Page 17 of Sword of Desire
Harley went back to her room, grabbed a cup, and then returned to the threshold. Kneeling, she used her hands to gather the salt into a pile before scooping it into the cup. After setting the cup aside, she stood and entered Lyle’s room.
Her skin tingled. If Lyle found her there, he’d kill her. She stepped farther into the king’s room. Like hers, a large bed took up the far wall. There was also an armoire and a dressing closet. She remained standing in the middle of the room, taking it all in, as Ackley had shown her. She looked for anything odd, out of place, or inexplicably worn. Nothing jumped out at her. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of her face. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves so she could focus on the task at hand.
Nothing appeared out of place. Not a single item of clothing littered the floor, the bedsheets were pulled taut, and not a single piece of paper rested on the writing desk. Harley turned in a slow circle, searching for something, anything. In Lyle’s house, he’d hid some important items under a floorboard in his bedchamber. She glanced around the room, not seeing any boards with a worn edge.
She scanned the area again. Ackley had told her the most typical hiding places were behind pictures, in drawers, and in furniture. Three tapestries hung in the room. She rushed over to one, glancing behind it. Nothing. She quickly checked the other two, not finding anything behind them. Kneeling, she peered under the bed, not seeing anything under it. Rushing over to the armoire, she quickly threw open the doors and checked inside the drawers which were all filled with Lyle’s clothes. Shoving her hand into each corner, her fingers searched for something out of place.
Frustrated, she took a step back to close the doors. Two pine needles rested on the floor. Her heart pounded even harder. When she’d searched the floor, those hadn’t been there. Which meant when she’d opened the doors to the armoire, she’d knocked the needles onto the floor. It had to be one of Lyle’s ways of knowing if someone had been in his room snooping around. With shaking hands, she reached down and picked them up. She carefully placed each needle under a door, praying she’d put them in the correct locations and Lyle wouldn’t notice.
Another bead of sweat slid down her cheek. She was a fool to think she could do this without any formal training. Lyle was cunning, and she was in over her head. Taking a step back, she realized how stupid it had been to come in there, especially since she hadn’t even found anything. She took another step back and bumped into the chair at the writing desk. She went to straighten it when something caught her eye. A loose string hung from the one corner of the seat. On a hunch, she reached down, prying the cushion up. Beneath it, she discovered a handful of papers.
If she took the papers, Lyle would eventually discover they were missing. Then he’d know whatever information they contained could be in the hands of his enemy. The only option she had was to read through them and try to retain the information.
Her heart pounding, Harley scanned the first page. It listed each province and one city. The next paper had the names of captains along with the number of soldiers under each one’s command. The third paper had the kingdoms Marsden, Greenwood Island, and Nell written on it. Then, next to each kingdom was a list of three to five ships. The last piece of paper had a map of Russek along with three spots marked near a mountain range.
Harley glanced up, noticing the lighting in the room had turned to an eerie shade of orange. The sun had to be setting. She’d been in there far too long. Carefully setting the papers back, she replaced the cushion on top of them. She went to push the chair back in but couldn’t remember exactly where it had been. All the way in? Partially in? Her stomach twisted, and she felt as if she was going to vomit.
Somehow, some way, Lyle would know she’d been in there and make her pay. Scurrying over to the door, she grabbed the cup and exited the room. She stood at the threshold and sprinkled the salt on the floor, trying to keep it in the same three-foot area as before.
Loud voices came from out in the hallway. She was about to slam the door shut when she thought better of it. Not wanting to disrupt the salt, she slowly closed the door, then ran toward her room. The voices sounded as if they came from right out in the hallway. She flung her door open and threw the cup inside, immediately pulling her door shut to cover the sound.
The door to the antechamber opened. “Harley,” Lyle said, as he entered the room. “I was just coming to get you. Come with me.”
“I’m on my way to get something to eat from the kitchen,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady, though she felt as if ice filled her body.
“That can wait,” he replied, holding the door open and motioning for her to exit the antechamber.
She did as he requested and moved into the corridor. Two soldiers led them toward the staircase while two additional soldiers followed close behind. If he’d discovered she’d been snooping in his room, he’d punish her. Back at his house in Penlar, whenever she did something that upset him, he locked her in the closet or withheld food and water from her.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
“It is now,” Lyle said. “We finally have Ackley, the prince from Marsden.”
She gasped. It felt as if a sword had been plunged into her heart. She would find a way to save Ackley. As she descended the staircase, she prayed Lyle didn’t intend to kill him right then and there. If Lyle threw Ackley in the dungeon, she could break him out.
“We technically don’t have him in our possession, but we know where he is. I’m sending a group of men in to extract him.”
Relief filled her. “Are your men competent enough to get him this time?” she asked, unable to avoid making the jab.
“I’ve assembled a group of my fiercest soldiers.”
They entered the great hall where a dozen armed soldiers waited. Harley scanned their faces—the faces of the men who intended to kidnap the man she loved. All had wide shoulders and muscled arms. However, compared to the Russek soldiers, these men looked like whelps. All had swords prominently displayed. While they may be Lyle’s most proficient men, they would be no match for Ackley.
Three men strode through the side door. Harley peered around Lyle to get a better look at them. Each man wore solid black, no weapons visible.
“Excellent,” Lyle said. “I’m so glad the three of you are here.”
The newcomers joined the others.
Harley slunk back a step. There was something about these three men…their eyes revealed no emotion, their faces had hard edges, and each had to be at least a foot taller and wider than the others. They reminded her more of the Russek soldiers—deadly and lethal.
“My wife has met Ackley,” Lyle said to those assembled. “She will describe him to you so you can be sure you have the right person. I have a half dozen men ready to hand him over when you arrive.”
“What’s with the assassin squad?” the soldier to Lyle’s right asked, pointing at the three men in black.
“They will accompany you to ensure things do not deviate from the plan. If things go badly, they will step in.” Lyle turned to Harley and waved his right hand, indicating for her to speak.
Everyone focused on her.
