We make it to the capital just before sundown. It turns out that getting into the castle is simple enough when your search party is led by the Nirasian princess herself. Noelani sneaks us in easily and then makes the decision to split up– three people walking around the castle is a lot easier to hide than six. Noelani, Cleo, and Silas leave to search the east wing leaving Sorgin, Arabelle, and I in the west wing.
Arabelle shoots me a strange look when I don't argue to go with Noelani. I roll my eyes at her, but I'm secretly relieved when she doesn't say anything out loud about it.
Noelani announced her plan to the others this morning, and as I predicted they were completely fine with the idea of going undetected. I'd even say that they were relieved. And while I respect and support Noelani's decision to avoid Reina altogether, there's something I need to take care of while we're here. Something that should be dealt with sooner rather than later.
I'm going to convince Queen Reina to rip up the Promise she has with Noelani.
I still hope to convince Noelani that there's another way– she doesn't have to kill her own mother to take the throne. Even so, the contract has to end. Noelani's life should not be tied to Reina's any longer.
Noelani would kill me if she knew what I was planning. But how could I not? All of the pieces are falling perfectly in place.
As a former Knight, Sorgin knows the castle just as well as Noelani. He can get me exactly where I need to go.
But just to be safe, I wait ten minutes to make my move. The three of us begin our search cautiously. Sorgin leads Arabelle and I through the decorated hallways with ease, making sure to keep an eye out for trouble.
I look around, not finding one bit of the stony walls the least bit familiar. One would think I could find my way around with the number of visions I've had in this place.
"Sorgin," I whisper, stopping the sorcerer in his tracks. "Noelani said that Morla and Cormak are most likely in the east wing. We could be using our time more efficiently."
"Mila," Arabelle protests. "You heard what Noelani said. We're supposed to find Morla and Cormak and then get out of here. Undetected."
"We will," I reason. "I'm just saying that we could be more useful. We're here– we should take advantage of this opportunity."
Sorgin stares at me in the silent, calculating way I've begun to expect from him. I hold my breath impatiently– I'm going to go ahead with my plan either way, but having Sorgin's help will make a huge difference.
"What do you have in mind?" he asks gruffly.
"I want to confront the queen," I admit.
"Mila!" Arabelle whisper-yells.
Sorgin frowns. "That's risky," he says, shaking his head. "You better have a good reason 'cause a death wish is the only one I can think of."
My ears heat up. I can't tell the truth. No one knows about Noelani and Reina's Promise– I can't betray her trust.
But there's still another order of business that needs to be addressed.
"We should make sure that Morla hasn't opened the Niraki for the queen," I say instead. "You heard Evadne– something will have to be done if Reina gains access to it."
Arabelle groans at the same time Sorgin sighs. "Morla can tell us herself once we find her," he says.
"Unless the other group finds them first," I argue. "By then it'll be too late to do anything– we'll be out of the castle already."
Sorgin pinches the bridge of his nose, clearly out of arguments. I sigh in relief. Thank the Deities.
"We'll try," he says reluctantly. "But the minute it becomes too risky, we're getting out of here, okay?"
I nod, looking at Arabelle for her approval of the new plan.
"Fine," she says, rolling her eyes. "I knew you were up to something."
"That's because you know me so well," I tease, reaching for the pendant around my neck. I untie the knot and hold the flower charm out so that Sorgin and Arabelle can get a look at it.
"Finding the queen will be easy," I explain. "Noelani and I got this on our trip to the South. It's charmed with a locator spell."
"How does it work?" Arabelle asks.
"I think about what I want to find and it's supposed to lead me to it."
Sorgin reaches out to trace the pendant. "Such an object is rare, even for a Southerner," he says skeptically. "Are you sure it's legit?"
I shrug, although I can feel the magical pulse the pendant gives off– I'm pretty sure it's real. "It doesn't hurt to try."
I hold the pendant in my hand, just as Enya told me to. I think about the queen, conjuring an image of her from one of my visions– the one where she caught Noelani kissing another girl when she was young. I remember her dark eyes and smooth skin, so similar to her daughter's. I also remember the texture in her hair, the angular shape to her face, and the corrupt look in her eyes.
"Mila," Arabelle says suddenly. "Look."
I look down, surprised to see that the flower charm is glowing in my hand.
"It's working," Sorgin murmurs in disbelief.
"Now what?" I ask.
"I'm not sure," Sorgin admits with a frown.
I take a step forward, gasping softly as the pendant glows brighter in my hand. I can feel the surge of magic pushing me forward.
"This way," I tell the others as I start down the corridor.
I let the magic guide me, occasionally backtracking as I feel the magic fade a tiny bit. It's a slow process, made even slower by the need to occasionally hide whenever we hear someone nearby.
Eventually, we're led to a wide doorway. It's closed, guarded by two ornately decorated doors. The doors are thick enough that I can't hear what's behind them, but based on the pulse of magic and how bright the pendant is glowing, I'd guess that Queen Reina is in that room. I turn towards Arabelle and Sorgin, finding myself growing increasingly anxious about my risky plan.
It's too late now.
They both nod at me, telling me to open the door. I don't let myself hesitate. I reach out and turn the doorknob, surprised at how easily the heavy door opens. It swings open with a soft groan.
I step into the room, hands raised and ready to fight. Out of the corner of my eye I see how tightly Arabelle grips the handle of her sword. Sorgin steps up to my right side, hands also raised, a golden soka on his wrist. My eyes take in the room and I'm disappointed by what I see.
It's empty.
The room is beautifully decorated. A large throne takes the center of the room, looming over the rows of elaborate gold benches, a much gaudier version of wooden pews in a chapel. Except the only thing being worshiped here is the queen's ego.
The throne itself is made out of gold too and covered top to bottom in crystal clear precious gems. I roll my eyes. Are those diamonds?
"What the fuck?" I say incredulously. That stupid charm didn't work.
Suddenly I hear a noise, like a scuffle of a shoe against a wood floor. A piece of the wall catches my attention. With how highly decorated the room is, it's almost impossible to spot– a small section of the wall sticks out a little more than the rest.
It's a door, I realize.
I move towards it as fast as I can, ignoring Arabelle as she calls after me. I reach the door and yank it open. It's dimly lit, but my eyes strain to make out a narrow tunnel that curves to the left. It's barely tall enough to fit a person.
A shadow darts around the corner. The pendant in my hand glows a little brighter.
I step into the tunnel, not noticing when the door behind me slips shut. It clicks behind me seconds before Arabelle bangs against it from the other side.
"Mila!" she calls out.
"It's okay," I assure her. It's dark, but my eyes are already adjusting. I feel around the door, looking for a handle of some sort. "I can't open it," I tell them. "The pendant is still glowing. I'm going to go after her."
"No, Mila. It's too dangerous," she warns.
"I'll be careful," I promise. "Sorgin, look after Arabelle for me, alright?"
"Mila, stop!" Arabelle bangs on the door. "You can't do this."
The banging stops suddenly. I assume Sorgin stopped her because his voice sounds like it's right next to the wall when he responds.
"I've got her," he assures me. "Take care, Consort."
Consort. The name rings in my mind, but I don't have time to correct him. Me, Consort? Perhaps Noelani told him of her plans to take the throne, but why would he assume to call me Consort? I blush– that's a title traditionally given to a reigning monarch's spouse.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I turn on my heel and quickly make my way through the tunnel. It turns out that it's actually a series of tunnels, each branching off into new ones every once in a while. There must be a whole system of them hidden in the castle– that makes it easier for the royals to evacuate in an emergency, I suppose.
The pendant leads me to a staircase. I start climbing, taking the stairs two at a time until I get too tired. Still, I push myself to move as fast as I can, ignoring the burning sensation in my legs as I climb stair after stair. Finally, I make it to a landing. There's a sliver of light at the end of it, and I realize that it's another hidden door.
This time I take a moment to brace myself, stashing the pendant in my pocket and drawing on my magic to make sure it's there if I need it. I take a deep breath and step through the door.
The room is large and round, filled to the brim with books and shelves. It's not the same library from my vision, though. This one is much smaller and crowded, and based on the fact that there's only one door, a secret.
Reina senses my presence in the room right away. She turns around, the soka on her wrist glowing brightly. I reach a hand up, barely managing to avoid her attack.
That's a lot of magic for a non-bloodsorcerer. She must be Esama.
There's something else in the room too. Another magical presence that's like a low drone constantly humming in my ear. Instinctively, I know what it is– the Niraki. It calls to me, beckoning me to take another step closer.
"I'm not here to fight," I tell the queen. She doesn't listen. She fires off another attack, this one aimed at my head rather than my arm.
"Look at my wrists," I say quickly. "I don't wear a soka."
She pauses, glaring at me. The look catches me off guard with how similar it is to her daughter. Except, Noelani's glares suddenly seem like nothing compared to her mother's.
The queen's face shifts, her eyes running over my unruly blonde hair and the freckles on my cheeks. "You look almost nothing like your mother," she says.
It's true, most of my features come from my father, but the two most noticeable ones– my hair and my freckles– are all Ettiana.
"If you're here, my daughter must be here as well, is that correct?" she asks.
"Noelani doesn't know that I'm here," I tell her truthfully.
She stares at me, eyes roaming my face for any signs of distrust. I hold my breath, hoping that she won't see through my little mistruth.
She turns away quickly, but not before I see the flash of pain cross her features. That's the pain of a mother who's gone ten years without seeing her daughter. I know that because I saw the same look on Ettiana's face when she approached me at the training camp.
The queen backs off a little, relaxing out of her defensive stance and taking on a more regal role.
"Why are you here, Amietta? If you were after my son, you would have been more discreet. Clearly you're here for another reason."
"Um, yes," I stutter. "I want to make a deal."
She scoffs, eyeing me up and down with disdain. "What could you possibly have to offer that I would want?"
I study the queen, my eyes gliding over her velvety blue dress and the gold strands delicately woven into her intricate braids. Deities, how long did that take to do? Probably not long if you have dozens of people waiting on your every need.
So what do I possibly have to offer the queen? Surprisingly there is one thing, but it sure as hell isn't a good idea.
She can't use it without a bloodsorcerer.
I bow my head respectfully, biting down the urge to snap back at her. "The Niraki, Your Majesty."
The flattery doesn't go as far as I hope. She scoffs again. "I already have the Niraki."
"But you don't," I remind her gently. "You have the hitchstone containing the Niraki. I have the ability to retrieve it for you. That's why you haven't used it yet, right? You need a bloodsorcerer, and Morla wasn't strong enough to open the hitchstone."
I gulp nervously. I don't actually know if that last part is true or not, but I'm completely banking on the hope that it is.
Reina is silent for a moment. A wicked smirk takes shape on her face. And then, faster than I can blink, she rushes forward and wraps a bony hand around my neck.
My heart pounds and my mouth goes dry. I try to scream and back away–anything– but she's got me pinned against a wall before I can escape. Still, I struggle, fighting against her as she leans in and whispers in my ear.
"How about you get the Niraki and I'll let you leave my castle with your life."
I struggle to stay calm and hold my ground, despite the lack of oxygen reaching my brain. I raise my forearm, summoning enough magic to erase the glamour spell placed on it. I watch the queen's eyes as she reads the mark and drops her hand like I've burned her.
She grabs my arm, inspecting it closely with a skeptical eye.
"That's not possible," she breathes. "Noelani would never– I raised my daughter better than this!" she bellows.
"You're looking at the proof," I cough out, rubbing my sore throat. "So how about I open the Niraki and you pay me back with a different favor."
"What do you want?" she grinds out, finally releasing my arm.
I step back, putting as much space between us as possible. I don't need a repeat of what just happened. Even if she doesn't kill me, she can still do a lot of damage.
"You'll rip up your Promise with Noelani."
The queen looks at me skeptically. "Why would you want that?" she asks, surprised.
I gesture towards my arm. "It wasn't easy to get her to agree to this," I admit. "Obviously I care a lot about your daughter, and something tells me that you have a lot of enemies. Noelani doesn't deserve to be caught in the cross hairs."
A grim expression settles over the queen's face. "Don't lie to me," she snaps. "I know my daughter– she simply wishes to take over the crown. It's her birthright. Tell me why you are mixed up in this."
"I don't–" I stutter. I frown, squaring my shoulders. "I signed a Promise for Noelani– I vowed to her that I would help her take the throne. She cares about this province so much that she made me believe in a better future for Nirasus."
Reina pauses, her eyes roaming over me skeptically.
"It sounds like you really care for her," she says softly.
I nod. "I do."
It's frightening how human she sounds in that moment.
The queen studies me further, her face blank– it's impossible to know what she's thinking. Whatever it is, she seems conflicted. I just don't understand why. She's supposed to be evil and manipulative, so why does she look so remorseful?
"You have a deal," she says finally.
Reina reaches into the folds of her long robes, producing a black metal box. It's intricately carved with markings similar to the Sorcerer's Promise quill, but the magic radiating off of it feels nothing like it. It doesn't feel like anything I've ever experienced before.
She hands me the hitchstone. It's heavier than I expected. I take a moment to inspect it, wondering for the first time what I've gotten myself into. This isn't how this was supposed to go. I've been acting on instinct so far, only allowing myself to focus on my goal rather than what I might have to endure to reach it.
Deities, what have I done? I know nothing about unlocking the Niraki. I don't even know if it should be unlocked– no one needs access to that much power. Especially Reina.
She can't wield it without a bloodsorcerer, I remind myself for the second time.
"What are you waiting for, Amietta?" The queen taunts. It's the smugness in her voice– the belief that I can't do it that spurs me on. I take a deep breath, attempting to calm my nerves.
With one last silent prayer, I open the hitchstone.