Page 14 of An Archer's Reckoning

I hopped off Dittler and caught Keelan staring. He offered a smile, but I ignored him, spread my cloak on the ground, and curled into a ball, pretending to rest. A dozen moments later, the pair began to speak in hushed tones.

“Any idea where we are, or where we are headed?” Atikus asked. I heard the sloshing of his waterskin as he drank.

“We went north out of town. That’s about all I know. I studied some maps before we left but remember little north of the King’s Road. Our plan didn’t exactly call for a royal escape through the countryside.”

Atikus chuckled. “I’d almost think that was humor in your voice if I didn’t know you so well.”

I began to drift—or maybe I actually drifted. A pained groan escaped my lips as the warmth of a hand shaking my shoulder roused me.

“Your Majesty,” Keelan half whispered. “It’s just a dream.”

It took a moment for my eyes to flutter and lock onto his.

I jerked back. “What are you doing? Don’t touch me.”

Keelan raised his hand in surrender but didn’t stand or leave my side. “It looked like you were fighting pretty hard in your sleep. I was just waking you. I meant no offense.”

I wiped my eyes and sat up, then wrapped my arms around my legs, now folded against my chest. I stared at the ground, unable to meet Keelan’s eyes again. He started to stand when I didn’t speak, but my quiet voice froze him in place.

“I dreamed of Justin on the balcony. He called my name, and I looked up in time to see the men around him fall. There were so many masked men. They were everywhere.” I put my face in my hands, fighting tears that didn’t come. “I know it did not happen this way, but in the dream, my brother took the bolts, over and over. I saw him slam into the wall. A moment later, he fell over the railing. I could hear the sickeningthudas he struck the stone floor. Then, somehow, he rose and stood in front of me with bolts sticking out of his chest and blood pooling around him. He fell to his knees, struggling to stay upright, before dropping face down. He kept dying in front of me . . . over and over. He kept crying my name.”

Keelan sat on the cold grass beside me.

“Do you think he is alive?”

He stared into the distance as he spoke. “I don’t know. I saw his guards fall, but then he ran into the hallway. I don’t think he’d been shot at that point, but . . . I didn’t see him again.”

“He’s dead,” I said flatly. “In my heart, I know they killed him.Shekilled him.”

“She?”

“My mother. The woman in the red dress and the mask made of skin.” I shivered at the memory of the blank mask, hate-filled eyes glaring through holes torn in flesh. “I know it was her. I know she did it.”

Atikus finally joined us and sat crossed-legged across from me. “Why would your mother want to hurt the Prince?”

I shook my head. “That’s just it. She wouldn’t. I don’t—I can’t explain it. Justin has always been her favorite. We all knew it. We even joked about it. She wanted to throw me off the roof of the Palace most of the time, but she would die forher baby boy. That’s what she called him.”

Atikus placed a weathered hand on my ankle, patting it gently. “Your Majesty, we cannot imagine how you feel right now, but we are going to help you. At least, we are going to try.”

The old Mage’s tight smile and wrinkled brow reminded me of my father, and my heart lurched from gratitude to helpless grief. I choked back tears.

“Why would she kill my father? They were married more than twenty years. They ruled together. They dideverythingtogether. Why kill him?”

Atikus ran a hand down his beard, as if searching for answers in his wispy hair. “I do not know why she would kill either of them. The only thing that makes any sense is that their deaths played some role in her ceremony, or whatever she hoped to accomplish by performing the ritual. We do not even know what that goal was. Your Majesty—”

“Jess,” I said a little more sternly than intended, then softened. “Please, call me Jess. I’m not Queen of anything out here.”

Atikus smiled again. “You are the Queen of the Kingdom of Spires, Jess. You are the ruler of the largest, most powerful nation in the world. It doesn’t matter where you are, how many people are watching, or anything else. You are, and always will be, the Queen . . . but we will call you Jess when no one else is around. We have no royalty in Melucia, and all of your titles get confusing to an old man.”

Keelan laughed. “Like you’veeverforgotten anything.”

I looked at Keelan, then back to Atikus, confused.

“It is my Gift,” he said, offering no explanation.

Keelan stood and brushed off his breeches. “Jess, whenever you want to talk about what happened, we’ll listen. I want to hear everything you remember about your capture and time with the Children. You may remember clues that can help us unravel some of this; but right now, we’re sitting in the middle of an open field for anyone to see. We need to get somewhere safe, and you know this countryside better than either of us. Any ideas where we should head next? I’d guess we’re three or four leagues north of Cradle.”

Before I could answer, Keelan dug into his pocket and handed me a folded piece of yellowed parchment. “I’m pretty sure these have been distributed in every town and village throughout the Kingdom. That rules out hiding in a crowd.”

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