“Are you all right?” Sister Fallyn asked. “I was so worried about you.”
“I’m perfectly fine,” Brigitta whispered in their tent. Even though she missed Rupert so much that it hurt. They’d confessed their love to each other and had become one, only to be separated once again.
She sighed. “Gunther yelled at me for wandering off during the storm, but he was relieved that I made it back.”
Sister Fallyn lowered her voice. “Wasn’t he suspicious that you were missing for so long?”
“Yes,” Brigitta admitted. “He had soldiers combing the forest, searching for me, so he wondered why they didn’t find me. I told him I stumbled upon another campsite, and they let me sleep there for the night. Brody overheard my excuse and left. I’m hoping he went to Stefan’s camp to warn them, so their story will match mine.”
Sister Fallyn nodded. “That would be good.”
A bark sounded outside their tent.
“Oh, he’s back.” Brigitta let Brody in, then she and Sister Fallyn waited outside while he shifted.
“Is Stefan all right?” Sister Fallyn whispered.
“Aye. He asked about you.” Brigitta looked over at Gunther’s tent. She’d spotted Rupert being escorted inside a few minutes ago. Had he delivered the dragon’s head? Would he be declared the winner?
Brody called softly for them to enter, and they found him dressed in breeches and buttoning his shirt.
“I flew over to Stefan’s camp,” he whispered. “When Gunther’s soldiers go there to ask about you, they’ll confirm you were there.”
“Thank you.” Brigitta poured him a glass of wine. “Do you know what happened in Gunther’s tent? Was Seven announced as the winner?”
“I lurked around the back of the tent, and luckily, they were yelling loud enough that I could hear.” Brody took a sip of wine. “Gunther is too pissed to acknowledge Seven’s win. He decided on one last quest to determine which of the final two will be marrying you.”
Brigitta groaned. “What does he want now?”
“The royal seal.” Brody winced. “Unfortunately, once he gets his hands on the royal seal, it will be even harder for the House of Trepurin to regain their power.”
“The seal is missing?” Sister Fallyn asked.
Brody nodded. “When King Manfrid was assassinated, his queen took the seal and the young prince and fled north. From the stories I’ve heard, she hid the seal before they fell off a cliff. Since then, no one has been able to find it. The contestant who presents it to Gunther will be the final winner.”
“And my husband,” Brigitta added as an exciting idea struck her mind. No one could find hidden objects better than her. “I need to see Gunther.”
“Why?” Sister Fallyn gave her a worried look. “What are you up to now?”
“I’m taking control of my own destiny.” Brigitta strode from the tent. She would choose her own future and her own husband.
The guard at Gunther’s tent announced her and let her inside. Rupert was no longer there. He was probably being held somewhere under heavy guard. The large sack containing the dragon head had been shoved into a corner.
Gunther was seated behind his desk, using his fingers to flick gold coins off the polished surface. Whenever a coin flew across the tent, Mador scurried after it as if he were a dog playing fetch.
“Hurry, Mador,” Gunther growled as he flicked three in rapid succession. “You’re falling behind.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mador scrambled about the tent.
Gunther gave Brigitta a passing glance. “Go and pack your things. We leave at dawn to go north.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” She bowed her head. “If you recall, I was given permission to participate in the competition.”
“I’m letting you tag along. That’s enough.” With an annoyed look, Gunther flicked a coin and it hit one of his giant golden candlesticks with a ping. “Don’t get in the way, Brigitta. And no more getting lost.”
“Yes, brother dearest … I mean, Your Majesty.” When he snorted, she continued, “I heard the last quest is a search for the lost royal seal.”
Gunther jumped to his feet. “Where did you hear that? Who has a loose tongue around here?”
She winced inwardly. “I … overheard some soldiers…”
“Ha!” Gunther glared at Mador. “They should be better trained than that! Dock their pay for a week.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mador bowed.
Brigitta edged closer to her brother. “If I could speak to you in private…”
Gunther scowled as he sat behind his desk. “Mador will be your husband. You can speak freely in front of him.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Mador gave her a look that was both heated and possessive.
She repressed a shudder. He’d never looked at her like that before. “I’m not sure if you know this, Your Majesty, but as one of the Embraced, I have a special gift.”
He waved a jeweled hand in the air. “I don’t care as long as you can squeeze out an heir.”
Mador’s eyes narrowed. “You’re Embraced?”
Gunther threw a tied-up scroll at Mador, hitting him in the head. “Sit!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mador sat on the rug.
Brigitta ignored the captain and turned to her brother. “My gift enables me to find lost items. I am your best hope at finding the lost seal.”
Gunther’s eyebrows rose. “You can find it?”
She nodded. “I would need to touch something that once belonged to the deceased queen. Then I should be able to envision the seal’s whereabouts. So if you will allow me to find it—”
“Of course!” Gunther smiled. “By the Light, you may be worth the gold I’ve had to spend on you. So, once you help Mador find the seal, he will win the final quest.”
Brigitta bowed her head. “As you wish.” But it would be Rupert she would be handing the seal to, for he was the rightful owner.
Gunther’s smile faded as his face turned sour once again. “I’m having some soldiers check to see if you really spent the night at the camp that Seven’s servants set up. If I catch you anywhere near that Seven, you will be sorry. Painfully sorry. Do you understand?”
She swallowed hard. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
* * *
Brigitta looked away as the heavy stone lid was pried off the top of a crypt. Forgive me, Your Majesty. She hadn’t wanted to disturb the late queen’s grave, but apparently, there was nothing left of the woman’s belongings but a pair of shoes. After the queen’s body had been burned, Garold’s soldiers had dumped the bones in this crypt, along with the shoes that had slipped off her feet as she’d fallen to her death.
Brigitta had traveled for three days with Gunther’s caravan. They had headed north, and as the terrain grew increasingly mountainous, their progress had slowed. The Highlands of northern Tourin were famous for their mines of gold, silver, and precious jewels, which had made the northern clans rich and powerful.
The most powerful clan had been the Trepurins, who had owned the gold mines. For four hundred years, they had been the reigning House of Tourin. But when Brigitta’s father, Garold, had defeated King Manfrid, he’d taken over all the gold mines and palaces.
Last night they’d spent the night at the old palace from which the Trepurins had once ruled the country. It was nothing but an empty shell now, for everything of any value—all the gold, tapestries, furnishings, and dinnerware—had been looted and taken south to the palace at Lourdon.
Brigitta hadn’t been able to see Rupert, but according to Brody, he had spent the night in the stables under guard. Her heart had ached, knowing how hard it must have been for him to see his childhood home this way. She’d wandered the empty hallways, imagining Rupert growing up as the young Prince Ulfrid, surrounded by a loving family he would lose before the age of seven. She’d sat in the overgrown garden, picturing Rupert there, playing with his younger brother, Bjornfrid.
And if that hadn’t been hard enough on Rupert, now they were disturbing his mother’s grave. He hadn’t even been allowed into the chapel. He was under guard outside in the village square.
They had arrived at this village around noon. When the queen and young prince had fled north, this village was as far as they had reached before Garold’s army had caught up with them. Looming over the village was the mountain where Garold’s men had chased the queen to her death.
A loud grating noise echoed through the stone church, and Brigitta gritted her teeth. Forgive me, Rupert. The bell clanged overhead, and she wondered if a sudden gust of wind had swept through the bell tower, a gust of wind that might have been caused by Rupert’s distress.
“Get on with it,” Gunther ordered as Captain Mador held a torch over the gaping dark hole at the foot of the crypt.
Brigitta ventured a peek inside. Bones, and the faded red leather of a woman’s slipper. With a grimace, she reached inside to touch the shoe.
A deluge of emotions struck her so hard, she withdrew her hand and stepped back. Horror, fear, grief. She steeled her nerves and this time when she touched the shoe, she concentrated on the royal seal.
She squeezed her eyes shut as anxiety and fear enveloped her. She saw the seal, the top portion made of blue lapis lazuli with an arched handle of gold in the shape of a dolphin. Blue and gold, the colors of Tourin, and the dolphin, a symbol of the coastal nation. A woman’s hands were holding the seal, and they trembled as they wrapped it in brown wool.
“We must hide it,” a woman’s voice whispered. Rupert’s mother. She set the seal in a golden bowl and stuffed lamb’s wool all around it. “You must never tell anyone where it is.”
“But Daddy will want it when he comes back,” a young voice whined.
“He…” The woman’s voice broke with a sob. “He can’t come back anymore.”
“What about Ulfie?” the young boy asked.
The woman sniffed. “I hope he can. I hope he’s still…” She quickly stuffed another golden bowl with lamb’s wool. “If Ulfrid comes for the seal, you can give it to him. Understand?”
There was a whimpering sound, then the boy cried, “I miss Ulfie.”
“I know.” With a muffled sob, the woman fit the two bowls together. With a twist, they fastened together, forming a golden orb. She wrapped the orb with more brown wool, then slipped it into a woolen bag. “If something happens to me, you must hold on to this. Remember, Bjornfrid. It is precious. Never let it go.”
“I’ll remember, Mama.”
Brigitta withdrew her hand from the crypt as the vision faded. A golden orb. Her gaze shifted to the church’s altar. Traditionally, all the churches of Enlightenment had a golden sphere or disk at the altar to symbolize the sun god, called the Light. Unfortunately, Gunther had long since confiscated all the golden orbs in Tourin. Churches had been forced to make their sun globes out of brass or yellow-painted wood.
This church was no different, for there on the altar was a yellow, wooden orb on a cushion of blue velvet. Could the seal be inside? Or had Gunther taken the golden orb to his treasury in Lourdon? If he had, he might actually have the seal in his possession without realizing it. Hopefully, the queen had managed to hide the orb containing the seal.
“Well?” Gunther peered at her closely. “Did you see the seal? Do you know where it is?”
“It was buried in a garden,” Brigitta lied. “A castle garden.”
“That’s all you know?” Gunther scowled at her. “Every castle has a damned garden.”
She shrugged. “I believe it would be a castle that belonged to the former royal family.”
Captain Mador watched her carefully. “There are several castles nearby that were owned by the Trepurins.”
“You could try Trepurin Palace,” she suggested. It was a three-hour ride from here. That would give Rupert the chance to check out the local churches.
“I’ll check the palace,” Gunther said. “Mador, you take some soldiers to search the other castles.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mador motioned for the soldiers to follow him out.
“Are you coming?” Gunther asked Brigitta. “Or shall I have some guards escort you back to camp?”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll go back to camp. I’m really tired of traveling.”
“Suit yourself.” Gunther strode out the church’s door, followed by his personal guard.
Brigitta heard the sound of barking and rushed to the church door to peer outside. The dog Brody was circling the king’s entourage and growling at them.
“Brody!” Brigitta ran toward him as Gunther aimed a kick at him.
“Control that mutt of yours,” Gunther growled as he mounted his horse. “And behave yourself. Remember, I’m having you watched. Don’t go near that damned Seven.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Brigitta curtsied as Gunther and his entourage took off. The sound of horse hooves clattered on the cobblestones of the village square.
She spotted Rupert across the square with his horse saddled and ready to go as he conducted his own search for the seal. There was only one guard assigned to him now. Apparently, Gunther didn’t consider him much of a threat, since he believed he and Mador would find the seal. Nearby, there were two guards watching her.
Kneeling down by Brody, she patted him on the head. Instantly her senses went on alert. Brody was also keeping a great number of secrets. “Now be a good dog, and don’t get in the soldiers’ way,” she said loud enough for her guards to hear.
As she leaned close to hug him, she whispered in Brody’s ear, “The seal was hidden in a golden orb like the ones used in churches. Tell Seven that I’ll check this church, and he can check the others in the area.”
Brody yipped in response, then trotted off down a narrow street.
Rupert strode down a parallel street, his guard trailing along behind. No doubt, Rupert intended to catch up with Brody soon.
As Brigitta headed back into the church, her guards started to follow. “Could you wait out here, please? I’d like some privacy while I pray.”
With a nod, they took up positions on either side of the door.
Brigitta closed the church door, then hurried down the main aisle to the altar. There she examined the yellow, wooden orb until she was able to open it.
Nothing inside.
With a sigh, she fastened it back together. Hopefully, Rupert would have better luck.
* * *
Rupert dashed around a corner, then waited for his guard to appear. A quick punch to the jaw, and his guard crumbled to the ground.
Brody trotted up and shifted into human form.
“Did she see where the seal is?” Rupert asked.
“Inside a golden orb, like the ones used in churches,” Brody replied as he yanked the breeches off the fallen guard. “She said she’d try the church here, and we could check the others nearby.”
Rupert turned toward the village square. “I want to see her.”
“You can’t. She has two guards watching her.”
Rupert glanced over his shoulder at Brody, who was quickly getting dressed in the fallen guard’s clothes. “You could send them away. I need to see her.”
Brody shot him an annoyed look. “Do we have time for this?”
“We’ll make time.” Rupert handed him the guard’s boots.
Brody sat and tugged them on. “I caught the scent of the Chameleon. He hasn’t taken Gunther’s place yet. But he’s definitely close to him, maybe one of his personal guards.”
“Let’s go.” Rupert headed back to the village square, then waited, hidden around a corner.
Brody, now dressed as a guard, dashed toward Brigitta’s guards in front of the church. “Hurry! Seven has escaped with some of the king’s gold!” He pointed north. “He went that way!”
The two guards took off.
As soon as they were out of sight, Rupert led his horse across the village square. “Stand guard,” he told Brody, then eased inside the church.
Golden light filtered through the long windows, illuminating the altar with its yellow orb. On the right, barely visible in the shadows, he saw Brigitta kneeling beside a crypt. His heart stuttered. Mother.
The door behind him swung shut with a clunk that echoed throughout the small church. Brigitta glanced toward him and rose to her feet.
He took a step forward, then stopped as memories seized him by the throat, choking the air from him. Once again, he was that young, frightened boy, sprawled over the crypt, crying for his mother. Don’t leave me.
“Is it safe for you to be here?” Brigitta whispered as she moved to the main aisle.
It would never be safe. Not until he gained back his father’s throne.
“Did my guards see you?” Brigitta asked.
He shook his head. “They’re gone. Did you … see my mother?”
“Her shoes.” Tears glistened in Brigitta’s eyes. “I saw her hands in a vision. And I felt her fear and grief. I’m so sorry. I wish there had been another…” She paused when he strode toward her, his steps faster and faster.
She ran to him, and he swept her into his arms, holding her tight. “Brigitta.”
“I’m here.” She grasped his shoulders.
“Don’t ever leave me.” He cradled her face with his hands and kissed her. She returned his passion, her hands skimming up his neck and into his hair.
Brody cleared his throat at the door. “We need to go.”
Rupert stepped back, slowly releasing Brigitta.
“The seal isn’t here.” She motioned toward the altar. “But I think it could be somewhere close.”
Rupert nodded. “I’ll find it.”
She smiled, her eyes glimmering with tears. “And if I find it, I’ll give it to you. Trust me.”
“I do.” As Rupert left the church, one of Brigitta’s guards was returning and spotted him.
“Seven!” The guard ran toward the church.
Crap. Rupert quickly mounted his horse.
“I’ll catch him,” Brody yelled at the guard.
As Rupert rode away, Brody pretended to be chasing him. By the time Rupert had reached the outskirts of the village, Brody was soaring overhead as an eagle.