Chapter 12

" L ies, lies, and more lies," Anyka muttered as she paced the floor of her sitting room at Willow Hall. She was furious. She hated feeling like she'd been taken for a fool. "I wasted time and energy and all for lies ."

"My lady," Wyett said softly from his spot near the entrance. "If I may, your time wasn't wasted."

She spun to face him. "Wasn't it? We found nothing. Came back empty-handed. Save for that case of blackberry brandy I had you appropriate."

He clasped his hands behind his back. "If you hadn't gone, you would still think that Lady Cynzia's grimoire was in the Summerton vaults. Now you know it isn't. Now you can conclude that the book is still here , somewhere in Willow Hall."

She exhaled. Her anger had gotten the best of her, and she'd failed to realize that. She blinked, her irritation diminishing ever so slightly. "That is true."

"And that is good news, is it not?"

"Perhaps." She took a deep breath. "They still could have sent the book back to Castle Clarion with some guards and locked it up somewhere else."

"While that is a possibility, I don't believe Queen Sparrow would have done that."

Anyka stared at him, waiting for him to explain.

"She was too eager to get that book. She wants the secrets in it as much as you do, I imagine. I believe it's far more likely that she has her wizard studying the grimoire, trying to determine what can be learned from it and how that magic can be utilized."

Wyett had a valid point. "What's his name? Her wizard?"

"Uldamar Darkstone, my lady. He is quartered near the Summerton royal apartment. I'd like to add we've seen very little of him or Queen Sparrow as of late."

Could the book really be that close? Hope sprang alive in her once again. "Can you get into his room?"

"I'm sure I could, but not with him in it. I don't know if I could find the grimoire. A man of that power, he'd protect it with a spell or some kind of magic, I'm sure. Something to make it invisible to all but his eyes. Perhaps, if I could take your amulet with me?"

She shook her head. "I will ask Nazyr to be certain, but my understanding is the amulet only works when I'm wearing it. He created it that way."

Wyett nodded. "Then you would have to be with me and that is far too dangerous, my lady. The risk of you being caught… It's unthinkable."

"If what you say is true, if the book is still here, Sparrow must be laughing at me." Anyka paced away from him, her thoughts whirling. "I cannot have the grimoire so close and do nothing about it. I will not be made a fool of again."

"As I mentioned, I've not seen Uldamar for the last day or so. He must be hard at work studying that book. Before I could even attempt to access his quarters, I'd have to find a way to remove him."

Anyka frowned. "I wonder if Sparrow is helping him, because you're right, we haven't seen much of her, either. Or her traitorous bodyguard. They must all be holed up together, working on the grimoire." She growled softly. "Right under our noses. The gall."

Anyka hadn't even opened the book herself, because she knew too well what such dark magic could do. What she might unleash. The price it would require of her. To think that those three were riffling through that precious, powerful text. Would they be affected by it? How could they not?

They probably didn't even realize the power in that book.

"My lady?"

She shook her head. "Just thinking."

"May I ask about what?"

She collapsed onto the couch, tired of so many things not going her way. "The grimoire could prove to be rather…dangerous if someone unfamiliar with that sort of power tampered with it. Nightborne might be Grym and unsycht , but I doubt he knows what to do with a book like that. Same for Sparrow. The pair of them would be powerless in the face of such magic."

"Might not his being unsycht protect him?"

"Possibly. But nothing will protect his precious queen." Anyka narrowed her eyes, gleefully imagining Sparrow trying to escape the pull of such black magic.

"And the wizard?"

Anyka gave a slow nod. "If anyone could control it, he'd be the one. But magic like that comes at a cost. Lady Cynzia paid it." Her voice softened and she stared blindly at the low table in the center of the space. "As did my mother."

Wyett moved closer until he was standing behind the couch across from her. "What kind of price do you think it would extract from the wizard?"

"I don't know. I imagine dark magic affects each user differently. Perhaps in Darkstone's case, it might..." She looked up at Wyett. "Change him somehow? He's powerful. More so than Nazyr, I'd guess. At least his equal. He might think he can control the magic in that grimoire without being altered by it, but that won't be true. What could he know of dark magic? Surely not enough to protect himself and Nightborne and the queen. One of them would bear the marks of it, I have no doubt."

"Physical marks?"

"Not necessarily. It's more likely that it will do something to their minds." She sat up straighter. "Darkstone might have already been affected by the grimoire. That might be why we've not seen him. Or any of them." A new excitement filled her. "This could play in our favor. We must get into his quarters and see for ourselves. For all we know, they've all gone mad and killed each other. Or the wizard's given in to the siren song of the darkness. Sacrificed them in some spell requiring blood or a lifeforce."

Wyett blinked. "Do you really think so?"

She grinned. "Anything's possible. Lady Cynzia strikes me as one who'd have laid a spell of protection on her grimoire. Something designed to destroy anyone who had no business tampering with it."

She stretched her hands out before her, palms open. "I had that book in my grasp. I felt the magic inside it. Even I hesitated to open it because I knew what lay within would change me."

She almost laughed as she shook her fists in the air. "Those fools. Such arrogance to think they could use that book for themselves." She leaned forward. "You must get into his room. I need to know what's going on in there. If they're lying dead on the floor or curled in a ball, rocking with the madness of a mind taken over by black magic. We haven't seen them. Something must be going on."

Wyett nodded, as if considering her words. "Perhaps you could push the issue by inviting Queen Sparrow, her bodyguard, and her wizard to meet with you. Certainly, she could not turn down a personal request from you. Not if she truly wants peace, as she's so fond of saying. And if by some fortuitous chance they agree, then his quarters will be empty, and I will be able to search it thoroughly."

"That's not a bad idea. And if Sparrow refuses my request or pushes it off or makes some excuse as to why it can't happen now?"

"She won't, my lady. Not if you tell her what you want to discuss is peace. Refusing to meet with you then would be like admitting she's lied."

Anyka nodded. "Yes. I like that. I like it very much. Get Chyles here. I'll write a letter immediately."

"Yes, my lady." Wyett turned to go.

"Wyett?"

He stopped. "Yes, your highness?"

"When you go into the wizard's room, I want you to take Nazyr with you. I might not be able to use my amulet to help you search, but it seems to me that the next best thing would be the wizard who created that amulet."

Wyett nodded, a faint smile on his mouth. "I should think so, my lady."

"Go, bring Chyles here."

He gave a quick bow and disappeared.

She got up, retrieved a bottle of the purloined blackberry brandy and brought it into the sitting room. As she was pouring herself a glass, Ishmyel came in.

He nodded at her, smiling. "You look well, my darling niece. I've not seen much of you. Been keeping busy with anything interesting?"

She chuckled. "Uncle dear, you have no idea." She poured a second brandy and held it out to him. "Sit. We have much to discuss."

She filled him in on everything that had transpired, from the tracker she'd hired to the source of the brandy he was drinking and the plan to craft a letter to Queen Sparrow.

He laughed. "You never fail to amaze me with your courage and daring. It's no wonder you rule so marvelously."

"You will be with me for the meeting with Sparrow." She downed the last of her brandy and refilled her glass from the bottle that sat on the table between them.

"It would be my honor. Do you really think it will happen?"

Anyka hesitated. "I don't know. She'd be a fool to say no when she cries peace at every opportunity. I would destroy her over that refusal."

"And if she agrees? If the meeting truly does take place?"

Anyka hadn't given that as much thought, but the brandy had stirred up a host of new ideas. "Then I will offer her the peace she so desperately claims to want. I will reopen trade. I will allow Malveaux to return to the ways of old, when there was no animosity between our nations." She smiled slowly. "And all I'll ask in exchange is for Lady Cynzia's grimoire to be returned to its rightful owner. The kingdom of Malveaux."

"Brilliant." Ishmyel lifted his glass in salute. "If she says no to that, she'll have turned down everything she wanted. You make that public, and her people will lose faith in her. They will see her for the charlatan she is. And the citizens of Malveaux will rally behind you like never before. Well done, my lady niece. Well done."

Wyett returned, the scribe Chyles scampering behind him with his portable desk.

Anyka sipped her brandy before glancing at her uncle. "You will help me draft this letter."

He nodded. "I am flattered to be asked."

She pointed at Chyles, then to one of the empty chairs. "Sit."

"Yes, my lady." He went to the chair, sat, and opened his desk, taking out paper, a jar of ink, and a raven's feather pen. He set everything up, then looked at her expectantly. "Ready, my lady."

Anyka had a sip of brandy, then stood. She thought better on her feet. She took a deep breath. "Dear Queen Sparrow. After much reflection and consideration, I believe the time is right for us to meet and discuss our differences. We must…"

She frowned and looked at Ishmyel.

"Find a way to come together for the good of our people?" he offered.

"Yes, I like that." She turned. "Chyles, did you get that?"

He was scribbling away. "Yes, my lady. For the good of our people."

"Very well." She took a few steps. "You have spoken of peace so often that even I have begun to wonder if it might be possible. I hope it is. A return to peace would be greatly beneficial for both our kingdoms."

Inspiration struck her. "What better way to show our citizens what can be achieved than by the two of us sitting down and …" She looked at Ishmyel again.

"Finding our way to that peace?"

"Yes, good. Chyles?"

"Got it, my lady."

Anyka paced a few more steps, shaking her head. "I need something more. Something that might be interpreted as a threat, but just a hint of one."

Wyett cleared his throat. "Perhaps something along the lines of, ‘If this meeting is not of interest to you, I will understand that your goals for Summerton are not as I believed, and I will therefore take whatever actions I deem necessary to protect Malveaux and her citizens.'"

Anyka smiled and nodded at Wyett. "Did you get that Chyles? Word for word. Make it so."

He wrote furiously, the tip of his tongue sticking out between his teeth. "I've got it all, my lady."

She walked over to him, read through it, then scrawled her name across the bottom. Once it was dry, Chyles folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope, dripped wax onto the seal, and pressed his official royal stamp into the wax, leaving Anyka's mark behind.

"Get that delivered." She held out her hand to Galwyn, who hopped onto her arm. "Then we shall know exactly what our next move is."