Page 70 of The Royal Throne
Sabine had no idea what he was talking about. Glancing around the room, she saw most people stood in groups discussing what had just transpired.
Lottie approached Sabine.
The queen’s guards immediately surrounded them.
“It’s a shame you went through all this trouble for nothing.” Lottie smirked.
“You deserve to be in the dungeon.”
“But I’m not.” Lottie took a step closer to Sabine, a smile curving her lips. “And in five days, I’ll be in Evander’s bed.” She stared at the queen, a challenge in her eyes.
Sabine knew Lottie wanted a reaction—probably to have evidence to claim that Sabine had committed treason by being with another man. Forcing her face to remain frozen and not show any emotion, she simply shrugged as if the thought of Lottie and Evander sharing a bed meant nothing to her.
Lottie took a step back. “I’m going to go and pack for my journey to Avoni.” She left the room.
“We need to get you out of here,” Drew said from her side. He ushered her to the antechamber off the throne room. When the door closed, he dropped to one knee. “Queen Sabine, I must apologize.”
“What for?” she asked.
“Last night.”
“If anything, I should be the one apologizing.” She still couldn’t believe Rainer had killed Erikin so callously.
He peered up at her. “I wasn’t there when you were attacked.” He stood.
“If you had been, you’d be the one dead, not Erikin.”
“I spent the night outside Lottie’s bedchamber making sure she didn’t escape. I didn’t hear about what happened to you until this morning.”
The door opened and a soldier entered. “The queen is to be immediately taken to the keep.”
“What’s going on?” Drew demanded.
“There’s a riot. The people in town are up in arms. They’re all saying the king tried to kill the queen. They’re demanding the king be hanged.”
Sabine rubbed her temples. “How did they find out?” She’d assumed only those in the palace would have known what happened.
“My guess would be the servants from the palace. Many live in the town and go home at night,” Drew explained.
Rainer would use this as another piece of evidence claiming Sabine wanted his throne.
“Let’s get you to the keep,” Drew said, heading for the door.
“Where is it located?” In all her time here in the palace, she’d never heard anyone mention there being a keep on the premises.
“It’s near the dungeon.”
Sabine didn’t want to be locked up or anywhere near the dungeon. “I have a better idea.”
Standing at the top of the turret, Sabine observed the scene before her. The main street that cut through town was filled shoulder-to-shoulder with angry people shouting. From where she stood, she couldn’t hear what they were saying. “There has to be over a thousand people,” she mused. It looked like everyone who lived in town had come out for this. “What’s the standard procedure for a riot?” She’d never seen anything like this in Bakley.
“No idea,” Drew answered. “We’ve never had something like this happen before.”
The bridge was lowered. Approximately fifty soldiers marched out of the palace, Rainer leading them. They crossed the bridge and headed straight into town.
The angry crowd rushed toward the king like a storm of bees.
“Let’s get you inside,” Drew said. “This isn’t going to end well.”
