Page 91 of Decoy

Sir Rupert sat at his desk, not the picture of ease and authority he’d usually adopted during our interrogations but with a rigid posture, his nervous gaze focused on the assassin standing before him. “Is it done?”

The assassin nodded. “As your informants concluded, Her Highness had secretly returned to the palace…but her efforts to remain undetected proved in vain. Both she and the decoy have been taken care of.” That single lie was all he’d been hired for in exchange for the promise of his life.

Sir Rupert stared at the fabric torn from the princess’s dress that had been stained with some of Guard Silas’s blood, which she’d supplied for proof.

He sucked in a wavering breath. “I see.” Even with the news his plan had finally succeeded he didn’t gloat. “It’s almost a pity. The princess was a sweet thing, though incompetent, not to mention she simply knew too much. No matter, the deed is done. All that remains is to move forward.”

He dismissed the assassin with a lazy wave of his hand before pressing his hands to the desk for another steadying breath before straightening resolutely.

“On to the next step.”

His hands shook as he shuffled some papers on his desk, the only betrayal to his true emotions. As he fidgeted he muttered to himself, but we only caught a few mumbled snippets.

“Must proceed carefully…not the only potential successor to the throne…too suspicious to kill all the candidates…have to wait for an opportunity.” He suddenly straightened with a jerk. “But first I must console Their Majesties. Let’s see, how should I delicately break the news.” He considered the matter for a moment before practicing his speech out loud. “Your Majesties, I cannot begin to express my shock at the death of your dear daughter…no, that’s not delicate enough.”

He practiced different variations, all with different expressions, tones of voice, and phrasing. When he felt his rehearsed speech sufficient enough, he stood to take this next necessary action…and that’s when we began our game in toying with the man who’d caused so much pain.

A bit of experimentation with Luke’s powers and Princess Evelyn’s magic had allowed us to create a unique effect: shadows specialized in illusions, and combined with the princess’s powers of light together they were able to form a façade of the princess.

It appeared at Sir Rupert’s elbow. He startled and actually tumbled from his seat, his bulging gaze riveted to her. “You!You can’t be…I just received word that you’re dead.”

The illusion of Princess Evelyn stared him down with wide, accusing eyes, a force which caused him to scramble away until his back pressed against the bookcase…where I appeared beside him.

He whirled around with a gasp, his countenance pallid. “Impossible…the assassin claimed he killed you as well.”

“No matter how much effort you expend, however many assassins you hire, or how often you attempt to send me to the gallows, you can’t get rid of me…or the princess.”

The enchanted barrier muffled all sound to disguise the direction the voice came from, but magic carried my words from where I hid to the figure it’d formed, creating the impression that the illusion spoke. He gaped first at me, then the princess now standing solemnly on his other side.

“I am the true heir to the throne,” she said. “Nothing you do will ever change that.”

“No, I have to—you know too much. I can’t allow you to live, else I’ll lose His Majesty’s favor…and I’ll never succeed as king.” Tremors rippled over him, his eyes wide with desperation.

“You will never rule so long as I possess evidence of your treachery.” She pointed towards the bookcase whose false back had contained proof of his corruption.

He scrambled to his feet to search the hidden cubby…only to find it empty. For a long moment he merely stared at it with bulging, disbelieving eyes. “No…it’s gone.No!” With a moan he collapsed to his knees, fingers burrowed in his hair as if he meant to yank it out. “This can’t be happening.”

“I am the true crown princess,” she said. “A title that will survive any scheme.”

For a long moment he lay curled on the floor, his breaths ragged, before he slowly lifted his head, dark purpose filling his wild gaze.

“I’ve come too far to give up now. They always say if you want a job done right, it must be done yourself.” He yanked a dagger from the hilt at his waist and lunged for the princess. The moment he buried it into her chest, the illusion melted away as the shadows slunk back to their corner.

The advisor gaped at the spot where the princess’s corpse should have been, and in that position we, along with the king and queen who’d accompanied us, revealed our presence when the magical barrier masking us from view fell away to reveal us standing in the room.

He startled and swiveled around. “Your Majesties, I—” He attempted to climb to his feet, but his shaking legs failed him.

The king stepped forward. “You are under arrest for the attempted murder of the crown princess and the decoy charged to protect her.” He motioned for Guard Silas to restrain him, which he did midst Sir Rupert’s flailing protests. Princess Evelyn stepped into view and he stilled at seeing her alive, as if he couldn’t believe she was truly there after stabbing her illusion himself.

“You!”

“There’s no use fighting,” she said calmly. “We used our powers to witness your conversation with the assassin you hired as well as your attempt to kill me. We also possess ample evidence of your treachery.” She held up the documents Luke and I had found within his study. At seeing them, he finally gave up the fight with a slump of defeat.

The king stared him down, but despite his grave expression his eyes were sad. “You’ve served our family so faithfully for years.Why, Rupert?”

His silence extended so long I began to wonder if he’d take the truth to the grave. Just as I determined to share the evidence as well as our speculations for his motive in his stead, he finally gave his murmured confession to the floor.

“My only son was in trouble for embezzling funds. I couldn’t see him punished, so in an effort to protect him I adjusted the financial records and sold secrets, all inconsequential. But the princess found out. This all transpired too soon after discovering my eligibility for the throne for me not to be tempted by the power that would protect my family and give them a bright future.”

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