Page 122 of The Shadowed Oracle
Ingrid’s throat tightened. “What do we do?” she asked. It was all she could think to say. In that moment, all her mind could manage was images of herself fleeing. Of grabbing Tyla and sprinting for the dais to fetch…
She tensed at the thought, realizing she hadn’t been watching Dean and Raidinn for some time. And judging by Tyla’s rushed look to the other side of the ballroom, she hadn’t either.
Ingrid’s eyes followed, tracking shakily.
“They’re gone.”
In the minutes she and Tyla had been preoccupied, the queen, Arryn, Raidinn and Dean had all completely vanished from the event.
One job, Ingrid cursed herself, she had one job. And she’d failed. Panic welled in her throat, ready to burst. She took Tyla’s hand and ran back through the crowd, not bothering to excuse herself from the inebriated lord. Gasps and curses were left in their wake as they sliced through, retracing Ingrid’s steps to find Monia standing in the same spot she had left her in.
“Please tell me you saw,” Ingrid asked her.
Monia was frightened by Ingrid’s harsh tone, but was still eager to help. “I’m sorry, my lady? Saw what?”
“The queen, where did she go?”
“I don’t know,” Monia blurted. “I don’t—I didn’t see. But I can make a guess.”
“What is it? Where?”
“She’s probably retired to her room. It’s where she takes her new friends.” Monia held a hand over her chest. “She keeps a guard outside her door, but no one is allowed near her chambers at this time of night.” She paused, nervously rubbing her hands together. “Is something the matter, my ladies? Can I help?”
Ingrid had taken steps to leave, but Tyla stayed put. “Maybe you can. Could you lead us to the queen’s chambers?”
Monia’s mouth gaped. “Now?”
“Yes. Right now.”
“I, uhh, I suppose. Physically, I can, yes. But doing so would be mad. We’d all be fed to the pits of the arena. You mustn’t go. Truly, the queen hates to be interrupted. For anything.” She shook her head to drive home the point. “And guests she’s only just met? Knocking on her door? No. It won’t do.”
“We won’t knock,” Tyla said plainly.
“What would you do then?”
“Not your problem,” Ingrid said as kindly as possible. “You can go before anyone knows you’ve helped. I swear it. Lead us there, point, then go. It’s all I ask.”
Monia sighed, lolling her head exhaustively. “I could get in a lot of trouble. If anyone found out, I’d be let go from my position.” She looked to the other side of the pillar she’d been hiding behind, at a masked member of Enitha’s court. The guest looked bored, half-asleep, not so much as flinching when Monia reached her lithe hand over his shoulder, snatched his drink away, and poured it down her throat in one fluid motion. “But did I mention, my lady, that I hate my position here?”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Just around this corner,you’ll see the barred door to the crypts. The next right after that is Enitha’s chambers.”
Monia had taken them down the stairs to the first floor and now stood in a dark corner near the back of the enormous stone castle. Through the open infrastructure, you could see the ocean shore nearby shimmering in the secluded southernmost part of the city. Beyond it were small islets and outcrops like giant stepping stones encasing the main island.
It had been a long walk, offering plenty of time for Ingrid to catch Tyla up on what Monia and Lucilla had told her about Horace. Tyla didn’t seem concerned about the development, only turning the gears within her tactical mind, quietly contemplating as they ventured deeper into the castle.
“Is there a reason she’s on the ground floor?” Tyla said lowly.
Ingrid thought it strange, too. Considering the Magus Queen seemed to elevate herself on all other occasions, it didn’t make sense that she’d taken a room at the very bottom.
“Her first day in power,” Monia explained in a whisper, “Enitha destroyed the room Horace slept in. When the king married that princess from the East, Enitha tore down anyreminder of him. Any semblance of his existence. She chose this room so she could be close to the crypts and the sea.”
Ingrid shot her an inquisitive look. “The sea? Are there docks back there?”
Monia quickly gathered what she was asking. “Her veranda leads directly out to a small loading dock. It’s mostly barricaded off for outsiders by those tall outcroppings. But smaller ships can pass through. Do you mean to escape that way?”
“Possibly,” Ingrid said. “Would that work?”
