Missing Royal (14 page)

“I can only take this riddle to mean that somehow, they know something about the others, something that will help you destroy Mendina. We have to go to the Forest of the Winged.” I don’t like the sound of that at all.

“And what about Lancilotto and Javiar? Do they come with us?” I ask.

“No.” His answer is sharp, angry. “Send them back to Umare. Lancilotto is going to need training.” He kicks another pebble.

“Valentino, don’t hate Javiar for what you saw. It isn’t what you think. You already hate him and I don’t know why but I do know last night only added fuel to the fire. And it shouldn’t. You don’t know what happened. Let it go.” I turn around and walk back to Nastasia’s.

He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t come after me, which hurts more than I would like to admit. Valentino wants me to send them away so we can continue searching but I have plans of my own.

I know where to start looking for the next royal. But I also know that what I need to do next will not get Valentino’s blessing. Getting inside Mendina’s lair is the only thing that makes sense. If I can find Kajetan and Krea, I will be one step closer to knowing about Mendina. Not only will Kajetan be able to tell me all he knows, but looking inside where she lives will tell me so much.

I fear running into Mendina herself – I’m not ready for that kind of battle. I shudder at the thought. I have no idea what I am getting into. But I don’t need to see her or meet her yet. I just need to know more about it.

I can’t take Lancilotto or Valentino. But I have a feeling Javiar will go with me.

I wait until evening has come and darkness surrounds us. The house is quiet—silent, really, everyone asleep in their rooms. Not knowing where Javiar sleeps makes this riskier but I sneak down the hall and slowly peek in each room, looking for him. I open one of the doors to find Valentino asleep peacefully in bed. I slowly close the door and continue on.

The next door leads to Javiar’s room. He’s smiling at me when I open the door. I about had a heart attack, which I’m sure was his intention.

“Evening. Can I help you with something?” He laughs.

“Javiar,” I begin but he holds up a hand.

“You’d better come in and explain. I wouldn’t want you waking the others.” He pulls me inside and closes the door. “Now sit and tell me what’s going on.” He points to a chair and sits on the bed, folding his arms, waiting.

“I just … how did you know I would come?” I can’t get past that. He knew. Without a doubt.

“Because I’ve studied you. You have a tell when you are anxious or nervous, and you’ve been watching me all afternoon. Now tell me what you want.” Oh, how I hate him.

“I need to break into Mendina’s lair, and I’m hoping you can help,” This isn’t what he expected. His face goes white. “Can you take me there?” I ask, unsure whether I should tell him the truth about Danica.

“Shanice, that is a lonely, dark place to go. And once you’re in there, there may be no coming out. Not only will I not help you, but I can’t allow you to go either. There are other ways. Find the other missing royals.” Since the moment I met Javiar, he has been brave, strong, and willing. But in this moment, he truly looks terrified.

“Javiar, do you know what I’ve gone through to get here? Do you know how much I have sacrificed to perform this task? Do you know what it’s like, being torn out of your life and thrown into another?” While I mean every word of it, I also need to figure out if he knows he is royalty.

He simply hangs his head. “I would gladly change my past if I could. Perhaps your life is more of a gift than you realize.”

“I’m not talking about the past. What if I told you right now that you’re not who you think you are?” I don’t mean to get so close to the truth but I have to know. I have to know how he’d take it.

“Am I? Am I someone else? Or is this just hypothetical?” He asks, his voice filled with anxious anger.

I turn my head away. I can’t look at him. “That isn’t my point. I have to find the others, and I don’t know where to look. I have no idea. I got lucky with Lancilotto. How do I know that any of the others will believe me?”

“They might not. But if nothing else, you have us—Valentino, me, and now even Lancilotto. We are here to help you, so let us. Tomorrow, the four of us will return to the castle, and there, you three will begin training to use your magic. Once all of you are together and trained together, your power will be unstoppable. You must trust in yourself before you can expect others to trust you.” I know he means it.

“Well, first, it would be four of us. You know Mendina is royal—you’re a prince. And actually, only you and Lancilotto will be returning tomorrow. Valentino knows where we must go next.”

The problem is, how do I tell him? He grew up with Mendina. All he remembers is her. And if he does remember anything before that, he hasn’t said.

“What? Why aren’t we all going? We can help you, Shanice. The more help you have, the better. Don’t just send me back to Umare to babysit this prince. Let me come with you. Let me help you.”

“I can’t. Where we’re going, the
fewer
the better. I’m sorry.” I stand to leave, knowing I need to sleep. Javiar stands and wraps his arms around me. “Be safe.” I nod and break free from his arms before he can read too much into the hug. I leave his room and close the door behind me. Could things get any more complicated?

Morning comes too soon. I’m tired, weak, upset, and lost all in one. My head is throbbing, and honestly, I wish I could have a day off from this whole fiasco. Is there no way I can visit Earth once a week or something?

Javiar doesn’t say a thing about the night before, and I don’t either. He doesn’t want to help me—that’s fine. I’ll find Mendina’s on my own. I will find Danica’s family and bring them back together.

Nastasia has breakfast ready for us. We all sit around the table in her dining room and eat our porridge in silence. Lancilotto seems on edge. Javiar is upset that I’m sending him back to Umare rather than letting him come with me.

I consider taking him to Danica right now but I can’t. He needs to know the truth before that happens, and I want to be able to bring him back to his whole family, not just a part. So I will wait. Another thought crosses my mind, though—if he knew, would he help me find Mendina? Would he help me free his family?

Even toying with the idea feels wrong. The Oracle told me what I need to do. Patience is the key. I must remember that every step of the way—the second I stray from the path I have been set on, everything could change. And for the worse.

Once I’ve finished eating, I begin washing my bowl. Valentino steps beside me and washes his own. I wish there was something I could say to him, anything to convince him that I’m in love with him. But he’s too stubborn for his own good. I don’t know how much longer I can stand the distance he’s put between us, despite how close we are.

I dry my bowl, ready to put this behind me, ready to move on to the next step. Mostly I’m ready for this war to end. “Why gather the missing royals? Why not just go after Mendina?” I was going to walk away, but instead I question him.

“Do you think we haven’t tried? If it were that simple, she would be long gone. But we can’t defeat her. She is constantly becoming stronger. Her powers cannot be matched. We can’t stop her, we can’t defeat her—not alone, anyway. So we search and we build our own army. We gather those who together will be strong enough to stop her.” He sounds annoyed, like I should already know this.

“So why the royals?”

“Our magic. Every royal has it. And because we all have a reason to hate her, we all have a reason to see her gone. The better question yet is, who else would we gather?” She pays off so many people with the money she’s stolen from every kingdom she’s destroyed.
”

“Why did Fuentes offer me his help? He said I was protected by dragons. Doesn’t that mean they’re willing to help stop Mendina? Why would the Oracle only speak to me? Why are we going to visit ferocious creatures that would sooner kill me than help me if they weren’t willing to help? This world wants her reign to end.” I reply, the same bite in my words.

He doesn’t say anything. I walk outside with Nastasia to bid farewell to Lancilotto and Javiar. They both have grim looks on their faces. “Be safe, train hard. Learn all you can,” I say to both of them. With curt nods, they leave.

The sky is gray; the winds pick up. I wish I didn’t have to travel on a day like this but travel we must. The Winged Forest awaits us.

The heavy rain doesn’t let up as we get on our horses and leave. Nastasia waves good-bye, looking funereal. As we pass Danica’s cottage, I wave good-bye, hoping she too sits at her window and watches us leave.

I begin to question the Oracle’s rhyme three days into traveling through the forest, which is more swamp than anything. The bugs eat at my skin, and no matter how much I try to stay dry, the air is so muggy that it’s impossible.

My hair sticks to my neck and face. For the most part, our journey has been in silence. Valentino refuses to listen to anything I say in regards to Javiar. I can’t understand why he loathes him, why he cares at all.

It hurts. And every night I rock myself to sleep with unshed tears. Not once does he offer to keep me warm. He stays behind me, silent and brooding. I can’t stand it, everything about it. I can’t wrap my head around why he hates me so much.

I don’t get why he’s still helping me. We stop riding and continue on foot, leading the horses through the marshes. As I push through the trees and step over moss and swamp water, I question why we’re out here. These mymees had better know a lot more than I think they do to make this even remotely worth it.

“Stop.” It’s the first word Valentino has said in two days.

“What?” I turn back to look at him. He’s listening. But I hear nothing outside our own heavy breathing.

“Do you hear that?” he asks.

I want to snap at him but I know it’s all the stress piling up that really has me angry. “No. What?”

“We need to go that way.” He points to a path so narrow, I wouldn’t think it was a path at all but from where we’re standing, it’s very clear. I backtrack to him and turn down the path he suggests.

The road is more slippery. There’s nothing to grab onto but Valentino as I almost topple over. In grabbing onto him, my arm twists – my shoulder makes a nasty popping sound. He helps me up and takes a step away. I hold my arm to my chest, trying not to move it as much as possible. And the look on his face, the way he cringes at seeing me hurt, the tears in his eyes, says he definitely cares. But I thank him and stand up again. We keep going until we find the opening in the cave.

“Valentino.” I turn around as the witch’s words make sense. “Haughty. We can’t be haughty. All this fighting and not speaking because of a quarrel—we have to stop it now or we won’t make it back out of here.” It was a test. The Oracle said we had to be selfless or risk death at the sandpits.

“I don’t understand.”

“Either let go of the anger over what you saw at the inn, or we will never return from this swamp,” I say clearly. He’s being stuck up. And it could be the death of us.

“What do you mean, let go? You say you love me, you say you won’t marry me, you kiss another man—what am I supposed to think?” He glares at me. I can’t help but frown.

“That has nothing to do with this. I have to keep going. Unless you can let go of your anger, get off your high horse, don’t follow me.” I turn around and keep walking.

I don’t have time to fight. I let the pain and anger roll off me. It isn’t easy letting go of it but I will not allow being a hot head to be the death of me. I carefully use the rocks as my path and step over every sandpit that bubbles up as I go by.

It seems I’ve found the cave. A rock dome faces us, the opening barely big enough for me to get through at the base. I step from my slippery perch and onto a rock that is sturdy and untouched by the swampy surroundings.

All I hear are whispers—thousands of tiny voices going crazy with conversation as I enter the cave. I follow a path that leads into a large opening, and there I find a paradise of flowers. They line the cave walls. Creatures flit between them, lie in them, eat them. The mymees are not what I pictured. Their bodies are no more than eight inches tall, and their wings expand at least that much. They’ve got pointed ears and long, pointed fingers with claws. Their teeth are elongated and sharp.

One fairy in particular catches my attention. The way her dress of flowers hangs behind her, the way a crown of flowers rests upon her head—she’s the queen. “Welcome. Princess.” She makes a sweeping bow while hovering at my eye level. Her voice is much deeper than one would expect from someone so small.

“We have long awaited, this meeting. Why doth your betrothed wait for you at the gate?” she asks. Mymees gather around.

“His haughtiness kept him. He waits in fear of falling into a sandpit,” I say, unsure what I’m doing here.

The mymee giggles. “Dear Princess, the prophecy you’ve mistaken. For your haughtiness will only get you slain. Approach me. Come forth and show me your eyes.” She beckons me.

I do as she says. “Much you need still learn. But listen carefully or the world will burn,” she begins. I almost sigh at the thought of remembering another rhyme that won’t make much sense. “Royalty is what you seek but your prince is wrong, for some are meek. Few will fight, for this battle is yours. But call upon us for we will open doors. You show bravery beyond yourself, but knowledge you need, look upon the shelf. Amber is the princess you must find, for though she fights not, she has information to save your time.”

“Thank you. But where can I find her?”

“I would begin with the surroundings of her former home. Elna was a very secretive kingdom. Be careful. Those with lives they shouldn’t be living call it their home as well. No one there questions what they do.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I bow as she did for me.

“Shanice, you are brave and smart, but lost. Find yourself before it’s too late. Mendina will use your own fears against you if you allow her.” I nod and take a step back.

“Be safe, child. Know that Mendina has destroyed our home as well. Destroy her before she harms any more. And know that when the cry for battle comes, we await your call.” While the queen speaks, two mymees lay a crown of flowers upon my head.

“Thank you.” I bow once more before turning back. Most of what she said made very little sense to me but I know where to find more information. Wentsden is our next stop.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell Valentino I need to get inside his father’s castle. I just told him we needed to go back to Umare. Danica asked me to keep word of the pool a secret, and I agreed but without Valentino, I don’t even know how to look for it.

We ride all day, and because Valentino is angry with me, I have the entire ride to figure out how to explain to him that I need to get inside Wentsden. It isn’t a matter to be taken lightly.

Valentino will protest if he knows why I need to get in there but I know I must go to Gowell and that means first, I must see the pool. I have to try and speak with Speranza. Kajetan and Krea need rescuing, just as the other royals need finding. And if I can get inside Mendina’s fort, her lair, her home, I might have an actual chance at breaking her. Defeating her.

Magic is something I need to learn to control also. While I don’t know much, I know enough to be sure that I won’t be stopping Mendina with a sword or arrow.

While she once was a princess, now she is evil. She is darkness. She must be stopped, and the only way I will be able to that is by using her strength against her.

“Will you teach me how to use my magic?” I blurt out. Valentino slowly looks at me, still riding.

“Now?”

“When we get back to Umare. Mendina uses magic, I’m going to need to know how to use my own. Plus, I almost killed Javiar because it was all building up inside me, and if he hadn’t thrown me in the river when he did, I could have killed both of us.”

“Javiar did what?” He grits his teeth. I realize I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that.

“Javiar realized I was about to explode because the magic was building up inside me. So he led me to the water and then pushed me in so the shock would force the magic to save me, rather than kill me,” I explain, keeping my voice even.

“Does he realize that if it backfired, you would both be dead anyway?” Valentino won’t look at me now, his hatred for Javiar clouding his judgment.

“Valentino, I’m fine. Javiar did what he had to do and it saved us. I’m fine right now but I am going to need how to use my powers. I just want to know if you’ll teach me.”

I can’t keep fighting with this boy. Every time I do, it drives another wedge between us, and that kills me. I look straight ahead, unable to see what face he’s making now. But I’m surprised when his hand wraps around mine. He is riding a little closer so we don’t have to stretch our arms out.

“Yes, I will teach you. I also think you should meet my father.” Though he tries to hide it, a small smile appears on his lips.

I bite both my lips, hiding my own smile. I expect him to let go of my hand but he doesn’t, and I don’t make him. It’s the first time he’s treated me like anything but a distant friend all week.

I’m ready to fall into my own bed and allow sleep to overtake me. I long for a warm bath and fresh food. Valentino must see it on my face because the second my feet touch the ground, he takes the reins from my hand and leads both horses to the stables.

I want to stay with him while he isn’t loathing me but I’m exhausted and haven’t had a good night’s sleep in over a week. I’m sore in places I didn’t know existed, and I just want to relax for once.

I avoid all the large rooms where the king and queen might be found and go straight to my quarters. Luckily, I only pass a few servants, and aside from bowing, they ignore me. I push my door open, closing it silently behind me, and fall right onto my bed.

“Your—Shanice, perhaps we should get you cleaned up first.” Edda laughs. I grunt, not moving. But I hear water being poured into the tub, and that gets me up.

I wait for Edda to leave me before I strip, lie down in the warm water, and let the grime soak off me. It must be an hour before I finally can’t stay awake any longer. I scrub myself from head to toes before wrapping a towel around my body and stepping out of the now much-cooler water.

I slip on the nightgown Edda put on my bed. I must remember to thank her. That’s my last thought before sleep takes over.