Part 21 (2/2)
”Oh,” Ari said.
They both bowed low at the waist. When they came back up, Kyra noted that the duke had taken the opportunity to sneak a swig from his oversized wine goblet. The d.u.c.h.ess's eyes narrowed, and Kyra felt her stomach clench in response.
”Your Graces,” Fred began, addressing the duke and d.u.c.h.ess with his chest puffed out. ”I can't tell you how pleased I am to make your acquaintance. And, Your Highness, to finally see your beauty in person is an honor. I apologize for the lateness of my arrival. I have traveled across the Kingdom of Mohr, hoping to do my part to ensure the princess's safety by tracking down her would-be a.s.sa.s.sin, but alas, I found nothing on my travels. I can only present my humble self to you and hope that it is enough.”
Kyra watched the fake princess, but couldn't read the expression on her face.
”The prince!” the duke said, chuckling. ”Finally. You had us worried, young man.”
The guards lowered their spears, and Fred took a few casual steps forward with his dog, Kyra, and Ariana right behind him.
”I am deeply grieved to hear it,” Fred said. ”And shamed to say that I've had the time of my life. I have made the most interesting of acquaintances. I'll allow them to introduce themselves.”
The d.u.c.h.ess's gaze on them didn't soften, but the duke looked intrigued at the idea of being introduced to the two commoners in front of him.
Ariana stepped forward and whipped off her mustache. ”Ha-HA!” she said.
Kyra shook her head. Ari was having way too much fun with this.
”Uncle, it is I, your niece, the real Princess Ariana!”
Gasps sounded from the crowd.
This was the distraction Kyra had been waiting for. She pulled out her throwing needle, but the fake princess had already found her feet and taken off, running toward the side door of the hall.
A n.o.bleman at the end of the table lunged for Kyra as she bounded forward in pursuit of the fake princess, but she threw a side kick to his chest that sent him flying, and kept going.
Kyra's hat flew off as she sped after the girl, and she heard more gasps as pieces of her long dark hair tumbled out of her bun and down her back.
She darted out the side door and into a narrow service hall, the light from the wall lanterns illuminating her path.
A glimpse of the princess's baby blue dress flitted into the dark off to the right.
Kyra followed, but there were no lanterns lit down this hall, so she fished out her necklace. Even with its glow, she could only see a foot or so ahead.
Tick, tick, tick. A lady's high-heeled shoes clicked somewhere in front of her.
A door slammed.
Kyra reached the end of the dark hall and felt the heavy studded metal bands on the door.
The dungeon.
Kyra opened the door and raced down the stairs in the dark, almost running into the false princess at the bottom of the steps. Kyra grabbed her wrist and jabbed a needle dipped in sleeping draft into her forearm.
The false princess didn't react at all, except to look down curiously at the needle sticking out of her arm. ”Hmm,” she said. ”Not nice.”
Kyra's next thought flew through her head like an arrow: I didn't miss. My needle had flown true when I threw it at the princess at her party.
These obeeka creatures were immune to Doze. Even at full-fatal strength.
The glowing necklace around Kyra's neck suddenly grew heavy, until it felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds.
The dark eyes of the false princess watched, smiling, as Kyra fell to her knees on the dungeon floor. ”I guess you don't have the best magic after all, Master Potioner.” She laughed and turned away. Her shoes tapped up the stairs, and the door slammed shut, echoing through the dungeon.
Kyra was alone in the darkness.
She tried to reach up to take the necklace off, but whatever made it so heavy also affected her body-her hands weighed too much to raise them to her chest. Soon Kyra was spread flat on her back, her arms and legs immobile against the damp stone beneath her. Even her skin felt leaden, the weight of her face dragging down her lips and stopping her from being able to scream.
Her mind moved slowly, as though the heaviness of her body somehow slowed down the processes of her brain too.
The necklace had been charmed to stop her if she grabbed the fake princess.
Why would Hal have planned to give her something like that? He'd said it was intended to be a gift. A gift for the relations.h.i.+p they'd had before. That didn't make any sense. But...
He'd bought it at a new stall at the Sat.u.r.day market.
New stall.
For being one of the smartest and most talented potioners around, sometimes Hal was so stupid.
Kyra's move back to Wexford had alarmed whoever was behind this. And in order to stop the princess's best friend, a known poisonous weapons expert, from interfering with the false princess, they'd taken a chance that Hal might give a s.h.i.+ny necklace to his fiancee.
Something scurried across the floor near Kyra's head.
Her mind filled with images of rats and spiders and creepy-crawly things that lived in the dark. They could walk right across her without her being able to stop them. Ugh.
The door at the top of the stairs opened with a click. Footsteps pounded down.
A dog's tongue licked the side of Kyra's face.
Fred appeared above her. ”Stay back, Langley.” He pulled the big dog away. ”There's something wrong with her. Kyra? Can you move?”
Fred. Lovely, lovely Fred.
”I'll take that as a no.” He checked her eyes and ran his hands along her heavy arms. ”It doesn't seem like anything's broken.”
He must figure this out.
”There has to be something going on here that I can't see.”
The necklace-come on, Fred, it isn't that hard, see the nice glowy thing on my chest?
”I need more light.” Kyra could hear him rifling through his bag, then he appeared above her again, his hair rumpled like he'd been rubbing his hands over it. ”I wonder if it's safe to move you.”
His lips moved as he was thinking, just slightly. She'd never have noticed it if she wasn't completely immobile watching him.
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