Promising Hope (5 page)

Matilda paused, hoisting her shoes over her shoulder.
“It lets out on the other side of the hill. I just thought you’d
like to see it. You didn’t seem like you were in a very good
mood.”

Sierra pursed her lips, then sat down on the rock
Matilda had been on earlier. She started to unlace her boots, then
rolled up her pants and joined Matilda. “It opens on the other
side?”

“Yeah,” Matilda said. “I actually found that side
first, but I thought this view was beautiful.”

She and Sierra looked out at the ocean. The sun was
low in the sky, and the water was dazzlingly bright at times.
Matilda turned and walked into the cave. She sat down on a high
rock, dipping her feet in the water. Her feet were covered in the
dyes, as well, matching Sierra’s, but with less designs. The women
had warned them not to wash their hands or feet or the dye wouldn’t
set, but the cool water felt so good on Sierra’s feet.

She climbed onto a similar rock on the opposite side,
sinking her toes into the sand and letting the water push against
her legs as it came in and out. The come and go sound of the waves
echoed in the cave, soothing Sierra and her thoughts.

“Is Evan going to find Gregorio?” Matilda asked,
breaking a few moments of silence.

“How’d you know?” Sierra asked.

“Jeshro asked me to protect the room,” Matilda said,
“and I listened in.”

“Do you do that with everything you’re supposed to
protect?”

Matilda didn’t respond.

Guilt twisted Sierra’s stomach, and she tried to
think of a way to make amends without apologizing. Normal
conversation with Matilda wasn’t something she was used to. On
their travels, they’d avoided arguments for the most part, but they
were far from friends.

“So, when are we going to get Grace and Dar?” Matilda
asked.

“We? Do you want to help?”

“Of course.”

“You said that Grace would be just fine where she
is.”

“She probably would be if she weren’t so in love with
Dar,” Matilda said. “Seeing as that’s not the case…”

“I think it’s about more than just Dar,” Sierra
replied. “She wants to help the Avialies.”

Matilda smiled. “Well, they cause problems for all of
us.”

After a moment of silence, Sierra asked, “You think
Lee will come with us?”

“I think so,” Matilda said.

Sierra had hardly seen Lee the last few days after
the Boren helped them get through Mumbar Jungle. Aside from last
night when the Jolenians died their hands, he had mostly helped
Avialies with the horses. His mother Di had arrived yesterday with
Angela and a few other Avialies, and she was not happy about having
to leave her house in Aron. Sierra had seen her staring at the
ocean in awe, though, and now Di was in the kitchen helping with
the banquet and putting her cooking skills to use.

Sierra let the waves calm her, and eventually she
thought of Evan and the meeting she left. “I should probably get
back.”

Matilda stood up. “Right, you’ve got that important
meeting.”

With a sigh, Sierra pulled her feet out of the sand.
“Thank you for bringing me out here.”

“Sure,” Matilda said.

They started walking into the cave. The light lasted
longer than Sierra thought it would. They reached the area where
the waves petered out and they stepped on just pebbles, sands, and
eventually rocks, and they could still see where they were
walking.

Sierra realized the light wasn’t just coming from
behind them, but also in front of them. The cave was shrinking into
a tunnel, and light from the other end was shining through,
revealing the dark, damp walls, and the rocky path in front of
them.

“Careful, it’s getting pretty rocky,” Matilda
said.

They stopped and pulled their shoes back on, then
Matilda led the way to the opening of the tunnel. Once they reached
the castle, Sierra felt better, like she could breathe again, and
she thanked Matilda.

“Now you have a place to run to besides the roof,”
Matilda said.

“Yeah,” Sierra said as they walked through the front
doors of the castle. “I’ll talk to the elders about Grace and Dar
tonight.” With their best men hunting down the Thieran, Sierra
wondered what their chances of saving Grace and Dar were.

* * *

Chapter Four

Grace hadn’t had a maidservant for weeks. Even at
home, she’d been relatively independent. The maidservant the prince
left with her, however, was intent on waiting on Grace’s every
need. Grace had to push the eager girl’s hands away numerous times
while she attempted to undress and then bathe.

The maidservant, Marisa, was a short, muscular woman
with hair the color of red wine. Grace almost asked her if she dyed
it, but she thought it would be rude.

She stayed in the bath longer than she needed to. She
couldn’t bring herself to leave the warmth and safety. Her mother
would be arriving soon, and Grace dreaded seeing her. The thought
of explaining the past few weeks to her and to Jocelyn, as well as
everyone else who might be curious, made her sick. All she wanted
to do was spend time with her William.

She finally pulled herself out of the water, knowing
she needed to dress and do her hair if she had any hope of
impressing William. Grace dried herself off and pulled on a
bathrobe.

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door, and
Marisa rushed to answer it. A dark woman stepped in, bowing her
head. “I’m sorry, m’lady, I just need—” When she saw Grace, the
words died on her lips.

“Amina?” Grace said.

Amina gaped at her. She wore a maid’s dress, the
white and brown dress with the royal emblem. Sweat streaked her
face, and she looked much thinner than before; there was no trace
of her previous chubbiness. “Lady Grace.”

“You’re all right,” Grace said with relief. She put
her hand on her chest. “Oh, Amina, I’ve been so worried.” She knew
it wasn’t quite true; she’d been worried before the jungle, but
since reuniting with William, she’d hardly thought of Amina and
Vin. Odd.

Amina crossed the length of the bathroom to stand in
front of Grace, her eyes shining with tears. Grace felt a trickle
of alarm, knowing she shouldn’t be speaking with the Avialie.

“How—what are you doing here?” Amina asked.

“I’ve come back home,” Grace said. She hesitated,
dropping her voice to a whisper. “Sierra and I did it, Amina. The
curse is broken.”

Amina put her hands over her mouth, slowly shaking
her head.

Grace nodded. “Yes, we did. You and Vin could have a
child.”

Tears trickled down Amina’s face.

Grace touched her shoulder lightly. “Don’t cry.”

“Oh, m’lady…” Amina said. A sob escaped her lips.
“I’m sorry. But how do you know? What did you do?”

“I shouldn’t talk about that, but you trust me,
right? I wouldn’t lie about this.”

Amina tried to hide another sob, and she wiped her
face as she cried. “Oh, my… we shouldn’t be talking about this
here. There are…
they
are everywhere.”

Grace squeezed Amina’s shoulder and dropped her hand.
“They already know.”

“What—but—Grace, they could… they’re not…”

“Don’t worry. It’s over.”

Amina’s brow furrowed. “It’s not over. They’re not
going to leave us alone.” She sniffled and started to move around
the bathroom, picking up dirty towel. “I still don’t understand
what you’re doing here.”

“Lady Grace?” William’s voice came from her
bedroom.

Grace’s breath caught in her throat. She hurried to
the door and opened it a crack, craning her head to see William
standing next to her desk.

His face colored when he saw her, and he cleared his
throat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…”

“It’s all right. What did you want?”

“Excuse me, m’lady,” Amina said. She came out of the
bathroom with a basket of clothes. “Your Highness.”

“You shouldn’t be speaking with her,” William told
Grace.

Grace glanced at Amina, who shuffled her feet,
staring at her basket. “I had to tell her.”

“You shouldn’t encourage her.” William turned to
Amina and motioned for her to leave. “You won’t be waiting on her
again.”

“Yes, your Highness,” Amina said, walking past him
quickly.

After the door shut behind Amina, Grace asked, “Why
is she still being held here?”

“They assisted in your kidnapping,” William said in a
steady voice.

“I was not kidnapped.” Grace stepped into her
bedroom, disregarding the fact that she wore only a bathrobe.
William backed away from her, but she saw his gaze flit over her
body, and she had to hold back a smile. “Just let her and Vin go;
they’re harmless.”

“They’re Avialies; that’s enough to make them
dangerous.” William’s jaw twitched as Grace took a step closer.

“You don’t even know them or what they’ve done.” Her
heart wasn’t in the argument, though. She wanted to see how close
she could get before he backed away again. He stood still as she
took another step towards him.

“You shouldn’t have come back if you were so worried
about them.”

Grace frowned, taken aback by his words. She stopped
where she stood, a foot between them. “I came back for you.”

William studied her face. “I still don’t know if I
believe you.”

“Do you think I’d lie to you?”

He laughed mirthlessly. “I have no doubt of it, if it
got you what you want.”

Part of her felt indignant, and another part was sure
she’d do anything to dispel his doubts. She closed the distance
between them, looking up at him. “It’s you that I want.”

William didn’t respond at first. He touched her chin,
running his finger down her neck, and the simple gesture caused an
explosion of emotion. A chill ran up her spine; she wanted to pull
him closer and kiss him.

Dar’s face and his whispered “I love you” in the
Mumbar Jungle flashed through her mind. An ache of emptiness and
longing spread through her heart. She sucked in a gasp. Why did she
think of Dar when William touched her?

“I’ll see you at dinner,” William whispered. He
turned away and left without a backward glance at her.

Grace leaned against the desk next to her, letting
out a breath. She glanced down at herself, at the semi-transparent
clothing that did little to hide her shape. What had she been
thinking? Unwillingly, her mind drifted back to the night in
Belisha and the chemise she’d been wearing in Dar’s presence. Her
memories of she and Dar blended with fantasies of intimate moments
with William. She groaned and touched her forehead. She had such an
ache behind her eyes; she’d had it for days.

“Lady Grace?”

Grace jumped; Marisa stood by the bathroom door. “How
long have you been there?” Grace asked.

“This whole time,” Marisa said, staring at the
ground. “I never left.”

“Oh, goodness,” Grace said breathlessly.

A knock on the doors of the bedroom roused Marisa,
and she went to the doors. Grace hoped it wasn’t her mother.

A maidservant walked in, a dress draped across her
arms, and Lady Sashe followed her in. “Lady Grace,” Sashe said, a
warm smile on her face.

“Sashe,” Grace said, straightening up to hug Sashe.
“How are you?”

Sashe looked as ravishing as ever. She wore an ivy
green dress lined with black, and her brown hair was pulled into an
intricate braid. Grace was struck by the resemblance to Sierra,
especially in her strong nose, and her head throbbed at the thought
of the Protectors hunting Sierra down. Sashe’s middle wasn’t as
thin as Grace recalled, and she remembered Sierra telling her Sashe
was pregnant with the king’s child.

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Sashe said. “And you?
I’m so glad you’ve decided to visit us at the castle.”

“Thank you. It’s good to see you, too.”

“I brought you a dress to borrow, at least until your
mother gets here with your things.” Sashe motioned to the blue and
gold gown the maidservants were preparing for her. “I also brought
a corset and undergarments; I wasn’t sure if you had them.”

“Thank you.” Grace hated wearing corsets; she’d
missed those contraptions the least since leaving.

“Lady Grace, may I do your hair now?” Marisa
asked.

Grace subjected herself to Marisa’s hands. Sashe
stayed, sitting in Grace’s desk chair, and Grace knew she wanted
answers. She must want to know where Sierra and Evan were.

“The prince won’t tell me much about your
adventures,” Sashe said with a playful smile.

Marisa started drying Grace’s hair, and Grace
hesitated before answering Sashe. She decided the truth would be
best. She’d find out eventually. “We found the ancient texts in
Mumbar Jungle.”

Sashe’s eyes widened, and she looked at Marisa. “Do
you know the meaning of discretion?”

“The Protectors know everything already,” Grace
said.

“What?” Sashe snapped. “How?”

“I told them.” Grace kept her eyes on the wall across
from her.

Sashe stood up and put herself in Grace’s line of
vision. “Where’s Sierra?”

“I don’t know. She left with the ancient texts. I
went to Dar; she went to the others.”

Sashe narrowed her eyes. “Where are Dar and the
others?”

“Dar’s somewhere here.” Grace wondered if she could
see him. No, seeking him out would be stupid. She was in love with
William, not Dar. “I don’t know about the others.”

“Dar’s here at the palace? Where?”

Grace finally looked at Sashe, gritting her teeth in
frustration. “I don’t know. He’s a prisoner.”

Sashe’s mouth fell open. Her brow furrowed, staring
at Grace’s desk in thought.

Marisa yanked on Grace’s hair, and Grace hissed at
the pain on her scalp, making her headache worse.

“I’m sorry, m’lady,” Marisa whispered.

“So, what are you doing here?” Sashe asked Grace.

“I’m coming home,” Grace said. “I helped the
Avialies—”