Casimir's Journey (23 page)

The rest of the day passed by, and he found when he’d gone to dinner that somehow Roys had managed to seat him next to Thea. As Sebastian sat on the other side of her, she was not very talkative. Hadden found himself struck once more at the sadness in her, and even more so his desire to help her, to lift that sadness from her.

Esmay sat to the other side of him, and she sparkled like a clear stream in the sun, but she was not as captivating as her quiet sister.

He was puzzled at his growing preference for her.

Before he could think too long on it, the king rose. “Sir Hadden, it is time. Daughters, if you would retire, please.” He waited as all twelve of the princesses stood and hurried from the room. Then he turned to Hadden again.

“Now you will go to your chamber and see if you can discover the truth.” Aland sat down heavily.

Hadden stood and bowed to the king and queen. He could see worry in the queen’s eyes. He bowed to the hall at large, and with a glance at Roysten, left the hall.

“This is it, Hadden. Are you ready? You don’t seem as focused as I’d like to see,” said Roysten.

“I keep thinking about Princess Thea.” He didn’t want to tell Roys, but he didn’t lie.

Roysten shook his head. “That is a dog that will not hunt for you, son. I hate to be the continuous specter at the feast, but she is engaged. Betrothed. Promised. Going to marry a Crown Prince! You’re a finer man ten times over, but this it what is!”

Hadden sighed. “I know. You’re right. So. What is our plan tonight?”

“To stay awake all night and see where these mad girls go.” Roysten sounded gruff.

“You’ll have to be nice to one of them, at least, when I succeed,” Hadden said, laughing. “I won’t push for all twelve, but at least one.”

“Let’s get through the first night, shall we?”

They reached their chambers and the surly guard saw them in, even shutting the door to their room once they’d entered.

“Means business, doesn’t he?” Roysten nodded at the door. “Not the lot I’d put on guard for my daughters.”

“I would. They’d kill us soon as look at us.”

“Then how are we supposed to watch the princesses?”

“The cloak, remember? And don’t drink anything or take any food from them tonight. That’s what Grizelle said.”

Roysten shuddered. “There is something truly bad at work here, Hadden.”

“I know. The sisters I ask about it directly get this startled rabbit look and parrot the same words while doing their best to end the conversation.”

“The girls who serve the princesses don’t like it. They say they are bewitched at night because anyone who is assigned to stay in chambers sees and notices nothing, and yet, the slippers are still ragged.” Roysten’s brow was furrowed. “I’d say they’re not wrong.”

“Grizelle said that, said it was a curse. Curses usually are put one party by some other party. So we’ll see what—”

His words were cut off by a knock on the door. Roysten went to it, and opened it. After a moment, he opened the door wide, and bowed.

Thea came in.

“I have come to ask you if you would care to join us in some wine before bed,” she said. Her face was pale, and she looked as though she might be ill.

Hadden slid his eyes to Roysten. Just as Grizelle had warned them about. “I thank you, my lady, but I fear I might have indulged overmuch this evening. I shall pass.” He smiled, not wanting her to know that her words had just sent a chill down his spine.

It was true. The princesses were involved.

“It’s a tradition we have,” she said, not giving up. “Perhaps your man can come and get a cup for you.” She smiled, but it looked very forced. “It’s right out here,” she turned and spoke over her shoulder as she walked away.

“Well?” Roysten mouthed at him.

“Go get it,” Hadden hissed. “Don’t let it touch you!”

Roysten walked carefully out the door, leaving it open. Hadden moved to the doorway, wanting to see what happened.

Thea stood in front of a cabinet on the far wall of the solarium, her back to the room, and to him. She was pouring wine from a pitcher. Her head moved a fraction over her shoulder—someone not watching carefully wouldn’t have seen it, but Hadden did. Then her hand went to her pocket, and she took something from it, quickly passing it over the cup. He squinted his eyes, wanting to see what she was about.

It looked like—like a large jewel? It winked in the candlelight like a jewel. Even more quickly than she’d taken it out, she put it back in her pocket. As Roysten came closer, she turned around.

“Here is the wine for your commander. May I pour you a glass, as well?”

“I thank you, my lady, but I have work to do before I am abed.” Roysten bowed his head. Hadden could tell that he was struggling. He must have also seen her add something to the wine.

Thea smiled, and again it was the forced, almost painful looking smile. “Of course. I shall not keep you from your duties. Pray give this to Sir Hadden with our compliments.”

Roysten took the cup and bowed, returning quickly to the room. Hadden had stepped inside the room so that he wasn’t seen peering out the door, and within a moment, Roysten was back in, closing the door.

“Did you see that? She added something to it!”

“I saw. What did she pull from her pocket?”

“It looked to be a large jewel with a chain,” Roysten shook his head. “I’d have not believed it had not I seen it myself. I’m afraid for you, Hadden. She’s evil.”

Hadden shook his head. “I don’t think so, but you’re right that something evil is afoot. I’m betting that whatever she added is supposed to make me sleep. So let’s dump out half of the wine and get in bed, and we shall see what happens.”

“What do you expect?”

Hadden grinned. “Do any of these princesses seem powerful strategists to you? They seem like scared and upset ladies, to me. Which is exactly what they are. So what are they scared of? That’s what we’ll discover. I would guess they are afraid we’ll be awake. Why would that be? They are unhappy about the deaths, you’ve heard that as well.”

Roys nodded.

“So why add a potion? To keep us asleep. Why would they do that? They are afraid of the person or persons telling them they need to ensure we’re asleep. Let’s pretend, and I shall wager we see one or more of them popping a head in here to see if we are, in fact, asleep.”

“I’ll not take that wager because I think you’re right, although I think we’ll see them gloating. Vultures, all of them.” Roysten crossed his arms, disgusted.

Hadden shook his head. “I don’t think so. Although if you’re right…”

“We’ll be picking up the pieces of you,” Roysten finished.

“Let’s hope you’re wrong then.”

They didn’t speak as they readied for bed. Finally, Hadden took a single candle, and set it on the small table near his bed. “All right. No matter what, pretend you’re asleep.”

Roysten didn’t reply, although Hadden could hear some mumbling as the other man got into his bed.

He woke suddenly, wanting a sword.

The candle was guttering out. He listened, trying to determine what had woken him. Then he heard it. Small, scratching-like noises near the door. He tilted his head so that he could watch the door, and slowly the handle turned. The door opened, and a head came into view.

He heard whispering from outside the door, and then the head spoke. “No, he’s asleep. I believe they both are. I was hopeful it would be otherwise.” She sounded sad. He thought it was Thea.

“I know. Let us go.” The head sighed and disappeared. The door shut, with less caution than it had been opened.

He lay still. When he felt sure they’d moved from the door, he slid out of bed, and rearranged the cloak on his shoulders. He’d not wanted to leave it out in the open, and so had put it on before getting into bed. He crept to where Roysten slept. He shook him but Roysten didn’t stir, didn’t wake, and showed no signs of awareness. He shook his shoulder again. Still no movement.

Something was wrong, but he didn’t have the time to figure it out. He had to get moving if he was going to see what the princesses were doing.

He pulled the hood of the cloak up onto his head and looked down. He was invisible. Looking at the cloak, Hadden realized he probably ought to have tested it prior to right now. For the umpteenth time, he thought
, I really hope Grizelle is right
. The level of sorcery involved in this ought to scare him, but he was too concerned about losing the princesses.

He went to his door and slipped out. He stood, listening. He could hear voices further down the hall, where the princesses’ chambers were. Stepping lightly, he hurried down the hall into their sleeping chamber, where it appeared as though all of them were gathered around a bed. He had to clasp his hand to his mouth, nearly giving himself away, when he saw the bed move to the side. One by one, with Thea in the lead, the princesses disappeared into the floor.

He put aside his shock, and concentrated on following them. He waited behind the last princess, who was Viviana. Once she’d begun to descend, he was able to get close enough to see the stairway that lead down under the bed. He followed after her. Good thing he’d moved swiftly. The stairway opening closed behind him, nearly hitting his head. He put his hand up instinctively, and knocked against the top of the now closed stairway.

“What was that?” Viviana turned her face upwards, and it looked as though she was looking right at him. “Thea! Did you hear that?” She called ahead.

The line stopped moving. Thea inched along her sisters. “Vivi, it was nothing but your imagination. Let us go. We can’t be late. You know that.” There was worry in Thea’s voice.

Viviana cast one last glance at him, and slowly turned around. He could see a light at the bottom of the stairs, but when he reached it, he stopped. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

They were in a forest, but it was like no forest he’d ever seen. Everything…glittered. Like the silver of the brightest moon. He took a few steps, again taken aback at the amount of enchantment and sorcery that surrounded these princesses.

When he looked back to his quarry, they’d hurried ahead. He looked around, and reached up and snapped off a branch. He’d need proof. No one would believe him—he barely believed it himself.

Viviana whirled again, hearing the crack. “What was that?” She was afraid. She stared hard all along the path behind her. He held his breath, not daring to move.

Finally, she moved to catch up with her sisters, and he half ran to keep up. Suddenly, the forest changed. It was still glittering, but now it was as though a thousand suns had come out all at once. The trees, the branches and leaves, the flowers, the undergrowth—even the forest debris—all gold!

He fell behind again, and carefully broke off a branch, hoping to avoid any noise. But his hopes were in vain. The crack echoed through the woods.

Once again, Viviana stopped, and this time she came back to see what might have caused the noise. “Thea!” She yelled for her sister this time. None of the decorum he’d seen thus far from the princesses was in evidence. “Come here!”

The rest of her sisters stopped, and once again, Thea came back. “What is it?”

“I’ve now heard two cracks, two loud cracks as though the branches are breaking. Never before have I heard anything other than us, not in all this time. Something is amiss.” She put her hands on her hips and glared as though the offending branch would stand up and apologize.

Thea looked around and Hadden could see the weariness on her face, the desire to just get through tonight. He’d been on enough all-night marches to know that face, that feeling. “Vivi, there is no one here but us and the princes. Now come,” Thea took her arm and turned her back towards where they were heading. “We must go. All will be well, or as well as it can be.” Vivi turned, and as she began to walk, Thea looked around again. Her eyes sought him, sought the source of this noise, but he’d hardly breathed since they’d stopped.

As they walked on, he could see the forest was changing again. Now it was returning to silver, but an even brighter silver than previously. He stepped close to the edge of the path, and he could see that tiny stones dotted the branches. Diamonds! Diamonds on trees. A man could make his fortune ten times over just by strolling along this path. He let Viviana get further away, and then stepped off the path, hoping to get a low branch and not attract so much attention. He bent it a few times, and then snapped it off. To his ears, it was not loud. He leaned out and glanced up the path. Viviana had not turned around, probably because the sisters were stopped, and all were talking.

He tucked the third branch under his cloak and ran to catch up.

“We made it here before they arrived,” Adelaide said to Thea. “I’m glad. They are off balance when we’re late. It’s unnerving.”

Thea was nodding. Hadden scooted closer, barely avoiding bumping Emaline and Celestria as he did so. He had to remember they couldn’t see him.

“I think it’s because they have only a few commands in their heads. She’s made them forget, you know. I’ve tried talking to Roderick about Ulric, and he barely speaks a sentence or two before he’s on again about the Lady, or the number of couples at the ball, or the food, or some trivial thing. She’s taken away their entire personalities. Who they are! They are just mindless bodies, putting on a smile and dancing well.” She stamped her foot.

Adelaide put her hand on Thea’s. “It’s frustrating. I wish we knew how to let their families know they are alive and well.”

Hadden could see small lights on the water, bobbing and getting larger. What was that?

“It continues to baffle me that no word has come from any of their families,” Thea said. “Particularly given it’s not been a healthy time for princes in our kingdom.”

Adelaide stared at her, then started to laugh. The rest of the princesses went silent for a moment, trying to ascertain what Adelaide found funny.

Before they could start talking again, the lights got closer and Hadden saw a flotilla of small boats as they pushed up to the shore. The boats were big enough for two or three people, and each was piloted by a handsome young man. Each man jumped out, pulling his boat onto shore. Each went to a specific princess. He edged closer to see who went to Thea and to Adelaide.

“It does me good to hear your laughter, my lady,” said one, bowing over Adelaide’s hand with a grand flourish.

Hadden made a face. Surely this was not sincere.

“You are indeed a picture, and only brighten our fair realm. You will outshine all the other guests,” said the second man to Thea.

He tried to get a look at the sisters. They both looked bored, as though this was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Thank you, Lord Roderick. Shall we go?” Thea wasn’t even trying to be polite, much less as polite as the man. Nevertheless, the man took her arm, and helped her into the boat. He started to talk again in a low voice. It mustn’t have been all that engaging because Thea just stared out over the water, not even pretending interest.

The man with Adelaide did the same, and Hadden could see that all the princesses intended to make the trip across the lake.

The thought hit him. He needed to get a seat in one of the boats if he wanted to get across. He looked up and down the line of boats, and saw that Viviana, as the youngest, took up the least amount of room in the boat. He hurried down the shoreline, hoping the general noise of departure would muffle his steps. Once he reached the boat where Viviana now sat, he waited until the man had started to climb in, then grasped the side and leapt in to sit behind Viviana. The boat tilted slightly, which caught the young man off guard.

“Are you all right?” Viviana asked him. She’d grabbed onto the sides of the boat but as the rocking stopped, she reached out a hand to the man.

“I am well,” he replied cheerily. Hadden knew the tone well. It was that of a man who would never admit anything but the good. The man finally made it into the boat, and with a heave, he cast off from shore.

He pulled at the oars. Hadden could tell that the man was having to work harder than he was expecting to work. Hadden tried to move as little as possible.

“Is it not hot this evening?” Viviana asked. “It’s as though the sun is beating down on my neck.” She reached behind her to lift the tendrils of her hair up.