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 me, young man. I think we have a lot of things to talk about.”
To all of our surprise, Beyan actually obeyed. The two men left the campsite and disappeared into the night.
While they were gone, Farrah, Ryhss, and I caught up with each other while we ate a late supper. Finally I was able to learn what had happened after we all got separated.
When Joichan had flown off with me, the group hadn’t lingered in the area. My behavior—or, betrayal—had made it clear that a rescue attempt would not have been welcome. Instead, they immediately headed north. Beyan’s new mission was to come to Calia, to demand an audience with Queen Melandria to find out what had been the real purpose of our trip.
“He encouraged us to return to Orchwell.” Farrah looked at Rhyss, who seemed uncharacteristically somber. “But it didn’t seem like a good idea to leave him alone. In all of the years I’ve known him … I’ve never seen him so … I don’t know. So single-minded. Heaven help anyone who got in his way.”
“With the upcoming wedding, I can’t imagine he’d be able to see the queen. Even during regular times it would be hard enough. What did he plan to do with the information, if he could get it?” I said. What could Beyan possibly be thinking? Farrah’s and Rhyss’s blank faces told me they didn’t know, either.
Farrah shrugged. “Some sort of catharsis for him? We don’t really know, and he wouldn’t tell us.”
“Was he able to see her?” If my mother had met Beyan, I was sure she would have mentioned it to me.
Farrah and Rhyss exchanged glances. “He was at the castle earlier today. I … we … it’s probably best if you talk to him about it.”
I nodded, wondering why my friends were being so cagey. I supposed they were still trying to suss me out, to see if I was truly trustworthy. It hurt, but I couldn’t blame them.
We cleaned up and then prepared the campsite for the night. With all the constant activity around us, Farrah and Rhyss said a watch wasn’t necessary, but I offered to stay up to wait for Joichan and Beyan.
By the time the two men returned, my eyelids were growing heavy and I had to jerk myself awake several times. But as tired as I was, I could tell something had changed between them. What had they talked about? They were much more at ease in each other’s company. Not quite friends, but no longer enemies either.
My father curled up near the fire, eschewing the bedroll Beyan offered him. “One of the advantages of being able to change into an animal is that you adapt easier to your environment.” Well, now I knew how much Joichan had shared about his history. What had he shared of mine? “I may not be able to shift my body, but I can shift my mindset, and it will simply feel like I’m sleeping in my dragon form.”
“I wish it was that easy for me,” Beyan said. “Even after years of traveling, I still have trouble sleeping when I’m on the road.”
“I do too,” I agreed, but my jaw-cracking yawn belied my words.
Joichan laughed and settled in to sleep, as did Beyan and I. Soon my father’s light snoring joined Farrah’s and Rhyss’s gentle breathing. I yawned again, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground.
“Allayne? I mean, Your Highness?” Beyan whispered.
“Just Jennica is fine.” I yawned again “Yes?”
“I … I’m glad you’re back.” His fingers reached out, barely brushing mine.
“I’m glad you and the others aren’t mad at me anymore. I haven’t had many friends in my life. Political acquaintances, yes, but not true friends. It killed me to think that you and Farrah and Rhyss would think poorly of me.”
“It wasn’t Farrah and Rhyss so much as it was me. I was the one who was the angriest. I had a good talk with your … father. He explained a lot of things to me: what he is, what really happened when he was in Calia. What happened when he met my father. I … I understand things better now.”
“Do you still want revenge for your father?” My exhaustion was beginning to outweigh my discomfort, but I fought it, wanting to hear Beyan’s answer.
“Yes. But not against Joichan. The one who should pay is King Hendon. I was looking at the wrong person—dragon?—all along.”
“We have something in common, now.” I laughed softly. Then, in a more serious tone: “Help me, Beyan. Help me stop the king. My mother says he’s grown incredibly powerful. We’ll need all the allies we can get.”
“Of course … Jennica. Whatever help you need, I’ll be there. And I know the others feel the same.”
“Good.” I yawned.
We fell silent for a long moment. Beyan’s fingers curled more tightly around mine. The last thing I heard before I gave in to sleep was him murmuring my name. “Jennica …”
