He had hoped to sneak into her room and surprise the princess before she could warn anyone of his presence, incapacitate her and rappel down the wall, the night hiding their descent. That was no longer an option. Clay narrowed his already narrow eyes and thought hard. Then it struck him. Grinning, he continued climbing up the steps.
* * *
Lana was in her room, brooding. A servant had started a fire in the hearth and she paced in front of it, feeling restless. It was not always easy to pass the hours away, locked in here like a prize to be taken out and shown off on rare occasions. She had some books but had read them all countless times over and no one had brought anything new in years. Lana looked over at her harp that stood in the corner of the room. She supposed she could practice, but the idea held no appeal. Her long, nimble fingers were capable of bringing out beautiful music on the instrument but it simply didn’t please her the way it once did. All diversions eventually revealed themselves to be a temporary escape and that ceased to fill the void of her days.
She reached up and wiped a thin sheen of sweat from her brow. Why was she sweating? It wasn’t hot enough for that. Moving away from the hearth, Lana made her way over to her desk. She sat, tapping her foot. Feeling a strange need to act out in some way, she could feel her body vibrating with nervous tension. There was a sense of danger coming from all around her and she couldn’t understand it. It was as if the walls themselves were warning her but stones didn’t talk. They didn’t have feelings, they couldn’t communicate.
Lana stood and walked to the door, even though every instinct was telling her not to approach, to turn around and run. She heard a shuffling outside and the clank of metal. The guards were leaving? This had never happened before. Opening the door just a crack, she listened. Her hearing was exceptional and she was able to make out a hoarse whisper.
“He wants it done tonight, Jane.” The speaker was a man and Lana wasn’t sure but she thought it was the nasally tone of Tyndall Hurst. “He brought his daughter to court today so that he could put her on the throne before the day was out. It must be done now!”
“But why does it have to be me?” Jane responded, sounding angry and sulky. “I have raised that child practically on my own. I have no real love for her but it just feels wrong!”
“You’re the only one who can get close enough,” he whispered back. “Do it now, while the guards are gone. They won’t say anything, we paid a lot for their silence. Henry Reed is ready to immediately declare your innocence in this matter. Use the potion I gave you and it will appear that she died in her sleep. Your hands will be clean. Now, go.”
Lana’s heart was pounding. The stones were screaming at her to run but she was frozen with terror. What was she going to do? How could she escape? She threw the bar into place to lock the door and buy herself some time, then turned to the window, her only possible exit. And then stood there in shock. There was an elf in her room.
* * *
Clay had gone up a few more floors until he found what appeared to be the top level. Judging by the depth of the dust on the furniture, this level was not often used. Perhaps it once held guests of the kingdom when a large event was going on, but it had apparently been a long time since anyone had set foot in here. There were no footprints in the dust on the floor, no sign of life anywhere.
Clay wasn’t here for thievery, it was only a kidnapping mission, but it never hurt to make sure his pockets were well lined. Satisfied that he was alone, he explored the area thoroughly, checking to see if there was anything of worth he could use to fund his trip back home. There was probably an hour until nightfall and then he would make his move.
He knew from watching the castle the day before that the top floor had a window a few levels above the one he wanted. Clay wandered around until he found the right room, reflecting on the map of the castle in his mind. Yes, this was the one. It had to be. Otherwise, he might end up barging into the King’s room. That would be fun.
There was nothing to do, so he settled down to wait. Elves were patient creatures but he had little of that particular quality. He couldn’t sit around and watch the grass grow, he wanted to be running around in it instead. Closing his eyes, he stretched his senses outward so he would be aware if anyone tried to sneak up on him.
Time passed, he wasn’t sure how much but when he opened his eyes the sky outside of the window was a dusky purple, the last vestiges of a sunset. Something had startled him. What was it? He sat quietly for a moment and realized that the stones were trying to speak to him. It wasn’t easy to talk to stones, they were so old they tended to forget their voices but these stones wanted him to hurry. Why?
He wished, not for the first time, that nature could speak in words but all
