Page 70 of The Queen's Crown
Sabine grabbed her shirt and put it on. She sat in the corner of the room, blood on her hands. Her entire body shook, and her heart thudded in her chest as she tried to process all that had just happened.
Soldiers rushed into the dressing area, surrounding her.
More shouting came from outside the room.
One of her guards squatted before her. “Princess Sabine, are you injured?”
“I don’t think so.” Other than being sore, she didn’t notice anything broken or bleeding.
He helped her stand and then escorted her from the seamstress’s room.
Out in the hallway, her guards formed a tight, protective circle around her as they made their way through the palace. Sabine wondered what had taken them so long to enter and help her. How had the attacker gotten in there in the first place? He could have come in through a window. But when he left, he used the door. She knew that because Harta had followed him. Presumably, the attacker would have run right into them on his way out, which meant they had to have him in custody. That had to be why it took them so long to get to her.
Panic seized her as she looked around. “Where’s Harta?” she demanded.
“Once you’re in a secure location, I will personally find Harta for you,” the guard to her right said. “I’m sure she’s around here looking for you.”
“She didn’t get injured when she went after my attacker, did she?”
“I can’t be sure, princess,” he answered.
Her stomach rolled with nausea. She prayed nothing had happened to her dog. Even though her bedchamber always had guards, those accompanying her insisted on searching it before allowing her to enter. Once it was deemed safe, she went in and headed to her bathing room, scrubbing the blood from her hands. Once clean, she wandered back into the main portion of her room, not knowing what to do.
She’d been attacked. Someone had tried to kill her. Her head started to pound.
“Where is she?” Rainer said as he burst into the room, his eyes wild.
“Your Majesty, she is all right,” one of the guards answered.
Rainer ran to Sabine, taking her face in his hands. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, unable to speak, still too shocked at the events that had just transpired.
He turned and spoke with her guards, demanding to know the details of the attack.
“We have men in pursuit of him now. As soon as we have him in custody, we’ll let you know.”
Shock filled her that her attacker hadn’t been caught yet. She didn’t know how he could have escaped when her guards were right outside in the hallway. It didn’t make any sense. Especially since the man was injured.
“Good. Double the number of guards on the princess.”
“Where’s Harta?” she asked, realizing her dog hadn’t returned. Maybe she was still pursuing the assassin.
“And someone find out where Harta is,” Rainer snapped. He came over and took Sabine’s hand, leading her to the bed where they both sat. “Are you sure you’re not injured?”
“I’m fine. Everything just happened so quickly.” She didn’t understand how her attacker had gotten into the room in the first place. It seemed strange that her guards had been right out in the hallway but didn’t enter the room until a minute or two into the attack. Even her dog had disappeared right before it took place. She rubbed her forehead, not liking the implications and fearful voicing them would make them real. Regardless, the king needed to know.
She reached out, taking his hand. “You’ve asked your soldiers what happened, but you haven’t asked me for my account.”
“You’re correct. Forgive me.”
She quickly told him all that had happened, not leaving out a single detail.
A soldier entered the room, breathing heavily. “The suspect got away, but I managed to retrieve this.” He motioned behind him.
Harta trotted into the room, her tail wagging. She jumped onto the bed, licking Sabine.
Rainer stood. “Got away? How is that possible?” His low voice sent shards of ice through Sabine. It was the voice of a man she never wanted to cross.
