Page 62 of The Abandoned Princess

“Obviously I can’t know for sure,” Xander said. “But I suspect so.”

“That would explain why she’s been searching for it for so long without success,” Lori said. “It will be well guarded.”

“Should I be concerned that the king might have an object that forces people to docilely follow his commands?” I muttered.

“If he was using it, I hope everyone would be concerned,” Xander said. “But I’ve seen no indication of anything like that. King Richard’s advisors are formal in manner, but they’re not afraid to speak their minds, even if they disagree with him. And he always listens and takes their perspectives into account. I didn’t see any sign that anyone was blindly following him. And Prince William is even more beloved. He won’t have any need for such an object.”

“I still don’t like the idea of one existing,” I said stubbornly, and Lori nodded fervently.

We had to fall silent after that, focusing on the approaching gates and on keeping Eulalie in sight. On the road near the capital, the extra traffic had been a help, allowing us to stay hidden, but inside the actual city, it became a hindrance.

Passing through the gates was as easy for us as it was for the magically shielded and innocuous-looking Eulalie, but inside we were in danger of losing her in the crowd.

“It doesn’t matter that we know her general destination,” Xander said. “We need to be there to see what she does when she actually gets to the palace.”

I would have replied, but I was too busy trying to peer around a carriage in order to keep my eyes on Eulalie. It had been a long time since I was in a city as large as Northgate, but there was no time to stop and enjoy the atmosphere and buzz.

I couldn’t help enjoying its quaint appearance, however. The neat cobblestoned streets were lined by long unbroken rows of connected houses, all lined with flowering window boxes. I could only imagine it looked even more charming when the street lanterns on their black metal poles were lit.

Given the appearance of the city, I wasn’t surprised when the palace came into full view. The tall, elegant building of white stone looked just how I had imagined it, right down to the towers.

A sharp stab of longing for the palace of my childhood made me falter. Lori pulled on my arm, maneuvering me around an oversized cart and donkey, and I tried to pull my thoughts back to the present. It wasn’t fair to compare other palaces to the beauty of my home. Nothing could compare to Trione’s palace with the sand at its feet and its heights crowned with gold and glass that glittered just as brightly in the sun.

The main palace gates stood open, allowing through a steady stream of traffic.

“They’ll be busy preparing for the coming coronation,” Lori said, answering my question before I could ask it. “I’m sure they have all sorts of celebrations planned.”

We slipped inside behind Eulalie, who attached herself unnoticed to a group delivering boxes. She wasn’t even carrying a box, but the guards barely noticed her and clearly didn’t perceive her as a possible threat.

“If only they knew the truth,” I muttered.

Inside the courtyard, she didn’t hesitate, heading for a side door.

The door turned out to be the entry to the kitchen. I paused on the threshold, hit by another wave of nostalgia and longing. I had spent many happy hours of my childhood in the kitchen of my home palace.

But I couldn’t linger in a doorway. I barely managed to dodge out of the way in time to stop the enchantment bringing disaster to a young apprentice who was approaching the door with a precariously stacked tray of sandwiches.

The three of us dodged through the kitchen, not wanting to disrupt the hive of industry inside, and reached the internal door to the rest of the palace. Eulalie had already disappeared through it, but Lori got her head around in time to see which way she turned, and we were soon slipping through a maze of white marble corridors.

When Lori peered around yet another corner, however, she held up her hand to stop us instead of gesturing us onward.

“She’s finally stopped?” Xander whispered, and Lori nodded.

She remained in place, watching something we couldn’t see.

“She’s stopped in front of an impressive looking set of double doors,” Lori whispered. “They look thick, and they’re well-barred. Plus a set of four guards is stationed outside them.”

“Be off with you!” a male voice said loudly from around the corner.

“That was one of the guards talking to her,” Lori said. “She looks surprised at being addressed, but her reply is too quiet for me to hear.”

She paused, and I waited in suspense until she pulled back around the corner and looked at us.

“She’s hurried off. She’s obviously gotten used to not being noticed, but it doesn’t matter how innocent and unremarkable she looks, the guards at the royal vault aren’t going to allow anyone to stand around near the doors without purpose.”

“Is that the royal vault?” I risked sticking my own head around the corner to stare at the four stiff guards. “How do you know?”

Lori shrugged as Xander rounded the corner and stood there surveying the scene. “Mayhap I’m wrong. But it has that look.”

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