Page 71 of The Abandoned Princess

The seconds stretched on with no loud noise. I looked from Danielle to Xander, wondering how long we needed to wait. Whoever was listening in the corridor would need to signal the other two, so perhaps it was reasonable for it to take a minute, but the guards were already lifting the crown and scepter on their cushion and turning back toward the door.

A strangled shout from the corridor made all the guards inside the vault tense. Several of them lifted their noses and sniffed the air just as I detected the smell of smoke.

The captain barked out an order, and every guard in the room drew their sword. I was still staring at the door myself, so it was left to the enchantment to push me away from the closest blade. The force of it moved me backward, directly into the path of another drawn sword which caused the enchantment to thrust me back the other way again.

My feet stumbled, my balance gone, but an arm braced me from behind, ending my bouncing movement. I nodded gratefully at Xander and looked quickly around the room.

Tense guards were looking in every direction, still preventing us from taking action. But a new guard appeared in the doorway, shouting for the captain.

The smell of smoke intensified, and tendrils of gray drifted up from his shoulders and hair.

“Captain!” he cried again. “All the ceremonial uniforms!”

A gasp rippled through the guards in the room, and all of them turned to stare at the smoking newcomer.

“Now!” Xander cried, and we both leaped for the table.

I was positioned better and got there first. With one sweep of my hand, I scooped up circlet, necklace, and bracelet, thrusting them into my pocket.

“Come on!” Xander took my other hand and tugged me toward the door.

“Benjamin!” the captain said through gritted teeth, and the guards relaxed.

At a signal from their leader, they all returned their swords to their hips while Xander and I wove through the waving blades. We had nearly reached the exit when the captain and the guard carrying the cushion departed the room. Before we could slip out behind them, the other guards formed into a line and began to file out.

The enchantment immediately set in, causing both us and the guards to sway wildly as we jostled our way toward the door. Xander tried to pull me back, but I resisted, desperate not to be locked inside.

Danielle sent me a swift look, however, and I finally pulled back, letting the guards file out of the room. When the guard accompanying her gestured courteously for her to exit in front of him, she hesitated.

He frowned, but Xander and I leaped forward into the gap she’d created, colliding with each other in our haste to squeeze through the door ahead of the princess. She started moving the second we had passed, squeezing up behind us so as not to draw attention to the apparent space in front of her.

Her movements must have looked strange to the guard, but he didn’t comment, merely following her out of the vault. The moment he was clear, two guards pulled the doors closed and the captain approached with the key. I ignored the laborious process of securing the vault and regarded the chaos in the corridor.

Even more guards had arrived, all of them milling around and exclaiming angrily while their fancy uniforms smoked. The odd effect gave the impression they were all wearing a layer of embers beneath the material.

“At least none of them look like they’re in pain,” I said dubiously as Xander burst out laughing.

“I guess that powder didn’t create a bang after all,” he said.

I looked around, trying to find the princess in the chaos of complaining soldiers.

“Keep the crown away from anyone wearing a smoking uniform!” bellowed the captain, obviously finished with securing the vault.

The guards all responded instinctively. The newcomers leaped for the far wall, lining up along it at attention. The vault guards were left facing them, varying degrees of dismay on their faces.

“What will we do about the coronation if all the ceremonial uniforms are damaged?” one of them asked, although I couldn’t see any signs of actual damage, just the strange smoke.

I didn’t catch the captain’s reply, however, because the new state of order in the corridor had revealed that Danielle was gone.

“Where’s the princess?” I whirled around to look in the other direction. “She was right here.”

Xander frowned. “I’m surprised she didn’t want to stay with the…” He trailed off, staring at me. “Daisy, where’s the jewelry you picked up?”

“Right…” My words trailed off as I shoved my hand into my pocket and found it empty.

I looked back up at Xander with wide eyes. “She took them!”

He groaned. “Of course she did. Why would she allow virtual strangers to get their hands on dangerous items like that?”

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