“Hendon wears a lot of jewelry, but I’ve never seen him wearing the moonstone necklace. And it’s been years. I don’t think he’s tapped into your necklace in all that time.” I looked to Mother for confirmation, who shook her head as if to say, I don’t know.
“He wouldn’t have to,” Joichan said. “When you gave it back to me to help me heal, I noticed there was hardly any power left. There was just enough to tap into to close my wound, and that was it. As I’ve been using my necklace these past few days, it’s been replenishing the magical supply, but I think Hendon siphoned my essence from the necklace. Either he used it all, or — more likely, I would guess, if he’s grown as powerful as Melandria has said — he’s stored it in something.”
This was so disturbing, neither my mother or I commented on the fact that Joichan had used the queen’s name so familiarly.
“That makes sense,” my mother said. “How will we find it? And once we find it, what do we do?”
“If he’s able to perform such powerful magic, then my guess is that it’s something he’s carrying it on his person,” Joichan said. “So he’s able to tap into it at will. Once we identify it, we need to take it from him. And destroy it.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
IT WOULDN’T BE EASY to discover. The king reveled in his powerful station, and loved showing off his wealth and position. Besides his wedding band, he often wore a lot of jewelry — several rings, a few necklaces, wrists full of bracelets. I had never sensed anything magical emanating from any of them, but then again, I hadn’t known what to look for.
My mother quickly summed up the rest of her story. King Hendon was enraged to find out I was gone, but had decided to go ahead with the “wedding” anyway. We had thought to use the pre-wedding isolation tradition to our advantage, but now he was using it to his. Citing Calian custom, the princess didn’t need to appear at any of the state functions and pre-wedding celebrations leading up to the event. So my disappearance wasn’t widely known, except to the king and queen. And Taryn.
My mother said, “She waits on me regularly, so we can plan and discuss. When Hendon discovered you were missing, he changed the servants’ schedules so only Taryn was allowed to ‘attend’ you until the wedding. I’m unsure if he knew that Taryn was involved in your disappearance, but he threatened her with her family’s safety to keep her silent. I know she’s being watched as well, but to my knowledge she is still able to move about freely.”
I showed my mother the ribbon I had found in the castle wall’s hidden door. My mother gasped. “I gave her the ribbons to hang in the passageway, but this is Taryn’s own hair ribbon. It’s her favorite; she said it was a gift from her brother. So if you found this... and she wasn’t at your appointed meeting place... darling, I hope it is nothing, but I fear that it might mean something has befallen her.”
I started to shake, overcome with sobs that I tried desperately to hold back. Mother held me, stroking my hair. My father stood up and started pacing.
“So we need to find your friend,” he said. “And we need to stop this wedding.”
My mother and I both looked at Joichan. He answered our unasked question. “I find it suspicious that Hendon is still moving forward with the wedding, even though he doesn’t have Jennica in hand, and has no guarantee that he will. There’s something more here than just saving face with Rothschan. If he wanted to do that, he wouldn’t have invited all the other five kingdoms to come here. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Find Taryn. Stop the wedding. Stop Hendon. How are we going to do all of that?” I hated how thin and scared my voice sounded.
“First things first,” Joichan said. “We can’t stay here.” He looked longingly at my mother. “As much as I’d like to.” She looked away. “Nowhere in the castle will be safe for us, and we can’t risk your mother’s safety.”
“We can stay with my friends outside the city.”
My father nodded slowly. “Yes, that could work. We’ll head there now, and figure out what our next steps should be. Perhaps your friends would be willing to help us.”
“You should go now, then,” my mother said. “Hendon is hosting a feast for all the visiting nobles, and while I’m sure there may be some who will continue the festivities late into the night, most of them will be leaving soon.”
I hugged my mother fiercely, fighting tears for the second time that evening. Our meeting was much too brief, but I was glad to know she was safe.
My father and I made our way through the secret passage and back outside the castle. Although there was less activity on the grounds than earlier, we were still able to get back to the campgrounds without incident.
Beyan, Farrah, and Rhyss were where we had left them, sitting by the fire. Beyan looked concerned. Farrah had a scowl on her face. Rhyss was eyeing them both, as if he was unsure if it was safe to say or do anything. When we approached, Beyan jumped up. “You made it back!”
I shifted uneasily. “Yes. Um. Would it be too much of an imposition if we joined you for the night? It’s not safe for us in the castle.”
“Of course. We still have your bedroll. And I’m sure we can cobble something together for... um...” Beyan refused to look at Joichan.
My father held his hands out toward Beyan in a gesture of peace. “Come. Take a walk with
