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She looked over her shoulder, her eyes locking with Auberon’s. “I have just over twenty-four hours until I’m promised to a stranger. I’m not going to waste a single one of them.”
ChapterFifty-Six
The Lady
Riona wrinkled her nose as a rat scurried across her path, the rodent nimbly darting around a puddle of piss before slipping through a crack in the alley’s wall. Thin lines laden with drying clothes zigzagged between the buildings that rose high on either side of her, only a sliver of sunlight visible beyond the overhanging roofs. A few yards ahead, Ophelia slowed before a half-rotted door and rapped a couple of times—another peculiar knock, like the one Aeron had used when they’d gone to meet Faylen.
A heartbeat later, the door swung open to a dank-smelling room, a familiar figure filling its doorway. Aeron silently stepped aside so they could enter.
Riona’s bruised ribs ached, but she ignored the pain as she ducked under the doorframe and entered the low-ceilinged room. A lantern sat atop the lone table in the center of the room, its flame turned so high that it licked the glass, and a fire crackled in the small hearth in the far wall. Through an archway to her left, Riona glimpsed the footboard and legs of a wooden cot.
As Ophelia turned back to close and latch the door, Riona took in her surroundings. “Did you not feel safe enough in a tavern?”
“I didn’t want to risk anyone asking after an elf of my description,” a voice called from the other room. The cot creaked, and Faylen appeared in the archway a moment later, grimacing as she kneaded her lower back. Aeron immediately moved to the table and pulled out a chair for her, which she accepted with a grateful smile. “I’ve certainly endured worse than a place in the slums. I can forsake a fancy feather bed for the promise of safety and anonymity.”
“It will only be for a short while,” Riona assured her. “I have less than a day until I am promised to one of the suitors, which means we must work fast.”
“Certainly. I’m glad to see you in one piece, my lady.” Faylen nodded toward Aeron. “It was all I could do to keep our friend here from riding out after you when you didn’t immediately return to the city. I had to remind him a half-dozen times that he had no idea where you went after we left you in Crafford.”
“I could have found her,” Aeron muttered, “if you had allowed me to look at those documents she ordered me to protect.”
“And defy the orders your lady gave you?” Faylen responded, her voice teasing. “Perish the thought. I think you’d burst into flames if you ever did something against her will.”
He glowered at her but offered no response.
“I’m glad you remained here,” Riona said, infinitely grateful that Faylen hadn’t allowed him to look at Cathal’s maps. The thought of Aeron wandering through the dark, labyrinthine tunnels sent a tremor down her spine. “The overseer of the mine discovered me searching through his office, and the only thing that kept him from killing me was my royal blood. If you had come, you’d have been killed or forced into labor. I never would have been able to forgive myself if I had led you to that fate.”
His expression softened, and he asked, “What mine? My lady, where did you go?”
“More importantly, what did you learn?” Faylen pressed, leaning forward. “Tell me Cathal didn’t give his life for nothing.”
“I found a letter from him in the overseer’s desk. He wrote about the king’s intention to wield eudorite weapons against Erduria, and his fears that my uncle would sacrifice countless Rivosi lives to gain the upper hand in the war. The king planned to fight until every last Erdurian paid for what we lost at their hands. He would have slaughtered countless innocents. Cathal felt guilty for his involvement in the operation, and he blamed himself for the deaths of all the men who were condemned to work in the Howling Mountains. It would have been damning evidence against the king if the overseer hadn’t burned it,” Riona said, a note of bitterness slipping into her voice.
She reached across the table and took Faylen’s hand. The elf was not crying, but the expression she wore as she stared into the hearth’s dancing flames was one of pure grief. Her free hand rested on the curve of her belly. “Cathal was a good man,” Riona whispered. “Always remember that. He risked his life to smuggle those documents out of the city so he might save our kingdom from destruction. He sought an end to the war, and now, we may have a path to securing peace with the Empire. When this is all over, you will be free and live in comfort, and Cathal’s killer—my uncle—will suffer for what he has done.”
“Your uncle? How… How can you promise that?” Faylen asked, the words raw. “How can we stand against a king?”
“Kings are far from invincible,” Aeron snarled. “They die just as easily as any other man.”
Riona shook her head. “We cannot kill him—not without losing our own heads in the process and severely crippling our kingdom. Brutal as his methods are, my uncle has stood against his enemies in a hopeless war for over thirty years. We will need a leader like that once word of the eudorite mines spreads beyond our borders. My uncle is strong-willed and ruthless in his defense of Rivosa, and he has the loyalty of the soldiers. Their allegiance will not be easily or quickly swayed.”
The hope faded from Faylen’s face. “I hope you have a plan, my lady.”
“We’re going to use the people,” Riona said, nodding. “I have less than twenty-four hours until I must confront the king, and if we do not do this correctly, we will lose any chance at a peaceful end to the war.” She turned to Ophelia, who was standing by the door, silent as ever. “How many helpers can you assemble without drawing suspicion from the crown and guards?”
The girl frowned, considering. “Right now, probably a half-dozen. If you need more, it’ll be easier for them to slip out of the castle later tonight, once the banquet is over. I could probably gather about two dozen by midnight.”
“They can all read and write?”
“I’ll make certain of it, my lady.”
“Good. They’ll have to make do with the space at hand. Once they arrive, I want them to stay here until tomorrow afternoon, when the Erdurian princes and I go to speak with the king. It’s not an ideal situation, I know, but it is necessary. After we leave, you and I will stop by my father’s house so I can fetch some money. I want you to purchase food, lantern oil, ink, and as much parchment as you can carry.”
“What are you planning, my lady?” Aeron asked.
Riona smiled, concealing the pain in her heart. The time for secrecy was over. Soon, word of the mines would spread beyond Rivosa’s borders, and they would have to be ready for the armies that would come to take her land. All Riona could do was try to delay her kingdom’s destruction.
With a grim smile on her face, she leaned forward and explained her plan.
