ARC: Assassin Queen (32 page)

32

The Secret Dungeon

As they approached their quarters, Ellah heard a strange sound coming from inside. She could have sworn it sounded like a woman
’
s scream, muffled by the distance and the thickness of the doors in between. She glanced at Mai, reassured by his lack of reaction. She must have imagined it. No way Mai would have remained so calm at the mere possibility of it.

By the time they reached the doors, she thoroughly convinced herself it was all in her head. Just then another, louder scream cut through the stillness. This time there was no mistake. Worse, the sound was definitely coming from the inside of the Majat quarters. Ellah stiffened, glancing from Mai to the calm face of the Emerald guard standing by the door.

Mai still seemed unperturbed as he dragged his captive consort inside, pressing the dagger to his neck tighter as the man tried to twist his head in search of the source of the screaming. Ellah followed them, ignoring the sudden weakness in her knees, trying to convince herself that whatever waited for them inside couldn
’
t possibly be that bad. These thoughts disappeared instantly as she stepped into the common room
’
s doorway.

A dozen scantily clad women huddled on the floor at the center of the room. Armed Majat formed a ring around them. It took Ellah a moment to put the two together, realizing that the Majat were mostly the ones who had been picked out from the throne room to entertain the court ladies, and the women were the ladies themselves, the noblewomen and officials of Shayil Yara. They all looked flustered and very under-dressed, as if dragged out of their beds and rushed away without a chance to even grab a suitable garment to cover themselves.

Ellah’
s eyes trailed to Lance. The Diamond
’
s own clothes looked less neat than usual, as if donned in a hurry. The sight of the beautiful dark-skinned blonde shriveling at his feet sent her heart racing.
Princess Nelimah. Dear Shal Addim.
Ellah edged away, hoping that in the turmoil her shock wouldn
’
t be too noticeable.

Mai didn
’
t break his stride as he threw his captive consort into the group of women. Some of them screamed and leaned away, others held out their hands to steady the young man. Mai didn
’
t even glance at them as he swept past, headed toward Lance.

Belatedly, Ellah thought back to how Mai had sent away his Emerald guards from the Queen
’
s quarters, giving them orders in the Majat dialect. Her thoughts unraveled slowly, like poorly oiled gears, as she worked out the entire gambit, a devious plan that must have been obvious to Mai and his men right from the start. She had been so na
ï
ve thinking that the Majat went with the noble ladies solely for entertainment. The fact that this also enabled them to take hostages any time they pleased hadn
’
t even crossed her mind. And now, she was having serious trouble coming to terms with the idea.

She wondered how the Majat were able to bring their ladies here so quickly, ahead of her and Mai. She guessed they all had to run with all their might to get here on time.

Mai and Lance exchanged a few brisk phrases, then turned to Princess Nelimah, who shrank away, sobbing and pulling the light fabric of her night shift tightly around herself. A chill ran down Ellah
’
s spine. With the stakes they were facing, she was certain Mai was not going to show any mercy if the Princess didn
’
t cooperate.

She was debating with herself whether she should speak up and risk drawing Mai
’
s wrath onto herself, when a light rustle behind her announced the arrival of Egey Bashi. The Keeper stopped beside her, his jaw falling open at the sight. Mai spun around, his face relaxing as he recognized the newcomer.

“
I found out something important, Aghat Mai,
”
Egey Bashi said. His voice was composed, but the way he kept his eyes on the women told Ellah how shocked he was. Still, she knew that even Egey Bashi wouldn
’
t be able to convince the Majat to change their tactics. They were witnessing Mai
’
s ruthless side, the one he normally hid so well under his dazzling fa
ç
ade.

Mai
’
s eyes briefly flickered to the scene.
“
More important than this, Magister?
”

“
No, but potentially relevant to this situation. I think I know why they took Kara. It has to do with Aljahara, the word we heard on the streets this morning.
”

Mai stiffened, his hand pointing to the consort he had dragged in earlier, now huddled between two women in the center of the room.
“
Our new friend, Lamar, just told me of this legend.
”

Egey Bashi shook his head.
“Not a legend, Aghat.”

Mai raised his eyebrows.

“
Well, it
is
a legend, according to the official chronicles,
”
Egey Bashi went on hurriedly.
“
Fortunately, my experience with libraries taught me where to look for unofficial ones.
”

Mai shifted his grip on the dagger.
“
Forgive me, Magister, but unless this is important, I have other things I need to do at the moment.
”

“
It
is
important, Aghat Mai. Please listen.
”

Mai lowered his dagger.
“
Very well. But make it quick. We don
’
t have much time.
”

The Keeper stepped forward.
“When Queen Jameera, Rajmella
’
s older sister, died nineteen years ago, official chronicles recorded it as death in childbirth as she brought Prince Jamal into this world.
”

Lamar leaned forward earnestly.
“
It was. My father was one of Queen Jameera
’
s personal guards. He felt shattered when it happened. She was the greatest Queen
–
and still so young when she died.
”

Egey Bashi nodded.
“
True, this was a tragedy, even if perhaps a preventable one. Officially, Queen Jameera
’
s life did indeed end with the birth of her son. Unofficially, however, I was able to learn not only that her death was far from accidental, but that she also bore a daughter on that day. The Queen lived long enough to name her. Aljahara. If this daughter still lived, she would have been the rightful heir to the throne.
”

Lamar shook his head, flinching and receding under Mai
’
s gaze. “It
’
s a legend, no more. There
was
no Aljahara.”

Egey Bashi turned back to Mai.
“
Well, my source says otherwise. The Queen
’
s death was part of a coup, aimed to destroy the entire royal line. Fortunately, the plot was discovered in time to save the rest of the royal family. The perpetrators were executed, and Rajmella, the Queen
’
s next of kin, was placed on the throne at the age of eleven. However, before all that, the conspirators were able to smuggle a newborn girl out of the palace. According to the chronicle, this girl was sent to the Majat Guild, and her past has been erased from Shayil Yara
’
s official documents, leaving only the legend of Aljahara.
”

A silence filled the room as everyone, Majat and Shayil Yaran alike, stared at the Magister wide-eyed. Then Mai spoke.

“The Majat Guild?”

“Yes.”

“
Nineteen years ago?
”

“
To the day.
”

“
Impossible.
”

Egey Bashi shook his head.
“
It all fits, especially given her remarkable likeness to the portrait we saw at the inn this morning. None of us took it seriously enough, but the crowds in the streets must have seen it too. Not to mention members of the royal family, who must have been stricken by the resemblance as soon as she entered the throne room.
”

Mai
’
s face froze into a mask as he stared at the Magister. Ellah gaped, her mind having serious trouble keeping up with the information.
Kara?
The lost heir to the Shayil Yaran throne?

Is this what the turmoil is all about?

Mai spun around and grabbed Nelimah by the arm, dragging her to his feet. The Princess screamed, but Mai
’
s short glance forced her into silence.

“
Lead us to the Queen
’
s secret dungeon,
” Mai said. “Now.”

Nelimah sobbed and shook her head, but the sight of a dagger pointing her way pulled her to attention. She stumbled as Mai dragged her out, signaling Ellah, Egey Bashi, and about half of his men to follow.

The Princess proved to be a poor runner. Her feet, clad into ornate but highly impractical slippers, skidded and slipped on the marble floors as she led them down the endless hallways to an older part of the castle. Mai was getting visibly frustrated as he jerked her up every time. Ellah felt tempted to interfere, but thought better of it. With the stakes they were facing, she was certain Mai was farther over the edge than she had ever seen him before.

Eventually, Mai dropped Nelimah
’
s arm and barked a short order to Lance, who stepped forward and picked the Princess up. Ellah was surprised at the way the Princess curled into the Diamond
’
s arms contentedly, as if he was her savior, not her abductor who had betrayed her trust when she had least expected it.

Nelimah pointed the way into a long dark hallway, down a narrow staircase, through a vaulted torchlit passage that smothered all sounds as they rushed along it. The massive door at the end of it stood closed. Mai halted in front, bending down to examine the lock, then gestured for Lance to set Nelimah down to the floor.

The Princess edged away, whimpering.

“
Ask them to open the door and let you in,
”
Mai said quietly.
“
Act casual.
”

Her lips trembled. She glanced at Lance. The Diamond quickly inclined his head, his hand on her shoulder urging her closer to the door.

Ellah watched the scene in disbelief. The way Nelimah
’
s cheeks lit up with color as she pressed into his touching palm seemed so inappropriate for the situation. Ellah didn
’
t want to venture her thoughts any further into what might have gone between the two of them to ensure the Princess
’
s cooperation, but the results were obvious, even if somewhat disturbing.

Guided by Lance
’
s encouraging smile, Nelimah used the massive iron ring as a knocker, then leaned closer, listening to the sounds inside. The Majat lined the walls on both sides of the door, ready to rush into the room as soon as the door opened.

Nelimah frowned as no response came. She glanced around helplessly, then blushed again as she looked at Lance, standing visibly taller under the Diamond
’s expectant gaze.

“
Rajmella!
”
Nelimah called out.
“It
’
s me, Nelimah! Open the door, please!
”

Seconds passed, the Majat standing still and tense, like tightly strung weapons. Ellah watched Mai
’
s face set into a mask that made him look deceptively calm. Her stomach clenched at the thought of what he would do if they found that any harm had come to Kara. She had never seen this ruthless side of him laid out so openly in plain view. All she could do was pray that things on the other side of the door would not turn out too ugly to watch.

After a long moment, she heard the jingling of keys and the click of the turning lock. Her heart raced. She clasped her hand over her mouth not to let out a sound as the door swung open to reveal Valmir, the Queen
’
s First Consort.

Ellah barely had a chance to blink as the Diamond nearest to the door clasped an arm around him, pressing a dagger to his neck. The other Majat rushed past them into the room. At Mai
’
s signal, one of the Emeralds grabbed Nelimah, also holding her at blade point.

Ellah peered into the chamber.

At first glance, the vaulted space reminded her of an alchemist
’
s lab, with rows of glass flasks and retorts lining the benches along the walls. Beyond them, metal racks held an array of hooks, tweezers, and blades, some of them very unpleasant-looking. Ellah
’
s eyes wandered to the large table in the center and the body laid on it.
Kara.
Her stomach turned, nausea rising to her throat.

Torches set around the table poured their reddish light over her, as if illuminating a stage. Kara lay on her stomach, her head twisted to the side facing away from the door, her shape so still that she didn
’
t seem animate at all. Ellah refused to follow the thought any further. Her eyes glossed over the tightly fastened shackles, securing not only Kara
’
s wrists and ankles, but also the top of her arms and legs, the ripped clothes, the hair, pulled back at the nape of her neck as if someone had been preparing to cut off her head.
Dear Shal Addim.