Page 96 of If The Crown Fits
I couldn’t refuse myself a smile as I pulled her up. “You came back?”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
She dusted off her breeches, tendrils of hair falling in front of her face.
“Is Ray still alive?” she asked with concern, and some wicked part of me didn’t like it.
I shook my head. “Ray has been missing since this morning.”
“What?”
“No one could find him at camp. The last time he was seen was last night. Maybe he decided that he didn’t want to fight anymore.”
“No, he wouldn’t. I don’t understand. Maybe he’s in trouble.”
We started making our way down one of the hallways. “He’ll be all right,” I assured her, even though I didn’t believe it myself. “Ray knows how to take care of himself.”
“I need to find Lance,” she said, and I grabbed her hand.
“I’m coming with you.”
We ran down the hallway and turned the corner before another of Lance’s guards was upon us. He swung his sword atus. I didn’t hesitate to move Lara out of the way as I held my weapon ready to fight. I resisted his blows and told Lara to run and that I would catch up with her. I watched her disappear down the hallway, hoping that she would be safe. The guard put up a good defence but in less than a few minutes I’d managed to disarm him. I gathered all of the strength I could manage in my fist to knock him unconscious.
I immediately got on the move again, looking for Lara. Most of the screaming had quieted down and, to my surprise, most of the people who were walking around were not palace guards, but rebels. I may have underestimated Arthur and his capabilities.
“Your Highness!” Jack was standing some distance away. His expression looked serious.
“What’s going on?” I approached him.
“Word just arrived. Your father has sent for you.” That couldn’t be good.
“Why, what’s happened?”
“It’s your mother.” Jack hesitated for a moment. “She’s dying.”
It felt as though I’d been punched in the gut. I put a hand on the wall to steady myself.
“Your father wants you to come home,” Jack said.
I tried to take a steady breath, my mind running rampant. With everything else going on, I didn’t think I had the courage to deal with this too.
“I know you’re worried about Lara,” Jack said, as if he could hear my thoughts. “But I think it’s best if we leave first thing in the morning.”
He was right. I knew he was right. But the thought of leaving Lara in this mess didn’t sit well with me either.
“How can I just walk away?”
Jack placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “This isn’t your kingdom or your mess to fix. Your family needs you now.”
I nodded with understanding, still forcing myself to breathe properly.
“I need to find her first,” I said, without waiting for a response, and went looking for Lara again.
Chapter 29
The Palace of Levernia
Lara
