Page 66 of The Abandoned Princess

Lori smiled, pleased not to have been forgotten.

“Mother won’t be pleased that her agents dismissed the children’s claims so easily,” Danielle said. “She always wondered about the story. I think if the village wasn’t so extremely remote, she would have gone there herself.”

“I hope she isn’t too harsh on them,” I said. “I’ve been trying for a long time to find a way around the enchantment, and there really isn’t one. Whatever happened with Xander, it isn’t something I’ve ever managed to repeat.”

I didn’t look at him as I said the final sentence since I had an inkling of why that particular contact with Xander had been successful when no other attempts had. But it wasn’t something I intended to discuss with this audience.

“So your abductor enchanted you not long after your delegation was attacked and then kept you captive in a tower for five years.” Danielle’s brow wrinkled. “We’ve already established you weren’t taken by any of the group behind the initial attack in Arcadia—they were all dealt with long ago. But how did you end up in Northhelm? And why do you believe your captor is planning harm against the kingdom?”

Lori cleared her throat. “Northhelm was my fault, Your Highness. We didn’t know who to trust, so we fled Arcadia, intending to find a ship home from one of your ports.”

“You did a good job.” Danielle sounded impressed. “Mother never managed to find so much as a trace of you.”

“We started out well,” Lori agreed. “But we didn’t make it far over the border before we met Eulalie.” She scowled.

“Eulalie?” Danielle frowned. “It’s an unusual name, but it can’t possibly be…” She trailed off, sounding like she was talking more to herself than to us.

“Have you heard of her?” I asked, surprised.

“I don’t see how it can possibly be the same one,” Danielle said. “After all, it’s been centuries.”

“Centuries?” Xander’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

Danielle shrugged. “It’s probably nothing. I was just struck by the unusual name—he had one, too, and I’ve never heard his anywhere else.”

“By him, I don’t suppose you mean that rebel from fifteen years ago?” Xander asked, and Danielle looked up sharply.

“That’s precisely who I mean. He was born so long ago that his family’s story had become a mere legend, but he had secretly found a way to prolong his life. Once I was old enough to be told about the rebellion, I studied every version of the tale I could find. Most versions focus on the three brothers, but I found one that mentioned a sister by the name of Eulalie.”

“It can’t be a coincidence,” I said, looking at Xander.

“We don’t know who she is for sure,” Xander told Danielle. “But we did wonder if there could be a connection between her and the rebel of the tales. We think she got hold of some of the godmother objects he had collected.”

“And unfortunately she seems to have the same obsession with her bloodline as he did.”

“Another one who thinks she has more right to the throne than Grandfather.” Danielle sighed. “I thought the jewel put a stop to all this nonsense.”

“We think she might have found a way around the jewel,” I said uneasily, glancing at Xander, who thankfully took over the story, outlining the extent of our theory.

Lori made several sounds of protest at our explaining the full details to a group of children, but neither Xander nor I paid her any heed. We had once been children just like these ones, and right now they were all we had.

When he reached the point of the story where we were left standing in front of the vault, Xander fixed Danielle with an intent look.

“Somehow I don’t think your parents will dismiss your words as a fanciful tale of childhood. Can you go to them now and warn them? They need to make sure Eulalie doesn’t get her hands on what’s in that vault.”

“My mother would certainly take me seriously,” Danielle said soberly. “But unfortunately she’s not currently in the capital. None of our parents are.”

“What?” I stared at her. “But isn’t the coronation tomorrow?”

“That’s why they’re absent,” Ben said, jumping in. “The tour is timed to arrive back here tomorrow morning, and our parents all rode out to meet the tour outside the city. They’ll all arrive tomorrow in a grand procession and wind their way through the streets of Northgate, waving to the cheering crowds, before they arrive at the palace for the ceremonies.”

I paled, looking at Xander in fear. Had Eulalie timed her journey to arrive here so close before the coronation so that it would be too late for anyone to stop her?

“Eulalie only has tonight to try to get into the vault,” Lori said, “and if she fails, she’ll have lost her chance to usurp the handover of power. Do we really think she can get past those guards and those doors? It seems unlikely to me, in which case her plan will fall through even without our intervention.”

“They’ll be opening the doors tomorrow, though,” Andrew said. “Do you think she’d have a chance to get in then, Dani?”

“I’m rather afraid she may find a way,” Danielle said grimly.

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