Silent Kingdom (10 page)

From somewhere in the night came more running footsteps. Probably the other guard, realizing his companion had exited the inn and joining to help. But as the guard turned away from me, glaring over his shoulder, I heard a cry of rage, and the voice was familiar. Avrik.

The guard sprang to his feet to face Avrik and gave me a clear view of my friend, his bow and quiver still strapped to his back. His hands moved so fast they were a blur in the darkness. One second he was shouting, the next his bow was notched and pointed at the guard. Before the man could speak or reach for his sword, Avrik fired.

Sprawled out on the ground, I did not even have time to sit up. With a dull thud and a sickening spray of crimson blood in the snow, Avrik’s arrow sliced through the guard’s throat and dropped him to the ground, where he lay motionless, a corpse in a cramped, dim alley.

Avrik threw down his bow and dashed toward me. His whole body shook and his face was pale as he kneeled beside me, taking in my rumpled clothes and bloody neck. “Are you all right?”

I nodded, still blinking at the prostrate form behind my friend. Avrik had slain a guard. A member of the
King’s Royal Guard
.

His voice quavered. “I didn’t…I wasn’t trying to k-kill him. I saw the man was hurting you and…” He turned and gaped at the body, then glanced back up at the inn, its lit windows casting small pools of light down on us. “We have to find my father. He’ll know what to do, before someone sees…” He stood, grasping my hand and yanking me up with him.

Still clutching my hand in his, he raced down the alleyway and through the side streets and alleys of Evren until we were back out on the rolling hills of the countryside. The wind whipped around us, snapping our cloaks behind us and stealing away my breath as I followed Avrik’s footprints in the snow. It only took us a few minutes to reach Avrik’s home.

“Father!” Avrik cried, bursting through the door in a swirl of snowflakes and wind.

Kyrin, lounging before his fireplace on his settee and sharpening a hunting dagger by the flickering light, glanced up sharply. His brow crinkled and concern flared in his eyes at his son’s frantic tone.

“A man was trying to—to hurt Elena,” Avrik panted, “but I…I shot him. He’s dead. In the alley behind the inn…I don’t want people to… What if they accuse me? Or you?”

Kyrin threw his cloak on and was out the door before Avrik had finished speaking. “Lead the way.”

We dashed through the night, Avrik holding my hand like it was his lifeline in the blackness. As soon as we reached the alley, Kyrin surveyed the scene and turned back to his son. “Go inside. Leave this to me.”

Without a word, Avrik nodded. He sprinted toward the street and dragged me after him. Once we arrived at the inn’s front door, he finally released me and breathed deeply. “Why would you leave the inn?” he demanded. “Was that man going to…?” He bit his lip, his face going red.

I blinked back at him.
Was he going to rape me? No, he was going to slaughter me, when it should have been his mission to protect me!

Avrik shook his head, pressing a hand to his face like he was warding off a dizzy spell. “Never mind. Does your cut hurt?”

When I shook my head, he lifted his hand to wipe away the blood.

“The blood has clotted now. It’s so slight I doubt anyone will notice. Just a small cut we could explain away.” His hands still trembled.

I threw him a curious frown, wishing I understood his fear.

“Most of Evren all but hates my father, now that he keeps to himself,” he sighed. “I would rather no one has to know that I…that I…”

With a soft smile I hoped was comforting, I laid my fingers on his arm and squeezed.
You did nothing wrong, Avrik. You saved my life.

Avrik massaged his left temple. “Let’s go inside. Bren went to Lyanna and Rev to bring them to you, but I turned back, realizing someone should stay with you. I was worried about you…I guess it was good that I did…” He let his voice trail off.

I squeezed my hand tighter on his arm when he moved toward the door. There was still another guard. Though I hadn’t recognized him, that did not mean he hadn’t discovered who I was, especially when his comrade could have told him before going in search of me.

“It’s fine, Elena. I’m sure Lyanna and Rev are here by now,” Avrik said, not looking at me and therefore not seeing the panic on my face. With a deep breath, he threw open the door and we stepped back into Wanderer’s Rest.

The air felt trapped in my lungs as I scanned the main room for any sign of the second guard, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, Bren, Lyanna, and Rev stood near the door, calling to Selna to ask where I was.

“She’s here,” Avrik said.

The three turned startled faces toward us. Avrik tugged me further into the inn and shut the door behind us.

“Why did you leave the inn?” Lyanna cried, racing toward me to yank me into a fierce embrace. Rev was directly behind her.

Selna marched toward us, her hands on her hips. “I’ve sent for the Healer. Why did you leave your room?” she cried when she saw me.

“She needed fresh air,” Avrik cut in. “I found her going for a walk and brought her back inside. She’ll be fine; she only wants to go home.”

Selna threw a suspicious glance at both of us, but Avrik offered her one of his charming smiles and she relented. “I can tell the Healer to visit your house,” she suggested.

I shook my head. All I needed was to have a healer studying the cut on my neck and asking questions.

Lyanna searched my face before she turned back to Selna. “If she doesn’t want the Healer to visit, I will care for her. We will send for him if she shows any more signs of illness.” She smiled proudly. “I nursed her back to health when she first came to us, and I’m sure I can help her now.”

“Well then, get out of here before you upset my customers with your carryings-on!” Selna shooed us back toward the door.

I breathed easily when we stepped back out into the night. However, my spinning head and hammering heart did not abate. I knew I couldn’t rest until the second guard left Evren. Was he searching for me even now? Would he reveal who I was?

Avrik kept a hand on my left shoulder and Lyanna stayed close to my right side, while Bren and Rev followed behind. The five of us treaded through the snow silently, following the road until it became the winding countryside path that led toward home. We passed several cabins and stone houses before we stopped in front of Lyanna and Rev’s house. My house.

“I’m sorry all of this made Elena late to dinner and had you worrying,” Avrik said to Lyanna, then glanced at me. “I hope you feel better.”

I struggled to smile at him. Despite the cold, I still felt sweat lining my forehead, and I knew he was still affected too. I could see the familiar glimmer disappearing from his eyes, like clouds slithering over the sun.

“Goodnight,” Bren said.

He and Avrik set off into the darkness, each going their separate ways, and Rev, Lyanna, and I turned back to the house. Stepping eagerly inside, I plucked off my boots and hung my cloak on one of the hooks by the door.

“Are you hungry?” Lyanna asked as she pulled her mittens off.

Even though my encounter with the guard had stolen my appetite, I shrugged, not wanting her to worry about me. Lyanna took my noncommittal response as a yes and steered me toward the dinner table, already set and laden with food.

As we ate, I tried to pretend to enjoy the beef and potatoes, even though I could scarcely choke the food down.

“You are
certain
that you are fine?” Lyanna asked, turning to me and brushing her hand gently over my forehead, pushing strands of brown hair out of my eyes. She stared at me so intently that I dropped my gaze to my plate to hide the cut on my neck and the fear on my face.

At last Lyanna appeared satisfied and the conversation turned toward normal topics. Rev told Lyanna about his day at work, and then mentioned the latest village news: the arrival of the guards.

“Everyone was a bit surprised the king sent two royal guards rather than simple messengers, but maybe he did not trust anyone else to make the journey,” Rev said while adjusting his glasses on his nose.

Lyanna raised her eyebrow. “You mean, because of the stories?”

“Yes, I do believe word of our mysterious sedwa lurking in the Vorvinian Mountains and Evren Forest has spread.” Rev shot us an amused smile. “They took the old route through Evren Forest, since it is faster than the route by sea. Anyway, they came to bring us news. Old news, they said.”

“News of what?”

My stomach clenched. What if they had come to search for me? What if my father suspected I’d survived Narek’s attempt to drown me? I waited for the words that would send my world spiraling out of control again.

“News of King Reylon’s death. He passed away from his illness—a type of fever, they said—and because his son, Gillen, is too young to take the throne, his brother Zarev has taken his place.”

I hesitated, staring into my cup and waiting for the next sentence.

“King Zarev and Queen Ryn announced that their daughter disappeared not long after, and they fear she was kidnapped.”

Lyanna gasped and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. What would happen if everyone guessed my secret and tried to return me to the palace? I held my breath.

“That is terrible,” Lyanna said. “I can only imagine the grief that family is enduring.” She frowned in thought. “I don’t remember much about their daughter. All the news was always about Crown Prince Gillen.”

Rev took a sip of water. “I believe she was young—only a small child of five or so. The king and queen have lost hope of finding her alive, for she has been gone for months. In fact, the guards only came to spread the news about our new king—the search for his daughter has turned up no leads. A memorial service in the poor girl’s honor will be held in the capital soon.”

I thanked the Giver of Blessings for how little I had been a main point of interest as a child. Few people in Misroth knew enough about me to suspect my secret.

“The guards will be leaving tomorrow,” Rev was saying, but I knew I wasn’t out of danger. The second guard was probably looking for me. Now that he knew I was in Evren, there was no way he would depart without me—or my body.

~ ~ ~

Shivering, I lay in my bed, staring into the darkness. Outside, the snow continued to fall and the wind howled against my window. Somewhere out there, a royal guard was hunting for me while another was dead, slain by my friend’s hands. How was it that even the death of a guilty man continued to haunt me? The moment played itself over and over in my head: the arrow slicing through the air, hitting its mark, and bringing a man to his death. His blood spilling onto the snow.

I rolled over onto my side, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that footsteps were coming for me again. Another guard would peer into my face and threaten me with death. It would be my blood staining the snow.

But where could I run? Who could I tell? Should I steal out into the night and travel until I found a new haven? Tears stabbed at my eyes at the thought of leaving Lyanna, Rev, and Avrik behind.

You did the same to your aunt and cousin.
My jaw clenched as I tried to shove my guilt and sorrow back down inside myself, where I’d been trying to hide it for months. Unbidden memories leaked into my mind: Gillen’s laughter as he and I rode our horses along the beach, chasing seagulls; Gillen’s bright smile when he first defeated his trainer in a swordfight while I watched from the sidelines; Gillen’s boisterous spirit, kind blue eyes, and gentle nature. Gillen with his golden hair that stuck up from his head like a small mountain when he woke in the morning and pushed away his personal attendants until after he ate breakfast. Gillen with all his uncertainty and fear about taking the throne, his great desire to please his father coupled with his desperate wish for a life of freedom from the heavy responsibility of the crown. Gillen with his heart to help, to heal, to protect, whether his attentions were concentrated on an injured gull outside his chamber window or his people.

I shut my eyes tightly against the shadows creeping about my room. Gillen wouldn’t have abandoned me, if he were in my shoes. He would never have left Misroth City until he had found me and helped me escape with him. My cousin was as brave as any of the heroes he pretended to be when we’d played as children in the palace. He wouldn’t have left me to an uncertain fate, as I had done to him.

I bit my lip.
I cannot return; I’d die. Even if I did find him and convince him to escape with me, that would only endanger him more. As long as he doesn’t know who my father is…what he has done…
I inhaled deeply, trying to convince myself my hopes were true.
As long as he is ignorant, he is safe.

A dark shadow flitted across my mind before I could banish it completely.
But will my father abandon the power he killed for and let Gillen rule once he is of age?

Before that thought could drag me down into further fear and guilt, someone pounded on our front door. My heart jolted and I sprang from my bed.

Run. Get out of here
. I pulled my stockings and boots on before I even allowed myself to consider what exactly I should do or where I should go.

Rev left his and Lyanna’s bedroom, his bare feet pattering on the wood floor as he approached the front door with a candle in hand. Heart pulsing madly, I stepped to my doorway and peered around to watch. Rev yanked open the door and snow poured inside. The dark figure standing outside our home was difficult to make out, even as Rev lifted his candle higher to illuminate the stranger’s face.

“Kyrin?” Rev asked.

Kyrin—not the royal guard? Did I dare let relief flood me?

“There was an…attack in the forest tonight,” Kyrin said gruffly. “I wanted to warn those closest to the forest’s edge.”

Rev stepped back to let Kyrin in and shut the door. “What happened?” he asked as Kyrin brushed the snow out of his dark brown beard.

“I was out hunting this evening when I came across the body of one of the king’s royal guard.”

Rev frowned. Lyanna strode out of the bedroom in her robe and crept to her husband’s side. “What was he doing in Evren Forest alone?” she asked.