Page 72 of The Seeker

My hopes plummeted.

Although I couldn’t see the details as much as I would have liked, the shape and height were similar to Malheim, and the palace looked far too much like the ones in Heimland for me to believe that the king would react any differently than the viscounts in Heimland.

At least, based on my experience.

Still, I trudged forward, Ena on one side, Otho on the other. His hand held mine, guiding me closer to him as we weaved around carts and people in the street, preparing for their day. My nerves hoped the street would stretch on forever, while my heart begged me just to get this over with so I could go home.

Or at least, figure out where my home was.

As we drew closer to the wall, a line of people came into view. Most were dressed like me, though many of the women bounced crying babies or had toddlers weaving around their legs. But we all had something in common—we all appeared very tired, and no one was dressed any fancier than I was, except perhaps for Otho, who was in his general’s uniform.

No one was dressed in multiple skirts like the ladies who had passed the inn the day before, and that said everything I needed to know.

Otho guided Ena and me to the end of the line. “It will move quickly,” he promised us. “It’s usually much longer than this; it’s good we arrived early.”

I frowned as I counted at least thirty people in front of us. It didn’t feel like this would pass quickly. And if it did, that meant the king didn’t spend much time with each individual, a factor which had my stomach twisting.

“What did you do with the books?” I knew it was brazen to ask, but I had to know.

Otho’s gray eyes glanced down at me, and I could feel a flicker of an emotion I didn’t recognize—perhaps shame—as he answered, “They’re in a safe place.”

I bit my lip, glancing over at Ena, who didn’t appear concerned as she leaned down to talk to the small boy who was hugging the woman’s leg in front of us.

“As soon as the king is in, guards will come to list everyone in line as well as state the reason for their visit.”

“Wow, that’s . . . organized,” I mused. I had become so used to Adis and Hansen acting like little boys over land and magic, it was refreshing to see the king didn’t handle things that way.

“He’s a good king,” Otho promised. “He really does listen.”

I frowned. Again, it seemed like Otho knew more than he let on about the king, and again, I felt like I should leave. But I didn’t, even though my heart had taken up residence in my throat

We hadn’t been waiting long when the line murmured in excitement, and I spotted two guards at the front, dressed in a deep red, a stack of parchments clutched in their hands.

They made their way down the line with some speed, only stopping for a few beats with each individual—enough time to scribble down a name, and a reason for their visit. When they were only six people ahead of us, one of them glanced our way, his gaze immediately drifting to Otho. He dropped his feather quill and rushed over.

“Sire! The king didn’t mention you were coming today!” His gaze darted between Otho and me, his confusion cresting like a wave.

“I’m not. I’m merely here in support of Runa.” His facial expression was neutral, and I recognized it as one he often wore in diplomatic situations.

Ena stood from where she had been playing with the boy, her attention turning toward us.

“It’s no matter. Come, no need to wait in line.” The guard motioned Otho and I forward, and I struggled to swallow as the other individuals in the line gasped. But none appeared to be angry as we passed them, slowly making our way toward the front.

I should have assumed that Otho, as a general, was well-known by the king. But then that begged the question of why he hadn’t taken us to the front to start with.

“Sorry,” Otho whispered to me, his hand resting on my back as we passed through the entrance. “I’d planned on not going in with you.” The wall was a wide one that guards could walk on the top of, and as such, we were temporarily shrouded in darkness as we passed underneath.

I opened my mouth to respond to Otho, but we emerged from the interior of the wall before I could, and a gasp fell from my lips.

The entire interior courtyard was filled with nothing but a massive garden. It was a potion maker’s dream. We stood on a stone path, which weaved through different beds of flowers, containing everything from lavender to roses, and I could see the vegetable garden peeking out from behind the corner of the main building. There were even some trees, with colorful fruit dotting their branches, but we weren’t close enough for me to discern what fruits they were.

Either way it was the most beautiful, and most luscious garden I’d ever seen, and I rushed to take it all in as we were ushered forward on the stone path. I longed to reach out to smell the midnight purple blooms I knew would make an excellent lotion, and I did allow a brush of a cattail to touch my skin as we passed a small pond, a mini stone bridge arching over it.

A tug on my hand kept me moving forward, though I could see the smirk on Otho’s lips. He knew I loved the garden.

The guards motioned us forward, and we were once again shrouded in darkness as we entered the palace. I blinked, begging my eyes to adjust.

Unlike palaces in Heimland, we didn’t immediately enter into a courtyard. In fact, the interior, at a first look, felt more like the Ralheim barracks than anything else. It was dark, with very little natural light seeping in, only the sconces making it possible to navigate. We passed numerous closed doors, and I wondered what they could possibly be keeping in all of them.