Chapter 18: Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

Queen Loses It Amid Foiled Assassination Attempt.

Uh! I don't know why I read that gazette. Surely, the writer could understood the seriousness of the matter and shown some compassion. What would he have done if he were in my shoes that horrible evening?

"Rag!" I said, balling the paper up.

"I told you not to read that," Jericha said. She really shouldn't be up and about; not after what she's been through. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, of course," I said, following her out of my chambers.

She walked much slower than usual. Her wounds must not be fully healed enough. She should be in bed. "Someone else can do this, can't they?"

No response. She just kept walking. Whenever Jericha Fairchild kept silent, you'd better watch out. "Have you heard from Breuke yet?"

"No." One word reply; surely, she was furious.

"It's been a few days. Did they find anything in the ashes? Like remains, or..."

"No remains. No rune. He wasn't in the fire."

"Are you certain?"

"Very."

"I hope you're right." Or I'm going to drop this charade and go home! If she had told me some fire starter was out to kill the queen, I would have never agreed to this! And now it's just her versus this guy? With her wounds, she wouldn't last very long. I might need to get out of here while I can!

We must have passed thirty rooms, walked up two flights of stairs, and encountered numerous servants wishing Jericha well. I don't think she gave any of them a glance. It wasn't until we met Colonel Grant did she stop. Finally! Felt like I just climbed a mountain!

"How is she?" she asked him.

"Well enough," he replied.

"Is she talking?" Jericha asked.

Grant shook his head. "She's been crying her eyes out the whole time."

"I'll give her something to cry over," Jericha said. We followed her into a small, lightly furnished room. Gloria was seated in a chair in the middle of the room doing exactly what the Colonel said she was.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. "They made me do it!"

Ah, the poor thing...

"Cry me a damn ocean!" Jericha exclaimed, slapping Gloria across the face so hard, I could feel it myself. "Where's Sisten!?"

"Th..they came into our house...! They told me to come here..or..or..!"

Jericha let her have it again. Ouch! That one left a mark! "Where's Sisten?!!"

"I don't know where he is!!!!"

"LIAR!" Jericha said, ready to give Gloria another whopper when Grant intervened.

"Jericha, control yourself!" he urged.

"Have I killed yet?!"

"Think about Katherine, would you? This is her sister!"

A hush fell over the room. Jericha kept her hands clenched but I could tell she was a tad bit calmer. I think.

"Who put you up to this, Gloria?" Grant asked.

Gloria wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "Those...those men from the Ozarks. I.. tried to tell her about them..but...I guess she didn't hear me...."

"Me?" I asked, pointing at myself for clarification. "When?"

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"The other day. In the dining room.."

"Oh..." She's right. I wasn't listening. "Wait. So, you know I'm not the queen?"

Gloria nodded. Huh?! And I thought I had her fooled. She was fooling me!

"You set us up that evening, didn't you?" asked Jericha.

"I had to! They tortured Dole and...and...told me to do what they said or...or they were going to kill him. "

"What else did they tell you?" inquired Grant.

Tears swelled up in her eyes again. She really needed a hug. "That..Katherine was dead. The queen was a fake. She and..her guardians had to die, too."

"Breuke was in that burning building," Jericha deduced. "That was Sisten's doing, wasn't it!?"

"I don't...I don't know. They didn't tell me what they were going to do!"

Jericha stormed out of the room and I was right behind her. She was the only one capable of protecting me from that mad man!

"Hold on a second, Jericha!" called Grant.

"This has gone on long enough!" she said. "I'm sending Miriam someplace safe then I'm going to find Sisten!"

"Don't be a fool. He'll have no trouble besting you with your wounds!"

"What else can I do, Grant? He has to be stopped!"

"I'm sending some men to Gloria's residence with orders to take down the ones responsible for this on sight. "

"Won't they kill her husband if you do that?" I questioned.

"You and I both know the poor soul is dead already. Now, we need to think clearly before we make a move on Sisten. He was a Royal Guard. He knows us, the military, you, Breuke, and how we would respond to a situation like this. We're down a rune bearer, right now. We can't afford to lose our last."

"Excuse me, sir, Lady Jericha, Your Highness," a servant said. "Uhm..there's someone wanting to apply for the tourney. I told her that, given recent events, I wasn't sure if it was still happening. "

"Take me to her," Jericha commanded.

"Yes, ma'am."

Wait for me Jericha!

"Jericha!" She walked much faster as we descended the stairs. I almost couldn't keep up! "You said something about sending me somewhere safe?"

Before I could get a response from her, the servant approached us and introduced us to a tall, able bodied woman named Amara. Did everyone in these parts eat leaves for breakfast? Oh! I didn't even notice the little one behind her.

"Your Majesty," she said respectfully.

"Forget it," Jericha said. "She's not the real queen." What???

"You're telling everyone now?!"

"Come with me, Amara. The child stays with a servant. They'll show him to your rooms."

"Ah..ok," Amara said. "I'll be right back, D.J."

And off she went again; this time to the maze garden. At Least it wasn't a long walk this time. Huh? Did it get cold all of a sudden?

"We're in the middle of a situation, Amara. The crown needs all the manpower it can get right now. Which is why you're skipping the tourney."

"Skipping?"

I nearly jumped out of my dress when a portion of the hedge moved like a door. Jericha led us into an ice cold chamber..?! Why didn't she prepare me for this?! I need a coat! I'll freeze to death in here! Someone was waiting. He was better dressed for this place than we were.

Jericha didn't seem to mind the temperature, though. "Renfore, I brought you a shell."

"The red head or the brunette?" he pondered.

"What's going on here? Why've you brought me to this, Jericha?"

"I told you, Amara, we need the manpower. And by the looks of you, I'd say you were capable of handling a Rebirth."

"Let me explain," I intervened, trying to no avail to stop my teeth from chattering. "There's this ex-Royal Guard causing problems, burning buildings, threatening the crown; he's insane. Jericha wants you to help end his insanity as soon as possible, so I can sleep better at night."

"Ex-Royal Guard? Was he the one with the fire rune, by any chance?"

"You've met him before?" Jericha said.

"Indirectly."

"We can find someone else to harbor the ice rune's power, if you have any objections," Jericha offered.

"Oh, no. Trust me, I have zero reasons not to be here right now."

"Okay then. Renfore, get started."

"Yes ma'am!"

He sounded as excited as a child getting a new toy. "Can we go back to the estate now, before I freeze to death in here?"

"Right," Jericha agreed. After leaving the underground ice box she turned to me and offered an apology. "I shouldn't have gotten you mixed up in all of this."

That caught me off guard. I was tongue tied. Jericha? Apologetic? "You're my friend. I'd do anything for you."

"You can leave if you want to. I know of a few hideouts where you should be safe."

'Should be' didn't sound very assuring.. "What are you going to do?"

"We're going through with the tourney and the statue unveiling. When Sisten shows up, we'll be ready for him."

She sounded certain that he would be there. Perhaps he will; I don't know.

Whether he does or doesn't, I don't think I'm sticking around to find out.

I made haste to my chambers, anxious to pack up the few belongings I owned. The sweet crispy chocolates that awaited me back home encouraged me to move faster. But I froze in place when I heard someone speak my name very softly. The hairs stood up on my neck. I turned around and caught my breath!

“It’s...it’s you..!”