The Keeper's Flame (A Pandoran Novel, #2) (12 page)

I reached out with my senses, past the irritated guards, up the empty stairwell. Fleck was there, comfortable and sleepy.

But he was there, and I breathed a little easier.

“If you already know,” sneered the other guard, “then why are you here?”

“No reason,” I said, and hurried off.

I ran all the way to the stables, but once they were in view, I slowed to a walking pace. Danton didn’t need to know I’d just woken up, or worse he’d think I was really that eager to see him. A clock on one of the towers said 8:28 a.m.

I walked into the stables; it was quiet and cold.

He said he’d be waiting in back, in the empty one.

I walked past the horses, all the way until I reached the very last, empty stable, and I walked inside. There was a horse in the stable beside me, munching away on what remained of his feed.

Strange that Danton would have me meet him here. Maybe he didn’t want anyone seeing us…

The wooden floor above me groaned, and before I could react, a mountain of hay fell on top of me, followed by high-pitched giggling.

I stumbled through the hay as it snagged and tore at my hair and clothes, itching and scraping, but that was the least of my worries. Fat red ants were everywhere. They crawled all over my skin, my face, and they bit hard.

“Whatever could the princess be doing in the stables at this hour?” Isla asked in a very innocent tone. “We aren’t…meeting someone, are we?” Her dark eyes filled with rancorous delight.

I forgot the stinging on my skin, and my body shook with rage. “You.” I lunged at her but tripped over a pile of hay and fell, face first. The girls with Isla laughed.

Isla gazed at me with mock sympathy. “I feel I should warn you about the blood ants. They leave nasty rashes that last for weeks.” She shook her head and
tsk-tsk-tsked
. “Such unfortunate timing.” She sighed, and then smiled. “See you tonight at the dance.”

The three of them disappeared as more and more bites burned my arms.

I brushed them off, but it was no use. There were already little pink welts erupting on my hands and wrists. No telling what my arms and legs looked like beneath my leathers.

Danton had never written a note; it had been Isla.

I kicked a plank of wood on the next stable, and the horse inside whinnied and backed away from his trough.

“Now, is that any way to say good morning to a horse?” Thad’s voice sounded nearby. He stood near the stable entrance, leaning against a wall with a smirk, and Egan was bounding toward me.

“What are you doing here?” I growled.

He arched a brow and pulled the grass from his lips. “Let’s just say I saw three pretentious beauty queens running from stables, and I was…a little concerned.”

I turned from him, and Egan skidded to a stop. He dropped his nose and whimpered, pushing at the ground—the ants—that had fallen from my arms, and then backed away with his tail between his legs.

“Big baby,” I said, and went back to picking the hay out of my hair. I hurt everywhere and my skin itched so badly it burned, but every time I scratched it, the welts spread.

“By the way”—Thad stood closer, now—“what are
you
doing back here, standing in the feed stores, er, what
were
the feed stores?”

I winced, playing tug of war with a piece of hay over my hair. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Trying to make yourself unrecognizable?”

I glowered. “If you’re gonna stand there and make fun of me, you can leave.”

He folded his arms and stood firm while Egan sat at his feet. Leaving seemed to be the last thing on his mind.

“Fine!” I said. “Those pretentious beauty queens tricked me into meeting them here, and then a pile of bug-infested hay fell on top of me.”

The grass in Thad’s mouth stopped rolling, and as much as he tried, he couldn’t keep his smile from coming. “Isla, Isla, Isla,” he said to himself. “I’m impressed.”

I narrowed my eyes and started walking away from him.

“Whoa, there, Rook.” He grabbed my arm. “You can’t go outside looking like that.”

“Well, I’m not staying in here with you all day.”

He beamed. “You’re right. You could never be
that
lucky.”

I snorted and he laughed.

“Oh, come on. Admit it.” He gestured to me. “It’s pretty funny.”

I folded my arms. “You’re not the one—” a bug bit me, and I slapped it “—covered in hay and ant bites.”

“True.” He pushed himself from the railing and stepped closer to me. “That was pretty nasty, luring you back here to drop blood ants all over you, but you do realize what this means, don’t you?”

“That I’m going to kill her?”

“It means,” he said, “that the great and indomitable Isla actually feels threatened.”

That was it? That was his big reveal? “Seriously?” I made sure my voice sounded as peeved as I felt.

“Rook!” He grabbed my shoulders and squeezed, his eyes full of pride. “It’s a huge compliment! I mean, take me, for instance.”

I rolled my eyes.

“My pranks are reserved for those worthy enough to appreciate their beauty,” he said. “Those important enough that I can inflict an impressive amount of damage.”

“So, what you’re saying is I’m not worthy or important?”

He laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m saving my best prank for you, yet.” He winked.

I made a face at him then winced as another ant bit me.

Thad backed away, eyeing me thoughtfully while scratching his neck. “Yeah, I sorta forgot those bloody ants like to hang out in the feed here.”

“Can you do anything about this?” I gestured to my itchy self.

The grass rolled in his mouth. “I can help the itching but, uh, you might want to wear long sleeves tonight.”

Great.

The air pulsed from his hands and wrapped around me like a cool, damp cloth. The itching faded until it was almost gone.

My hands were still red and splotchy and I had the distinct feeling that I didn’t want to see my face.

“Here.” Thad wound out of his cloak and threw it at me. “Do us both a favor and wear that in public until the swelling fades.”

I shrugged into his cloak.

“The hood,” he encouraged.

It really was that bad. I tugged the hood over my head, and Thad looked pleased. “Much better,” he said. “So much for a happy birthday, eh?”

Happy birthday?

Oh, right. Today was my birthday. I’d almost forgotten.

We stepped out into the cold morning air with Egan at my heels. My bites burned a little, but whatever Thad had done had helped tremendously. The courtyard was unusually busy this morning. People strolled by, smiling and chatting with each other, their excitement lingering in the air like sweet perfume. The dance was tonight; they were all talking about it.

And I was going to look like I’d run through a beehive.

Fabulous.

“So, you didn’t get in trouble about yesterday,” I said.

Thad shrugged. “I always get in trouble,” he said. “I’m just not important enough to stay in it.”

I glared and looked ahead, and I noticed a handsome young man walking toward us.

Danton.

“Crap!” I gasped.

“Where?” Thad asked.

I fumbled in my cloak, making sure it covered as much of me as possible. “I can’t let him see me like this.”

Thad’s understanding surged with an embarrassing amount of amusement. “Calm down,” he whispered. “I got you covered.”

I opened my mouth to say something when Danton said, “Thaddeus Mendax!” Familiarity rang in his voice.

“Oi, there, Point of Fact,” Thad said.

Danton chuckled and stopped before us. “Staying out of trouble?” he jeered. “How unlike you.”

“Enjoying intermission, actually.” Thad grinned. “I know how you hate it when I steal your limelight.”

Danton shook his head. “Well, hello, boy.” Danton crouched and scratched Egan between the ears while Egan sniffed Danton’s boots. I felt Danton’s eyes on me, and I turned just enough to keep my face shadowed.

“Who’s your friend?” Danton stood.

“Just a guest Master Jaren asked me to show around,” Thad said without hesitation. “And where is Lord Point of Fact headed this morning? I’m surprised to see you so up and alert. I heard you had a rather late night.” Thad’s tone was lathered in implication, and I suddenly felt warm all over.

Danton didn’t seem flustered in the slightest. In fact, he seemed as cool and confident as ever. “You know I’d never trust you with that kind of information.” Danton smiled.

“Worth a shot, though,” Thad said.

Danton chuckled, but I felt his curious eyes on me once again. “See you tonight?” he said at last.

“The largest gathering of self-importance in the history of Gaia? I wouldn’t miss it even if your life depended on it,” Thad replied.

Danton smacked Thad on the shoulder and walked on.

I waited till I could no longer sense him before speaking, but then Thad beat me to it.

“Don’t tell me you were with Point of Fact last night.”

I looked at him through my hood; his brow was arched and his lips were shaped in disapproval.

“I was locked in a dungeon picking thorns, remember?”

Thad’s jaw dropped and the grass fell out of his mouth. “You
were
with Point of Fact!”

My eyes narrowed. “So?”

“So…he’s probably the only guy in the world Del Can’t can’t stand.”

How convenient. “And I care what Alex thinks because…?”

“Because you still care about him,” Thad said, and I started to argue but he cut me off. “Don’t act like you don’t. Anyone with an eyeball could see how you change when he’s brought up. Not to mention, Point of Fact is the son of Lord Commodus—not your favorite person, from what you’ve said about him.”

“And?” My anger simmered. “Relation means nothing. Danton shouldn’t be judged by what his father has done. They are two totally different people.”

My tone silenced him, but it didn’t stop him from making a face.

At last, he said, “Whatever you say, Rook.” And he held his arms up in surrender.

We continued walking through the courtyard in a somewhat angry silence—well, I was angry, Thad was just irritated. Egan, however, was quite in his element, pouncing on fallen flowers and bouncing them between his paws, leaving behind trails of colorful petal piles. We passed a young couple, sitting on a bench and smiling at each other with splotchy red faces, and I remembered the Aegis dinner.

“How was the dinner last night, anyway?” I asked.

Thad sighed. “It’s okay, Rook. I know all you really want to know about is Del Can’t.”

I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow.

He grinned. “I will say, though, that I can see why you like him so much. I think I’ve got a man-crush on him, myself.”

I nudged him again, harder this time.

He laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop.” He shook his head. “The dinner wasn’t anything special. Goldilocks seemed pretty upset, though, and your dad did a lot of frowning.”

“Did he say anything to you about us sneaking out?”

Thad shook his head. “Not really, but he did say—”

Someone screamed.

It came from inside the castle, not far from where we were standing. Thad and I exchanged a glance and ran inside.

People were huddled, whispering to each other, craning their necks to look toward the assembly hall. We pushed past them, past their tight and worried faces, until we reached a few armed guards that had begun pressing the people back.

“Everyone back!” commanded Sir Armand from my left, my dad right behind him.

Both men pushed through the crowd, anxious and uneasy.

The people whispered, afraid.

“He ran that way!” A lady pointed, her eyes wide with fright.

“Who?” my dad asked.

“The dark rider.” Her voice trembled.

Dad’s lips tightened and he glanced back at Sir Armand. Sir Armand turned to his guards. “You three go,” he said. They nodded and took off down the hall, their armor clanking over the stone floor.

“Did you see it happen?” My dad turned to the lady.

She shook her head as the gentleman beside her tried to calm her down.

Dad looked back at one of the guards. “Did he get inside?”

“No, sire,” the guard replied. “It seems like something scared him away.”

More guards had arrived at the scene and, per Sir Armand’s command, began pushing the crowd away, blocking off the hall.

“Go on,” said a guard before me.

“But that’s—”

“You heard the captain,” he continued.

I tugged off my hood and his intake of air was sharp.

“Sorry, princess,” he said, studying me with a frown, “but the orders are everyone—”

“Daria.” My dad’s voice was firm.

The guard stepped aside and I pressed forward. I noticed Sir Armand position himself before a man in armor, lying on the floor.

“What are you doing here?” Dad asked, his face wrinkled in anxiety. He was scared.

“What happened?” I asked.

He opened his mouth to say something but instead glanced over his shoulder at Sir Armand. “Daria, please don’t be wandering the castle alone.” His blue eyes were so worried.

“I’m not, I’m with Thad,” I said.

Dad glanced past me, saw Thad, and nodded. “It’s the dark rider,” he continued, his voice low. “He—”

Cicero appeared behind my dad. He nodded at me briefly before leaning to my dad’s ear, and whispered. My dad shifted and I could just see around him.

My blood froze and I suddenly felt sick.

A guard lay there in his armor, and his mask was gone. It looked as though someone had emptied him of his insides, sucked him dry, leaving only a shell behind. His skin was wrinkled like a raisin, ashen and folded. His eyes were gone leaving nothing but dark and empty sockets, and his lips were cracked and dry, hanging open with a silent scream.

Bile rose in my throat and my dad shifted back, blocking the dead guard from my view. I’d never seen anything so disturbing in all my life.

“Daria, I want you to stay in your room with Rhea until I get you for the dance tonight, all right?” Dad asked.

I nodded, speechless.

Dad started to turn, and I said, “Dad?”