouth.
He gave a curt nod. “Yes, excellent idea to do it at this hour. Almost everyone in the area is here.”
“Are there many out of the area?” she asked, hoping Rainer hadn’t taken a group of men to invade another kingdom or carry out some nefarious task.
Felix folded his arms. “At any given time, I’d say about half our forces are out on patrol or stationed throughout the kingdom. The rest remain here to be used at the king’s discretion.”
Relief filled her. It sounded like everything was proceeding as usual today. “I trust you can help me with this?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. Follow me.” He led the way down to the bottom of the cavern.
The smell of sweat mixed with something else Sabine couldn’t pinpoint hung heavy in the thick, stale air.
She stood at one end of the cavern, her guards fanning out behind her.
Commander Felix put two fingers to his mouth and whistled, garnering everyone’s attention.
He was about to say something when Sabine stepped forward, placing her hand on his arm.
When those present saw her, they dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
“Please rise,” Sabine said. “I would like a moment of your time.”
Everyone stood, facing her.
Clearing her throat, she spoke loudly so everyone could hear.
“I came here today because it is important to me to know those in my army. I want to make sure our kingdom remains strong, and you are all taken care of accordingly.” She scanned the crowd, holding each gaze for a heartbeat, wanting to gain their trust.
“Since King Rainer and I married at the castle instead of here in the palace, you have not had a chance to swear fealty to me.” In Bakley, only those holding a rank or high position in the army swore fealty.
She wasn’t sure how it was handled here in Lynk.
Regardless, she wanted everyone to feel important, valued, and connected to her.
“If I may?” Felix asked her, his voice low.
She nodded, giving him the floor.
“I am honored to be able to swear my loyalty to my new queen.” He knelt on one knee, swearing his allegiance to her. Then he stood and arranged everyone into two lines. Someone brought a chair for Sabine to sit on.
One by one, each soldier, dressed in casual training gear, came forward, saying the same words Felix had.
It felt as if hours passed, her hand became sweaty from so many people touching it.
However, she sat there, a smile on her face, the queen’s crown atop her head.
Otto, Markis, and Felix remained near her, overseeing it all, her guards checking each person before he or she stepped forward to make the declaration.
This was Rainer’s army. He’d trained with them for years. Sabine was an outsider, a newcomer, and she needed to do everything in her power to show them that she could be the queen they needed her to be.
She sat there until every single person in the cavern swore fealty to her.
When they finally headed back to the palace, the sun was already high in the sky indicating half the day had passed.
Her stomach growled with hunger, and her muscles ached from sitting for so long.
If only she could ride a horse or run through a field.
However, Lynk had neither of those things.
Her mind, like it usually did, thought about Evander.
If he were here, he’d probably stroll right up to her with that cocky grin of his.
He’d say something to make her laugh—he always seemed to be doing that.
Since she’d left him, had she laughed once?
A genuine laugh? She missed him terribly.
“Is everything all right?” Otto asked as they crossed the bridge, returning to the palace.
“Yes,” she replied. “I’m just tired after this morning.”
He rubbed her back. “You did well today.”
They were just about to step off the bridge when Captain Lithane appeared in front of them. “Where have you been?” he demanded.
Sabine blinked, shocked by his blatant disrespect for her. Something would have to be done about this.
Otto took a step forward, into Lithane’s personal space. “If we were in Bakley, I’d have you arrested.”
Lithane’s head jerked back.
“I am a prince,” Otto scolded him. “And this is your queen. I can’t imagine King Rainer putting up with this sort of behavior.”
Lithane rolled his shoulders, as if irritated. “Forgive me, Your Highness.”
Otto stepped back, rejoining Sabine.
“Queen Sabine,” Lithane said. “Someone is here to see you. She is a local seamstress from town. Normally, I wouldn’t have admitted her, but she said she had an appointment with you.”
“Yes, I do.”
“She’s in the receiving room,” Lithane said.
“Thank you.” Eager to meet with the woman, Sabine hurried along. She spent the next several hours going over clothing designs and looking at fabric samples until she was certain she’d ordered everything she’d need.
Sabine headed to the library where she’d asked Axel and Anton to meet her. Both were already there sitting at one of the tables, waiting for her.
“It’s not often I’m summoned to the library early in the evening,” Axel said by way of greeting.
“Is that normally how you address your queen?” Sabine said, half-teasing as she slid onto the chair across from him.
Axel chuckled. “No, but that is how I address my sister-in-law.” He winked.
“Anton, it’s good to see you.” Alive. “How was your journey back to Lynk?” A simple enough question that he could answer as he saw fit with Axel present.
“Eventful,” Anton replied, scratching behind his ear. “It was good you traveled home by ship instead of accompanying me.”
Sadness gripped her. The decoy must have been killed.
Anton patted her arm. “I’m glad you trusted your instincts,” he whispered.