Chapter 220

Eli was the last to make it back to Kit’s chambers after everyone’s tasks were complete. He came through the door in the wall and was instantly relieved to see everyone else had made it back safely. Seph in particular had worried him, not that anyone’s responsibilities had gone without danger.

“Eli!” Cassius shout-whispered as Eli closed the door and secured it. “Did you find her? Where’s Kit?”

“I did. She’s in the East Tower, just as we suspected.”

“How is she? Is she all right?” Jate stepped forward so that now Eli had two Representatives in his face.

“She’s as well as can be expected. Anxious, maybe a little bored, but otherwise unharmed.”

“You spoke to her?” Now Danyen managed to edge his way between the other two.

“I did. I spent a bit of time with her.”

“Inside of the tower? Why didn’t you bring her back with you?” Cassius’s tone conveyed confusion and anger, and Eli didn’t care for the fact that the much larger man was standing so closely when he asked the question in such a way.

“I couldn’t. If I were to break her out now, Rona would know for certain, and we’d have to act. I wasn’t even sure if Seph had managed to raise the signal.”

“We could’ve hidden her, the way we’ve hidden you,” Jate suggested.

Eli hadn’t needed any help keeping himself secure within the castle walls, but he didn’t bother to make such a statement when they were clearly upset. “I have a feeling Rona will release her soon enough.” He worked his way between Jate and the wall to an area of the room where he thought he could breathe, so long as they didn’t turn and close in on him again. While their astonished faces did follow, their feet did not.

“I thought your purpose was to free her,” Cassius said.

“Yes, well, I suppose you misunderstood then.”

The Representative from Warchester Keep ran a hand through his unruly hair. “All right then. What now? We just rest on our haunches and wait for our saviors to ride in from Eastbury?”

“That all depends upon what you’ve discovered.” Turning to Avinia, he asked, “Did you manage to procure any evidence from the locked room?”

Rather than answer, she stood, crossed to Kit’s dresser, loosened one of the panels in the back, and drew out a few pieces of parchment, handing them to Eli.

It only took a moment for him to determine what he was looking at. A letter from the woman who claimed to have a right to the throne, thanking Rona for her monthly payment, as well as an invoice of items sent to several neighboring countries, including food stuffs, gold, and weaponry. It bore the queen’s seal at the bottom, so she had to have seen it.

“Is that enough to convince the council?” Isla asked from where she sat perched on the end of Kit’s bed.

“I believe so. We need to make sure we can produce these when the moment presents itself but that they are safe.”

Avinia stuck out her hand and folded the documents, sticking them into the bosom of her gown, and Eli agreed that should do. “We would’ve gotten more, but we ran out of time. There were other documents stored there, as well as enough gold to take care of the starvation and shelter problems in all of the realm.”

Eli shook his head, though it wasn’t out of disbelief. How could a ruler demand so much of her people?

“So... what’s the plan now?” Cassius wanted to know. “Can we free Kit and then take these papers to the council?”

“Are you prepared to battle your way through the Queen’s Guard and possibly the military?” Eli asked in return.

“If I must.”

“We’ll need to wait for the others.” Danyen was much more practical. “We are outnumbered severely at the moment. Even if every Representative and the Princess’s Guard took up arms, we couldn’t defeat all of them.”

“How many of the military do you think will side with us?” Jate asked, looking directly at Eli.

“It’s hard to say. I would count on none.”

“And how many are stationed here?” Cassius inquired.

“It varies, but if I had to guess, I’d say around five hundred at the moment. There’s no need for Rona to keep an expansive army, particularly this far into the interior or Yewforia. The only real challenges she faces are from her own citizens.”

“I suppose bribery will do that for you,” Seph muttered.

“How was your adventure?” Eli asked her, assuming it couldn’t have been easy.

“A challenge, to say the least. But I managed. No one saw me.”

“And what did you do with the flag?”

Before she even answered, all three of the ladies began to giggle. “I hid it in the jerkin of a sleeping guard.”

“He’ll have an unpleasant awakening if any of his counterparts see it before he does.” Isla giggled as she spoke.

“What now?” Cassius asked again, his voice calmer but still anxious.

“Honestly, I think it would be best if we got a few hours of sleep. Then, we shall see what Rona has in store for the princess today. If she releases her, we can discuss the options with Kit and let her help us decide what to do.”

“Will the Eastbury civilians storm the castle upon arrival?” Seph asked.

“Possibly. In which case, we will have to move to action. But it will take them hours to get here, even if they saw the signal right away.”

“I thought they were close by.” Avinia adjusted on the stool she’d plunked down on after hiding the papers.

“They are near, but they will need to organize. I don’t think we’ll see them until evening at best.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t an emergency.” Jate’s comment may have been sarcasm, though judging by his tone, Eli wasn’t quite sure.

“You honestly expect us to sleep at a time like this?” Cassius had his arms folded in defiance.

“Sleep. Don’t sleep. It’s up to you. But Kit is safe for the moment, and while I am used to living off of three or four hours of rest at best, I don’t think most of you are.” Even as he spoke, Jate yawned, which caused Isla to do so as well.

Cassius wasn’t happy, but he mumbled a few words before heading out the door, and the other Representatives soon followed. Danyen said he would meet with Drake, Reeve, and Landon to fill them in before he headed to his room.

“And what do you plan to do?” Seph asked Eli. “I overheard members of the Queen’s Guard bragging about how you were dead.”

“I guess I’ll stay that way, then.”

“If anyone sees you, you will be.” Avinia’s seriousness was obvious in her expression and her tone.

“Then no one had better see me.”

“How many of the Prison Guards already have?” Isla asked.

“Three, I think.”

“And you trust them?” Avinia slid to the edge of the stool.

“I do.”

“Then... why not take Kit’s bed and catch a few winks yourself? You will be better able to lead us if you’re well rested.”

“I thought you were leading us,” he said back to the princess’s cousin.

Avinia laughed. “No one else seems to think so.”

“They will just have to wrap their minds around it. Do you disagree with anything I said?”

“Not at all. In fact, I think you’re spot on, and Cassius needs to settle down. If I take this evidence to Grandmother and the other council members now, we’ll all be in danger, and they won’t have a chance to act upon it. No, it must be upheaval first, and then evidence. And the only way we win the revolution is with more bodies and the element of surprise.”

“But do we even have enough reinforcements coming from Eastbury?” Seph asked. “How large is the force?”

“They will gather more support from other provinces,” Isla explained. “They may not all arrive at the same time, but our numbers overall should rival what the queen has on-hand, even if none of the military joins us, though I think some will.”

“If the Eastburians get the signal and manages to send out messengers,” Avinia reminded her. “No, I certainly think it is best to stay still for now and see what happens. And I do agree that Rona will not be able to keep Katrinetta under lock and key for much longer. I know that the council is already demanding the princess be set free. Rona attempted to convince them that the princess agreed to the ‘safe-keeping,’ but that will only buy her today at best.”

Eli nodded and tried not to yawn. “Some may not like the answer of wait and see, but in this case, it is all we can do.”

“You should rest.” Avinia motioned for the other two ladies to leave the room, and they both stood.

“I just have one more question,” Seph said, looking at all three of the others as she spoke. “When the revolt happens, is our objective to simply displace the queen, or do we aim to end her?”

They all exchanged glances, but no one was confident enough to speak. Eli couldn’t imagine killing Kit’s mother, no matter how evil she had always been, but then, would there be another way?

“Whatever we need to do,” Avinia said, her voice sounding more confident than her previous expression had been.

Seph nodded, and the three left the room, leaving Eli alone in Kit’s bed with his memories and a thousand endless thoughts.