Page 120 of Somber Prince
The camel came to a stop, and I gripped Rha’s hand, anxiety surging inside me.
He remained calm, visually at least. “My Joy Vessels are my responsibility. I should’ve known what was happening in my own sarai. The blame for their loss falls on me.”
Dread chilled my insides.
“Is the queen going to punish you, then?”
The dark fabric was yanked up, revealing a spacious court in front of a metal gate. The golden filigree of the gate created a pattern of a honeycomb inlaid with tiny figurines of honeybees in a regular pattern.
Guards in black-and-gold uniforms lined up in two rows, creating a corridor between the gates and our camel. One of the guards stood on the ladder of our seat, holding up the fabric.
“Welcome, Your Highness,” he said in a respectful but somber tone.
“Greetings, General Tanari,” Rha replied. “It’s good to see you again.”
The general climbed down the ladder, allowing Rha and me to do the same.
“Queen Abeille wishes to see you immediately,” the general informed Rha.
I hoped we’d get to wash the sand off and change into some clean clothes before the royal audience. But apparently the queen, who hadn’t seen her son for years, was suddenly too impatient to reunite with him.
Rha didn’t question her wishes. Or maybe he knew he had no choice. With a nod, he took my hand, then followed the general down the corridor formed by the guards.
The gates opened as we approached, and General Tanari led us into the great hall of a grand palace. Intricate, gold, white, and, green mosaics decorated the floor. Columns of golden filigree supported the arched ceiling that shone with a warm yellow light.
A figure appeared, moving toward us, as if darkness solidified into the figure of the princess in front of our eyes.
“Welcome to Kalmena, my prince.” Alzali bowed gracefully, swaying the delicate golden chains in her ears.
Her tone and gestures remained perfectly respectful, but something about her rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was the flawless precision with which she always followed the etiquette in my presence. Everything about her just seemed so perfect. It gave me a feeling that something had to be fake.
I gripped Rha’s hand tighter, shifting closer to him.
“Follow me.” Alzali headed toward a wide arch between two columns to the left of the hall. When Rha and I moved to follow her, however, she whipped back. “Just you, Your Highness. Not the Joy Vessel.”
Alarm shot through me. Rha appeared calm, however, holding my hand tightly.
“Dawn is with me. She goes where I go.”
Alzali tilted her head.
“I’m afraid the queen’s order was to bring you alone. Do you dare defy the order of Queen Abeille?” she asked softly, her voice coaxing the answer she longed to hear.
“Dawn will stay with me,” Rha repeated firmly.
Satisfaction spread across his cousin’s face. “Very well then.”
She gave a signal, and a guard placed a hand on my shoulder. “You’ll come with me, Sweet One.”
“Get your hands off her,” Rha hissed. Grabbing me around my waist, he snatched me out of the guard’s reach. “Or I’ll cut them off.” In one smooth movement, he slid the guard’s sword out of its sheath.
I gasped, and he quickly stepped back, pushing me behind him, the sword raised in his hand to meet the guards.
The swishing of blades being drawn filled the hall. Alzali stepped back, folding her arms across her chest. She looked like she’d gotten exactly what she wanted.
Dread descended upon me, pressing heavily on my chest.
A guard lunged in an attack on Rha. He easily deflected it, but two more guards leaped at him from the side. He pivoted around to meet them. His exposed tendrils fanned out in a spin around him. With them disabled by the iron clips, he couldn’t even use his magic to disperse into shadow.