Missing Royal (17 page)

The sun has long set when Fuentes lands. “
Shanice, part ways with the king. We must return to Umare before the sun rises.”

I clamber down from his back and stand in front of him. “Thank you.” I wrap my arms around the small portion of his neck I can reach. I can feel the rumbling as he laughs.

“Your task is one that should not be done alone.” He nods before turning and flapping his wings. The trees on either side shake as he does. I watch him become smaller in the night sky before turning to Kajetan.

“Someone here has been longing to see you again. If not for her, I might not have found Mendina’s weakness.” I take his arm and allow him to lean on me as he stumbles along. Despite it being the dead of night, I walk straight for Danica’s door.

I knock three times before I can hear shuffling inside. Not a word is said as the door opens, a confused Danica looking at me. I take a step back so all she sees is him. And the tears that rush down her cheeks say it all.

No words needed, she falls into his arms. I can hear him crying as well as they are reunited. My own eyes fill with tears, knowing I have helped them find each other again. It may not have been my true task but I learned something about Mendina that I did not know before.

She is afraid of light, she loves her dragon, and she is now weaker, knowing I broke through her defenses.

“Shanice!” Danica gasps, pulling away from Kajetan. “Your gift is one I can never repay. But I will try until the day I die.” She pulls me into her arms. “Now come. Eat, rest, and tomorrow, I—”

“Danica, it is one you do not need to repay. And I thank you for the offer but my ride is waiting.” I kiss her cheek. “Now go. The king needs to be cared for far more than I do.” I look toward Kajetan but he isn’t there. He’s already gone inside.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” She bows. I pull her into my arms and hug her before walking alone in the dark to the forest where Fuentes is waiting.

I wake and think back on the night before as though it were a distant memory. Ecstatic over saving Kajetan, I still wish we could have saved Krea and Speranza as well.

But my task is far from over. One royal saved with many more to go. I slip out of my nightgown and into the dress Edda has set out for me. She isn’t here as she usually is when I awake, so I change on my own.

I need to find Valentino so we can go in search of the twin princes. They are by far closer than Amber—the one the mymees told me to find.

I open my door and realize I don’t have far to go to find Valentino. He’s standing at my door, his hand up as if he was about to knock. He lowers it. His eyes are red, jaw clenched, hands in fists. Never before have I seen him more livid. But not just that—he’s hurt. I take a step back, wishing I had thought up an excuse for yesterday beforehand.

“Where were you?” he says through a clenched jaw. I want to lie. Telling him the truth will make things so much worse. But I can’t lie, because the second I do, I’m going to have to lie to everyone. And worse yet, it will haunt me.

I take a calming breath before replying. “I had a task that needed to be done. Something I didn’t need help with.” It isn’t all the truth but it isn’t a lie, either.

“Shanice, you were gone for an entire day. Didn’t you think that people were going to worry when you weren’t where they expected you to be?” He sounds more like a father scolding their child than a friend watching out for me.

I feel bad for sneaking off but this? “Did you think that maybe, my life doesn’t revolve around everyone else’s? I was brought here—not by choice. And now I’m trying to stop the evil that threatens everyone, and I’m being questioned because I wasn’t where someone expected me to be?” It makes me sick.

And I know I shouldn’t blow up at him but he isn’t the only one who’s hurt here. I hate the way I love him but get the cold shoulder. I hate that he gets closer to me and then backs away again. And I hate how he let something I said affect our entire relationship, ruin our friendship.

“You’re right. It doesn’t. But there are people who care about you, Shanice. You didn’t tell anyone you were leaving. What were we supposed to think?” He shakes his head, clenching his jaw again.

I get ready to defend my actions but he doesn’t give me the chance. “The day in Wentsden, you kissed me right before you left. You said good-bye and ran. I thought I hurt you. Now I realize you feared you wouldn’t be coming back. So no, you don’t have to answer to me but you could have the courtesy to let me know that you may be in danger. If something had happened, if you didn’t come back, what was I supposed to have done?”

I bite my lower lip, unable to speak as I think of how my actions looked to him. I hadn’t considered the good-bye I left him with. That did look bad. And I did kiss him in case I never got the chance again.

But I never meant to hurt him, to make him worry. “I’m sorry.” I look at the floor, at my shoes, his shoes, anywhere but his face. I feel his hands against my cheeks and look up. He leans closer, our noses almost touching.

“Please don’t leave like that again. I c—”

“Shanice!” I look up and see Edda marching toward me, looking none too happy. Valentino steps away, and my heart sinks. “By dragons, Princess! What were you thinking? I don’t appreciate that. And with no excuse? What was I to tell the king and queen when they requested your presence? What was I to tell your father when he came marching to this door, demanding to speak with you?” Edda doesn’t even notice Valentino as she wraps her arms around me.

“Don’t scare me like that, Princess! If something had happened … ” She shudders.

“Just as I was explaining to her,” Valentino chimes in.

“All right, I get it. It won’t happen again, and I’m sorry for scaring you.” I hold up my hands in defense.

Edda huffs. “Well, I hope not. And now, because I wasn’t prepared for you to be here, I must go get your breakfast.” Just as fast as she approached, she leaves. I look up at Valentino, but he doesn’t move any closer—just stands with his hands behind his back.

The moment was broken. “We need to figure out our next plan.” I want to say so much more but it appears he’s back to business.

He nods in agreement.

Six weeks ago, I lived the everyday, average teenage life. School, work, homework, repeat. Five weeks ago, I wished more than anything that was what I was doing. Four weeks ago, I decided to make the best of what I had. In the last six weeks, I have almost lost my life multiple times, made mistakes, said stupid things, got engaged, made a new friend, and gained a new perspective.

Climbing this mountain, I’m back to wishing for the average teenage life. Clouds block the sun, and the wind blows just enough to make it chilly. The ground has no footholds, and Star is tired. Valentino and Knight don’t look much better. I finally dismount and walk beside Star, but we are both becoming weak.

Valentino doesn’t question me—he simply follows my example. I’m grateful for it, and despite the hard journey ahead, I smile.

Two days have passed, and we are only halfway there—a long way to travel looking for people who only
might
help us. A long way to travel no matter what. But still, we continue on with the hope that it will be worth it.

Though clouds cover the sky, it has yet to rain. Grateful for the shade, I can only hope it doesn’t rain until we’re long gone from this mountain. The journey seems endless, and I begin to question why we decided to go after these two.

They live in the mountains, closed off from the world they clearly want no part in. So why would they help us? Why would they risk their lives to save the world they’re hiding from?

But despite my questions, we ride, passing through the valley, over rivers. We must stop for food and water but never long enough to rest.

It isn’t until we’ve have ridden for three days, sleeping just barely enough, that I give in. Ears popping constantly, back and neck sore, legs covered in rashes, I get down and take the saddle from Star’s back. She has blisters and sores all over her legs and back as well.

“Shanice, we have to keep going. We’re so close.”

“I can’t, Valentino. We need to rest. We need to take a break.” I ignore him and continue setting up camp.

Before lying down, I give Star a good rub and lead her to the river to get a drink before I remove the reins as well. “Take a break. We both need it.” I look at Valentino, who still hasn’t moved from Knight. I take a long drink before sliding my boots off and sticking my aching feet in the water. The water is absolutely frigid but I don’t care. It feels good.

I look around. Clearly, the snow has just melted up here. And it looks to be getting ready to snow some more.

I sit on the ground, legs in the water, soaking up the little bit of sun left for a long time. Longer than intended.

I wake with a start, realizing I fell asleep. It’s already dark. The water is colder, though I don’t know how that is possible, and my feet are ice cubes now. I pull them out and dry them off the best I can before sticking my socks and boots back on.

I see Valentino lying on his cloak back where I set all my belongings. He was just as exhausted. I’m glad we stopped when we did. Knight is grazing, eating anything he can find that is green.

I begin pulling out supper when I realize Star isn’t anywhere in sight. I whistle in hopes that she is close enough to hear me.
Nothing.
I whistle again, louder.
Still nothing.
The night is silent, not even wind blowing through the canyon.

My heart stops. Tears are ready to pour. Once more, I whistle. When there is still no response, I touch Valentino’s shoulder. “Star is missing.” I say, not wanting to wake him but I can’t go on without my horse.

“We can’t go searching for her tonight, Shanice. We must rest while it’s dark and find her tomorrow.”

I know he’s right—I know I shouldn’t go off in the dead of night. But I can’t allow anything to happen to her.

“I’ll stay near. I promise.” I don’t wait for him to argue. I leave my belongings with him and start walking further in the forest. The darkest, deepest nagging feeling inside me tells me to turn around and camp out until morning before I continue my search.

The crunching of twigs and rustling of leaves behind me tell me I should have listened. I turn around to see someone holding a torch toward me, blinding me. “Who are you?” a gruff voice calls out.

“Who are
you
?” My stomach clenches from hunger, my eye lids droop from being overly tired, and now I’m being questioned by a stranger all alone in the middle of a forest. I want to cry. It seems no matter what, I always find trouble.

“That isn’t important. You seem to be without a horse. Lose yours?”

“Yes.” It doesn’t matter whether he knows that or not.

“Dark bay?” He asks. I nod.

“She’s in our stables. She came wandering in and began eating our food. What are you doing out here, anyway?” He doesn’t sound happy.

“I’m looking for someone. Two someones, actually.”

“Who?”

“Why should I tell you?” I ask. Then again, I could very well be speaking to one of the men I’m looking for.

“Well, it’s going to be hard to find them if you don’t let me help you.” He folds his arms across his expansive chest.

“Baccio and Inginio. Do you know them?”

“Well, that depends on your definition of ‘know’.” He grunts. Almost chuckling.

“Can you tell me where to find them?” I ask, my voice stern. I’m done with his antics.

“If you want I’ll give you your horse back. But if you want any more help than that, I suggest you give me a reason.” I want to argue with him but he has a good point.

“I need to speak with them about their past, and possibly their future. I’m Shanice. I suppose it can’t hurt to give him a name.”

“And the man with you? Who’s most likely looking for you about now?” He raises an eyebrow.

“How do you-”

“You two haven’t exactly been stealthy. I suggest you lead the way, tell him I have your horse, and we’ll be on our way.” He doesn’t say it in a suggesting voice at all but more of a command.

“And why would I do that when I know nothing about you? I don’t even know if you have the horse.” I fold my arms, feeling all the more defensive.

He takes a step towards me, leaning closer. “Then how did I know what she looked like?” He leans away grinning.

“Lucky guess.” I don’t actually believe that but I suggest it anyway.

“The men you’re looking for own the stables your horse is in. If you wish to be reunited with the horse, I suggest you just get this over with. I’m not here to harm you. If I was, I wouldn’t be asking you to lead me to your friend. So please, lead the way.”

I want to argue but he has a valid point. And if all else fails, Valentino will be able to take the guy out. I walk back to our camp. Valentino looks frantic but relaxes when he sees me. However, when he sees the man behind me, he unsheathes his sword.

“Not a wise move. Put the sword away, grab your things, and come with me.” The man speaks in a matter-of-fact tone. Valentino does as he says, though he’s not happy about it.

As soon as our belongings are gathered and Valentino has saddled Knight, the man grunts. “Follow me.” He takes my saddle from me and begins walking, holding the torch so it provides enough light for all three of us. I follow him to a small house. It looks cozy.

We walk around the back, where I see the barn and stables. “Your horse is inside there. You two go in the house. I’ll take the other horse.” He grabs the reins from Valentino and goes into the stables. Valentino and I continue walking toward the house.

I’m less worried than I should be. I wonder if he is one of the princes we are here to find. Is he going to help me or just steal from me? Can I trust him?

“Baccio, is … ”

I hold back a smirk as another man walks into the room. So Baccio is in fact the one who found me. “Who are you?”

“I’m Shanice,” I say.

“Valentino,” my friend introduces himself.

“What are you doing here? What do you want? Where is Baccio?” Inginio looks scared. I suppose he has a good reason—his brother hasn’t returned and two strangers are standing in front of him, inside his home.

“Putting my horse with hers in the stables. You’re Inginio, aren’t you?” Valentino asks. I take a step forward, and the prince seems to relax.

“Yes. What do you want?”

“We’ve been looking for you and your brother. He found me first,” I begin to explain.

“When my brother returns, you can tell us why. Until then, have a seat.” Inginio points to the dining room table and chairs, then walks back into the room he came from, what I assume to be the kitchen.

I hear another door open and close. Baccio must’ve returned from the stables “Baccio? What are they doing here?” Inginio says, walking past the doorway. Baccio scolds him. There is whispering but I can’t make out what they’re saying. They enter the room together.

“Let’s eat.” Despite the laid back situation, I feel tense. I feel a nagging hint that something’s wrong. But I can’t put my finger on it. Inginio carries dishes from the kitchen and sets them on the table. Once finished, he sits beside his brother and begins dishing up the food. He smiles at me often. I look at the brothers side by side and can see differences in their appearances.

Baccio is larger in stature. He clearly does the heavy lifting while Inginio does more of the softer jobs, like cooking. The food is plentiful and delicious, and so much better than the dried food we brought on our journey.

Once Inginio and Baccio have finished and allowed me to eat until I am beyond full, Baccio folds his arms across his chest, leans back in his chair, and stares at me. “Now speak.”

I get right into it. “As I said, my name is Shanice. This is Valentino.” I hate this part, the explaining.

“I’ve heard of you. What do you want with us?” Baccio glares some more.

“We need your help. Mendina’s powers are growing and we need all the power we can get. Your power and your help are needed, for this is a battle I can’t win alone.”

“You want us to help end the witch who destroyed our kingdom?” Baccio asks.

“Yes. Not only do I want it, I need it.”

They look at each other, speaking without saying a thing. I patiently wait.

“What do you want us to do?”

Before I can speak, the door bursts open. All four of us come to our feet. This is why I had a bad feeling. Not because of Baccio—she is here. I knew I couldn’t go on forever without her finding me.

She storms through the doorway, curtains billowing. Her curly silver hair flounces around her head. Her eyes are the darkest green. For a split second I can see the princess she once was and now only the witch she has become. “What do I want you to do? Die. That would save me the trouble of killing you after all.” My heart drops. So close. I was so close to finding them all before she caught up to me.

“Mendina, don’t.” I can’t even make a bigger argument. My heart is in my throat. I can’t do this again.

“Is that all you have to say? Don’t? Don’t what? Kill you?” Time stops. She sneers at me before opening the palms of her hands, in them sits green glowing, crackling balls of what I can only describe as energy. She launches them directly at me. I can’t use my magic and now we may all pay the price.

Her power never hits me. I open my eyes to see Baccio standing in front of me. I don’t know what happened after that—Inginio pulls me from the room and out another door. Valentino isn’t far behind.

“Get out of here, both of you! Run, and don’t try to come back to save us. This world needs
you
, not us. Go while you still can.”

My tears begin now. Valentino takes my hand and we run toward the barn to get Star and Knight. Before we reach the door, I hear shattering screams and then a dark nothingness. No doubt, Baccio did not survive.

We don’t stop to saddle the horses. Valentino boosts me onto Star’s back before jumping onto Knight. Riding in the dark is a dangerous guessing game but we have no choice.

I allow Valentino to lead us out of there. All the way, tears are spilling down my face. I knew was to gather the royals, learn to use magic, and defeat Mendina. I hadn’t even stopped to think about what the consequences were.

After what seems like forever, I can hear the rushing river through the trees. Just before we reach the cold water, he stops and we make camp for the night. Silently, more tears spill as I gather firewood.