Page 76 of The Royal Throne
Sabine stroked Harta. “Well, girl, we have an assassin in the dungeon. I think he’s here to kill Rainer. And probably me along with the entire royal family. At the end of this, Evander might end up sitting on Lynk’s throne.”
And that was the thought she’d been trying to avoid—Evander’s involvement in all of this. She had no idea how much of his father’s plan he knew and if he was actively involved in it. Evander had warned her several times that his family had something in the works. There were things that Evander—even if he didn’t agree with it—might not be able to stop. Maybe that was why he’d been trying to get her to leave this palace and run away with him.
When Sabine awoke the next day, Harta was gone. Harper told her that Drew had been instructed to retrieve the dog and return it to the kennels for additional training. For some reason, Sabine felt like Rainer had ordered her dog to be taken away out of spite. Or to prove a point that the gift he gave her for companionship and protection could easily be taken away. She suddenly felt very alone.
Growing up with five older siblings, Sabine had learned at a young age that when they bothered her, not to let it show. If she did, it would only encourage that behavior in the future. As hard as it was not to demand Rainer return her dog, she forced herself to let it go. If Harta wasn’t back in a few days, she’d go to the kennels herself. Under no circumstances would she breathe a word of this to Rainer. She couldn’t let him know how much the dog meant to her.
Needing to calm herself down, she decided to do a workout. Once changed into comfortable clothes, her guards led her to the training center. While Rainer had said she was required to stay in the palace, she considered this an extension of it, especially since she could access it from the tunnel in the palace.
When she entered the cavern, Cutler spotted her. He immediately came over to see how she was doing after the events of the past two days.
“I have a request,” she said, her voice low so it wouldn’t carry to other ears. “I have some basic defense skills, but I want to learn how to handle a situation like I faced the other day.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You mean when someone much larger than you tries to kill you?”
“Yes.” But it was more than just that. “I need to know what to do when it’s unexpected. When I think I’m safe, then someone turns on me.”
“Meaning you don’t have time to prepare or analyze the situation, when your behavior must be automatic?”
“Exactly.”
Cutler nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.” He led her over to a group of a dozen people, both men and women, stretching. “You can train with us. We’re going to work on hand-to-hand combat without weapons.” Then closer to her so only she’d hear, he said, “I’ll do what I can today, but next time I’ll tailor it more specificity to your needs.”
Sabine pulled her hair back and joined the group, her guards off to the side watching.
Cutler ran them through various drills. He’d paired himself with Sabine, making sure to give her additional techniques the others either already knew or didn’t need. After an hour, she was sweaty but felt great. Not only had she learned some new skills, but she’d been able to burn off a lot of her anger.
“I’ll accompany you back to the palace,” Cutler said, wiping his face with a towel.
Her guards were more than capable of escorting her, so she assumed Cutler had something he wanted to discuss with her.
As they made their way through the tunnel, Sabine thanked him for his help the other day. Instead of acknowledging the part he’d played in keeping her safe, Cutler lowered his voice and said, “Heather isn’t doing well.”
This was the first time Sabine was hearing about it. Then she remembered Claire coming to get the king yesterday. “Is her sister tending to her?”
“She is. Claire has been a great help. The pregnancy hasn’t been easy on Heather. She got sick about a week ago and isn’t getting better. I’m worried.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sabine replied. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
He eyed her sidelong. “You want to help the woman your husband is having an affair with?”
“No. I want to help you, who I consider my friend. Heather is your wife. If there is anything I can do, please let me know.”
Nodding, he replied, “Thank you. I appreciate that. But there is nothing you can do. I am telling you this so you may understand that the king is a bit more temperamental than usual.”
Regardless of the circumstances, there was no excuse for Rainer’s behavior. Attempting to kill another person just because you were upset doesn’t justify the action.
A scream echoed through the palace. Cutler picked up the pace. At the intersection, a handful of guards ran by.
“Does anyone know what’s going on?” Sabine asked.
Neither Cutler nor her guards knew.
“Guard the queen,” Drew ordered. Instead of following her, her guards surrounded her and Cutler, acting as a barricade.
They began making their way through the palace. They passed another group of guards running by, weapons drawn.
“I’m going to see if anyone needs help,” Cutler said, taking off after the men.
