“Where is the secret tunnel, Kavin? Find it,show me.”
The breeze bumped along the wall, leaving atrail of shifting picture frames, sliding figurines and pages ofbooks flipping as if tiny fairies were casting harried spells.Kambry followed along behind it. A pretty crystal bell dropped offa half-round table against the wall and shattered on the floor.
Kambry jumped. “Kavin, what if that’s apriceless piece or a memento important to Russal!” She dropped toher knees. Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea. She picked up asharp sliver. A tiny piece quivered on the floor. Slowly, itpivoted until it was pointing at the baseboard. Kambry shook herhead. “I think you could have found another means to direct myattention,” she said, but she leaned close and looked at the tallwhite molding. There was a seam. She ran her finger over it and airran past her wrist. It came from the wall. Could that be a draft?With the shards of crystal lying everywhere, she hated the thoughtof treading on them. She’d have to gather the pieces up before shecould inspect the wall.
She stepped back. There were two sets ofvertical molding strips that sectioned off the paneling. Theymatched all the others that framed stretches of wall in equalwidths about the room. But they could also hide the seam of anentrance.
But what about this crystal? Russal couldreturn soon. Crystal. A natural material. She placed theshard in her hand next to another piece, close to where it hadlain. They looked to be matching pieces. She slid the larger one upalongside the small sliver. “Become one,” she said and imagined thebell. She wished she had noted its design better, but she knew whatits original form was. And there were several quite large piecesthat provided the pattern cut into the dense lead crystal. The twopieces wiggled then lunged at each other. In a moment, the otherpieces flew together, reforming the bell and hovering a moment afew inches above the floor. She grabbed it and tugged thereassembled bell to her chest. It would annoy her to have itreconstituted only to fall again and shatter a second time. Sheshifted the table further along the wall past the next verticalstrip of molding and set the bell atop it.
“I’m liking this new skill.” She needed tomake a list of all the ways she had used Kavin magic for so far.But that was for later. With the floor clear of the crystalfragments, she was free to examine the wall. She stepped forwardand searched along the strip of wood that lined up with the seam inthe baseboard.
She could see there was a crack indicative ofa hidden door, at least similar to ones she’d already seen in thecastle. But where was the latch?
“What are you doing?” Russal said behindher.
She spun around and gave him a bright smile.“There’s a hidden door here, isn’t there?”
“Have you been looking for it the entiretime?” he teased.
“Oh, no, I’ve been up to much more thanthat.”
Russal stared at her and sent a glance aroundthe room. “Nothing looks any different.”
“I’ve already put together a thing ortwo.”
His eyebrows rose. “Do tell.”
“Can you open this?”
He eyed the wall and gave a shrug.
“Show me.”
“You think this is where Felip got inyesterday?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m quite certain of it. Unless there isanother secret passage in this room.”
“That’s the only one.”
“Then show it to me,” she said. “I am thequeen, and this is a queen’s demand.”
“Well, if you are going to be demanding aboutit, who am I to presume to refuse?” He walked toward her, a gleamin his eye.
What was he up to?
His arm encircled her waist. “Let me showyou.”
“Russal,” she said, a note of playful warningin her voice.
It only made his grin grow.
He tugged her to his side and leaned towardthe wall, pulling her with him. “See, right here?”
Kambry looked where he pointed. His handcurled, cupping her hip and sending tingles over her skin beneaththe fabric.
Russal leaned closer. She found herselfpressed forward with him immediately behind her.
“What are you playing at?” she asked andturned to look over her shoulder.
“You’re going to miss me activating thelatch. Watch.”
She looked back to his hand lifting an edgefrom the molding she had been examining. There was an audibleclick, and the wall shifted a fragment away from them, enough toreveal the full height of the door.
Russal pushed, and the hidden door swungaside. “There. Now you’ve got what you wanted. What are youplanning next?”
“Hiding it better.”
She surprised him enough that his arm droppedfrom her side, and he looked at the wall as if to imagine what sortof camouflage she might devise for hiding the door further. Hescratched the back of his neck. “It’s pretty well hidden.”
“But not from Felip Covey.”
“No,” he conceded.
“I propose sealing it up, so no one can getthrough.”
“The purpose of a hidden door in a royalchamber is to provide escape to the royal family. You want to sealup our escape route?” He scratched his neck again. “It’s been herea long time.”
“But it’s unsafe.” She waved her hand at theslightly open door. “Shut it. Can you lock it?”
“Not so Felip can’t get in.”
She marched to the stairwell. “And that’sacceptable to you?” She trotted up the stairs, and she could hearRussal hurrying up after her. When she reached the top, she wentstraight to the panel she had merged with the surroundingframe.
“Kambry, I’d like to keep him out, but Idon’t see how, other than closing off every passageway to everyone.I don’t feel good removing an emergency exit.”
She rapped the wall with her knuckles. “Openthis passage to the mistress’s old rooms.”
“Why?”
“No questions,” she chided. “Just do what Iask. If you can,” she added.
“If I can? Step aside, Queen.”
His fingers followed the edge of the molding,running up and down it more than once. With a glance over hisshoulder at her, he revealed his consternation.
She giggled, creasing his brow further.
“It should lift right here,” he said.
“But it doesn’t, does it?”
“What did you do?” He
