Chapter 16 #2
More banging came from the door to the rooftop, her guards grunting as they held it shut.
“It is time for this violence to stop,” she said.
“I don’t want anyone else to die today. I am going to come down and return to the palace with King Rainer.
Now that the king has seen how faithful our subjects are, I am certain no harm will come to me.
Otherwise, the outcome would be severe. The army is loyal to the king because he serves his subjects.
Should he harm his own queen or make a move against his own citizens, I am certain the army would rise up against him, as it would be their right to do so.
” She hoped her threat was enough to keep her and her guards safe.
She motioned for her guards to release the door.
It flung open and a handful of soldiers stormed onto the rooftop.
“You will escort me to the king.” She headed toward the stairwell, the expectation of her command being followed clear.
Her guards surrounded her, making sure the soldiers didn’t touch her.
The group of them made their way down through the building and to the main street.
Citizens parted, allowing Sabine and her guards to walk along the road, toward the barricade.
As she passed her subjects, she reached out, squeezing hands, greeting and thanking as many people as she could.
She smiled to show her sincerity. Many expressed how upset they were over her bruises.
Again and again she repeated that the situation had been very scary, but it was over now and she was certain it wouldn’t happen again.
Children started handing her flowers. She took them, tears in her eyes, grateful for everything these people had done for her.
At the barricade, Rainer gave the order to let her pass.
“Actually,” Sabine said, taking control of the situation, “I want the barricade removed. Everyone back to the barracks or your stations.”
The soldiers immediately did as she said.
Sabine turned to address the citizens nearby. “Thank you all for coming out today. I’d like everyone to return home.” She stood next to Rainer and whispered to him, “The two of us need to walk amicably across this bridge and into the palace.”
Without a word, he sheathed his sword and did as she said.
If he ordered her to be taken to the dungeon, everyone would know and he’d have another riot on his hands.
In order to maintain control, he needed to keep her safe.
She didn’t think he’d lock her in her room either because she needed to continue to make appearances in town.
They entered the palace. “We need to talk,” Sabine said.
“Yes, we do,” he ground out.
Claire approached. Sabine hadn’t seen her in days—not since she’d told the woman she didn’t want her as her lady’s maid any longer.
“King Rainer,” Claire curtseyed. “You’re needed.”
“Is everything all right?” Sabine asked, wondering what the king was needed for.
Claire ignored her and instead, turned, leading the king away, their heads bent together in conversation. Since Claire was Heather’s sister, Sabine assumed it had something to do with Heather.
With Rainer currently occupied, she could address those at the palace without his interference. Wanting to take advantage of the situation, she headed to the throne room, telling everyone she passed to spread the word to meet there in fifteen minutes.
Standing on the dais, Sabine observed the packed room before her. It seemed like everyone in the palace—both nobles and servants—was in attendance. When she was about to speak, a messenger arrived, handing her a letter.
She broke the seal and read the contents.
It was from Axel and stated that while Rainer was handling the riot, everyone inside the palace voted on the matter regarding Lottie.
She was found innocent and all charges had been dropped.
Sabine crumpled the letter. It felt as if her heart had turned to stone and dropped in her stomach.
“Your Majesty?” Drew said. “Is everything all right?”
Snapping out of her spiraling thoughts, she smiled.
“Yes, thank you.” Taking a deep breath, she looked at her subjects.
After thanking them for coming, she quickly told them about the riot in town, Rainer’s response, and what she’d done to de-escalate the situation. She assured her subjects all was well.
“I was also just informed that Princess Lottie has been found innocent. Thank you all for taking your time to be here today to help with these matters.” She took a step back, about to retreat to the antechamber, when someone spoke.
“Why are you addressing us alone?” Lady Regina asked, glancing around the room. “Where is the king?”
“King Rainer is currently with his pregnant lover. However, I am here and will deal with what needs to be done.” She didn’t even know where Axel or Lottie were.
After assuring everyone that they were safe and everything was okay, people began to leave.
Commander Felix asked to speak with her alone in the antechamber. She joined him there.
“People in town are concerned,” he said. “My men are assuring everyone you’ll either make an appearance tomorrow or send Harper in your stead.”
“Good idea.” Sabine began pacing, biting on her thumbnail. “I really thought I had him. I thought my plan was going to work.” She’d failed and made a mess of things.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you’d intended,” he said.
That made two of them. “I’ll let you get back to work. I’m sure you have a lot to deal with.”
“I do, especially with the new prisoner.”
She’d forgotten about that. “The assassin?”
“Yes.”
“Is he from Avoni?”
“I haven’t had a chance to interrogate him yet. From the initial reports, we can’t tell where he’s from. He’s being difficult.”
A trained assassin would never reveal any pertinent information. “Can I see him?”
“No offense, Your Majesty, but I’m not sure that’s wise. Let those experienced with this sort of thing handle it.”
While she understood why he’d said that, something in Sabine’s gut told her this prisoner was an Avoni assassin who’d come with the delegation all those weeks ago.
She thought if she could see him, she might be able to know for certain.
If she had to guess, she’d say this man was sent by King Kai to kill strategic military personnel in order to prevent a war. “I’d like to see him. Please.”
“Very well. Let’s head there before the king knows what you’re doing and stops you.”
Trailed by her guards, Felix led Sabine through the palace and to a corridor she hadn’t been in before. They went to the end, stopping before a solid metal door guarded by two soldiers. Felix withdrew a key, opening the door and ushering Sabine and her guards inside.
The smell of mildew hit her, making her hesitate. A dimly lit corridor stretched out before her, unwelcoming, illuminated by torches spaced every twenty feet.
The door shut behind them. Felix locked it from the inside then joined her. “Do not leave my side. Understood?”
She nodded. Having never been in a dungeon before, she didn’t know what to expect.
They went down four flights of stairs, each level getting colder. They had to be inside the mountain. Sabine shivered.
“Did they bring this man in through the palace?” she asked. It didn’t seem prudent to bring prisoners in that way. Not only because the king and queen lived here, but with all the people around, it didn’t seem safe. Plus, allowing prisoners to see the palace, the format, and structure was unwise.
“No. He was brought in through the training center. Then he was transported here.” They turned a corner. “This is actually a small dungeon. We have several holding facilities throughout the kingdom.”
“Why have one here at all?” she asked.
“For situations like this,” Felix explained.
“This man was arrested, held in a dungeon, then brought here to face the king. Normally, the king would go wherever the prisoner is being held. However, given the state of things, the king didn’t want to leave the palace, so we had the prisoner transported here.
No one has ever escaped from this dungeon. You have nothing to worry about.”
Sabine didn’t mention that there was a first for everything. “How many prisoners are in here?” She tried to imagine Lottie rotting down here where she belonged.
“Three.”
When Felix didn’t elaborate, Sabine decided not to ask.
She probably didn’t want to know. They came to another metal door guarded by two soldiers.
Again, Felix used his key to unlock it. Sabine entered a darker hallway, accompanied only by Drew and Felix, since the rest of her guards were not permitted to go any farther.
The metal door was closed and locked. A single torch lit this hallway, casting long shadows on the walls and floor.
Five metal doors were on either side of the hallway, all of them closed.
A dripping sound echoed in the distance.
“Do you still want to do this?” Felix whispered.
“Yes.” Her answer sounded loud in this dank place.
Felix headed to the end of the hallway, stopping before the last door on the left. “There are two rooms in there,” he explained. “An outer room and the cell with the prisoner.”
Sabine nodded, trying to envision what she was about to walk into. She’d assumed she would only be able to peer through some sort of window at the prisoner.
“This door only opens from the outside—this side,” Felix explained. “Once you and I are in there, we can’t get out unless Captain Drew—who’s going to remain here in this hallway—lets us out. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She assumed this was some sort of safety precaution.
“Commander,” Drew said, “is this safe?”
“I’ll be in there with her,” Felix said. He withdrew his longsword and set it on the floor. Then he withdrew a dagger from his boot, tucking it into the back of his pants. He looked at Sabine. “Do not get close to the bars. Stay out of arm’s reach.”
“Can I talk to him?” she asked.
“You can try, but he hasn’t spoken a single word since being arrested.” He reached for the door. “Are you ready?”
She nodded.
He pulled the door open, peering inside. Satisfied with what he saw, he gestured for her to follow him.
They entered a small room, about fifteen feet wide, lit by a single torch.
Three of the walls were made from solid stone.
The third wall, straight ahead, was made of stone blocks on the lower half, while evenly spaced metal bars formed the upper half.
Sabine followed Felix to the middle of the room.
She faced the bars, looking past them and into the second room. It was roughly the same size and contained a chamber pot, a bed of hay, and a person sitting in the middle of the space. The man sat cross-legged, his hands folded together, facing Sabine as if he’d been expecting her.
A chill slid through her. She cleared her throat. “Who are you?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
He tilted his head to the side. “Hello, Queen Sabine Manfred of Lynk. It looks like someone tried to kill you. Sloppy and unsuccessful. Pity.”
“And you are?” she asked, scanning his wrists for the tattoo marking him as an assassin from Avoni. Unfortunately, his long sleeves went down to his hands, covering his skin.
The man’s lips curled into a smile. “Interesting,” he said. “Very interesting.” In a lithe move, he slowly stood, coming to the bars, curling his fingers around them as he observed Sabine.
If he knew she’d been looking at his wrists for the assassin guild mark, then he had to be from Avoni. Sabine kept her feet firmly rooted in place, far out of the man’s reach.
“I must confess, I expected to be arrested weeks ago.” The man’s attention never wavered from Sabine. He didn’t spare Felix a single glance. “What took your incompetent soldiers so long?”
While she assumed he had predetermined military targets to assassinate, the thought of him being captured on purpose had never occurred to her. She wanted to glance at Felix to see if he’d caught that, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the assassin. Not even for a second. He was too dangerous.
“You could have come to see me last night instead of making me wait,” he continued.
“But I guess if someone…” His eyes scanned her from head to toe before settling on her eyes again.
“King Rainer, perhaps? If he tried killing you last night, then you were busy and couldn’t greet me properly. I forgive you.”
Sabine could feel Felix’s attention on her, silently asking if she knew this man. This assassin. The guy certainly acted as if he knew her.
The man chuckled, the sound echoing in the room. “This is going to be fun. A little more challenging than my usual assignment.”
So then he was here on King Kai’s orders.
“You’ll want to be careful, little queen,” he purred. “You never know what might be lurking in the shadows or under your bed.”
Terror gripped her as she stood there staring into the eyes of this assassin.
However, that was what he wanted. It was time to flip the table on him.
“Or maybe I do.” She took a deliberate step toward him but was careful to remain out of reach.
“Since my bed is on the floor in Avoni fashion, I welcome the shadows where I can hide. Having been trained by Evander myself,” she purposely mentioned his name, hoping it provided her with some form of protection, “I think I’ve learned a thing or two.
” She took another step closer, almost within range.
“And yes, it’ll be fun to finally have a challenge. Ex was far too easy a kill.”
At the mention of the notorious assassin Ex, the man’s eyes widened ever so slightly. She would have missed it had she not been paying attention.
The man slowly slid his hands farther up the bars, smiling. “Challenge accepted.” His sleeves slid down his arms just enough to reveal the smallest hint of a red tattoo on his wrist—the tattoo of the Crimson Cloaks. Evander’s guild. He winked.
He’d revealed the tattoo on purpose; Sabine was sure of it. Probably because she’d mentioned Evander.
“If we’re done here,” the man said, “you should get back to your pretty little palace in the sky. Sweet dreams. Think of me when you sleep.”
The man’s warning coated her skin like a blanket.
“We’re done,” Sabine said, taking a step away, then another. Not wanting to turn her back on him.
Felix knocked on the door. Drew immediately opened it. Sabine went through first, stepping into the hallway and taking a deep breath.
Felix joined her, closing the door behind him. “We need to talk.”
She nodded. “Not here.”