Chapter 8
Parisar was in the dungeons. Peripherally, I’d known the castle had dungeons, but I’d never been acquainted with anyone who’d spent time in them. Lord Adryon had been sent from the castle, under loud protest, and the queen was behaving even more erratically.
My father was still unconscious.
I turned my face up to the weak moonlight and let the whisper of a breeze dry the tears on my cheeks. I didn’t know why I was crying, except possibly I did. My world was falling apart. My very insular, perfect bubble had burst, and I didn’t like it. I wanted to go back. I wanted to return to the time before my father fell ill and my mother started consulting the mirror ten times a day. Before Parisar was imprisoned. Before all of it.
‘Princess.’
I turned at the soft whisper. Elil approached, his smile bright in the moonlight. The pull to him was still strong, but I was less inclined to give in to it. I had thought him above all the petty politics that happened among the nobles, but now I doubted him. He had set up Parisar, and even though I had been suspicious of him, I didn’t agree that planting false evidence was the way to fix the problem. If anything, it made me less suspicious of Parisar.
‘What are we doing here?’ I asked, and my tone dimmed the brightness of Elil’s smile.
‘I wanted some time alone with you,’ he said, taking my hands. ‘It has been a crazy day and…I missed you.’
I looked into his eyes hoping to see…something. I didn’t know what I was looking for. I wanted some sort of reassurance, something to restore my original feelings for Elil. Had I ever looked into his eyes before? Really looked into them. It seemed like every time I tried, I’d been overwhelmed with…I couldn’t even name it. That first time on the dance floor, I’d gone into a dreamlike trance. The edges of reality went soft and all I could see was him.
But not this time. This time there was a guardedness to his eyes. Before, I had felt like I was looking into his very soul, but now it was like looking at a stone wall.
He cocked his head. ‘Is everything alright?’
‘I don’t know,’ I replied, shaking my head and looking away from him.
‘It must have been a shock,’ he said, his voice gentle. ‘You’ve known Lord Parisar and his father for a long time. To find out they poisoned your father—’
‘But did they?’ I asked, spinning around to face him.
‘You know they did. I found the poison—’
‘You found the poison, but not in Parisar’s room like you said.’
‘No, but I did find it, and its very existence is proof.’
‘Not proof that Parisar did it,’ I retorted, turning my back on him.
He sighed and stepped closer, putting his arms around my waist and pulling me back against his chest. I couldn’t deny it felt good, but I didn’t want to feel good. I was so mixed up inside that I wanted to…fight. I wanted to argue. I had all this pent up energy inside me, and I needed a release. But Elil was trying to soothe me, to calm me. All it did was irritate me further.
I stepped out of his arms, walking a few steps toward the garden wall. I leaned my elbows on the stone coping and looked at the dark scenery beyond.
‘Let’s talk about something else,’ Elil said, coming to stand beside me. ‘I have hardly seen you all day. I don’t want to fight.’
I sighed. ‘Okay.’
I still wanted to fight, but it was no fun when the other person wouldn’t engage.
Parisar would have. Parisar would have let me yell at him and would have probably yelled back. It seemed dysfunctional to want that instead of this.
‘Your mother,’ Elil began hesitantly. ‘She…I’m worried about her.’
I nodded. I was worried about her too. ‘I think my father being ill has been a lot for her to deal with,’ I replied. ‘And thinking that the people closest to her had something to do with it…it would be enough to destabilise anyone.’
Elil flattened his lips as if he was trying to stop himself from saying something.
‘What is it?’
He shook his head, but I was not going to let it go. He had brought up the subject of my mother, so he needed to say whatever it was.
‘Just tell me,’ I said.
‘Some of the others,’ he began. ‘Not me, but some of the others have concerns. You said your mother has equal authority as the king but…her emotional state is concerning. It’s why the other kingdoms don’t have a female heir—’
‘What?’ I glared at him.
He held up his hands in surrender. ‘I don’t think that,’ he said hurriedly. ‘I’m just telling you what everyone else is saying.’
‘What business is it of anyone else?’ I asked. ‘Each kingdom is independent. How we govern Eudaimonia is of no concern—’
‘Actually, it is,’ Elil replied gently. ‘We share trade. The prosperity of one kingdom affects the prosperity of the others.’
I shook my head and turned away. ‘Then maybe I should join some of these meetings,’ I said. ‘Maybe they need to see I am just as capable. I am the heir to this kingdom and if my mother needs support, then it should be me.’
Elil didn’t say anything, and I turned to look at him again. ‘What?’
He sighed. ‘Your mother has been talking about sending you away. Something about a mirror—’
I opened my mouth to deny it. If my mother was going to send me away she would have absolutely told me. Then there was the fact that there was no way she would want me out of her sight. Not with my father ill.
Everything went black. Someone had pulled a bag over my head. I struggled to get free, but their hold on me was strong. I heard shouting and the sounds of a struggle. Elil cried out, and I screamed in response but a hand was clamped over my mouth, pushing the rough bag into my mouth and causing me to gag.
Then silence.
I was lifted up and thrown over my attacker’s shoulder, and then we were moving. The assailant’s shoulder jolted painfully into my stomach as they started to run on silent feet. I didn’t know how many of them there were, but they moved stealthily, despite the speed. The fact they’d crept up on us without notice proved they were professionals.
I didn’t know how long we ran for or how far. It was impossible to discern anything with the bag over my head and the rough fabric stuffed in my mouth. Even breathing took concentration.
Eventually we stopped, and I was dumped unceremoniously on the ground. As soon as I could right myself, I was pulling at the bag and tearing it from my head. I blinked up at the circle of people surrounding me. There were seven of them, and I didn’t know any of them, except one.
Parisar.
I got to my feet and marched over to him.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ I yelled.
‘Saving your life,’ he replied, his eyes dark and his mouth a harsh line. ‘Princess,’ he added with sarcasm dripping from the title like venom.
‘This is saving my life?’ I yelled, not caring that the others were watching on, amused. ‘And how did you get out of the dungeons?’
‘Can we not do this now?’ Parisar asked, folding his arms and giving me the superior look that I hated so much.
‘Take me back this instant,’ I demanded. ‘And what about Prince Elil? What did you do to him?’
‘He’ll live,’ one of the others said. ‘More’s the pity.’
The group chuckled, and Parisar smirked.
‘We’re not going back to the castle,’ he said. ‘And as for how I got out of the dungeons well…that’s a story for another time and place. Now, are you going to come with us quietly or do I need to but the bag back on?’
‘Don’t you dare,’ I spat.
‘Then behave, and I won’t.’
I glared at him, but he ignored me. ‘Let’s move,’ he said, directing the others. ‘The alarm will be raised soon enough, and the guards will be swarming the forest.’
Parisar grabbed my elbow and shoved me in front of him as the others took up positions. They started out in a slow jog, their footsteps almost undetectable. I, on the other hand, sounded like a bear running through the forest. A clumsy one at that.
With a growl, Parisar scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder again. I batted his back, but he refused to acknowledge me, and in the end I gave up. At least I didn’t have the bag on my head. This way I could at least find my way back when I escaped.
And I would escape. That was a promise.
I tried to take note of the trails the group took, but it was hard. There was no moon, or at least the sliver of the moon I had seen in the garden was hidden by the tree canopy above us. I honestly didn’t know how they knew where they were going. For all I knew, they were completely lost too, and we were just going around in circles.
I had given up trying to work out where we were and where we were going and was dozing, as much as I could when being carried like a sack of potatoes. If I’d been in a more forgiving mood, I may have marvelled at Parisar’s ability to carry me so effortlessly and for so long, but as it was, I was too mad at him for kidnapping me to give him any admiration.
Parisar slowed, jolting me out of my doze. The group came through a break in the trees to a large clearing. Parisar dropped me to my feet without any grace whatsoever, and I looked around. I didn’t recognise the place, but then I had never been this far from the castle.
The other members of the group set about their assigned tasks. Someone lit a fire in the central fire pit, while others did other things I didn’t recognise. I did notice a door in what I’d assumed was a small hill. A few of the group went in and out, but I had no idea what they did in there or where the door led.
I turned to Parisar who was standing with his arms crossed, watching me carefully. Was he the leader of this group? Were they rebels? I needed to glean as much information as I could so that when I escaped, I could inform my mother.
‘Now what?’ I asked, returning Parisar’s look with a glare. ‘Are you going to tie me up?’
‘That depends,’ he replied, taking a step closer to me, his eyes hooded. ‘Are you going to behave?’
I swallowed. He was standing very close now, and the flickering firelight on his face made him look…dangerous. I should be scared of him, but I wasn’t. The only explanation for my lack of fear was that I was too angry to be scared. That didn’t explain why my mouth was suddenly dry because of the way he was looking at me.
‘I…I uh, I don’t have much choice,’ I stammered, licking my lips, unable to look away from him. ‘I have no idea where I am, it’s dark, and from what I’ve observed so far, you would find me before I could get very far.’ My voice strengthened toward the end as I found the ember of anger and fanned it into flame. Fury was much preferred to whatever this other feeling was.
The corner of Parisar’s lips kicked up in a smirk that made my stomach flip flop. This was not the Parisar I knew. Was it his secret evil twin?
Parisar reached up to free a leaf tangled in my hair, and I sucked in a breath. ‘I know you won’t believe me,’ he said, his voice a low rumble. ‘But I don’t want to hurt you, Snow. I’m doing this to save you.’
I searched his eyes, but it was too dark to see anything in them. He sounded sincere, but then why the kidnapping?
‘If that’s the truth, then why am I here in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night?’ I asked, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at him.
Parisar sighed and stepped back, resuming his crossed-arm pose.
‘There are things happening in the castle you know nothing about,’ he said.
‘Oh, and you do?’
He leaned forward, getting in my face. ‘Yes. I. Do.’
I turned away with a harumph and stared at the dark tree line. The other members of the group were studiously ignoring us while also trying to eavesdrop. Who were they?
‘Where are we?’ I asked, spinning back to Parisar. ‘And who are they?’
‘We are still in Eudaimonia,’ Parisar replied. ‘And those people are loyal subjects of the throne.’
I scoffed. ‘Loyal subjects? If they’re so loyal, why did they help you kidnap me?’
‘We didn’t kidnap you, Princess,’ Parisar replied. ‘We rescued you.’
‘I did not need rescuing,’ I stated with all the disdain I felt.
‘No?’ Parisar replied, raising an eyebrow. ‘If we hadn’t rescued you when we did, you would have been kidnapped for real.’
‘Rubbish,’ I spat. ‘I was perfectly safe with Elil.’
‘Elil?’ Parisar drawled the prince’s name with distaste. ‘Yes, he was very capable of defending you and stopping you from being taken.’
I opened my mouth to spit a reply, but what could I say? Elil hadn’t helped me at all.
‘That’s because…because you surprised him. And…and there were more of you.’
Parisar stared at me cooly. ‘And you think other kidnappers would give seven days’ notice and make sure the odds were fair?’
Again, I opened my mouth to defend Elil, but I had nothing.
‘Fine, so who was going to kidnap me?’ I asked. ‘Other than you, of course?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘Why don’t you ask them?’
It was then I noticed four shapes huddled by a tree across the clearing. No, not huddled. Tied together and to the tree.
‘They’re unconscious,’ I said.
‘Hazard of the job, I’m afraid,’ Parisar said. ‘We had to subdue them somehow.’
‘Are you sure they’re not dead?’
‘They’re not dead,’ Parisar said. ‘Not yet, anyway.’
I spun back to look at him, alarmed. ‘You’re going to kill them?’
‘What do you think they would do to us if they had a chance?’
‘Surely we can negotiate with them,’ I said, queasy at the thought of taking human life. Not that I would have to do it but…I couldn’t exactly stand by and let it happen either.
‘This is not one of those fairy tales in the books you read, Princess,’ Parisar said, his use of my title a sneer. ‘Those men were going to kidnap you, and we intend to find out why and who ordered them to do it.’
I put my hands on my hips and faced Parisar, my stance wide. ‘And who ordered you to kidnap me?’ I asked. ‘Your father?’
Parisar rolled his eyes. ‘Why do you hate my father so much? What has he ever done to you but serve your family loyally?’
‘Loyally?’ I snorted in disgust. ‘I’ve seen the way he covets everything in the castle. The way he hangs around my father. I’ve heard the things he says about me.’
Parisar froze for a second and then narrowed his eyes at me. ‘What has my father said about you?’
‘What do you care? You probably agree with him.’
‘I won’t know that until you tell me what he said.’
I huffed and turned away. There was no way I was going to tell Parisar that his father thought I was an air-headed ninny. Parisar already thought I was clueless about the politics in the castle…okay, I was clueless about the finer details, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t learn. I just hadn’t wanted to learn. It was a choice. It was not because I was lacking intelligence.
I was saved from answering by the loud growl of my stomach. It was then I realised I could smell something delicious wafting over from the fire.
‘Dinner is served, your majesty,’ someone said with a mocking accent.
‘Let’s eat,’ Parisar said.
‘What, so you can drug me?’
‘No,’ Parisar replied slowly. ‘But maybe you will be in a better mood after you eat something. I know how cranky you get when you’re hungry.’
‘I am not cranky because I am hungry,’ I growled, even as my stomach protested loudly. ‘I am angry because you kidnapped me!’