Courtly Masquerade Page 7

  I jogged down a street, my breathing labored already from the exertion I didn’t need to expend in my condition, but Basil and Moravia and some others had come that way. Behind me rode Conlan and Larson and the rest of the men. I was caught again.

  But if I kept my head, I would soon escape. I slipped the silver ring into my boot. If I put it in my purse, Conlan would take it from me and...I growled with the notion he’d take my money—well, Lynet’s—away from me this time.

  The horses grew closer as I stood in the alley completely boxed in. Conlan jumped down from his horse and approached me cautiously as if I’d just disappear, which I would if I could have used the ring in secret.

  Then he touched my cheek and frowned. “You’re feverish.”

  The rotten fever.

  I would never get well at this rate. He lifted me in his arms, though I was perfectly capable of walking. “Let’s get her to the inn.”

  “No! The Dark One is there,” I screamed.

  CHAPTER 10

  Conlan’s eyes darkened.

  What was I saying? Conlan housed the Dark One in his own castle. He was in league with the deadly mage.

  “Are you certain?” he asked.

  I nodded, though it hurt to do so.

  “All right, let’s get you to Castle Ro.”

  “Are you certain? I mean, what if because I told everyone I was going there, they all think I am there. And then there I’ll be.”

  “It’s the only other place to get hot food and a decent bed. We’ve been here for a couple of days and have found everywhere else filled to capacity.”

  Liar! He’d been at his castle in Creshion.

  “None of the duke’s men or the king’s men have been here, yet,” he said.

  “You know I’m not Princess Lynet?”

  Conlan raised his brows. “Why would I think you are she? She is sitting at home right now at Foxmoor and hasn’t left it, as far as I know.”

  Conlan lifted me onto his horse, then climbed into the saddle behind me. So Conlan wasn’t Sumaria, pretending not to have known me earlier...the princess, rather.

  As soon as we were mounted, he headed for the Castle Ro.

  Duke Yalovon greeted us with much fanfare, as his courtiers rushed out of the castle in welcome. Only he did not call Conlan, Conlan, nor did he call him Prince Sumaria. He called him Prince Renault.

  And Prince Renault did not introduce me as Duchess Arabella or Lady Arabella, niece of Lady DeChamplainet, but his sister, Princess Moravia. Princess Moravia was known only as Duchess Listra, my lady-in-waiting.

  Now I was more confused than ever. I whispered to Moravia as we retired to a bedchamber, “Why does Duke Yalovon think Conlan is Prince Renault?”

  “Because he is.”

  I shook my head. “He isn’t. He’s Prince Sumaria.” But then again, I knew that wasn’t so.

  “Conlan has suspected his identical twin brother of wrongdoing. But several side with Sumaria and so Conlan felt if he took the guise of being Sumaria instead of Renault, he might find out more of what is going on.”

  His twin brother. Now it made sense. Then I wondered—did they know that the Dark One lived at Creshion? “You mean like the Dark One residing at Prince Sumaria’s castle?”

  Moravia’s face paled. “You can’t be serious. How did you--”

  “Find out? I just visited there. Only they thought I was Princess Lynet.”

  “She has been seeing him.”

  “Yes. I was ill though, and they made me retire to bed.”

  “Just like you are doing now.” Moravia helped remove my gown.

  A knock at the door made me scurry into the oversized bed, suitable for seven people to sleep in and covered in the prettiest ice blue bed coverings.

  Moravia answered the door. She motioned for the tray of food to be carried into me. Then she spoke to Basil, who guarded the door, lest I attempt another escape.

  “Tell Prince Renault I must speak to him at once. Or rather the lady needs to.”

  I grumbled under my breath about how gentlemen do not visit ladies’ rooms when they are not properly dressed.

  Moravia ignored me and added, “At once.”

  “Yes, my lady,” Basil said.

  Moravia had hardly unwrapped my hair when Conlan barged into the bedchambers. His face was dark and his back rigid. He appeared angry with me again. “Basil said you needed to talk to me.”

  “She was at Sumaria’s castle,” Moravia said.

  Conlan looked from me to his sister. “She couldn’t have been.”

  “I was. Sumaria’s people thought I was Princess Lynet. You see the purse of coins?” I pointed to Lynet’s velvet, beaded bag that lay on a bench. “She had left it there for when she needed some extra spending money. That green gown is hers as well.”

  “But there’s more,” Moravia said, folding her arms. “Her Grace has uncovered more in her short visit than we have discovered in two years.”

  “What?” Conlan asked as he ran a wet cloth over my brow. “We really should let her rest.”

  “The Dark One resides at his castle,” I said.

  Conlan frowned. “You must be mistaken.”

  I shook my head. “Women were talking about him making potions. After that, I went in search of a room I suspected might be his as a blue light glowed beneath it the previous night.”

  I paused for breath. If this prince were truly Renault and Sumaria’s twin brother, I wasn’t even sure I could trust him.

  “What else?”

  I shrugged. “I didn’t find any plans or anything, if that’s what you mean. He had a whole wall of books, another of flasks, a wardrobe of cloaks, and a box of jewelry.”

  I showed them the amulet with the gold leaf. “There were lots of amulets and rings, but I didn’t have a clue as to what they did. My mother always said, ‘Choose the simple things in life. Enjoy simplicity. It’s the building block of everything that is complicated.’ I avoided the shiny gemstone amulets and picked out this simple leaf. But I haven’t a clue to as to what it does.”

  “He’ll know you’ve been there.”

  “Someone will have been there. They still think I was the princess. Of course, when they find out she’d never left Foxmoor, they’ll know it was me.”

  “She’s been seeing my brother?” Conlan’s voice had grown darker.

  I folded my arms. “I thought you were Prince Sumaria. Why didn’t you tell me you and your brother look identical?”

  “I didn’t think you’d go to see him.” Conlan smiled. “You are a complicated woman, Lady Arabella. I’d never have thought you’d have visited his princedom.”

  “I thought you wanted to use me.” I cocked a brow punctuating my remark. How would he react? Shocked? Mildly amused?

  He took a deep breath. “I want to keep you safe. I knew there was a female mage who might be able to fight the Dark One. But no one knew who she was. The only other clue was she was a royal. Mages are rare. Female mages are even rarer. But a royal mage even more so. A female royal mage? Almost unheard of.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “In truth, I didn’t know that’s what you were in the beginning. I only discovered brigands were trying to get hold of a royal female who had escaped their imprisonment. Though I would have aided any woman to escape such treatment, a spoiled royal already having evaded them, intrigued me.”

  I smiled at the mixed compliment. “Only I couldn’t evade you at the village.”

  “For a while. It wasn’t until you went into the apothecary shop and tried to buy magic maps that I realized you had to be the one. There might be another, but I lay odds you are the one.”

  I rubbed my temple, still burning with fever. “Why didn’t he do something to me in the apothecary?”

  “Neutral ground. No mage can fight in a mage shop. Plus he was probably unprepared to run into you like that. When you entered the shop, a royal female, he probably assumed you were the one and had to make his plans.”

>   A new deeply troubling thought occurred. “He’s probably met the princess. Do you think he thinks she’s the one with the powers?”

  “No. Supposedly, a mage gives off some kind of aura that other mages can sense. This might have been neutralized inside the apothecary, however. Unless, of course, he’s never met her. He might not have been in residence at my brother’s castle when she visited.”

  “I stole one of his books.”

  Moravia chuckled. “You were right to want to keep her, Conlan.”

  “I should have known after you lifted my coins you were a capable thief,” Conlan said, a dark brow raised.

  “And this ring,” I said showing off the bronze one. The silver one for invisibility I planned to keep a secret, just in case Prince Renault was in league with his brother.

  He shook his head, still smiling.

  “But I did put the spell back on the door.”

  “You do know magic then without the teachings.”

  “It seems to come to me naturally.”

  His smiled broadened into a grin as he slapped his thigh. “She’s the one, Moravia. She’s the one.”

  “Now, dear brother, we must get her to our princedom before anyone else learns of this.”

  Knocking on the door broke into our conversation. The prince called out, “Yes?”

  Basil opened the door and a mousy young woman stepped into the room, her ash blond hair tucked into coils high on her head. “I am Calla, Duke Yalovon’s niece. He wished me to welcome all of you.”

  She closed the door behind her and said in nearly a whisper, “Not all is as it seems. Those who appear to be your friends can be your worst enemies.”

  Calla looked right at me, and I wondered if she meant Conlan and his sister or someone else.

  “Can you be more specific?” I asked.

  The girl smiled. “We welcome you, but you would do well to leave here at once.” She turned, whipping her tangerine gown around and fled the room.

  Moravia shook her head as she put her hand over my forehead. “She is so ill, Conlan. I fear moving her in this foul weather.”

  “If Calla thinks it’s not a good idea for us to be here, we must leave,” I said. “I don’t want to get trapped into a situation we can’t get out of.”

  Basil jerked the door open. “Larson warned me Duke Farthington’s men have just arrived, ahead of the duke himself.”

  CHAPTER 11

  As much as I hated to reveal my secret ring, I figured now was as good as any time to use it. “Hand me my boot, please, Princess Moravia.”

  “Moravia to you, duchess.” She spoke as if she were my best friend, not someone I had to fear and it made me wary. She handed my boot to me, and I dumped out the silver ring.

  When I slipped it on my finger, Conlan, Moravia and Basil gasped as I vanished into thin air. “If the gentlemen will leave the room, I will dress.”

  Conlan grabbed Basil’s arm. “Get our men ready to leave at once.”

  “What will we say to the duke?” Moravia asked Conlan.

  “That Prince Sumaria wished our assistance, but that we must leave my sick sister behind,” Conlan said, then hurried out the door.

  I pulled off the invisibility ring so that Moravia could help me to dress more quickly.

  “You really should be in a warm place and have a hot meal,” Moravia said, being kinder and gentler with me than I had ever seen her act. Did she behave in this manner because I could now help their cause?

  I didn’t see how anyone could think an unschooled mage could fight against one who’d had years to practice his devil’s magic. Yet if I were the people’s only hope, I would do the best I could.

  Once I was again dressed in Lynet’s green velvet gown, Moravia made up the bed to look like I was sleeping there, buried under the blankets.

  Then I placed the ring on my finger and vanished. When I took Moravia’s arm, she cried out, startled. I smiled, loving my new ring.

  We stepped into the hall, where Conlan paced, highly agitated.

  “She’s holding onto my arm,” Moravia whispered to Conlan.

  Conlan groped around my back until he located my other hand. “Let’s go.”

  Was he making sure I didn’t escape them again? I felt assured he was. But truth be known, I was too tired and ill to want to escape. A hot meal and bed sounded much better.

  “She’s still too warm,” Conlan said.

  I guessed my hand was hot. I wondered what it would be like to clasp an invisible person’s hand.

  We made it down the wide steps to the main floor when Duke Farthington strode into the castle. “Prince Sumaria?”

  “His twin brother, Renault,” Conlan said.

  I was doing just fine, until the Dark One stepped in behind the duke. His hood was flipped back now, and his sharp black eyes seemed to penetrate my stare.

  Then I swooned.

  Both Conlan and Moravia still held my hands, so both were pulled down to the floor with me all of a sudden.

  Basil, seeing the strange actions of his lord and lady, shouted, “We are ready to leave!”

  The Dark One and Duke Farthington glanced in Basil’s direction. Basil’s face had lost all its color as he tried to rescue us.

  Somehow, I managed to scramble to my feet, though terribly dizzy and muddle-headed. The Dark One turned his head in my direction and stared at me. I knew he felt my mage presence. I could feel his clearly. A heat and a slight blue glow covered his person.

  Did I have the same blue glow? I nearly passed out again, as Conlan and Moravia guided me past the surprised duke.

  When we were halfway to the horses, standing saddled in the courtyard, the duke shouted, “Wait!”

  Conlan let go of my hand, and I noticed then, his fingers rested on the hilt of his sword. “Take her from here,” he said under his breath to Moravia.

  She hurried me toward the horses, though I didn’t want to leave Conlan to fend for himself all alone.

  Now how to get me on a horse, without looking like someone was lifting an invisible person into a saddle. If I wore trousers like the men, I could easily mount a horse on my own. Gowns forced women to require assistance.

  “Have you seen any sign of Duchess Arabella?” the duke asked Conlan.

  I noticed the Dark One and the duke watching Conlan, so I whispered, “Basil, lift me onto the horse, now.”

  He did as I bade, with a terrible deal of effort, as he tried to feel where I was and what part of me needed lifting. He lifted way too high and hard and I nearly fell off the horse on the other side.

  With a heavy breath, and my heart charging, I grabbed the horse’s neck. “I’m on.” But barely.

  Moravia slipped behind me, then wrapped her arm around me to steady me. Luckily her back was to Duke Farthington and the Dark One so I imagined they couldn’t see the strange way she raised her arm in an unusual manner while she held me against her, as her other hand clutched the horse’s reins.

  We headed out with several of Conlan’s mounted men as Conlan said to Duke Farthington, “No, we have seen no sign of the lady, though we’ve encountered several of your men who search for her. Should we find her, we’ll send her back to Cambria with escort. A duchess should not be traveling in the countryside alone.”

  “Your brother said he was taking her to Crondor,” the duke said, venom lacing his words.

  “I don’t know why Prince Sumaria would say such a thing. He is not taking the duchess to Crondor. Indeed he is home visiting with Princess Lynet, so I’ve been told. He would have no reason to escort her cousin to my castle. Good day.”

  Conlan leapt onto his horse and followed us out. Soon he, Larson, and Basil joined us in the lead.

  “Oh,” I moaned, “the Dark One knew.”

  Conlan said, “I don’t think so. I think he couldn’t figure out what was going on.”

  “But I saw him. I mean, the mage aura. I see a faint blue glow around him. He must have seen something around me.”

 
“If he had, I don’t think Basil would have distracted him. I believe he would have stopped you from leaving. No, for whatever reason, I don’t think he could see you.”

  “Maybe because of the invisibility ring.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Unless, unless it was one of the other magical items. Maybe one of them prevents a mage from seeing another.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  “It’s too bad you couldn’t have taken his whole box of jewelry,” Moravia said. “Maybe that stuff could have aided you in defeating him.”

  If I’d worn as many amulets as the Dark One had had resting in that box, my neck would have fallen off with the strain.

  “Perhaps when I am better, I should travel alone,” I said, not sure whether I was being noble or very foggy-headed in my plans. “If I remain invisible, they can’t find me. But if I travel with you, and they think I do, they can follow and overcome us.”

  “We stay together,” Conlan said, pointedly. “We must get you to Crondor. There, I have one of the finest mage libraries in the whole region.”

  “Why?”

  “For you. I’ve been searching for you forever.” He smiled. “Though the notion the pretty duchess who caught me bathing at the inn was the royal mage never crossed my mind.”

  I knew he couldn’t see me blush, but I was sure my heated cheeks grew even hotter with his comment.

  “I still can’t believe you slipped away from us that day. I didn’t think one frail royal who’d swooned at the sight of me could dress as fast as you did and escape.”

  I chuckled. I hadn’t swooned at the sight of him, but at the naked sight of him. Duchesses were never to see a man naked in a tub, unless it was the duke, her husband. That brought back the image of pudgy Duke Farthington and I imagined the graying hairs on his chest. I wrinkled my nose. Conlan was a hundred times more appealing.

  Yet if I ended up vanquishing the Dark One with some fluke of my magic abilities, I would become the Duchess of Cambria, wife of Duke Farthington.

  “Conlan,” Moravia said, “she’s barely able to sit up on the horse. We must stop soon.”