Princess of Silence, page 41
part #1 of When Kings Collide Series
Neither was the king. He’d waited too long. Not because he’d intended to, but until the Nadorians pulled their cannon off of the castle a few moments ago, it hadn’t been safe for him to access the secret passage he now flew through. Why they’d ceased firing on Graden was beyond him, especially if they were aware Katherine was dead. It didn’t make any sense, and in his experience, when something didn’t make sense, it was because a puzzle piece was missing.
“Sir!” a voice shouted through the darkness in front of them. Leopold’s party paused, the guards he’d kept with him placing their hands on the hilts of their swords. A breathless soldier appeared on the stairs in front of them, his chest noticeably heaving even in the dim torchlight. “The archers report a small band of Nadorians have entered the castle, and they believe Prince James is part of the detail. They believe he may be seeking out his sister’s body.”
Leopold considered the possibility, his fingers twirling the end of his mustache. That explained the cease in cannon fire. “Well, if Prince James is looking for his sister, perhaps he shall find her,” he replied with a snarl.
“Your Majesty, we can’t waste time seeking them out under the circumstances,” Etsil rationalized. “If we are to make our escape, we must head straight for the exit.”
“Of course,” Leopold agreed. “However, if opportunity presents itself, who am I to turn it down? He is every bit as much to blame for the treachery the Nadorian Army has just committed as his sister. No, if James of Nadoria would like to find Princess Katherine, I’d be happy to assist him.” Leopold growled and continued down the stairs. The maze that lay below the castle was endless, and the chances of the two parties running into each other unintentionally wasn’t likely, but it was about time Leopold’s luck changed—even if he had to make a bit of it himself.
Finding the tomb had been easier than Caleb expected considering how cryptic Joan’s directions had been. The door was open, and the torch outside was gone. James darted in before his men could stop him. “She’s not here!” he shouted.
Caleb needed to see for himself. James was holding the gown Katherine had placed in her trunk for her burial, but there was no other sign of the princess.
James set the dress back on the marble slab where he’d found it and leaned in closer to the body next to where Katherine must’ve been laid to rest. “Torch,” he said, and one of his soldiers moved over with a light. James took it and held the flame closer to the man’s face. “Dear God!”
“What is it?” Caleb wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He took a few careful steps over toward his wife’s brother and could see for himself. “Philip?”
“Yes.” James placed a hand on the former king’s chest. “He hasn’t been dead long. Why is he in his undergarments?”
“Because Katherine took his clothes,” Caleb surmised, finding the answer to the unasked question regarding why Katherine’s gown was still in the tomb.
“Where do you suppose she’s gone?” David asked from the hall outside of the crypt.
“Likely looking for an exit.” Caleb glanced around the dark, musty tomb. “Can’t say as though I blame her.”
“We need to find her—quickly.” James took off for the door. “If something were to happen to her for real....”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Caleb muttered, looking back at the gown on the marble slab and heading out into the hallway.
“She must’ve taken the torch,” David said, noting he empty holder. “I doubt she went the way we just came, or we might’ve run into her.”
“This place is a labyrinth,” James noted. “We could spend years down here searching for her.”
Caleb agreed. It would be nearly impossible to find her quickly in such a maze of twisted, spiraling tunnels and dead ends. They walked along as quietly as possible, only the clanking of chainmail and the occasional heavy footstep echoing down the passage, and Caleb did his best to strain for sounds of his wife’s tiny footfalls. Knowing that wouldn’t be enough, he reached out for her with his mind as well, praying somehow he could find her that way. It was a long shot, but at this point, he was willing to do whatever he could to locate her and get her safely back to Castle Caine.
He still had no idea where Leopold was. The king hadn’t been seen, as far as he knew, which meant he might’ve learned from Philip’s mistake and fled at the beginning of the assault. Or he might be down here in the darkness, waiting for them. Until he knew for certain that Leopold was dead or gone, he’d be listening for him, too.
Katherine hadn’t heard anyone for a long while. She imagined whoever else had been wandering around down here had either gotten out already, or they were so far away, their voices wouldn’t carry to where Rose had led her. She did seem to know where she was headed for the most part, but occasionally, she’d make a wrong turn. Once they’d walked for several minutes before Rose realized she was wrong, and they had to turn back. Katherine tried not to be frustrated. If it wasn’t for Rose, she’d have no idea where she was going at all.
Having been in Rose’s position for so long, unable to ask questions or chat, Katherine decided to retell the story of how she came to be here, why she was wearing Philip’s clothes—again—and how she and Caleb had wed, and he was now looking for her. When Rose heard that Philip was dead, a wide smile spread across her face. “Is he the one that... did this to you?” Katherine asked. Rose nodded, her eyes narrowing, and Katherine changed the subject to something more cheerful.
If Rose minded the fact that Katherine had ended up with Caleb after all of her scheming, she didn’t let on. “When we are out of here, you shall come back to Arteria with me,” Katherine proclaimed. “You will have a room in one of the chambers usually reserved for nobles.”
Rose’s eyebrows shot up, and she pointed at her chest.
“Certainly. You are helping me escape, after all.” She didn’t mention the betrayal she’d felt when Rose stole her ring and her identity. Katherine imagined the woman had acted out of self-preservation, and even though it hadn’t been pleasant at the time, it had all worked out to Katherine’s benefit.
They walked on, Rose slightly ahead of her, even though Katherine had the torch. Her story over, the queen grew quiet. Her feet were starting to ache, and in the back of her mind there was the unsettling idea that she might be down here for the rest of her life, until she dropped dead from exertion or lack of water.
The dress Rose was wearing was tattered and covered in blood. It seemed to be bothering her because she’d been tugging it this way or that the entire time they’d been walking, but now Katherine realized she was searching for something in an interior pocket. Once she found it, Rose stopped, and Katherine almost bumped into her. The woman turned around, thrusting her closed fist at Katherine.
“What is it?” she asked. Rose shook her fist, so Katherine extended her hand and a small round object fell into her palm.
It was her ring—the signet ring Rose had stolen from her. “My ring....” Before she could say anything else, Rose turned around and walked away. Katherine struggled to work it on her finger while still holding the torch, but she managed and hurried to catch up before she lost Rose in the shadows. “Thank you, Rose.”
The woman didn’t even turn to look at her, so Katherine let it go, glad to have the piece back. Perhaps Rose wasn’t as awful as she’d thought.
Rose slowed in front of her, more gradually this time, and held up her hand. Katherine stopped as well and listened. A moment later, she heard the noise that had caught Rose’s attention. It sounded like footsteps—lots of them—and perhaps the jingle of chainmail. They were no longer alone.
Whether the forces were friend or foe remained to be seen, though Katherine prayed it was her husband and brother come to fetch her. They would have to proceed with caution. The sounds grew closer. As long as they had the torch, they wouldn’t be able to hide. If they snuffed it out, and the footsteps were coming from the enemy, the women would be lost in the shadows again once they passed by. She wished she had some way to let them know it was her—if it was her rescue party she was hearing.
While Katherine was still pondering what to do, Rose grabbed the torch from her hand and ran off in the direction of the footsteps.
Katherine froze in panic. “Rose! No!” she half-shouted, half-whispered at the fading form. Rose didn’t slow. She rounded a corner and was no longer in Katherine’s view. Only the soft glow of the light marked the way. Katherine hurried to catch up with her before she found herself lost and alone again.
Katherine turned the corner to see Rose standing at the far end of another intersection. If it were Gradenian forces in the parallel passage, Rose was dead. If they were friends, she had a chance of accidentally being killed before Katherine could explain. Either way, it was the most unselfish act Rose could have committed under the circumstances. Katherine took a few more steps, but she wouldn’t hesitate to run and hide if she had to. While she didn’t want to see Rose suffer and die, she had promised she’d find her way back to Caleb and her family. She was close enough now that she could hear the others’ breath, knew they were waiting, knew they would have their weapons drawn. Rose didn’t seem to be breathing at all.
Katherine watched as she dropped the torch on the ground in front of her. Whoever was waiting on the other side didn’t make a sound. Next, Rose stuck out her hands so that they could see she was unarmed. Katherine held her breath as Rose stepped around the corner, her arms up, the torch burning near her feet.
“Rose? Is that you?”
The sound of her husband’s voice brought air back to Katherine’s lungs. She’d recognize that sound anywhere. She picked up speed, following behind Rose, who beckoned her with one hand so that the rescue party would expect her.
“Caleb?” Katherine called, stepping past Rose and coming out of the shadows.
Caleb dropped his sword, his eyes wide as he ran to her. Katherine felt like she could fly. She flung herself into his strong arms, and he wrapped her up tight, pulling her close. “Katherine Thank God!” She didn’t give him a chance to say more before she brought her lips down on his. It hadn’t quite been four days, but it had been long enough. He tasted salty and sweet, and the feel of his mouth on hers calmed her spirit. She could’ve continued to kiss him for hours if her brother hadn’t cleared his throat behind the king.
Untwining her arms from Caleb’s neck, she ran to her brother and hugged him tightly. “James! Thank you for coming.”
“Katherine,” he said squeezing her so tightly she thought her ribs might crack. “I am never letting you out of my sight again.”
Katherine giggled, knowing that wouldn’t be true since he would head home to Nadoria when this was all over, and she was never leaving Arteria again once she returned, but it was still a sweet sentiment.
David’s voice echoed down the tunnel. “I hate to break up the reunion, but we really need to get moving.”
He was right, of course. Katherine had spent far too much time in the labyrinth, too much time in Gradenia, for that matter. Caleb retrieved his sword, and Rose picked the torch up off of the ground. With her hand in Caleb’s, Katherine followed as the rescue party turned and headed back the way they’d come.
James was on her other side, which was also a comfort. She was surrounded by the greatest knights in both armies, and she began to feel safe as she glanced at the determined faces of the men around her. The situation was still dangerous, but she felt much more secure now than she had when she and Rose had been wandering down here all alone.
After several more minutes of walking, Katherine saw a staircase in the distance. She had been asleep when they’d brought her down, so she had no idea how one accessed the catacombs but was hopeful this was the quickest way up and out of Graden. She couldn’t hear any battle sounds coming from above them, but she imagined they were so deep in the ground, it might be impossible to hear anything from outside the castle walls.
David froze in front of them, and everyone else stopped as well. Katherine held her breath and looked at Caleb whose jaw was set as he glanced down into her eyes. In the distance, they could hear footsteps and that same jangling she’d heard before which had turned out to be chainmail.
It could be friendly forces, Nadorian or Arterian, who had entered the castle looking for them or to chase down Leopold and his men. Or, it could be enemy soldiers. Katherine strengthened her grip on Caleb’s arm as the noises grew louder. They seemed to be coming from the stairs.
David made some sort of a signal and the men instantly put their torches out. Dale, who was standing next to Rose, took hers and snuffed it. She looked irritated in the fading light but obviously said nothing.
The footsteps had stopped as well, which indicated to Katherine that whoever had been coming down the stairs had detected their party and also stopped. Caleb pressed her to the back of the group, and while Katherine didn’t want to let go of his arm, she did so, finding herself in the dark again, standing next to a pair of soldiers she did not know. Her husband drew his sword and moved to the front by David, She could barely make out his form in the light coming from the stairs. Rose was beside her now, her hand grabbing hold of Katherine’s and squeezing.
A few more clatters sounded and then a voice Katherine had wished she’d never hear again echoed throughout the tunnel. “This is King Leopold of Gradenia. You are surrounded. I order you to drop your weapons at once and surrender.”
Caleb turned and looked at his men, his eyes checking the passage behind them. It was a bluff, and he knew it. They were not surrounded, but Leopold must’ve known the party had entered the castle. He must be making one last ditch effort to gain vengeance.
With a quick signal from his hand, Caleb and David led the men forward toward the stairs. Two of the soldiers stayed in front of Katherine and Rose, and the queen raised herself up on her tiptoes to see. The noise of Caleb’s men moving forward alerted Leopold that there would be no surrender. Katherine gasped as Gradenian soldiers and King’s Guard rushed down the stairs and took up a position right in their path. There had to be at least fifteen of them, maybe more. She was confident in Caleb’s ability to protect her, but he was outnumbered, and Leopold’s voice had sounded desperate.
From her position it was difficult to track exactly what was happening. There was a flurry as Caleb and David launched forward, followed closely by James and the rest of their men. Swords collided in a cacophony of metal on metal as the two sides met. Torn between watching and hiding her eyes, Katherine held her breath and tried to follow Caleb’s every move.
The Gradenians had archers. Arrows flew from the stairwell. She watched as Caleb drew a knife from his waist and took aim, throwing it in that direction while his sword held another attacker at bay. There was a scream from the stairs, and she imagined that meant he’d hit his mark, but the other archer took aim again, and one of the Nadorian soldiers was struck in the arm.
David dispatched his assailant, and raising his shield, marched up the stairs, out of Katherine’s line of sight while Dale and James covered behind him, and a few moments later, there was another shout, which she assumed was the other archer.
She’d supposed Leopold was still on the stairs but now realized he’d stepped out when the others had. Their lines were thinning, so she could see him in the back. Caleb saw him, too, and was moving that direction. Katherine unconsciously stepped forward, but the solid wall of muscle in front of her kept from going too far.
Leopold’s numbers continued to dwindle as Caleb’s men forced their way forward. The King of Gradenia was disappearing out of her line of sight again, a few of the men staying with him. One looked more like an advisor than a soldier. The others had their weapons drawn but weren’t engaged.
Caleb had two members of the Kings Guard between himself and Leopold’s shrinking form. He sliced through the first one quickly, but the other took more time. Katherine’s eyes flickered from her husband to the blackness that had swallowed Leopold up.
“Aargh!” The familiar shout had her head turning to find her brother. He was grasping his side as blood shot through his fingers. David quickly ended the soldier who’d wounded the prince, but James was bleeding badly. Once again, she found herself trying to get past the man in front of her, but he insisted on holding her back.
The last of the Gradenian guards fell, and Katherine watched as Caleb shifted his weight, trying to determine whether he should hunt Leopold down or stay with the others. Ultimately, he turned back to survey the situation, and the two Nadorian soldiers standing in front of the women stepped aside.
Both women took off running toward the end of the hall. Katherine was intending to check on her brother, and she imagined Rose just wanted out of the catacombs, but the queen saw her husband’s face and realized he didn’t think it was safe yet. He shouted, “Wait!” as Rose came out into the open space in front of the staircase. Katherine stopped in her tracks. A flicker of movement caught her eye as a blade came flying from one of the fallen archers on the stairs.
Rose’s body seemed to move in slow motion as the knife struck her in the chest. Her arms went up into the air, and her head rocked backward. Her feet came off of the ground, and she floated down to the floor, landing with a sickening thump. Katherine’s hands flew over her mouth as she watched in horror. If she hadn’t seen Caleb telling her to stop, that could’ve been her.
Furious, David drew his sword and ended the archer, and Katherine was semi-aware that he was running all of the enemy soldiers through as she watched from the passageway. Caleb kneeled next to Rose. He slowly began to shake his head, and Katherine felt tears stinging her eyes.
“They’re all certainly dead now,” David snarled, putting his sword back in its sheath and returning to James’s side. Katherine waited for Caleb to nod and moved toward the fallen woman. Her eyes were open, and she stared at the ceiling, her lips parted slightly.
