Page 46 of Once Upon a Crown
She looked to the open bedroom doors behind me. “Should we alert the court?”
As much as I wanted to send the whole guard and every available man to look for her, letting the court know that the queen was missing could create chaos.
“Not yet,” I told her. “Not until we absolutely need to. How long ago did you tell Rhen?”
“About two minutes before you walked into the room.”
“Okay.” I ran my hands through my hair. “As soon as he is back, we’ll start devising some kind of plan. Maybe we can send out a search party or something.”
“But Her Majesty specifically asked us not to—”
“Do you think I care?” I cried out, louder than intended, and Anesta’s eyes widened a little.
“I’m sorry,” I apologised quickly, rubbing my hand across my face. “I’m just worried about her.”
“I know.” Anesta looked to the empty bed again. “Me too.”
Rhen walked into the room with a stone-like expression. He closed the doors behind him.
“I cannot find her.”
“We know.” Anesta handed him the letter. “She’s gone to find the key to King Evrin’s diary.”
Rhen read the letter before looking back up at us. “I’ll have to talk to the guards on shift, find out why no one saw her leave.”
“She would have taken a horse. Maybe the stable boy saw something,” Anesta added and Rhen gave a nod.
“I’ll speak with him as well.” He gave the piece of paper back to me.
“Her letter doesn’t say where she went. Probably because she didn’t want anyone going after her.”
“I know where she went.” And I would have placed my bets I wasn’t the only one, if Lance had been the one to tell her where the key was in the first place. “We should probably gather a search party, but I don’t know how far we’ll get. Elara is not in the easiest place to reach.”
“Where did she go?”
“The most dangerous place in Everness.” I told him. “The centre of the forest.”
Rhen’s face fell. He’d been there the day Elara and I went missing in the mist. Some of Aries’ men even died in there.He knew the horrors of the fabled mist in the middle of the Evernean Forest.
“Why the hell would she go there? And on her own, no less.”
“Because that’s where Lance told her the key was, and now she’s going after it.” I clenched my jaw. This was bad.
“I’ll have to talk to him as well.”
“Maybe you should leave that conversation to me.” I imagined how much I would enjoy hitting Lance in the face. I’d never got to repay him for what happened at Woodsbrook Manor, after all.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Rhen raised an eyebrow. “We still need Lance alive after it.”
“Do we?” I asked with some sarcasm, though I was so filled with anger at the fact that he knew what kind of danger Elara would be putting herself in and let her go anyway. Of course, he would be too cowardly to get it himself, but I bet Lance was eager for the answers in that diary just as much as we were.
“Well, let me go with the search party, then. I know how to get there.”
Rhen seemed hesitant. “While your consultation would be appreciated, Your Majesty, you might need to stay at the palace.”
“For goodness’ sake, Rhen, how can I stay here and wait while she is out there somewhere, maybe hurt or lost or who knows what? The forest is dangerous regardless of the mist. She could be lost or hungry or something might have attacked her.”
“I know,” Rhen said with understanding. “Very well, Your Majesty. We will arrange a search party and leave as soon as possible.”
