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Where is she going at this time of night? The cold, rough stone pressed into Allyn’s cheek as he hid in the shadows of the alleyway. The moon cast the street in silver light, but few were out this time of evening. It was an hour for thieves, and no time for a governess to be about.
Melina was apparently trying to move unseen and was making a poor job of it. She stopped and started, flitted from shadow to shadow, and kept looking all around.
Allyn would have laughed if the situation weren’t so grave. Larris needed to find out what had happened to his brother’s letter of abdication, and he was convinced Melina had something to do with it. He wondered if she had the letter on her person. Of course, accosting her would do no good. Even if she was the guilty party, he’d have to search her and, if she didn’t have it on her person, he and Larris would lose any chance of finding it and discovering who was pulling her strings.
“You have to be working for someone,” he whispered. “What use would you have for that letter?”
Melina turned onto a side street and Allyn had to hurry to catch up, moving along on silent feet. He peered around the corner and froze. She was gone! That couldn’t be. She had only been out of his sight for a matter of seconds. Gritting his teeth, he stepped out into the street and looked around.
His eyes fell upon a single door at the back of a massive building. That had to be where she had gone. Getting his bearings, his heart lurched when he realized where he was—The Temple of the Seven!
He moved with haste back into the shadows and caught his breath. His thoughts churned as he considered the implications. If Melina were here to visit the sanctuary, which was highly unlikely in the middle of the night, she’d have entered through the front door. This proved it. Someone in the temple was meddling in the royal family’s affairs, but to what end?
He considered returning to the palace immediately and reporting to Larris, but thought the better of it. Melina was very likely delivering the letter right now. If he could retrieve it, and find out for whom she was working, it would save a great deal of trouble. Steeling his nerves, he moved to the door and tried the handle. Locked. He’d have to enter by the front door.
He paused on the front steps, lowered his hood and made sure his cloak covered his belt knives before entering.
Shadows cloaked the sanctuary, with only the meager glow of a few candles to light his way. Statues of the seven gods sat in alcoves on either side, their odd number giving the room a strangely unbalanced feel.
A fat priest sat dozing behind the altar rail. Allyn fished a coin out of his belt pouch and dropped it into the bowl. The priest started at the sound of clinking metal but nodded and closed his eyes again as Allyn lit one of the candle stubs on the rail and knelt to pray. Soon, the man was snoring again.
Allyn scanned the altar area and spotted a poorly concealed door set in the back wall. He rose, slipped over the altar rail, and crept to the door. Taking one last look to make sure the priest was still asleep, he opened the door and stepped inside.
“Very good.” Timmon smiled as he read Lerryn’s abdication letter. “You have done well, daughter. Your faithful service to the seven will not be forgotten.”
“I’m glad you are pleased.” The priest was the closest thing to a father Melina had, which was the only reason she had served as his informant on the affairs of the local family for all these years. She took a shallow breath and forced the words out. “Forgive me, but I don’t understand why the temple is interested in interfering with the line of succession. Larris is a reliable young man and will make a better king than Lerryn would have.”
“It’s not something that can be easily explained. And we do not intend to interfere. We simply need time to study the situation and make sure the outcome is what is best for the future of our nation.” Timmon folded the paper and tucked it inside his robe. “You need not worry. We have only Galdora’s best interests at heart.”
Melina jumped as the door behind her opened. She snapped her head around to see the king’s brother enter the room. “Lord Orman?”
He forced a smile, but not before a flash of anger mingled with surprise flitted across his face. “Melina. The hour is late for you to be at worship.”
“I was just delivering something. I should go now.” She took a step toward the door on wobbly knees, but Orman grabbed hold of her arm.
“No need to leave on my account. When I am in need of counsel, I prefer to visit when no one is about. The commoners do love to talk.”
“I imagine they do.” She’d never been so frightened in her life. Her head buzzed and she felt as if she were floating far above her body. Nothing made sense. Neither the temple’s interest in the business of the royal family nor their previously-unsuspected connection to Orman, who had never, as far as she knew, shown any sign of being religious. She didn’t believe Orman was here for counseling, and they both knew it. She looked longingly at the door. Even if she could break free of Orman’s tight grip, she’d never get away.
Timmon stood and cleared his throat. “Melina was just leaving.”
Orman’s grip loosened as the priest took Melina by the elbow and guided her out.
As they navigated the silent halls, she permitted herself to relax if only a little. She’d escaped the situation, but what would happen when she and Orman were back at the palace? Would he suffer her to live now that she knew of his connection to the temple, or would he treat her as an accomplice, knowing she could not report his actions without admitting to treason? It was a knot she couldn’t untangle. She would have to flee; there was nothing else for it. She had a horse, a gift from the royal family, and enough coin to get well away from Archstone.
“Here we are. I fear I cannot offer you an escort back to the palace. You understand, of course?”
Melina nodded and embraced Timmon.
She didn’t see the dagger before he thrust it into her heart.
Allyn wound through the empty hallways of the Temple of the Seven. He moved silently through a corridor lined with empty studies, then through a dining hall and into the area which, by the snores he heard, housed the sleeping quarters. This was useless. He had no idea where he was going and, by now, Melina was likely long gone. His chance of discovering whom she was meeting and why was lost.
He retraced his steps, hoping he wouldn’t be discovered, as he could offer no believable reason for being here, and he really didn’t want to kill a priest.
Back in the sanctuary, he found the priest still snoring. Relief mingling with disappointment at his failure, he made his way back out onto the street. He took a deep breath of the damp night air and tried to sort out his thoughts. He felt as though he’d discovered something important, but he knew so little. At least he could point Larris in the proper direction.
As he passed through a row of pubs and inns, all dark, a shape lying on the ground caught his attention. His hand went to the hilt of his long hunting knife and he approached with caution. As he drew closer, he realized it was a body. Somehow, he knew who it was even before he knelt over her, pressing his hand to the wound in her chest.
Melina!