Filed to story: The Rejected Werewolf Princess (Camilla & Tyson) by Didi Adeyemi >>
“Now, we spend the night with our daughters. Tomorrow, we go and find him.”
“What if he runs before then?”
“Trust me, he won’t.”
It wasn’t until morning that I understood why he was so sure that the man would not run. I found that he was another trusted guard in the palace. I could not understand how Frederick had managed to get these people to turn on the crown. It was both annoying and heartbreaking because I was not sure who I could trust anymore.
By morning, out was obvious that we were weeding out traitors and about five people disappeared from the palace. It wasn’t just guards who disappeared but maids too A hunt had to be put out for them and according to the law, it was death on sight. I hated it but there was not much I could do about it. They had made their choice and I was not above the law.
The two men were still in the dungeons and Ryker was busy with them while I tried to create some semblance of calm in the palace because everyone was freaking out over the knowledge that there were spies. The truth was that I was worried too but I had to remain calm. I met with the elders who dove into a self–righteous speech about how weeding out the spies was the right task which I found weird considering the fact that they were against it in the beginning.
I could only take five minutes of it before I turned to them with boredom in my eyes. “Are you going to sit here all day and sing your praises or do you have actual information that can help?”
There was a minute of shocked silence followed by mumbling before they stood to their feet and walked out. As soon as they left, I buried my head in my hands and muttered a small curse. I just needed a few seconds to myself before my next meeting with the spies to figure out what to do about the tunnels. I had completely forgotten about them until the head of the spies sent a message informing me that they were done exploring and mapping out the tunnels.
There was a small knock on the door followed by Christine poking her head in. “Is it alright if I come in?” I waved her in and she smiled as she shut the door behind her. “Before you ask, Aurora is fast asleep and Audrey is doing her lessons.”
I couldn’t help but smile softly at how well she knew me. The question had been at the tip of my tongue. “Thank you.”
It wasn’t just for easing my worries, it was because Christine had been my anchor during everything. She didn’t have to help me out with my kids every day or pick up where I slacked off but she did so without complain and I was eternally grateful for that. I knew if I tried to say anything more than a ‘thank you‘ she would have picked offense.
As if she understood, she smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It was no big deal. Now, Ryker asked me to sit in with you at the meeting with the spies. He is running a bit behind schedule because they found a few of the runaways.”
“You don’t have to,” I began but she shot me a hard look and I went silent.
“You know that Ryker will not take no for an answer and frankly neither will I.”
I laughed because I knew it was true so I stopped protesting and allowed – her sit down while the representatives of the spies walked in. They laid out their mapping of the tunnels and my eyes widened when I saw just how large and complicated it was. It looked like one giant maze and I knew it would take years to know it from memory.
“Are you sure?” I asked and the one closest to me–a female- nodded.
“We mapped it out from different entrances just to be sure, this is it. We also labeled it so you know where everything is. It is a huge network and it leads under the castle and out of it. It was adventurous if I were to say so myself.”
I stared at the map and carefully rolled it up then placed it in my lap. “What would you suggest that we do?”
The spies looked shocked. They cast each other wary looks before turning back to me. “I’m not sure that I heard you right, your majesty.
“You did. You are the ones who had to explore the tunnels for weeks. What do you think is best?”
“I don’t know,” she began unsure. “Sealing them up would be the safest option but,” she trailed off but I gestured for her to continue. “The tunnels are not general knowledge. As it stands, only the royal family and the spies know about it. It could be useful in the case of an emergency evacuation. It would be a shame for the tunnels to go to waste.”
“That is true,” one of her colleagues cut in, “but what happens if it gets _out? The tunnels are so quiet that unless you are directly next to a wall when a sound is made, you will not hear it. It is a huge risk.
The woman wanted to respond but I held up a hand to stop both of them. I had heard all I needed to and I was already aware of what I wanted to do, I just wanted to hear from them. I turned to Christine and cocked my head to the side. She knew what I was asking.
“I agree with her,” she began slowly. “It might be important later.”
V “Then it is settled,” I saw Christine and the spy woman smile. “Breathe no word of this to anyone. Make sure no copies of this map were made. If anyone is found talking about this, they will be charged with treason and face death. Am I clear?”
“Yes, your majesty.”
your
I nodded and they all filed out of the room. As soon as they left, I turned to Christine and handed her the map of the tunnels. “Keep this safe with you. If it is left in the palace vaults then there are too many unpredictable. Create a fake one and put it in the palace vaults in case someone decides to use it.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”