The Destroyer Book 2 (43 page)

We rode in tense silence for the next few minutes. The dress made it almost impossible to be relaxed. We traveled almost a full week from the Detoria Estate to get here, but had stopped only recently for me to don this silvery blue lung and bladder prison. I had not been able to tighten the corset on my own as well as the handmaiden had, but it was still much more restrictive than anything I had ever worn. The carriage stopped and a knock sounded on the top of the roof. One of my personal guards, dressed as a coachman, indicated that the castle's sentries approached.

"Good luck," I whispered to Runir before I put the silver veil over my face. He sighed and then opened the door to step out.

"The Countess Detoria," he said loudly. I heard a muted reply from the guard.

"She requests a room in the Royal North Wing. Whom do I speak to about that?" There was another reply that I couldn't quite hear.

"Fine." His voice dripped pompous disdain. "She is weary from her travels. Direct our carriage. Where will her personal attendants be staying?" Another reply sounded, but I was again unable to understand the words.

"Follow his orders, coachman," Runir said as he opened the door and jumped back into the seat next to me.

"That was Gerolf. I never liked the guy, spent too much time trying to impress Nanos. He looked right at me and suspected nothing." Runir knocked on the roof and the carriage moved again.

"Some of them will be people you do like. Be careful," I squeaked out a deep breath and tried to sigh. There was no way I could ever fight in this dress, so I prayed to the Spirits that we would not be discovered. At least the cane and my limp made me look old. I just had to bend my back a little to complete the transformation.

The carriage rolled for a few more minutes before shouts from outside caused the vehicle to creak to a stop. Runir and I both tensed and held our breath. Then we moved again.

"Why didn't you have one of your personal guards be your escort? This mustache is itching like a spider clinging to my lip and I know someone will recognize me," he said the words quickly with his exhale.

"Because you would have gone crazy sitting back in the campsite wondering what was happening." He nodded and moved his hand again to the curtain of the window. "Put your hand down." He grunted and put it in his lap, clenching the fine velvet of his uniform to wipe away the sweat.

The horses stopped again and the knock came. Runir stepped out with a sidelong glance of apprehension.

"Welcome to Castle Nia, sir!" a familiar tenor said pleasantly from outside the carriage. My body broke out into a cold sweat when I realized who owned the voice.

Herin.

If anyone would see past this farce it would be the royal family's herald and house master. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"The countess is weary from her week of travel and wishes to be shown to her suite. Will you escort us, usher?" Runir's voice came across full of disrespect.

"Of course, friend. Whenever your lady is ready I can discuss her room with her. I'm sorry, I don't recall your name, but you do look familiar--"

"Jervin. I've been under employment with the Detorias for the past four years. I believe that we met two years ago at the Spring Ball?" Runir's voice sounded rehearsed, but I doubted Herin would notice. Jervin was actually the name of one of the countess's personal assistants.

"Ah yes, I recall meeting a Jervin with Countess Detoria."

"Of course you do. I hate to repeat myself; my lady is tired and wishes to be shown her suite." Runir gained more confidence in his voice.

"Oh my apologies! Yes, I have five servants here. They will handle all of the countess's luggage and lead you to your room. We were a bit surprised that she wished to attend this ball, but have still prepared one of our best rooms for her." Herin spoke quickly with his apology. The man was good at smoothing political tension, and I felt extremely happy that he hadn't been killed during the invasion, but I wished that he wasn't here right now. I'd only spent a handful of hours practicing Detoria's walk and mannerisms. Herin would quickly spot the fakery.

"Why would you think the Countess Detoria would not attend?" Runir sneered in anger.

"Well, we just--"

"Is this not a banquet for the royalty and nobles of Nia?" My friend continued his tirade

"Well, yes but--" Herin gasped.

"And is the Countess Detoria not one of the most powerful and well-respected nobles in the realm?"

"Yes, Jervin, but you see-"

"So I find it hard to believe that you would not consider that she would attend a meeting that would involve rebuilding our country. Really, good sir." Runir puffed in annoyance.

"Oh no Jervin! We just have not seen the countess for quite some time, and she did not alert us to her intention until a few days ago, well past the other attendees of this ball."

"Oh, I understand. You are seeking to compare the countess's punctuality to that of the other nobles?" Runir raised his voice again so it would be obvious that his lady could hear inside of the carriage. "See here man, you don't have the look of a warrior about you, but I'm sure you are familiar with the customs of our family. We don't take kindly to insults thinly disguised as comparisons."

What was Runir doing? I feared this would prompt Herin would now seek me out in order to make up for the slight. I did not need him paying particular attention to me.

"But that was not what I implied--" Herin sounded frantic.

"It is not what you are implying, but how it is taken. I understand that you are the king's man, and not a soldier. So I can forgive this slight, but my ladyship might not be so kind, especially because she is tired and wishes to go to her suite. I will gladly give her your regards while you greet the other nobles who might need your assistance." I realized now that Runir was trying to prevent Herin from greeting me now by creating a reason to hurry us through the welcome process. I supposed I could avoid him for the rest of our stay in the castle, while here I was trapped in a way that would make it easy for him to look closely at me. The veil could not hide everything. It was hard for me to know for sure if I was holding my breath or the corset was choking the air out of me while I waited for the herald to respond.

"I'm sure that would please the king," Herin said finally. "I meant no disrespect to the countess, I'm sure you know that. If you or the countess needs anything, please ask for me."

"I will do so."

"I am Herin, good sir, and thank you." I let out a pained sigh of relief when the herald quickly walked away.

Runir, the coachman, and a few of my guards assisted in the removal of our baggage from the top of the carriage and the horses we brought. We had packed more than I would ever have thought to bring for a week-long stay at a castle, but the countess advised me in her practices and I complied to keep up appearances.

"My lady?" Runir spoke softly when he opened the door to the coach. I took his outstretched hand and let him guide me down the steps and on to the cobblestone pathways of the inner castle ramparts.

For a few seconds I was blinded by the change in brightness. The sun glared in full force and the inside of the carriage had been dark. The veil prevented much of the light from getting to my eyes but it still reflected off the smooth walls of the fortress.

It was a cold day, and a biting breeze made me shiver. Runir threw one of the countess's fur coats over my shoulders and the gesture reminded me that I was supposed to be an eighty-year-old woman. I bent over slightly, putting more of my weight on the decorative cane. Then I took Runir's arm and dragged my legs across the cobblestones toward the massive castle.

It really did look like a giant spider, with its hundreds of window eyes looking down upon the streets of the city.

It felt as if I was about to be ensnared in its web and never released.

I brought five guards with me, two from the countess's employ who agreed to support our plan. The other three were from my father's personal staff who had stood by me when I threatened Maerc.

There were almost four hundred yards between the stables and the main entrance to the castle. The distance seemed enormously long when one was trying to hobble at an old woman's pace, but the speed gave me the opportunity to look around and determine how many Losher soldiers were here.

I didn't see any.

There were countless servants running to and fro, about two score of Nia’s uniformed sentries, and maybe a hundred or so personal guards, brightly clothed heralds, and coachmen of various other nobles.

"Losher?" I whispered to Runir quietly enough so that the attendants leading the way with my baggage couldn't eavesdrop.

"I noticed a few squads on the roads through the city, but I didn't get a good look, someone wouldn't let me gawk out the window." He sounded angry, but I kept my head down and tried to creep like an old woman. I felt frustrated by the speed I walked but as long as I continued this pace I would be okay.

The main entrance to the castle had been redecorated in a theme of dark green and gold, instead of its usual purple and gold. The area bustled with servants, Nia soldiers, and private guards of the upper crust of the country. I didn't know how many people would attend this banquet, but I imagined there would be at least five hundred. The Great Hall would easily fit as many, and Nanos would need to coax all the support he could into the city.

The attendants exchanged words with Runir, explaining that they reserved a suite in the North Wing. I smiled under my veil; Runir had grown up in this castle and knew every back route and passage in the massive fortress. From the North Wing, we could travel to any other part of the castle in fifteen minutes of walking, or less than five if we ran.

Eventually, the servants explained they would hurry on ahead to set up my room, and they gave directions to Runir. He agreed to release them from our presence since I would prefer to have my suite ready by the time I got there. After the servants gave us their directions, we both had a good idea of which room it was: Maerc's family suite.

"We've lucked out!" Runir gasped. I nodded and thanked destiny and the Spirits for the small triumph. That particular suite was familiar to my friend and me. We spent time there as children, and the rooms had a hidden escape route. It was hidden in the wall of one bedroom, and the passageway would lead us almost anywhere in the castle.

"This will make our secondary objective easier." Runir's face quickly dropped its smile with my words, but he knew better than to argue with me in front of our warriors. "In fact, you five set up the room." I gestured to the guards. "Your ladyship's legs are cramped from all the sitting and she must visit some the castle's beautiful gardens. Let's go Jervin." The other guards nodded, but I saw the concern on their faces before they proceeded down the hallway after the attendants that were responsible for my luggage.

"What are we doing?" Runir said in confusion.

"We are walking to the East Wing." I readied for his outburst.

"This is not the plan!" He suddenly hushed as a group of servants scurried around a corner and walked past us.

"We are going to wander for a bit. I want to see what the East Wing looks like." I slowly continued my trek, ignoring the fact that he had stopped walking.

"Nadea!" he whispered. I turned around to see him standing with his arms crossed over his chest, with one hand fiddling with his fake mustachio.

"Runir!" I said his name as a command and then spun to continue my walk. He sighed loudly and caught up with me.

"You're going to get yourself killed. Let's just stick to the plan."

"The plan will probably get me killed as well." I snickered behind my veil. "Let's go the servant's route." He grunted and we walked the next ten minutes in silence, passing several servants and two bored looking guards.

The East Wing was where my father and I traditionally stayed during our visits, and it was where Paug, Iarin, and Kaiyer roomed when we had last been in the castle. When I had been a little girl, I slept in my father's suites. But once I started to investigate the Ancients, the O'Baarni, and possible locations of Kaiyer, I requested my own quarters and use of the library.

Every time I left my room I would carefully conceal my notes, maps, dream journals, and reference books in a hollowed out stone in the floor. When I last left the documents, I had gone to watch Kaiyer train with Paug and Iarin. The four of us shared a meal together and then I had accompanied the handsome man to his suite. My mind drifted to memories of the hot water of the bathtub, his lips on my legs and stomach, and the desire in his eyes when I took off my clothes. I shook my head angrily and forced the recollections away. Remembering my final few moments with Kaiyer wouldn't help me now.

If the documents were still hidden in my room, I needed to retrieve them. I had contemplated including them with the books I sent home with Paug and his grandfather, but part of me fantasized that Nia would have been able to hold back Losher's invasion, and I didn't want to chase down the writings later.

I didn't know if the Ancients could use my notes for anything, but the thought of those bastards obtaining my life's work made my stomach churn. My guess was that they wanted to interrogate me about Kaiyer, or else they would have killed me instead of leaving me to rot in the dungeon for the empress.

What did that woman want? Why would she want Nanos to kill his father and then take over the kingdom? Why didn't she just destroy us outright? She had the army to do it. Why did she kidnap Jessmei? Why was she having this banquet? There were so many unanswered questions. Runir and my generals had stayed up late almost every night discussion her possible motives. None of them made sense.

Not for the first time, I thought about my father. We used to play battle games together on his well-worn wooden board. He would often make moves that I didn't understand until it was too late and he had captured my general piece and won the game. Even the times I had crafted an elaborate plan he had easily seen through it and beaten me. Although I had never defeated him, he told me that I was the best challenger he had ever played. His words were flattery for his daughter, but part of me wished they were true. I felt like I now played a game with the empress but I was so outclassed that the Ancient didn't even realize that I was participating.