Chapter 10 Secret Messages
Chapter ten
Secret Messages
Alaceandra
Iam standing outside my door staring at my disguised Fadres and Credour.
It is weird to see the boys in these forms knowing it is them.
I am starting to see some of their idiosyncrasies peek through the surface.
Sam always chews on the bottom of his lip when he is nervous or worried about something.
Sorin always jiggles his leg when he is feeling on edge.
It is adorable and something about seeing them be them, even in their disguises, brings me much-needed comfort.
“So…” I begin, mischief alight in my voice. “What are we getting into today?”
Sam looks up and seeing my good mood releases his lip and smiles at me. I squirm a little, his smile evoking all kinds of forbidden feelings. “I don’t know. What are you thinking?”
“Well… it seems like a waste to only know the landscape of the castle and the gardens… maybe we can explore the grounds today?”
Sam’s eyes twinkle a little mischief speaking through his serious expression. I love that look. “I know a route we can take.”
Sorin, catching on to our excitement, chimes in. “I know how we can go undetected.”
“Sounds like a plan.” My body vibrates with excitement. “Come on, then,” I say to Sam and Sorin “lead the way.”
Sam guides us through the hallways of the castle while Sorin trails us ensuring we are undetectable as we make our way outside.
We come across a large teal bookcase teeming with various literature about the botanicals in the area.
Sam pulls a book wrapped in blue leather labeled: Pink Lolcasis.
With a soft click the bookcase swings open into a long hall with a light just peeking out on the other side of it.
We walk into the hallway and Sorin shuts the bookcase behind him.
It is dark and a tad bit creepy in here, with the only light being at the end of the hall.
“How did you know this was here?” I ask Sam.
“I accidentally stumbled upon it when looking for some reading material. I wasn’t in here long but I was looking forward to showing it to you. Thanks for the excuse to do so.” He throws me a wink.
“We should be careful who we use this around.” Sorin touches one of the black stones lining the passage.
“We will,” I supply.
We finally make it to the end of the long hall and find ourselves behind a large red bush.
We squat and move around it to peer out.
I gasp. The world around us is not lush with pink and red blooms and teal foliage but instead is covered in hard rock.
The stones are black with red rivulets running through them as dark as blood.
I do not remember this landscape when flying here, but maybe something has changed since I arrived.
I really have not seen much of outside. The staff steering me mostly to my room or about the castle.
The stones are strangely mesmerizing. I did not know Helomasi had lands like these, not that I was informed much about Helomasi lands before arriving, but I am eager to explore them.
“The coast is clear.” Sorin’s voice jerks my eyes away for a split second. As a unit we come out from the bush and approach the rocks. I brush my fingers across one and notice how warm they are. The rock responds to my touch, emitting a soft light.
“Whoa,” I say in awe.
“What did you do?” Sorin asks.
“Nothing I just touched it.”
Sorin runs a hand across a stone opposite of mine, but nothing happens. “Sam, try touching this.” Sorin points to a rock. Sam places his palm against the stone, but again nothing happens.
“Weird,” I say. “Maybe it was a fluke?” I skate my fingers across the stone next to the one I just touched and that one also starts to emit a faint red glow.
Suddenly the light from the two stones starts traveling over the other stones further down the path.
Right before the light is too far to see it pauses. “Should we… follow the light?”
“I don’t know…” Mutters Sam, looking a little uncomfortable.
“For once I agree with Sam.” Sorin scratches his head. “We don’t know where this might lead us.”
My shoulders drop, but my curiosity is piqued. I really want to see where the rocks are leading me. “Are you not curious?”
Sorin looks at the dancing lights again, distrustfully. “No, Lace. We don’t know if it’s an elaborate trap or who might be watching us right now. I think we should leave the weird floaty lights alone.”
Sam’s eyes widen. “Yes… exactly.” Sam looks at Sorin like he’s gained a new head. It is not often the boys agree, especially when it comes to matters pertaining to adventure over safety. Sorin really must have a bad feeling about this path.
I push out a breath, disappointed, I was really hoping for an adventure today. “Okay, I guess you are right.”
Sorin notices my disappointment and lightly rubs one of my shoulders. “Hey,” he soothes “we can check it out later. We have not really covered our tracks here. If someone comes looking for us, I want to make sure we are where we need to be for now.”
I wrinkle my nose at him playfully, but smile. “Fine.”
“Aaaand,” he drags out, “I might have seen a certain elvisera delivering a certain princess some mail earlier.”
My eyes light up in excitement. “Really?” He nods. “Well then what are we waiting for?” I bounce lightly on my toes.
Sam chuckles warmly. “Come on, then.” We make our way back through the passageway and into the hall undetected.
I rush through the halls back to my room with the men on my heels, just keeping enough decorum as to not downright sprint.
When we arrive to my room Sam and Sorin depart.
I give them both a quick nod before wrenching open my door to find my beautiful elvisera sniffing at one of the definitely bugged vines in my room.
When she spots me, she flies gently into the air causing the room to stir with the wind as I approach her.
She deposits a pretty letter into my hand, and I pet her gently before she soars back into the sky and out of sight.
I glance at the letter and realize it is from Philos. A slight squeal escapes my lungs, and I settle into my bed to read it:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My dearest Lace,
Never plead for something irrevocably yours, now and always. You know I am never one for politics, so I trust your judgment, but do know you will always have safety here. I also agree, there is much more at play than what seems. So, ensure you keep a keen eye on what’s in front of you.
You’ve been quite the topic as of late. Apparently, you are rooming next door to not one but three men?! I’m so proud you’ve finally taken my advice to be more… exploratory <3. I want all the details, my dear. Caps off to you!
Please write me back soon, you know how much I enjoy details!! I’m practically starved, though your last letter was most illuminating.
All my love,
Philos
p.s. So i hear your old maid mandi has been busy! How could you let someone like that around you for so long? Earnestly, the situation is quite concerning!
I heard from crena that she’s run from tikilium, leaving rubble and ash in trail behind her. She destroyed nearly half your father’s estate after turning into some sort of “scaly she-devil.”
She apparently also stole something of value. Although rumors are quite muddled as to what. Fidelity is so hard to come by now-a-days. Even from the best of staff.
What a fiasco! I also heard the queen has left with her! Though i’m not sure i believe that. Her highness has always been so enamored with your father. Maybe mandi has been a bad influence on her? Either way, enough gossip for one note…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I squint at the paper. The handwriting is definitely Philos’ but there is something definitely off about the wording she used.
Philos never has any good thing to say about my father, moreover she would never say anything negative regarding Mandi.
She knows how much she means to me and has only ever spoken highly of her.
I press my eyebrows together in confusion fiddling with the side of the pages.
I really hope Mandi is okay. I have never seen her turn into a “she beast” of any kind and she was always a gentle soul I could talk to whenever I was home, but more than anything she was my friend and I really hope if anything is true about this letter, it is that she is out of my father’s grasp.
A tear falls and lands on the page smearing the ink slightly.
The sight of it catches my eye and I tilt my head then read the letter again and notice the underlined words.
Then I blink. “Keen all caps?” I whisper to myself with a smile.
No wonder this letter is so weird. There is a secret message within it!
I find something to write with and start to circle the capitalized words.
Then bite my lip in confusion. Maybe the message is in the p.s.
? There does not seem to be any pattern in the letter itself.
Only losing steam slightly I forge on and start to circle the capitalized letters in the postscript.
S...H... E I... S S...A...F... E W...I..
.T...H...M... E. She who is she? I stare at the letters, then the tears rush back to my eyes full force as I realize their meaning.
Mandi! The subject of the letter. Mandi is safe and with Philos?
Was Philos the connection Mandi had? My mind is reeling but the only thing I can focus on is the fact she is safe for now and maybe.
.. maybe soon I can see her again. I hug the letter to my chest in gratitude.
My smile drops as a thought hits me. The letter being coded is worrying.
It must mean our communications are indeed being interfered with otherwise she would have told me outright.
She had yet to answer my letter about the boys and Helomasi, maybe she never received it?
Did it go up in ash? If so, why would she feel the need to code her thoughts?
Is something happening in Araletos? So many questions, but no answers.
I drag in a ragged breath and then call my elvisera back with a breathy whistle.
When she makes her way up back to my balcony, I lay my head against hers to convey what I want her to do.
With a nudge at my hand, I open it, and she blows out a small stream of fire, turning the beloved letter to ashes.
I smile and pet her in gratitude before she once again departs, leaving me to my thoughts and the ashes to the wind. At least Mandi is safe.