I took a deep breath and buried my shaking hands in my gown. Right now, I had to get to the queen’s chambers before she noticed I was missing. After my poisoning, she would likely pay closer attention to all of us, and the last thing I needed was for her to begin asking questions.
My mind raced as I walked toward the queen’s chambers. There was a way to free the prisoners. I knew there was. This couldn’t be it. It wouldn’t be it.
The queen was withdrawn today. Servants brought in tea, along with tiny, perfectly crafted pastries, but the queen was staring out the window.
So many lives on the line, and I was watching the queen daydream.
“Is everything all right, Your Majesty?” Lisveth asked, after at least an hour of us making stilted conversation while she ignored us.
The queen gave Lisveth a small smile. But it immediately disappeared, and she heaved a sigh. “My husband has been absent lately. He refused my request for our son to come home for Gods Day.” Those freckles stood out on her pale face as she turned her head to the window once more. Clearly, that was as much as the queen was prepared to divulge. “Oh, you don’t need to sit in here all day with me,” she sighed again. “Go take one of the carriages to the market or take a walk around the grounds.”
Her tone was almost accusatory, as if our presence—at her request—was an imposition.
I was on my feet before the words finished leaving her mouth. She raised one eyebrow, and I merely bowed my head. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Madinia caught up to me the moment we left the queen’s chambers.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She caught my arm, and I shook my head. “Not here.”
Madinia followed me out of the castle and onto the grounds. Even more guards were stationed than usual. To our west, across what had to be several hundred foot-spans of grass, the royal stables were situated next to the sprawling brick building where the carriages were stored.
“We can’t use the tunnel from the dungeons to get the prisoners out.”
Horror slid into Madinia’s eyes as she stared at me. “What do you mean? That’s how we’re getting out.”
“Not anymore. The king filled it in.”
“What will we do?” To her credit, the words weren’t dripping panic. It seemed to be a genuine question, and the frown on her face told me she wanted to talk options.
“I don’t know.” My voice broke. Admitting such a thing when Madinia had put her faith in me…when they’d all put their faith in me…
“You have some scheme up your sleeve, I know you do. Prisca, I want to help.”
As usual, her voice was haughty. Because Madinia wasn’t used to asking for anything. Even when we wanted something from the queen, it was usually Lisveth who asked.
I opened my mouth to snarl at her, and something moved in the corner of my eye. I turned, feeling Madinia do the same next to me.
Davis stood outside the stables. He lifted his hand in a wave, that easy smile on his face as if we were all good friends. I glanced at Madinia, who was struggling not to curl her lip at him.
“You want to help?”
She sighed. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Madinia didn’t like it.
Within moments after I’d waved back at Davis, Madinia and I were standing next to him, gazing at hundreds of horseless carriages. It hadn’t taken more than the mere suggestion from Madinia for him to offer us a tour.
“As you can see, this is where we keep them,” he murmured, smiling at Madinia.
To her credit, she beamed brainlessly at him. Davis’s eyes widened slightly, before crinkling at the corners.
If I hadn’t known that he’d terrorized at least three of the women I’d once shared a room with, I might have believed the almost embarrassed way he scuffed his feet.
Not to mention, Auria had told me that the day I was poisoned—when half the court had seen Lorian hauling a drunk woman back to her room—she’d seen Davis wink at the “prince.”
I wanted Davis dead.
Lorian’s voice echoed in my head.
“Just weeks away from your village, and you’re already turning into a little savage.”
“How are the carriages controlled?” Madinia murmured. “It must require a lot of power to ensure they travel where you wish them to go.”
Davis’s chest puffed, and he shot her a grin. “I’ll show you.”
Satisfaction tempered my wrath, and we trailed after him, deeper into the huge space. At the back of the room was a door I’d assumed was a closet. He opened it to reveal a city map so large, it stretched across an entire wall.