2

“And you’re not at all worried that we haven’t received any word yet from the king?”

Sayr walked alongside Dimitri as they ascended the stairs to the Department of Records. The golden streaks of dawn set the leaning building ablaze.

They’d woken that morning to find no word yet from His Majesty, and though it was still early in the day, Sayr’s nerves trembled at the lack of news. 

Dimitri had wanted to take advantage of every spare second of the morning. He’d offered for Sayr to tag along with him as he made his rounds through the city, and she couldn’t refuse. She needed to burn off this frantic energy, or else she feared it would drive her insane.

Even so, she couldn’t stifle a long yawn as they approached the large doors to the Department. Elements, how did Dimitri manage to function every day so early?

“I would have liked to receive word by now,” Dimitri admitted as they climbed the steps. “But I would much rather have King Mylan take his time, be certain that the Visarian royals are gone, and we are cleared to return, than have us return if there is any risk of you being found out. And Addy knows where we’re going, she’ll send for us if she receives word while we’re out.”

They entered the Department of Records together and descended the familiar winding stairs to Julen’s work level. Julen was hunched over a long desk, his ink-stained sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his glasses slipping off his nose as he stared down at the table. 

“Morning,” Dimitri greeted, and Julen jumped back a touch.

He looked up at them both, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose as he turned to face them. His eyes roamed over Dimitri, then Sayr. 

“Hello,” he greeted softly. “Apologies, I didn’t expect to see you today. I thought you were heading back to the palace?”

“Soon,” Dimitri said, giving no further explanation.

Julen nodded slowly. He didn’t push Dimitri further or examine the two of them too closely. Sayr had to give him—and his unmoving loyalty to Dimitri—credit. 

“What can I do for you?” he asked.

“Just seeing if you have anything new for me,” Sayr said.

Her heart dropped a bit as Julen slowly shook his head.

“I’ve located the village records through the last five years, but they end there,” Julen explained. “The files I was able to uncover about this man came from five years ago, and I found his name in that year’s census of the Eastern Sector. It’s likely he had been there before then, but I can’t seem to uncover those files from years past.”

Sayr nodded, swallowing down her disappointment. “You’ve done more than enough already.”

“I’ll keep looking for more,” Julen promised. “I suppose I’ll send word to the palace if I find anything more?”

“Please do,” Dimitri answered for Sayr.

Sayr realized Julen likely didn’t know the full extent of what was happening in the palace. King Mylan had invited scores of Creobians from all over his kingdom to the Western Palace for the Harvest Ball, but how many people knew that the Visarian royals had remained in the palace for the last week? Did anyone in Therod know about the unrest inside of the palace?

“Will you be… living in the Western Palace from now on?” For once, Julen did push his curiosities.

Sayr glanced from him to Dimitri. “I’m not sure. Nothing’s been decided yet, but I’ll be around—either here or in the palace—if you find anything new.”

Julen nodded. “You can stop by anytime you’d like too. We have decades worth of Visarian history I could show you.”

Sayr smiled at him, his invitation pulling at her heart. “I’d like that, thank you.”

They remained with Julen for a while longer before Dimitri led Sayr back into the city square.

As they rounded the outer street of the square, Sayr took a quick scan over the lawn, searching for Hoshi, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Do you want to stop and see if Hoshi’s at her tent?” Dimitri asked.

Sayr looked up at him to find him staring out into the square, also searching for his friend.

“I met with her yesterday,” Sayr answered. “I promised I’d come see her again after I was settled back in the palace.”

Dimitri nodded as they continued past the square. “I think I’ll come with you next time you go to see her.”

They strolled through the streets back towards the townhome. Dimitri slinked an arm around Sayr’s waist as they walked, and Sayr smiled up at him. Dimitri pointed at various shops he often frequented during his trips to the city to try and distract her from her anxious thoughts; a small bakery tucked in the middle of the line of shops, a leatherworker’s storefront at the end of the street, and a florist’s stall planted at the edge of one street where shoppers passing by could purchase arrangements from single stems to full, decadent bouquets.

“We had a great florist shop back home growing up,” Dimitri explained as they passed the stall. “Every time I’d come home from the Cell or Dristol, I’d buy Dema a bouquet of different flowers, something new to surprise her with every time I visited. She started growing them herself as she grew up, though, sprouting all kinds of flowers that were far more beautiful than anything I’d ever brought her. I still bring her a bouquet back to the palace every now and then. Just for kicks.”

Sayr laughed as she took in the small pieces of Dimitri’s life that he offered to her. As someone with so little history herself, and far fewer stories of her childhood, she drank up Dimitri’s stories like cool water.

They passed the florist’s stall and turned the corner to the townhome when Sayr spotted Addy bursting out the front door and running down the steps into the street. She halted only a second when she spotted the two of them on the street corner, then sprinted for them.

“The letters!” she called to them as she neared. “We’ve got the letters!”

Dimitri’s arm retracted from Sayr’s waist, and he broke into a run.

Sayr followed close behind him. Addy didn’t give any more explanation as she turned back towards the town home, barreled up the steps, and threw herself through the open doorway.

Sayr and Dimitri hadn’t even made it to the door yet before Addy came rushing out again, two letters in her hands.

“They have the king’s emblem.” She held the letters out to Dimitri, practically shoving them against his chest.

Dimitri swiped them from her, inspecting the folded letters and the wax emblem that kept them sealed. He flipped each of them over, and his eyes narrowed.

“Get inside,” he ordered. “Now.”

“What’s happening?” Sayr asked but dutifully followed him inside. “What’s wrong?”

“There are two letters,” was all Dimitri offered as explanation.

He whirled around to the rest of the group inside. Mar stood from her spot on the loveseat, and Dema popped her head out from the kitchen.

“Everyone, get your bags,” Dimitri ordered. “Bring them to the horses out back. You have five minutes before we leave for the palace.”

“Dimitri, what is wrong?” Sayr pushed. “We’ve received word from His Majesty, this is good.”

Dimitri shook his head. He turned towards her and Addy, holding the letters before them.

“Look at the corners.” He pointed to the top right corner of each letter. The top letter was marked with a 2, and the bottom with a 3.

“The king sends multiple letters of the same message when they’re of importance,” Dimitri explained. “Always in threes. We were supposed to get three letters from the king, but the first letter never got to us.”

Addy lifted a hand to her mouth, eyes wide as she looked back up at Dimitri.

“You think someone might have intercepted it?” Addy’s voice turned frantic.

Dimitri gave her a single nod. “Whoever has the first letter must not have known the king would send multiples. They likely think we’re still waiting for word from His Majesty to return to the palace.”

“You mean someone knows that we’re returning to the place today?” Sayr’s heart skipped in her chest.

Who could have intercepted the first letter? Who now knew they would be heading back to the palace?

Dimitri flipped the letters in his hands again. “And they know where we are right now. They know we’re in Therod. They’re going to come looking for us, which means we need to leave. Right now.”

** 

The horses flew through the forests between Therod and the Western Palace. The group had made it out of Therod without any suspicion of being followed, but they wouldn’t be safe until they were back inside the palace walls.

          Sayr kept her arms wrapped tightly around Dimitri, her body pressed firmly against his back as their stallion sped over the trail. Marenda and Dema rode on a horse behind them, and Addy on her own horse at the rear.

          “Keep your eyes on the forest!” Dimitri called to Marenda and Addy behind them.

          Addy fastened her feet securely in the saddle’s stirrups. She rode effortlessly without the reins, her hands drawing back her bow and arrow.

She kept the arrow pointed past the tree line as they rode, ready to loosen it at any threat out there beyond the trees.

Sayr kept her eyes on the surrounding forest as they galloped past. She could barely pick out a single tree before it flew by her, and they pushed onward. The world was a blur flying past them all.

Her heart thundered in her chest, and she tried to look behind her at Mar. They’d ridden as quietly as possible, but the clomping of the horses and Dimitri’s orders were making them an easy target.

A black mass shot past her in the forest.

A large figure sat perched on a tree branch, and Sayr twisted to get a better look.

What in the elements was that?

“There’s something over there!” Sayr twisted further and pointed towards where the shadowed figure had been.

Only, there was nothing there.

“What’s wrong?” Dimitri asked, but he did not slow their pace. “What do you see?”

Addy pointed her arrow in the direction where the figure had just been. Her eyes bounced wildly over the trees as they rode on, looking for the threat.

Sayr scanned the forest again, but there was nothing. There was no threat. Wherever she’d seen the shadowed figure, if she’d seen anything at all, was far behind them as they continued racing forward.

“Nothing,” she murmured, though she couldn’t help herself as she turned to look in every direction through the trees. “It must have been a mistake.”

Dimitri reached a hand around and pulled her arms tighter around him. “Hang on.”

The horses sped faster over the trail towards the palace. Sayr’s body jolted wildly as they rode.

The ivory walls loomed high above. They were so close.

The horses hopped over the rocky path up to the palace. None of them spoke again, each of them held their breaths as they neared the palace gates.

The gates were closed.

“Why are they closed?” Sayr asked, but her question died with the winds that whipped past them.

Dimitri did not slow their pace. “We’re going around.”

He turned his head just slightly to glance at Sayr. “Do you remember the passage to the lake? From the Harvest Ball?”

Sayr nodded a response. Dimitri had led her through one of the secret passages in the Western Palace that led all the way down towards the lake at the bottom of the mountain where the palace loomed high above. She remembered that night all too well.

“We’ll take that same passage into the palace,” he informed and leaned forward on the stallion.

Dimitri whipped the reins one final time, and the horse flew past the main path to the palace gates. The group rounded the mountain and rode back down. They stayed close to the outside walls of the palace for as long as they could before the path started to stray left down the mountain. The glassy lake loomed down below them, and Dimitri finally began to slow his pace.

Before the stallion had come to a full stop, Dimitri jumped from the saddle and ran towards the palace wall.

“Keep our cover!” he ordered Addy as the rest of the group came to a stop behind him.

The ivory stones were covered in moss and vines. Dimitri pulled at the vines and felt along the old stones. He pushed against one, and it slid inward.

A faint click sounded from the palace wall and Dimitri pulled at the stones until they separated and an ivory door grinded against the passage floor.

Dimitri rushed over and grabbed Sayr by the waist, lowering her off the horse. Her knees buckled as she hit the ground, and Dimitri kept his arms around her to steady her.

“Get inside quickly,” he ordered before moving to help Dema off her own horse.

Sayr didn’t hesitate before bolting inside the passageway. The thin hall was dark, the only light streaming into the entrance was the late-morning sun shining from outside.

One by one, the group all entered the passageway.

Marenda clung to Sayr when she entered. Her nose crinkled as she tried to peer through the darkness. She raised one hand and lit each finger in flames, igniting the walkway before them.

Mar turned a worried look to Sayr. “What did you see out there?”

Sayr strained not to look back out through the passage and into the forest again. She must have made a mistake. Maybe she’d seen a bird perched on a limb, or maybe she’d seen nothing at all. It didn’t matter. They were safe now.

“Nothing,” she answered. “It was a mistake.”

Mar’s brow furrowed, but she nodded slowly, trusting Sayr’s answer.

“What about the horses?” Addy was asking Dimitri as they entered last.

Dimitri quickly pulled the stone door closed. They were enveloped in darkness, save for Marenda’s makeshift hand-lantern.

“They can run off for all I care.” Dimitri turned to face each girl. “We should move; we have a lot of climbing to do before we reach the guest’s levels.”

Marenda and Addy both instantly groaned their disapproval. With her flame hand, Marenda was forced to lead the way. Addy stuck by her to lead her correctly through the passage. Dema walked in the middle, and Sayr and Dimitri followed behind them all.

Her nerves eased as they began to climb the never-ending stairs up to the main levels of the palace. She was safe on this side of the stone door, where no one outside could reach her. They were all safe.

No matter who had stolen the king’s letter, they had made it to the palace. They were safe inside the palace.

A hand brushed against her back, and Sayr looked up to see Dimitri smiling down at her. “Welcome back.”