Page 33 of Once Upon a Crown
“So, a key, then,” Rhen said, and our momentum came to a halt. I decided to step back into the library, trying to think of any place where we might find a key. The desk near the fireplace caught my attention and I dashed over.
“What are you doing?” Rhen asked.
I felt under the desk and pulled open all the drawers. “Kings aren’t very creative, remember?” Rhen watched as I fiddled under one of the desk drawers and pulled out a small metal object with a slight smirk.
“Surely it can’t be that easy.”
I wasn’t going to wait to find out. We hurried back over to the secret room, and I bent down to unlock the little cupboard. There was a satisfying click as it unlocked.
Inside the cupboard was a small selection of books and scrolls, lying on each other in an unorganised fashion, as if someone had stacked them in there while in a mighty rush.
Rhen bent down and the two of us slowly started looking through each book and piece of paper.
“Looks like historical archives of the kingdom,” I said while scanning. “Nothing about a diary yet, though it does mention King Evrin a few times.”
Rhen looked up from the book in his hand. “Anything about treasure or Myrgonite stones?”
“Not yet.”
“How many documents did you find that mentioned the old king’s diary?” he asked.
“Three, technically.”
Rhen thought about it for a second. “Everything that’s led us here so far has not been in obvious sight.” His eyes met mine and slowly we both looked to the cupboard.
“Could it be?” I said.
He carefully took out the remaining books and placed them on the floor next to us. I traced the back of the hidden cupboard until I felt a dent in the wood.
“Is there something?” I tugged on the wood until a little wooden box fell out, spluttering some dust into the air. We both sat staring at the box for a moment.
“What do you think the odds are that this is what we’re looking for?” Rhen asked, and I reached for the old wooden box and gave it a little shake. Something rattled inside. Something that sounded an awful lot like it could be a book of some kind.
“I think the odds are looking pretty good right now.”
Chapter 15
Elara
Evening had set in and after not being able to find Lance anywhere in the vicinity of the dining room, I knew there was only one place he was likely to be right now.
“Good evening, brother.” I burst through his chamber doors. Only considering, after the fact, that I could have discovered Lance in some compromising position.
Luckily for me, he was only passed out, as I’d expected. The Prince of Everness lay draped over his expensive bedding, his face on the blankets.
When my initial burst didn’t earn a response from him, I made an effort to close the doors extra hard behind me.
This time, I received a groan in return.
“I need to have a word with you.” I stepped further into the room, expecting to find a mess, but it was surprisingly tidy. A servant must have recently been in to clean.
“Not now,” came a grumble from the sheets.
“Should I ask the servants for a bucket of cold water, then?” This seemed to grab Lance’s attention enough that he rolled over onto his back.
“Why do you hate me so?” he asked dramatically.
“We do not want to get on that boat right now.” To say I wasn’t fond of my brother would be an understatement. Especially considering the absolute rude idiot he could be at times. Though I would admit, in the months that we’d been living together, I could feel the elements of my distrust towards him begin to slip through the cracks. Instead of a threat, Lance had become more of an annoyance.
