Night had fallen as Willan returned from the market. On the way back, he had seen the roads of the Fort light up bit by bit. Lanterns had been lit here and there and a long parade had begun by the time he reached the ice palace. Women had started dancing in a circle in the town square, near the courtyard at the palace entrance. He quickly realized this was the small festival the queen and her messenger had mentioned. He had also heard Ælves on the street talking about an explosion of ice stars later in the night. Willan did not know exactly what was going on, but he was sure it was something grandiose. Unfortunately, he had to hurry past all these festivities, thinking of Aluna. Recalling that the prince of Thundez had accompanied her to her cell, Willan sped towards Siruth’s chambers.
He soon arrived at his destination. He stopped at the door for a moment, and suddenly realized the full extent of his devotion to Aluna. Did he have feelings for her, just like the psychic had said? The thought did not seem so ridiculous anymore. His heart beat faster when he thought of her, and he hated the idea of her ignoring him or loving another man. Never seeing her again was unthinkable, and he felt ready to give his life for her. Was this love, real love? There was Amelia to think of, but Aluna was going to die the following day. He had to see her one last time, or he would regret it for the rest of his life.
He had to knock twice before Siruth opened the door. He invited him in, but Willan declined and went straight to the point. “There’s no point in my coming in, I won’t be here long.”
“I’m listening.”
“I want to. . . No, I need to see her. You have to tell me where she is.”
“Even though it’s against the rules, I would be happy to help you, but I’m afraid I can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“They transferred Aluna to a new location, I don’t know where.”
“Transferred? Why did they transfer her?”
“From what I understand, men in the first prison tried to assault her and. . .”
Assault? Anger flooded Willan. He grabbed Siruth by the collar. “Assault? What do you mean by ‘assault’?”
“It was attempted assault,” Siruth clarified. He spoke calmly, which infuriated Willan even more.
“All the more reason I need to see her!”
“I just told you, I don’t know where she is. Please let me go. Someone of your rank shouldn’t be acting this way.”
“Who cares about my rank at a time like this?” he shouted, furious.
“Please release him. He really does not know where she is,” a voice commanded.
The words suddenly made Willan realize his mistake and he let go of the prince’s collar, apologizing politely.
He turned around to see who had spoken. He was surprised to discover Princess Symel, in a pale blue dressing gown that emphasized the whiteness of her skin. She must have heard their entire conversation—which probably meant she would no longer be willing to help him. But the princess surprised him by holding out her hand to offer him something.
“Here, take it. It’s the key to her chambers.”
“What. . . How?” he managed to say.
“Go on, take it!” Symel insisted. “I told you I would take care of everything, didn’t I?”
She did not have to ask twice. Willan stepped forward and took the precious gift, a small golden key. Then he looked at the princess, searching for answers. Behind him, Siruth was confused, too.
“Princess, are you sure you know what you’re doing? Didn’t your mother forbid any visits?”
“My mother doesn’t have to know, does she?” she answered, a hint of malice in her voice. “And I need to talk with you about. . .”
Flustered, but well aware of the chance she was giving him, Willan interrupted the princess to ask, “Where can I find her?”
Symel took a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to him. It was a map marked with a red X. “Go where the X is. That’s the room she’s been transferred to. There are two guards at the door; show them the key and they’ll let you pass. If you take the corridor to my right, you should be able to find it without too much difficulty.”
Willan gave her a grateful smile and turned on his heels. As he walked away, he heard the princess murmur to Siruth in a sensual voice. Apparently she had something important to share with him, too, Willan thought.
But he did not have time to listen. He sped up. His heart was beating so loudly he could not hear anything else around him. This was his last chance to be honest with his friend. He had to tell her how he felt before it was too late.
With this thought in mind, he reached the red X. As soon as he saw the two guards, he knew he was in the right place, although he was surprised that it appeared to be an ordinary room, not a jail cell. He approached the guards, who initially refused to let him in. He followed the princess’s advice and showed them the golden key, adding that she was the one who had given it to him. They immediately let him pass. Willan used the key and entered the room.
∾
“I told you not to come!” Arthur hissed to his daughter.
“What do you mean, Papa? I had to come!” the girl retorted, pulling her hood up to conceal her face.
“I mean it, this is no place for a child!”
“Hush, here he is!”
Before them stood a man who was about forty years old, brown-haired, thin and very tall. Slowly he sat down on a stool in front of them, unsmiling. A dozen waitresses bustled around them carrying heavy trays brimming with tankards of beer and other drinks. The room was crowded with small wooden tables and lit by lanterns hung on the back wall. Men of all backgrounds sat at these tables, drinking tankard after tankard of the beer flowing endlessly from the three enormous kegs in the back.
It was nighttime and they were gathered in the Lion Tavern, famous for serving the worst beer in the history of the kingdom. Still, the place was always packed, full of sketchy characters that came together every night to get drunk.
Maybe they come for the pretty waitresses, Beth thought, studying the nearest one, who had brought them two mugs full to the brim. She was very beautiful, with blonde hair cascading over her bare shoulders. But it was so dark in the tavern that she could not see what color her eyes were.
The waitress’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “What will you have?” she asked, looking at Beth impatiently.
Because she wore a long dark cloak and had her hood up, it was hard to tell Beth was only a girl, but with her small size and angelic air, she would not fool anyone for long. Unsure what to say, Beth shook her head to indicate she did not want anything. Her father, seated next to her, hastened to order something so as not to draw attention to her young face.
“The same thing, please.”
“All right,” the waitress said, glancing at Beth again before she left.
Arthur scolded his daughter discreetly, “I told you!”
Before she could reply, he turned to the man who had sat down at their table. The stranger had not said a word since joining them, just silently observed this unlikely duo in the midst of the tavern rabble. To break the silence, Arthur slid a mug over to him. The man chugged the beer and slammed the tankard down, making the little table shake. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I heard something that might interest you.”
“I’m listening.”
The man glanced at Arthur’s daughter before continuing, “I heard people saying something fell from the sky near the palace.”
“What? Fell from the sky? Was it…?”
“I don’t know, could have been.”
“But how? Where did you get this information, Bruce?”
“You know the rules,” his informant snapped.
Arthur had known Bruce for years, and even though he could not verify his sources, the news he provided was always accurate. So he took the man at his word. After all, he had been feeding Arthur information for almost four years now, since he had been put in charge of supplying hay to the Goran palace. Most likely he had spies in the royal stables.
“I know,” Arthur said. “But do you think it could be her?”
“I think it would be a pretty big coincidence. I also think this is the only lead you’ve got,” he explained, glancing at his friend’s daughter again. “But I’d bet my right arm this has something to do with your missing girl.”
Beth gave her father a meaningful look, meant to convey that this was a big step forward in their search. He nodded and asked Bruce, “Can you get us in?”
“I don’t think that would do you much good,” he said distractedly.
All his attention was now fixed on the pretty waitress, who set a third mug down on their table and gave him a discreet wink as she turned to go. After watching her walk away with her hips swaying seductively, he continued:
“She might not be there anymore. There was a kitchen girl who left the palace a little while ago in a carriage headed for Crystallia. She matches the description, so I think it’s her.”
“Crystallia?” exclaimed Beth, who had been silent until this moment.
“Shh!” her father hissed, putting his hand over her mouth.
“But. . .”
Ignoring his daughter, Arthur turned back to his informant, who was now occupied trying to start a conversation with the pretty blonde waitress.
“I’m guessing you don’t know why she left, or if she’s coming back.”
“No, but if you ask me, I don’t think this was a fun trip,” he said, draining his mug. “I’m just saying, but I heard she was wearing a slave tunic and was taken away by the queen’s messenger himself. That can’t mean anything good for her.”
“Thank you for your help. Contact us as soon as you hear anything else,” Beth’s father said, passing him a heavy purse under the table.
His friend snatched it and stuffed it in his pocket before standing up to join the waitress, who was waiting for him by the counter with a honeyed gaze.
Arthur put two coins down on the table and told his daughter it was time to go. Beth, still flustered, stood up in silence and followed her father out of the tavern. She would have bad memories from that place. Watching men get drunk all night held no appeal for her.
Outside, she followed her father to their carriage, parked on the other side of the road. After they climbed into the small coach, she reflected on the reason they had called on Bruce’s services in the first place.
She had discovered that Aluna was still alive, and that Elena wanted revenge on her because she held her twin responsible for the death of their mother. She had told her father, who immediately insisted on hiring someone to track Aluna down before her other sister could. They had not even tried reasoning with Elena; they knew she would not listen. Beth could not stop thinking of Aluna. If she was indeed the girl Bruce had heard about, she appeared to be facing even greater danger than the threat Elena represented.
Settled in her seat, she removed her cloak and watched her father close the door, right before they took off for The Stump.