Allegiance by Cayla Kluver
“Your Majesty, I heard…” she murmured, but I was too numb to react. I stared at myself in the mirror above my dressing table, face blank and pale, dark circles dominating the skin beneath my eyes. I silently prayed for Sahdienne to stop, but she wanted affirmation, despite the sensitive nature of the issue.
“Is—is it true?” she stammered, at last getting her thoughts out into the open.
“It is.”
“And—and it was her maid? Ryla was involved?”
“Yes.”
The maid I had hired, the maid I had placed within Miranna’s rooms, the maid who had fooled us both into thinking last night would be the best of my sister’s life. Surely there had been some sign of her falseness that passed my notice that very first day. And why hadn’t I recognized the danger the minute Miranna had told me about Temerson’s note? If only I had been as astute as Steldor, I might have saved her. If I had just paid more attention, I could have prevented everything.
“I have to go,” I announced, rising from my seat at the dressing table, and Sahdienne shied away, bowing her head respectfully.
I entered the parlor where Steldor awaited me in a fresh change of clothes, his hair restored to its usual, perfectly casual style, managing his restlessness by flipping his dagger over and over in his hand. He sheathed the weapon and escorted me into the corridor. As we walked, he informed me that while I’d been dressing, he’d gone to speak with his father.
“The searches during the night were unsuccessful,” he said. I struggled not to cry, and he attempted to offer some comfort. “There is still hope, Alera. My father is convening a meeting to discuss what action should be taken.”
“When?”
“Now. He sent for the others when he learned you were awake.” At my puzzled glance, he elaborated. “He assumed there would be no keeping you from the meeting, and since you were involved in the incident, it’s potentially imperative that you attend.”
I nodded, but could not refrain from asking the one question that throbbed within my skull as steadily as my heartbeat. I gripped Steldor’s shirtsleeve to bring him to a standstill.
“Will we get her back?”
His hesitation was answer enough and diluted any confidence I might have gained at his next words.
“We’ll do everything within our power.”
He stood still, waiting without complaint for me to regain my composure. After a few deep breaths, I took his arm and he led me down the spiral staircase to the first floor.
I expected him to take me to the Captain of the Guard’s office, but instead we walked through the King’s Drawing Room directly opposite the stairway and into the Throne Room, crossing to the strategy room on the eastern side, which fell between Cannan’s office and the King’s study. Inside the vast rectangular room was a large oaken table at which twelve men sat. Cannan was at the head, for he would preside over the meeting, and there were two empty chairs at his immediate left for Steldor and me. Next came my father, Galen, Destari and Halias. To Cannan’s right sat Cargon, who was the major in command of the Reconnaissance Unit, and Marcail, the Master at Arms in charge of the City Guard. The remaining seats were occupied by five other deputy captains. Cannan, Galen, Halias and Destari all looked as though they hadn’t closed their eyes since the beginning of this ordeal, though behind their grimness lurked determination.
All pairs of eyes turned our way, then the men rose, bowing as Steldor and I joined them. I followed the King to our seats, aware that most of the men would find my presence odd, but too emotionally drained to feel self-conscious at being the only woman present. After we had taken our places, Cannan began.
“Not all of you are aware of the events of last night, so I will brief you. Sometime during the twilight hours, Princess Miranna was abducted from the palace by what we have determined to be Cokyrian intruders.”
Mutterings traveled round the table at this news, but Cannan pressed on without waiting for the sound to die out.
“We believe that the enemy managed to place a young Cokyrian woman as the princess’s personal maid. We have yet to locate this servant, and very little is known about her past. It appears she tricked Her Highness into going to the Royal Chapel, where she was seized and taken through the tunnel that leads to the Royal Stables.
“Searches were conducted throughout the night, but those involved have not been found. We are continuing to sweep the foothills and our border patrols are on alert, but the princess was probably outside the city by the time the situation was discovered, possibly even outside the kingdom. I have no hope she will be recovered in this fashion. My men believe they have found the spot where the Cokyrians crossed the river, which makes it probable they are already in the mountains.
“The purpose of this meeting is to determine our course of action. I deem there to be three conceivable options. One, we send men after her. As this would involve going into Cokyri, it would be complex. London’s expertise would be invaluable for this purpose, and he is currently in the field doing reconnaissance work.
“Two, we wait to hear from the Cokyrians. The enemy has some purpose in stealing our princess, and I believe they will attempt to negotiate terms with us. This would necessitate that we seriously consider what concessions we would be willing to make in exchange for her life.”
My father made a small, piteous noise and put a hand to his mouth, unable to endure the thought of his younger daughter’s death. Cannan glanced at him, but not in an empathetic way, purely as if the sound had caught his notice. The captain was in that moment precisely how he had always seemed to me: a man of incalculable strength who acted, not a man who worried or sorrowed.
“Our third and, as I see it, final option is to initiate negotiations with Cokyri. This would give us the advantage of being on the offensive, but we must all remember that Cokyri is not known for treating our ambassadors well. I, therefore, do not favor this approach.”
Everyone at the table knew the history of the war with Cokyri: over a century ago, Hytanica had sent its Crown Prince to discuss a trade treaty with the Cokyrian Empress, and she had taken insult at his ignorance of their culture. She’d had him executed, and when word had reached the ears of the Hytanican King, he had launched the war that would span almost a hundred years. No one would be eager to send another valuable man into the midst of the enemy.
“I open this issue for discussion,” Cannan finished.
“We should go after her,” Halias asserted, the first to open his mouth, and my father earnestly bobbed his head in concurrence. “We should have gone after her last night—she is in danger and is relying on us to save her.”
“That would be suicide,” Destari responded tiredly, and I had the feeling he’d been arguing similarly all night. “Especially without the aid of our neighboring kingdoms, who we know will not cross Cokyri. We need London’s knowledge of Cokyrian territory to develop a suitable plan. I say we wait, at least until London comes back.”
“But who knows when that will be?” my father blustered, drumming his fingers on the table, panic pulsating in his voice. “He might be gone for weeks, and by then Miranna could be…could be…”
“Dead,” Halias ended harshly.
“Then let us send someone to search for London,” Steldor suggested, directing a frown at Halias. “I agree with Destari that an attempt to blindly infiltrate Cokyri would be disastrous, but we don’t have to sit back and wait for London to return of his own accord. Perhaps Cargon could dispatch some scouts into the foothills to see if he can be found.”
“I’ll do so at once,” Major Cargon said, and Steldor and Cannan both nodded their approval. “I’ll also have my men survey the Cokyrian stronghold for its easiest access points.”
“Are we agreed on that much then?” Cannan asked, glancing around the table at everyone. “We’ll send scouts to search for London, but until and unless he is found, we will not attempt a rescue. It will be just as perilous for the princess if we go in without a well-developed plan a
All but two heads nodded in accordance. My father’s anxious brown eyes met Halias’s enraged ones of light blue, revealing that neither man was pleased with the decision. Though I was undergoing stabs of fear, I made myself trust the judgment of the majority. Halias was wallowing in guilt, and my father was not a military man, but the rest, with their clear heads, believed Miranna was not at significant risk of harm. Still, I could not stave off a rise of queasiness at Cannan’s supposition that Miranna was not in “immediate mortal danger.” How many kinds of danger were there? And if not in danger of her life, then in what way might she be threatened?
“How long do you think it will be before the Cokyrians contact us to set up a meeting?” Galen asked, forcing me to focus again on the discussion.
“I do not know,” Cannan responded. “But the Cokyrians like to create terror and uncertainty, and time is on their side. They will want us to be in the proper frame of mind to make concessions, so they will contact us later rather than sooner. While we do not need to decide this today, we each should give thought to what we would be willing to offer for her safe return.”
Cannan paused, his eyes meeting each man’s in turn, emphasizing the importance of his last statement.
“There is a second matter that we must address. We’ve had an enormous security breach, one that must be dealt with promptly. I’ve already commissioned men to collapse the tunnel through which the princess was taken, but there are several other measures that must be put into place.
“First, any member of the palace staff hired within the past year must be investigated. I won’t give Cokyri the benefit of the doubt in terms of planning ahead. Galen, I’m putting you in charge of arranging the inquiries. I want places of birth, families, life histories, whatever proves them to be loyal Hytanicans. If anything seems even remotely out of place, I am to be notified at once. In addition, any staff members hired in the future will be likewise scrutinized.
“Henceforth, any note or invitation intended for a member of the royal family, however casual, innocent or expected, will be brought to me. I don’t care if it’s a note to Queen Alera from her mother, in her mother’s handwriting, asking her to tea—it will be reviewed by me before any response is made.
“Third, the number of guards throughout the palace needs to be increased substantially. From now on, everyone entering the palace will be checked in by a Palace Guard who will also be accountable for overseeing that party’s departure. This includes any guests, men delivering supplies through the servants’ entrance and even members of the military who are not stationed within these walls. Records of those who come and go will be kept at the courtyard gates and at every palace entrance, and any suspicious behavior will be reported to me. On the off chance that information of this nature is delayed in reaching me, the man responsible will be subject to inquiry on the grounds of insubordination. Galen, I leave it to you to place your men and make them aware of this new procedure.”
“Yes, sir,” Galen said with a quick nod.
Though everyone seemed a bit taken aback by the captain’s intensity, no one said a word. A princess had been taken from the palace, by the enemy, who had, unbeknownst to all, been living amongst us for months, gathering knowledge, spying on everyone. Who knew what secrets the Cokyrian woman might have taken back to her homeland? Who knew how many of her kinsmen might yet be within the city?
“Similar checkpoint procedures will be implemented at the city gates,” Cannan continued, turning to the Master at Arms. “Marcail, I leave it to you to inform and assign your men.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now, for the final change, I will be appointing a deputy captain as a personal bodyguard to each member of the royal family, including the former King and Queen. Destari, you will return to your post as Queen Alera’s guard. Davan and Orsiett, you will guard King Adrik and Lady Elissia, and Casimir, I’m assigning you to the King.”
Steldor, who had evidently excluded himself from the royal family to which Cannan referred, sat up straight, a protest on his lips.
“But—”
“Don’t,” the captain interrupted, holding up a finger without sparing a glance at his son. Steldor sank back in his chair, somewhat stunned, but he did not raise an argument.
“That concludes this meeting,” Cannan declared, rising to his feet. To Galen and Marcail, he added, “I expect to hear from both of you by the end of the day.”
Steldor and I left the strategy room first, followed by Destari and Casimir, who had already assumed their new assignments. Casimir’s manner was stoic, and I knew he would try to be unobtrusive, but still I couldn’t say how Steldor would deal with having someone perpetually at his heels. In the short time it took us to cross the Throne Room, my husband cast several disgruntled looks over his shoulder.
Though not as tall as his fellow deputy captain, which was true of almost all of the Elite Guards, Casimir was equal in height to my husband and had the well-muscled build of a soldier. With medium brown hair and smoky gray eyes, he was younger than Destari, London and Halias, but I did not know him well, for he generally took care of business for Cannan in other kingdoms.
I climbed the first two steps of the Grand Staircase, then realized that Steldor had stopped at the bottom.
“I need to discuss a few matters with my father,” he explained, and I wondered if he was going to revisit the question of whether he needed a bodyguard.
I was surprised at the nervous flutter in my stomach at the thought that he might leave me. I inhaled deeply, trying to think sensibly, but I could not quash my initial reaction, and it persisted even as I nodded. He stepped forward and brushed a lock of my hair behind my ear, apparently seeing something of my emotions in my face, and I closed my eyes at his touch, trying to soak up his confidence and the security that came with it. Then he was gone, Casimir with him.
I glanced at Destari, then hastened up the remaining stairs, for the sympathy in his inky eyes was too much to bear. I didn’t want anyone’s pity. I wanted everyone to pretend that none of this had happened, that it was a giant charade. I hated every compassionate glance for its jolting reminder that this horror was reality, that my sister was in Cokyri where the High Priestess and the ruthless Overlord dwelled, that Miranna was at their mercy.
Destari hovered at the parlor door, uncertain whether he should join me so that I would not be alone, and I beckoned him inside. Though I was not in a mood to talk, I could not pretend that I felt no fear. Miranna had been taken against her will from our well-protected and presumably inviolable home. Who could give assurance the same would not happen to me? Was there any place that the enemy could not reach?
I retreated to my bedroom, leaving Destari in the parlor, where I shut the door and drew the heavy curtains over my window to block out the sunlight. I stumbled back to my bed and burrowed under the covers without taking off my gown, staying there for hours, drifting in and out of sleep, wanting to lock out the world so I would cease to be a part of its complete and utter wrongness.
It was much later that muffled voices from the parlor reached my ears, and I tried to concentrate, to turn the sounds into words, with no success. I heard the parlor door open and close, then footsteps approaching my bedroom.
“Alera,” Steldor called, with a gentle rap upon the door.
I threw back the covers, eager to see him, scrambling out of bed to open the door. His eyes swept my form and the room behind, taking in my rumpled state, the drawn drapes and the untidy bedclothes.
“Have you been asleep all day?” he asked.
“Sometimes I slept,” I said guardedly. “Mostly I just rested.”
A shadow of concern fell upon him, but he did not question me further.
“I have something for you,” he said, inviting me to follow him, and I saw that Destari had left the
Like a scared animal being coaxed from its den, I went to the sofa and sat upon it, reaching for the covered basket Steldor had placed on the table in front of it. He watched from near the hearth while I lifted the basket’s lid.
The moment there was an opening, a tiny gray-and-black tabby kitten poked his head out and mewed at me with surprising volume, his gray eyes round with curiosity. As he struggled to escape the basket, I saw that all four of his paws and his stomach were white. Before long, one back leg found its way over the basket’s lip, and the tiny fur ball tumbled into my lap, where he mewed again and got unsteadily to his feet, arching his back so that the roundness of his tummy was even more apparent.
I took the kitten into my arms, nestling him against my neck until he squirmed onto my shoulder, balancing precariously. He buried his head in my long hair, batting at it with his miniature paws, apparently thinking it some kind of strange prey. Steldor came to my side and picked up the fluffy baby, which fit into his palm.
“It’s going to be chaotic around here for some time,” he said, scratching the kitten behind the ears before placing it on my knees. “I don’t want you to spend too much time alone and thought perhaps a companion, even such a small one, might be a good distraction.”
“Thank you,” I said, gazing at him gratefully. In the midst of all the military activity, Steldor had thought of me, not wanting me to feel abandoned, trying to offer reassurance. Although he had never said the words, his actions affirmed that he loved me.
I spent the next few days in my quarters with my new pet. I did not want to venture out, my usually insatiable curiosity for palace politics having vanished with my sister. I took my meals in the parlor, knowing that if I went to the family dining room, Miranna would not be there. I stayed away from the corridors, since there was no possibility of bumping into her. It was easier to contend with my guilt and sorrow when I did not have to endure reminders of her absence.