Page 50 of Beguiled
The beggar pressed his lips together and shook his hat. Stifling a sigh of irritation, I motioned for Gregor. At the clank of another coin dropping into the hat, the beggar smiled, once again showing his broken and crooked teeth. “The gate opens at the ringing of Terce.”
I should have guessed as much. Though I was eager to negotiate for Ruby and start on my way back to the island to finish my Testing, what was one more night? Tomorrow would be here soon enough, and I would accomplish our mission then.
Meanwhile, I would have to find a way to placate Pearl. She would be sorely disappointed at not getting to see her sister tonight. But hopefully, she would understand we could do naught.
As we retraced our steps down the mountainside and through the city, darkness crept over the streets. Along with it came more of the thievery and thuggery we’d witnessed elsewhere. Gregor and I fended off two different attackers, hid on several occasions, and came to the aid of others even more oft.
It didn’t take long to realize that lawlessness reigned over the city the same way it did the countryside. No place in Warwick was safe, which was all the more reason to leave the country as soon as possible.
Why hadn’t Pearl told us about the castle gate closing time? The question nagged me. And by the time we reached the remote corner of the city where we’d taken our room, my pulse was racing with a strange rhythm of dread.
As I burst through the tavern door, the few patrons paused, weapons drawn, wariness upon their countenances. After reassurances from the proprietor that they had nothing to fear from Gregor and me, they sheathed their knives and returned to their meals.
The tavern owner assured me Pearl hadn’t left her room. Nevertheless, I took the stairs two at a time, gave a cursory knock to our chamber door, then threw it open wide. My heartbeat slowed to an agonizing crawl. She was nowhere in sight. “Pearl,” I hissed, praying she was merely hiding.
Silence met my request. I heard only the murmur of voices and clink of dishes from below along with a distant crash followed by shouting and cursing.
I crossed to the bed that was rumpled but otherwise undisturbed. I surveyed underneath to find dust mites and the dark glowing eyes of a mouse. As I straightened, frustration poured into my veins.
“She’s gone,” I whispered to Gregor who stood in the doorway.
Throwing off his hood, he scanned the room and then the short hallway that led to several other chambers. “Do you think someone recognized and took her?”
The thread of anxiety in Gregor’s voice wove itself into my worry. “If she’d gone unwillingly, we would see signs of a scuffle.” As it was, everything was untouched and in the same order we’d found it when we first arrived. In fact, from the neatness of the chamber, she hadn’t stayed long.
I spun, stalked to the door, and pushed past him, hoping she’d simply stepped outside for a breath of air. But as I searched the premises and the surrounding alley and buildings, including the stable with our horses, I couldn’t find a trace of her, and no one I questioned had seen her. Since her horse was penned with the others and resting contentedly, she must still be in the city. And if she remained in the city, my gut told me she’d be in only one place. The royal castle.
But with the entrance on the mountaintop above the city, we would have seen her during our climb up and back. Unless she’d hidden until we’d descended and were on our way back to the tavern. Though the guards at the gatehouse had been unwilling to give us the slightest consideration, not even a moment to reveal my identity, they would recognize Pearl and allow her admittance.
Unless she knew another entrance to the fortress...
As we returned to the tavern, both dread and apprehension twisted together in a tight plait that fastened around my neck like a noose. I sank to a bench at the table across from Gregor and buried my face in my hands.
She’d left for the palace to redeem Ruby without me. I had no doubt she’d done it to protect me, hadn’t wanted to put me at risk. But now she’d put her own life in jeopardy, and I couldn’t bear the thought.
At the thud of mugs on the table, I raised my head long enough to thank the proprietor as well as take a long drink. Though my pulse pounded with the need to go after Pearl, I couldn’t devise a plan. My usual quick thinking and decisiveness had deserted me in my greatest hour of need, and all I could think about was how hopeless and helpless I was to stop her.
Whether she’d gotten into the castle through the main gatehouse or a hidden passageway, I was locked out for the night with no way of getting inside. I would have to wait until morn to request an audience with the queen.
Now all I could envision was Pearl creeping closer to the trap the queen had laid out for her. For surely that’s what this was. The queen was taking advantage of the sisterly bond, a bond that would drive Pearl to go to any lengths to save Ruby.
Though Pearl might have the advantage of stealth and was proficient with her weapons, the queen would keep Ruby under heavy guard. Every entrance and exit would be carefully monitored. If Pearl managed to make it all the way to Ruby, it would be only because the queen allowed it.
Once the queen had Pearl, would she try to kill her?
Every muscle in my body protested the prospect of losing her. The thought should have surprised me. After all, breaking with tradition and returning to Scania with a wife would cause a disturbance amongst the Lagting.
Yet, even with the heavy censure awaiting me, my heart ached at the prospect of not being together with Pearl. I couldn’t deny the powerful connection I had with her or the attraction that had grown with each passing day. Aside from how much I desired her, I’d also never had so deep a friendship with anyone, man or woman. And I couldn’t abide the thought of losing so close a friend. In fact, the possibility of life without Pearl filled me with such melancholy I wanted to weep.
I pushed aside my mug, lowered my head, and prayed. At the moment, prayer was the only weapon I had.
Chapter
18
Pearl
The passageway wassteeper than I remembered.And longer.
