I HAD JUST SENT ONE OF THE LESSER EUNUCHS to fetch the queen when I saw Biztha approaching, his face flushed and perspiring. I took a deep breath and braced myself, sensing the eunuch brought bad news. No one wore such a worried face at the end of the day unless he was burdened with a troubling report.
“Harbonah.” Biztha whispered my name with a sigh of relief. “There is trouble in the harem and I don’t know if we should tell the king. But Shaashgaz said I should tell you.”
I lifted a brow. “What kind of trouble?”
“One of the young princes has gone missing. His nurse left him sleeping with the other boys, but when she went to check on them, he had disappeared. We have searched the nursery and the harem, but no one has seen him. None of the women has seen him, either.”
I folded my arms. “That’s a lie. No one goes in or out of the harem without one of the guards seeing something.”
“They insist they didn’t see the boy leave. That’s why I suspect trouble is afoot. No child of the king’s has ever gone missing from his bed.”
I narrowed my gaze as I considered the implications. “Is it the crown prince?”
“No, Darius sleeps safely with his brothers. It’s Pharnaces, son of the concubine Malta. He’s a good boy who never causes trouble. His mother is hysterical, and his tutor is quite distraught.”
I scratched my chin. Biztha had good instincts, and he was almost certainly correct to think that trouble stirred in the harem. But who would take one of the king’s children? A rival for the throne would snatch the crown prince or his brothers, not one of the king’s lesser sons.
“Are you sure the boy did not wander away? Could he be hiding? Did someone reprimand him?”
“No, and—”
Biztha fell silent as the sounds of sandals slapping against tile alerted us to the approach of the queen’s escort. Two Immortals led her retinue, two walked at her sides, and two followed in the rear. The queen smiled when she caught my eye, but I must have been too distracted by the problem at hand to adequately smooth my expression. She halted at once.
“Harbonah—is all well with you, my friend?”
Biztha and I fell to the floor in obeisance. “Grace and peace to you, lady.”
“Rise, please, and tell me what troubles you.”
I stood. “Nothing that need concern you, my queen.”
“If something concerns you, then it concerns me.” A line occupied the space between her brows. “If it will trouble the king—”
“In truth, the king does not yet know, but one of the young princes has gone missing. Guards are searching the harem for him now.”
The line between her brows deepened as her hand flew to the rising mound of her belly. I did not know if the king had discovered her secret, but I could not help noticing the change in her manner—of late Esther had been more quiet, more gentle, and more protective. She was undoubtedly in a most delicate condition, so news of a missing prince was bound to upset her.
“I’m sure it is nothing, my queen. The children often play hiding games—”
“Which child?” The eyes she lifted to mine had gone cloudy with worry. “How old?”
“He is called Pharnaces, my queen.” Biztha answered for me. “You should not worry. He is a big boy and quite capable of handling himself.”
“I know him well.” The corners of the queen’s mouth went tight with distress. “Please find him, and will you send word when you do?” Her gaze met mine again. “I’ll let you tell the king when the time is right, but please—even if you must send a message secretly, do let me know when he is found. He has become quite precious to me.”
Doubtless remembering that she was on her way to see the king, she drew her lips into a tight smile, then reached out to squeeze my arm. “Please, Harbonah, don’t forget.”
I promised her I would not.