Chapter 10

F rom the garden, Anyka allowed Hawke to escort her back to her quarters, where she dismissed him at the door, promising to see him for dinner.

She went in, Trog following to take up his post by the door. She looked around. Was anyone else here? Galwyn cawed at her from his perch in the sitting room. She held out her arm to him and he flew to her, landing and then sidestepping up to her shoulder.

He nuzzled his head against hers.

"I'm sorry, my darling. I didn't bring you anything. Are you hungry?"

Galwyn continued to nuzzle her, seeking attention and, most likely, something to eat. She petted him while she called out. "Bea? Ishmyel?"

When there was no response, she said, "Just you and me, my love." She kissed the top of the bird's black-feathered head. "What shall we do, hmm?"

What she wanted to do was interrogate Nazyr. Having talked about him to Hawke had brought the wizard to the forefront of her mind. She knew giving Hawke a shot at him was the better approach, but Anyka's patience with such things was thinner than ever these days.

"If only I had Lady Cynzia's grimoire. I'm sure there's a spell in there that would make him talk." She sighed. Sadly, the book she so desperately wanted was in Castle Clarion, tucked away in the royal vaults.

Her eyes narrowed as the root of an idea took hold in her thoughts. Castle Clarion was empty. Queen Sparrow, Prince James, the queen's aunt, and anyone in the Summerton court that mattered were here.

Anyka hadn't seen much of Sparrow and her traitor bodyguard lately, but since she'd discovered Hawke had nearly killed Sparrow with an arrow, Anyka understood why the queen was in hiding. The last few meals, she had seen only Prince James and the queen's aunt at the Summerton royal table.

No doubt Sparrow was sending them to keep up appearances while she herself was holed up in her quarters. Afraid.

Anyka smiled. There was no better time to get that book back. Thrumming with excitement, she kissed Galwyn's head again. "You give me the best ideas, my pet. When I return, I will spoil you with berries and fish, you have my word."

She changed into the simplest gown she could find, a deep blue with beaded braid trim around the neckline and hem. She paired it with black slippers. Dressed, she cleaned her face and took off all of her jewelry. Without makeup or any kind of royal accessories, she might not get a second look. She hoped.

There were two pieces of jewelry she put on.

One was the amulet Nazyr had made to help her find Lady Cynzia's grimoire. She'd need that if she was going to locate it again. She tucked the amulet and chain under her gown.

The second piece wasn't something she'd worn before, but it was deeply sentimental and not something that was ever far from her, wherever she went. Her mother's portal ring. Last used to return to Castle Hayze from Castle Clarion.

This time it would be used to gain entrance to Castle Clarion.

Her mother had shown her what to dial and Anyka had committed it to memory, mostly to please Leda. Not because she'd ever thought she'd use it one day herself.

If she ran into trouble at Castle Clarion, she could easily return to Castle Hayze, but that wouldn't do. She needed to come back here. As she'd traveled by carriage, she didn't know what to dial for Willow Hall.

Wyett would. Where was he? He ought to be here. In fact, he ought to accompany her. It would be easier if she had him as a lookout. He might have a better idea of where the royal vaults were, as well. And how to access them. "Wyett? Where are you?"

"Here, my lady," he called out. He soon appeared at the door of the sitting room.

"Why didn't you answer when I called for Princess Beatryce and my uncle?"

"Forgive me, my lady. I thought you only sought them."

"Do you know the portal pattern for Willow Hall? How to travel here from somewhere else, I mean."

He nodded. "I do, but you won't come through the guest portals in the foyer. They only carry people within Willow Hall. But there's one for general travel in the staff area. It's for guest use in case of emergencies, but that's where you'd return. If you were returning."

"Good enough. Change out of your uniform and into something less conspicuous and come back here. You're traveling with me."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, my lady."

He returned shortly in a loose white shirt, leather vest, dark gray pants, and black boots. He looked odd. She wasn't used to seeing him out of uniform.

He still looked curious. "May I ask what we're doing?"

She glanced toward the door, but doubted she could be heard by anyone on the other side of it. Even so, she spoke softly. "Castle Clarion is essentially empty. We're going to see if we can find the vaults, get into them, and retrieve Lady Cynzia's grimoire."

His lips parted and he blinked, looking very much like he had something to say. No doubt he wanted to tell her what a foolish idea it was.

She put her hands to her hips. "Well, out with it."

"I need to return to my quarters. There are a few things I'd like to bring along."

She exhaled. That wasn't what she'd been expecting. She frowned. "Such as?"

"My blade and my picklocks."

She snorted. "Yes, get them. Hurry." She went back to the bedroom and strapped a dagger to her thigh and another to her wrist, hiding it under her sleeve.

They met again in the sitting room. She held out her arm, her mother's portal ring on her middle finger, the only one it fit on. "Take hold of my arm."

"Yes, my lady." He laid his hand on her forearm.

With her other hand, she lined up the stones on the ring, all in a nice straight line, just as her mother had made her memorize.

The air shifted, went shimmery and then, they were no longer in the sitting room. Instead, they were in something that looked like a gazebo, but indoors. "Is this it?" she asked softly. "Are we in Castle Clarion?"

"We must be," Wyett whispered back.

"Do you have any idea where the vaults might be?"

"Lower down, I would assume. We need to find stairs. Let me lead. Then I can run interference if necessary."

"Yes. Do that."

It took them longer than she would have liked to find stairs going down. Twice, Wyett held his hand out for her to stop or hide as castle staff went by.

Anyka's heart pounded. This was reckless, she knew that. But she also didn't care. Lady Cynzia's grimoire belonged to her.

After much searching, at the bottom of some stairs, they stumbled upon a long, dimly lit hall, doors on either side, interspersed with tapestries that hung to the stone floor. It was deathly silent. Not a single drip of water, not the shuffling of feet, not the scurrying of anything small.

"Do you think one of these could lead to the vaults?"

"I don't know. We'll have to try them." He tried the first one. Locked. He knelt as he pulled out his picklocks and went to work.

He was quick. Skilled enough that Anyka wondered how many doors in Castle Hayze he'd opened that way.

But then he had the door open, and they were slipping through. No lights. But this was a fae castle, after all, and magic was magic.

"Lights," she whispered. Nothing. Perhaps her voice wouldn't work. She was not supposed to be here, after all. "Lights," she said, a little louder.

Sconces flickered to life along the wall that held the door. The room held rack after rack of wine. No. She peered closer, then gaped. Racks of blackberry brandy.

The injustice of such excess made her scowl. She pulled the amulet free of her gown, lifting it toward the room's interior. No light emanated from it. "It isn't here. This isn't it. Her magic professor said he'd sent the book to the vaults. We have to find them."

"I would suggest we keep checking the doors then, my lady."

She nodded. "While you do that, I'm going to walk the hall and see if the amulet reacts at any point."

"Very well."

"Lights," she said again. The room returned to darkness, and they left. Wyett went to work relocking the door before moving on to the next.

She went to the door on the other side of the hall and held her amulet close to it. Nothing. She'd only made it to the third door when Wyett called to her.

"My lady?" He stood beside another open door.

"What's inside?"

He shook his head. "I haven't looked."

"I'm coming."

With the lights on, they saw the room was filled with shelves of linens. Towels, bedclothes, quilts, comforters, extra pillows, even a section for curtains and drapery.

She frowned. "Don't open any more doors until my amulet shows a reaction. It's a waste of your time."

"Do you think the amulet will work even if the book is separated from it by thick wooden doors and some distance?"

"I…I don't know." She sighed. This wasn't going the way she'd hoped.

"I wonder, too, my lady, if we are even in the right area for the vaults. These rooms are simply storage and hold nothing of any great value. The ease with which I'm able to pick the locks testifies to that."

She nodded. "One would think the vaults, if they truly do hold Summerton treasures, would be much more secure. Behind a metal door, I'd think."

He nodded. "I agree. But I think you should walk the hall while watching your amulet all the same. Just in case. Your idea to come here was a very good one. We just need to persist a while longer."

She smiled, appreciating his support. "I won't be a moment."

"I might check another door or two."

Finishing the walk did no good. Her amulet didn't respond at all. She was starting to think it was time to go home. She sighed.

"My lady." The excitement in Wyett's voice got her attention. He was standing by the second tapestry on the left side of the hall.

"What is it?" She walked toward him.

He shook his head. "I can't say for sure, but…" He pulled the tapestry back.

Behind it was a sturdy metal door with three key locks down one side, hinges on the interior, and a recessed handle.

Her pulse increased again, and this time it wasn't out of fear. "Can you open those?"

"I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to."

She grabbed the tapestry and held it out of the way. "Get to work then."

He did as she asked, starting with the bottom lock. He grunted and sighed, grimacing a few times when the lock refused his attempts. Then he got it and moved on to the next. She watched the stairs, listening over his soft sounds for any threat of footfalls.

He straightened. "Done."

"Open it slowly. Those metal hinges might squeal."

He nodded as he turned the handle and pushed. The door opened without a sound.

Again, the room was dark, but the lights from the hall were enough to make a few things gleam at them.

"This has to be it," Anyka whispered.

Wyett leaned in. "Lights."

Chandeliers sparked with a warm glow, illuminating the room. It was deep. And well filled.

They both inhaled.

Anyka's lips parted at the sight before her. Rows of treasures, some displayed in glass cases, others on pedestals or specially designed holders. Not just jewelry, but weapons, suits of armor, bejeweled trunks, statues, tapestries, gem-encrusted robes on body forms, paintings in gilt frames, more glittering things than the eye could take in.

Letting the tapestry fall against Wyett's shoulders, she stepped in, amazed by the wealth that surrounded her. Malveaux had vaults, but she wasn't sure what they held compared to what lay before her.

Wyett came in behind her, leaving the door open but covered by the tapestry. He said nothing.

She walked further in, touching nothing as she searched for Lady Cynzia's grimoire. She walked every aisle, down each row, past shelves laden with more treasure than could be imagined.

Then, just to be sure, she walked the room again.

Not once did her amulet respond.