Ralic led Maya back into the courtyard and past the steward, who had ignored the still-dripping gash above his eye. The young man regarded the two with an unreadable expression. Maya turned away, unable to look at him. His lack of concern about the long line of drying blood was almost as disconcerting as his total lack of emotion. Meeting the steward both shook her faith in her empathic talent and had her stomach roiling. She’d never met anyone like him before, and being around him frightened her. How could someone feel so little?

  “Are you certain you will be safe traveling alone?” Ralic asked as they neared the northern gate. “Certainly, my father didn’t send you all this way without at least one guard or your Yekaran companion.”

  "Given the possibility of an attack against the line of succession, we thought it safer,” Maya answered. Ralic’s brow wrinkled, and Maya answered the obvious question. “King Louis XVI of Earth’s France thought to outwit his enemies by fleeing disguised as a peasant. He would have escaped, but he ruined the effect by traveling with an honor guard."

  “Then why risk wearing your circlet?” Ralic asked. “Everyone in Tekar can recognize that particular trinket. Why you instead of a messenger or even just a post bird now the weather’s cleared?”

  “I came as a show of trust and as an olive branch,” Maya answered. “Aligh thought a missive or messenger would seem accusatory, given the proximity of Tembar to Reiont.” She smiled, picturing her love’s many rants on the matter. “Lanre would have come himself, for he is eager to meet you, but Aligh has come to rely on his help much these past few years.

  “As for the circlet, how else would you have known me?”

  Ralic laughed, causing Maya to jump. She never expected the feared count of Tembar to find anything amusing, let alone such a simple statement. The sound seemed unnatural, but his laughter was genuine. However, she couldn’t quite tell if he was laughing at her words or some private joke.

  “Well put, my lady,” he said. “Yes, Father made a good choice with you indeed. You’ll make an excellent queen.” He touched his forehead with his right hand, bowing to her in the Tekaran custom. “Health and happiness be with you, Lady Maya.”

  “And to you,” Maya answered, pulling her hood up once again. She turned and walked through the open gate and out into Tembar’s open lands.

  Soon, the firm ground of Tembar gave way to the Wastelands’ sands. Maya's gait faltered over the transition as she hurried along, lost in thought. She’d taken a risk she knew would infuriate Aligh and Lanre today, and for what? What proof did she have other than her word? Tembar only offered more questions.

  She’d been such a fool! What would she tell the king? What could she tell Lanre? Even if no one else missed her, he would. She’d have to tell him what she’d done. Hiding anything from him was impossible anyway. He’d be furious with her for leaving unprotected, but it was far too late to change what she’d done. Maya hoped he hadn’t already raised the alarm. Oh, how she wished she’d never left her village. Life would be so much simpler.

  A peasant girl came into view as Maya topped the dune. Her clothes hung in tattered layers. Her face was dirty and caked with sand, and her long red curls were a tangled mess. It looked as if she’d wandered in the Wastelands for weeks. Yet what bits of her fair skin showed looked to have just the beginnings of a burn. She seemed strong and healthy as she stood before Maya with her feet planted to the ankles in sand. Maya could see anger in the child’s face as plain as she could feel it burning in her.

  “Traitor!” the girl screamed and charged at Maya.

  Startled, Maya stepped back and tumbled down the dune she’d just climbed. The sand cushioned her fall, but the impact still jarred her already sore back. Her world spun as she rolled and bounced until she finally skidded to a stop.

  Groaning as she looked back up the steep dune, Maya expected the girl to come crashing down on her head. However, the girl stood halfway down, staring at Maya with her mouth hanging open. Maya gagged and pulled at the clasp of her cloak where the fall had almost ripped it off. She got to her feet and began to shake her clothes free of sand while keeping a mental eye on the girl’s movements. Maya could feel the girl trying to reach her without falling too. Her actions seemed motivated by embarrassment and fear now rather than anger. Maya didn’t feel she would pose a threat again, so she ignored her until she decided to speak.

  “I beg your pardon, my lady,” the girl began. “I saw you coming to and from Reiont and Tembar and assumed you were spying for Ralic.”

  “Why would you think such a thing?” Maya asked.

  “I know he’s had people in Reiont working for him before,” the girl answered. “I saw one come in not long back. He’s planning something to do with Reiont.” She trailed off and started picking at her nails. “I don’t know what exactly, but from the looks of these, it’s nothing good.” She reached into a pouch tied at her waist and pulled out the thick corner of several pages folded together.

  “And what are those?”

  “I managed to snatch a good chunk of his records before I left.”

  "How'd you get into his records?" Maya asked. "You're a little young to be a serving maid, and I doubt he's allowed any cleaning staff in his office for years by the look of it."

  The girl fiddled with the rough material of her tunic, and she shrugged before raising her chin. "I went in under the pretense of wanting to take the midday meal with my father."

  “You’re telling me you’re his daughter?” Maya asked, brushing the edges of the girl’s mind with her senses. She found a flood of images. A younger Ralic looked down at her. An older Ralic held out a wrapped package. Countless other images of the man flashed by. Just before the connection broke off, Maya thought she saw a large, dark Yekaran in the castle courtyard.

  She felt like her heart stopped, and she tried to swallow around the lump that had just formed in her throat. What was that? It felt almost like the connection she experienced with Lanre. Such was only possible because of his telepathy, and this girl looked too healthy for a typical telepath. Had she seen Borcon in the girl’s memories, or was she imagining things? Had Kalie been betrayed by a spy in their midst? Her heart skipped a beat and then raced to make up time.

  “We weren’t aware Ralic had any children,” she said half under her breath.

  “He wouldn’t mention me,” the girl answered. “It wasn’t a love match with my mother, and to his disappointment, I was the only child she produced. He wanted a son and got stuck with me.”

  “What were you planning to do with those papers?” Maya asked.

  “Think me an ungrateful daughter if you will, my lady,” the girl said, “but I was on my way to report him to King Aligh.”

  “Just how long have you been out here?” Maya asked. “And what is your name?”

  “My name is Chantal, and I’ve been out here three days,” the girl answered. “What happened to delay you so, Chantal?” Maya asked. “Tembar Castle is almost in Reiont’s shadow.”

  “The night I ran away was dark,” Chantal answered. “Father sent others like Brance to bring me back once he noticed I’d left, and I got turned around running away from them.”

  “Well, I’m tired, parched, and feel like my stomach’s trying to gnaw on my backbone. You must be as well,” said Maya. “Follow me back to Reiont to deliver your information and have a bite to eat.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Chantal agreed with a smile.

  The rest of their journey passed in a blur. Chantal exuded a sense of excitement, joy, and curiosity Maya found invigorating. It helped her resist the pull of fatigue. It felt like days rather than the few hours it had been since she left Reiont. Now it seemed she would be too busy getting Chantal settled for either of them to have a nap this afternoon. She knew the feeling of being a bird trapped in a gilded cage, but what must it feel like to see the world for the first time?

  As they trudged toward Reiont, Chantal asked question after question. Does King Aligh have a long, white beard? Is he grumpy in the morning? How old is Prince Lanre? Would she be welcome? Did she know any Yekarans? Were they as mean as they looked? Was she scared she’d be stepped on? Maya answered each question as well as she could while they hurried toward the relative cool of McLay’s Forest.

  Chantal’s questions quieted when they entered the forest. Maya could feel the younger girl’s unease in the dimming light and foreign surroundings. She assured Chantal they were almost to the castle and quickened her pace. It was near midday, and there was much to do.

  Before long, the girls came upon an ancient tree devoid of leaves. Maya told Chantal they’d arrived. Maya grinned at the young woman’s confused expression. Maya grasped one of the tree’s branches, feeling the moss-covered metallic surface, and pulled down. The neglected joints had corroded and refused to budge. Chantal watched her with an upraised eyebrow and a poorly hidden smirk.

  “The lever’s stuck,” Maya explained. “Help me.”

  Still looking unconvinced, Chantal took hold of the branch and the two pulled together. The hinge finally gave way with a grating groan. Moss ripped away from the “trunk” and startled a small cloud of tiny insects into flight. The two batted them away from their heads as the passage opened. Chantal’s hands stopped mid-swat when she caught sight of the trap door in the path.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “Don’t know if I would have found that,” Chantal said. “The mechanism is different from the one at Tembar.”

  “It’s an older design,” Maya answered, pulling the box of matches from her pocket in preparation. “It took a couple generations for the population to grow large enough to spread out. They built Tembar in 2497, I believe.” She turned and led Chantal into the passage. After a morning in the open, the smell of earth and mold was overwhelming. “Joshua Marx was long dead by then. Some other engineer designed Tembar’s catacombs.”

  “Joshua Marx?” Chantal asked. The questioning look on her face became apparent as Maya lit the remains of the torch she’d used before dawn.

  “You haven’t studied much of our history have you?” Maya asked. She snapped her mouth shut as her eyes went wide. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, and she felt her face grow hot. “We have to close this,” she said, indicating a rope attached to the trap door.

  “Of course,” Chantal answered and reached to grasp the rope. It dangled outside her reach as she stood on tiptoe. Dust showered down as Chantal jumped and caught the rope. The door started to close by centimeters under her weight.

  “Did dust begin to fall before Chantal grabbed hold?” Maya wondered.

  Chantal almost overbalanced when her feet touched the steps. Maya placed the torch in the sconce and joined her. It would take the both of them to drag the door the rest of the way since they’d lost the advantage of gravity.

  Both girls strained, digging their heels into the step fronts for leverage. Both girls were dripping sweat by the time the door extinguished the last bolts of daylight. The two stood for a moment, panting to regain their breath.

  The acrid smoke from the torch made them both cough if they breathed too deeply. Maya pulled the handkerchief she'd used to filter the air earlier in the morning from her pocket and tore it down the middle. She handed half to Chantal and used the other to cover her nose and mouth.

  “We need a bath before we see anyone,” Maya said once she regained control of her breathing.

  “I wouldn’t say no to one,” Chantal sighed. “It feels like I haven’t had a bath in weeks.”

  “All the more reason,” Maya teased. “Come on.”

  The passage, an old escape tunnel included when the castle was built, twisted and turned on itself. For the few who knew the correct path, it was a short walk from the entrance to the exit in the surrounding forest.

  Forgotten over the centuries, the catacombs had fallen into disrepair. The documents Maya had found buried in the library said the passage roof was originally over two meters high. The roots of trees above had long since trundled down into the tunnel. Some dangled from the ceiling in their search for water, while others had found purchase in the walls or floor. Maya was a small woman, but she still had to crouch to avoid becoming tangled in the mass or setting it on fire with the torch. Chantal didn’t have the torch to contend with, but her loose curls caught and snagged on the roots.

  Maya led the way through the catacomb’s twists and turns, finding it much easier than the morning’s trip. She grinned to herself. Her mother’s advice, “Know it backward and forward,” came to mind. She’d always hated seeing those words written in her mother’s rough hand after complaining about her studies.

  Maya realized they were both running on little more than adrenaline. She wondered how sore she’d be in the morning. Maya hoped Chantal was as healthy as she appeared after several days in the Wastelands. At the least, Chantal would be sore and prone to the chills for the next few days with the burn she’d sustained. If it was worse than she let on, she could collapse as soon as the adrenaline wore off or spike a fever overnight.

  Maya gave the torch to Chantal as she grasped the lever. She instructed Chantal to stamp out the exhausted torch and leave it behind. When the light was gone, Maya pulled the lever and stepped back as the wall slid open. She waved Chantal through before she followed. Maya took hold of the sister lever on the other side. She grimaced at the feel of a disgusting slime mold coating it after the transition rains and turned it. She dried her hand on what remained of her handkerchief as the slick passage door closed once again. Maya stuffed the soiled and fraying scrap of cloth back into her pocket.

  She looked at Chantal, who seemed daunted by the discovery they’d entered the castle dungeons. Maya had been obliged to use her empathic senses to navigate in utter darkness before dawn. Now torches hung in sconces every few meters. The light was dim, but they could hear the prisoners mumbling and make out a few of them moving in the cells. Maya laid a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder and nodded for her to follow. Then, she eased to the door and peered around to see who was on guard duty. Jahr’s name was on the rotation list, but that didn’t mean he would be the one sitting by the door. However, she could see the familiar young man with a boyish face darting around inside the guard booth.

  He was practicing sword drills, likely daydreaming of future days and more exciting assignments. She didn’t think he would notice them sneaking past the guard station, so she began to creep toward the far door.

  They kept as quiet as possible, trying to avoid attention. Yet Maya noticed the prisoners’ weary, wild eyes following them. She tried to ignore their gaze and encouraged their natural distrust of what they saw.

  The sound of water from the previous day’s rain dripping from the ventilation tunnels echoed around them. A murmur rose from the cells, but it was too faint to understand. Before Maya realized what was happening, loud pleas and filthy, reaching hands surrounded them.

  “Please, it was all a mistake,” cried one man. “I never stole anything, let alone a child!”

  “Angels!” one crazed-looking old man cried, falling on his face. “My day of freedom’s come at last!”

  Maya glanced around and saw Jahr stop his sword drills. She grabbed Chantal by the arm and pulled her into a side passage to another block of cells. They pressed as close to the wall as they could. Maya held her breath as she watched the adolescent stomp by them.

  “Quiet you crazy old fools,” Jahr called. “There are no angels here.”

  Maya pulled Chantal back to the main passage. They trotted down the last few meters and through the guard station, Jahr’s yells fading behind them.

  Maya couldn’t wait to reach the women’s baths. She felt disgusting, and she had no idea how she would explain her condition to anyone they happened to run into. Besides, a little warm water and a scrubbing sponge would help ward off the aches she expected. It was time for the midday meal, so there was little chance of discovery unless Lanre or Selah had raised an alarm over her absence.

  The baths’ door was down the hall, almost at the foot of the southeast stairwell. Maya pushed the door open, walked through, and held it ajar for Chantal. The girl froze just inside.

  “It’s enormous,” Chantal whispered, “more than twice the size of Tembar’s.”

  Maya looked around the room, trying to see it through Chantal’s eyes. She’d grown accustomed to the castle years ago, but she could still remember the awe she’d felt when she first saw the place. They were standing in the wide dressing area. Several wooden partitions more than two meters high surrounded each of the eight large bathing pools.

  She could already feel the warmth emanating from them and longed to sink into one of the large pools. A visit to the storage and laundry rooms off to the side would be necessary before she could enjoy her soak.

  “You won’t need those clothes anymore,” Maya said as she walked toward the stack of wood in the corner. “So we might as well burn them.

  “We could never get the sand out of the material now, and there’s not enough intact to salvage for more than rags anyway.”

  “I agree, but I don’t have anything else.”

  “I’m sure we’ll find something here in the storeroom,” Maya answered, taking wood from the stack. “Girls your age tend to tire of clothes or outgrow them well before they’re worn out. There are five or six of us not much bigger than you who don’t have younger sisters in Reiont. I’m sure we have a few dresses your size.” She knelt to stack the wood in the fireplace and pulled out her box of matches and the last soiled bit of handkerchief. She struck a match and used the handkerchief for kindling before standing again. “Okay, let’s see what’s there.”

  She led Chantal over to the storeroom and opened the door. Chantal gasped. Maya walked to one of the racks where her old brown riding skirt, white blouse, and high leather boots were placed together. She pulled them from the rack to show to Chantal, but the girl was still standing by the door.

  “I’ve never seen so many gowns,” Chantal said.

  “Oh, there are many young ladies here,” Maya answered. “Too many, sometimes, I think,” she continued under her breath before holding up the outfit again. “What do you think?”

  “What is it?” she asked, pointing to the skirt.

  “It’s a riding skirt,” Maya explained. “They’re cut like loose, wide-leg breeches to allow a lady to ride without sitting sidesaddle. Lots of women use them for long treks or outdoor work. The material’s thick, warm, and takes years to wear out.”

  “That’ll work,” Chantal said and took the clothes from Maya.

  The girl stepped behind one of the partitions to get started while Maya went to the rack just outside the laundry room. As she expected, the dresses she’d sent for cleaning a couple of days before were hanging there. She chose one and hung it over one of the partitions. Then, she returned to the dressing area. She unpinned her hair and laid the pins and her circlet beside her box of matches on one of the tables and retrieved two towels from the closet. Maya hung one over Chantal’s partition and pulled down the discarded disguise at the same time.

  “Oh my,” Chantal said, “this is much better than what we had back home. The water was freezing, even in summer.”

  “Natural hot springs surface here,” Maya explained. She tossed the sandy clothes into the fireplace. “The water’s always warm. You’ll get used to the smell.”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything,” Chantal returned. “The smell of sulfur’s a small price to pay for hot, running water in the dead of winter.”

  “You’ll get no arguments from me,” Chantal said amidst the loud pops of heated sand coming from the fireplace.

  “Hurry now,” Maya said as she stepped behind the partition surrounding the pool she’d chosen. “There’s much to do before day’s end.”

  “I am, but it may take a while,” Chantal answered. “I think sand’s found its way into my pores.”

  “Well, make sure you get clean,” Maya chuckled as she slid into the pool. “I’ll have to wash out my dress before we leave anyway.” She dove under the water and dampened her hair. Then, she took the scented soap from the shelf and scrubbed herself until her skin tingled. She let the slight current sweep the grime away and reached for the cake of soap. Maya lathered her hair well and dove again to rinse it clean before climbing out of the pool.

  She dried and dressed. Then, she retrieved her dress and cloak, taking them to the pool’s edge instead of the laundry. She knew the maids would be at the washtubs, and she didn’t want to attract attention.

  She refused to do anything to create a scandal. It was bad enough that many thought the prince too young to rule; she wouldn’t have them thinking even she disdained him. Maya washed out the dress and cloak before hanging them over one of the drying racks in the outer laundry room.

  Maya returned to the dressing area, expecting to find Chantal waiting, but the room was empty. She sighed but decided to give Chantal a little longer. A warm bath was a luxury enjoyed by few outside Reiont and a couple other castles built over hot springs, and it was Chantal’s first. She found a jar of the hair-softening salve kept in the cabinets and worked a small dollop into her curls. She picked up a polished wood comb and began to work the tangles out of her hair before pinning it up around her circlet.

  “I feel like a new woman,” Chantal sighed as she appeared from behind the partition. “Now, if only I could work with my hair the way you do with yours.”

  “You can’t do your hair up?” Maya asked, putting the last pins in her hair.

  “It gets bigger and bigger the more I try,” she answered with a helpless shrug.

  “I’ll have to teach you,” Maya said and motioned for Chantal to sit on one of the benches. “The lessons will have to wait though, I’m afraid. Right now we need to hurry, so I’ll just pull it up for you.” Chantal sat down and held still while Maya worked the salve into her hair and eased the knots loose.

  “If you’ll forgive me, how old are you, Chantal?” Maya asked as she worked.

  “Sixteen,” Chantal answered.

  “Turning in a parent who is breaking the law would be hard for anyone,” Maya said. “I can’t imagine doing so at your age.”

  “It is.” Chantal’s voice cracked on the admission. “But then I saw what he was doing, not just to the people he was to protect but to their children.” There was disgust in her voice, and she rubbed at her face and sighed. “What kind of person would I be if I ignored that?”

  Maya paused in pulling the mass of ringlets into a basic knot. Her hands shook, and dread tightened her gut. “What exactly was he doing?” she asked.

  Chantal twisted her fingers together. When she answered, it was so quiet Maya almost didn't hear her. “Suffice to say the creature you saw at Tembar wasn’t an accident.”

  Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as Maya fumbled with the hairpins. Ralic returned to his genetic manipulation studies? What else had he done? If what Chantal said was true, it seemed obvious he was experimenting.

  “You… You saw this?” she stammered.

  “Yes.”

  Maya’s throat tightened, and she blinked back tears. What had he done? Her hands shook as she pushed the last pins into Chantal’s hair. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat.

  “I’m done,” she said. “Come. I’ll introduce you to your grandfather.”