16. Laude
Chapter 16
Laude
Queen Cottia and I spent this last month on weapons training. The queen knew I was not a formidable opponent, which was why I hadn’t a clue why she chose me to assassinate Whyzer Patro—her old boss—if it became necessary. Even worse, I trained for a role I had not agreed to take, a part I did not want to play.
Though the Queen’s spacious quarters looked like a stately room full of silken drapes, paintings, and polished furniture, she kept a spare room to train for physical combat and hired a trainer to maintain her skill. Clashing swords echoed across the room while I huddled in a corner.
To think, all these years she had been honing her skill in secret with the hope of confronting and defeating the whyzer. I swiped the sweat from my neck with a cloth and poured myself a glass of water from a pitcher on a table against the wall.
Sunshine dappled the hardwood flooring while Queen Cottia sparred against the giant, Esteban, who spoke little and had a permanent grimace on his face.
“You’re unfocused.” Esteban jabbed at the queen with his wooden staff as she blocked and parried his blows. “You’re too open on your right side.” He swiped beneath her feet, tumbling her to the ground with a thwack.
She smacked the floor with her palms in frustration. “Again.”
“Time’s up, my queen. I have a shop to run, and I’m late as it is.” His deep voice held no reproach.
“Then tomorrow?” She righted herself, adjusting her pants and tunic.
The sight still tickled something inside of me. A queen in pants? I giggled to myself, thankful she allowed me to keep a flimsy dress for my lessons. She agreed that I would be wearing a dress if anything should happen in the upcoming weeks on the quest I’d only agreed to embark upon if Beatriz could come with me. Beatriz shouldn’t be left behind, and the first part of this plan wouldn’t be dangerous.
“As you wish.” Esteban bowed his graying head and escaped out through a hidden door in the wall. He slid the panel closed behind him, cutting our view of him. He would cross an inner corridor until it reached an empty sitting room that served only to collect dust and drive the servants mad from its frequent cleaning. I knew because that duty had fallen on me many times over when I’d been a maid.
“Laude.” The queen wiped her forehead with a towel, “What do you, Cosme, and Jaime have on the schedule tonight?”
“Nothing that I can remember. I was hoping to spend time with Beatriz before the trip.”
“Are you still studying the Ancient Tomes?”
“Yes, but I don’t understand how the last relic works.”
“Hmm … I’ve heard it gives gifts to those without ability. To the powerful, it gives health but drains abilities. A mighty good reason to offer it to kings.” She poured herself a cup of water. “Is Lucas still willing to transport you back home should plans go awry?” She slid open another panel from the training room to a dark hall that ended in her bedroom closet.
I gulped half a cup of water, still too nervous to tell her the whole truth.
A wry look that reminded me of Beatriz lifted the queen’s eyebrow. “Why haven’t you asked him yet? I don’t have a death wish for you or for my Beatriz.”
With wobbly knees I followed her through the dark passage which opened into a room full of shelves, trunks, and pointy-toed shoes. “Are you sure Whyzer Patro will attack me? Your plan scares me a bit and doesn’t feel real in my mind. And it’s not like anyone has had any suspicions about me. Prince Agustín and Prince Hugo haven’t sought me out again.”
She passed into her bedroom with its giant four-post bed in the middle. Sun sliced through the windows and shone on her fiery expression. “When you are with Cosme and all the Dotados, you should find out more about the Himzo princes. There’s something more to their stories.”
“I haven’t dared get near the palace again, especially since Zichri isn’t welcome and both princes noticed me at Milo’s ceremonia . It seems a better idea to avoid them.” Under the queen’s perusal, I rubbed my sleeves and hunched my shoulders.
“Well then, you prefer walking into a dangerous situation blind.” She drank deeply and set her cup on a side table.
“What do you mean?”
She threw her towel over her shoulder and strutted across the room to the bathroom. “Do you have the map?”
I nodded.
“When you get there, you’ll find out who will try to buy you off.”
“No one will try that. It’s me, Laude, the maid who can barely serve a cup of water without spilling.”
“Pedroz has no heir and no other legitimate claim to the throne. At this point, even a lowly maid starts to look like a prime choice in rulers, especially if she seems easily controlled.”
“My lady—”
“Do you have the vials I gave you?”
“In my bedroom, and I memorized all the poisons and antidotes.”
“Good. Go bathe. I promise you that tomorrow will look quite different.” With a wave of her hand, she dismissed me and entered her bathroom.
Had I been foolish to believe these lessons served only to pass the time while Beatriz did the real training? Could I uphold my part in Queen Cottia’s plan to get rid of Whyzer Patro should she be right about an attack? The whole idea that little me could do anything to change the tides of political turmoil left my stomach swimming in the sea.
That night, I ambled hand in hand with Jaime along Plaza Principal . The Himzo Palace stood like a hulking mass of rock with spiky fingers reaching into the overcast, night sky. With the weight of Queen Cottia’s request pressed over my chest, I could explode.
Her plan started tomorrow, and I hadn’t objected.
“Why so gloomy?” Jaime shook my arm. “You haven’t said a word since we left Milo’s house.”
“How do you handle war?”
His face scrunched and twisted as if he’d bitten into a sour lemon. “That’s an odd question.”
Tears sprang to my lashes. “How do you live with yourself when an enemy dies at your hand?”
He swiped at my cheek and cupped my face in his rough hands. “Are you talking about our trip? We only plan to uncover who’s behind the alliance. Minerva and Lucas will be with us the whole time to whisk you girls away should danger arise.”
“Queen Cottia has other plans.” The words spilled out like a jar crashing to the floor.
“You haven’t mentioned them before. What are they?”
“Just nonsense. Really, I passed the time with Queen Cottia, letting her train me, and I technically haven’t rejected her plot.”
“ Carino ,” The caring note in his singsong accent sent an explosion of butterflies swarming my insides. “If these plans don’t suit you, why do you accept them?”
I sniffed back the liquid that poured down my nose. “I can’t say.”
“You can tell me anything.” The sincerity in his eyes broke something inside my trembling soul.
“Queen Cottia asked me to”—I sniffed—“kill Whyzer Patro, and to destroy the last relic. And I was supposed to ask Lucas to join me, but I didn’t and—”
“Wait, wait, kill Whyzer Patro?” His eyes bulged, and I couldn’t blame him for his shock.
I nodded ardently.
“How do you know about him? He’s imprisoned in the Himzo dungeons.”
Shaking my head, I said, “He has the last relic, and he’s the Black Knight.”
“How?” Jaime snapped his mouth shut and shifted his jaw in thought. “Let’s assume what you say is true, how do you plan on killing him, a whyzer?”
“Poison.” My fingers went to a pocket along my hip, touching the smooth fabric. “But I don’t think I can do it.”
“Why would the queen enlist you to do such a big job?”
The tears wouldn’t stop coming. Passersby watched me from afar. Some even drew nearer and snuck side-eye glances at us, so I dropped my voice. “She says it’s unexpected and only the unexpected can defeat someone like him.”
“But she’s putting you in danger.” He hugged me, and I clung tightly to him as I cried. “She’s wrong.”
Pulling away from Jaime, I decided one important thing; I must tell him the truth about who I am. We might never be free from the royal blood that flows through my veins.