Chapter 118
CAMILLA’S P.O.V
We were on edge after that because it meant that someone was onto our plan but whoever it was didn’t come around us again. It was almost like they were trying to be careful so as not to draw more attention to themselves. By the next morning, we still weren’t any
closer to finding out who they were but I was excited because the team that went out to find the night lock were supposed to be returning any day from now. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use it on Alastair but it felt good to know that we had a backup plan if need be. I knew Ryker didn’t feel the same way, he wanted to get rid of Alastair as soon and as quietly as possible.
We were at breakfast getting Audrey ready for her first day when they returned. I was itching to see the infamous plant that could incapacitate someone as powerful as Alastair but my daughter was more important. She was terrified about her first day and hadn’t stopped gripping onto mine and Ryker’s hands for dear life. We took the carriage to the school and I could see her bouncing her feet anxiously. I could tell that if given the opportunity, she was going to sprint the other way without looking back.
“Everything will be fine,” I dropped my voice to a whisper and she looked up at me with wide and hopeful eyes. “I promise you, this will be the best time of your life and you are going to love it.”
“Are you sure?” she asked and I nodded. She still looked a little hesitant but at least she had stopped bouncing her feet. “Will you come get me after school?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart, if we are busy, we might have to send some guards to get you but we will be waiting for you at home if that is anything. We will be counting down the moments until you get back.”
She didn’t seem happy about it but she nodded. Once we got to the school, there were other students going in at the same time. Some arrived in carriages just like us but others were simply walking in. Ryker helped Audrey out and she looked so small and timid. I was unsure of what else I could say to make her feel better when a little girl walked up to us. She was in the grey uniform that everyone else was wearing. Audrey got hers last night because we were adamant that she doesn’t stand out from the crowd so as not to make her first day awkward.
“Hi, are you new?” the little girl asked and Audrey nodded slowly. “My name is Maya, do you want to come in with me?”
She was a beautiful girl with blond pigtails and bright blue eyes. Audrey hesitated before nodding and taking her outstretched hand.
“My name is Audrey,” she said slowly and Maya beamed wide enough to rival the sun.
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“You’re really pretty.”
“You’re really pretty too, come on, I’ll show you all my favorite places.”
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That seemed to calm Audrey down because she smiled. She waved to us and I watched as she disappeared into the building. Tears burned the back of my eyes and I blinked rapidly to prevent them from falling. It was one thing to know that your child was all grown up but it was another thing to see it and I was seeing it in person. Ryker kept a hand at the small of my back and ushered me back into the carriage. I could tell that he was just as emotional as I was but he was better off at hiding it.
“She will be fine,” he assured me. “There is no better place for her than here.”
When we got back to the palace, I had to push aside all my emotions to focus on what was happening. The guards along with Steven and Kevin were in the training room. They looked exhausted but at least they had changed out of their gear. As soon as they saw us, they got to their feet and bowed.
“How was the journey?” I asked and Steven sighed deeply.
“It was tough but we got it. The mountain was nothing like we had expected. We lost someone on the trail, there was a landslide and he got caught in it,” he reached into his pocket and brought out a carefully wrapped package.
I gingerly took it from him and opened it slowly. It was much smaller than I had imagined and I wondered how you could get someone like Alastair to take that. I decided that it would be a problem for another day and wrapped it back up. Steven was looking at me with anticipation as if wanting to know if he had done correctly so I smiled.
“Thank you, all of you. You have been a great help,” his shoulders sagged in relief and I turned to Ryker. He seemed to get the hint so he thanked them too and we walked out together. As soon as we were out, I started speaking. “What do you think?”
“Obviously he can’t eat it like that, he would never agree. The question is, how did your father manage to get him to ingest it? Did he make it into a powder and throw it on him. Did he incapacitate him first and then force feed it to him?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I don’t really know about the plant and its properties. It could be possible that my father ate it himself and then got Alastair to bite him thereby transferring it but I don’t even know if that would work.”
“It is a good place to start, the question that remains is where do we keep this? We already know that someone is watching us.”
I was about to answer when I noticed someone walking behind us. I jumped slightly then let out a sigh of relief once I realized that it was Christine. She raised a brow at my
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panic.
“If you don’t want people listening in, then you shouldn’t have conversations in public,” she grabbed my arm and pulled me into the nearest room which so happened to be the dining room. “Now, what is it about ingesting that I am hearing?”
We explained everything that we had been up to lately and if she was upset for not being included, she didn’t let it show. She just listened intently and by the time we were done, she let out a deep sigh.
“I think your idea seems the most probable,” she said to me. “There is no guarantee that we will be able to incapacitate him long enough to feed it to him by force, but, do you even want to do this, Camilla?”
“What do you mean?” I asked and she shot me a bland look.
“When you spoke about it, you sounded weird, almost as if you weren’t fully into it. I’m not trying to put you on the spot but, I mean-”
“It doesn’t matter, okay? I just sometimes feel bad for him because he is as much a victim as we are,” I said slowly and I felt Ryker tense beside me. “I am not condoning the things he did and I understand that he needs to be punished for his actions but I can feel that and also feel pity for who he was and what was done to him before. Two things can be right at the same time.”
Ryker wanted to respond but was stopped from doing so when the door creaked open and Alara walked in slowly. She had her head bent low and she was wringing her fingers. At first, I thought something was wrong but then she started speaking.
“I know I shouldn’t have been listening,” she began slowly, “but I heard you talking about him and I just, I’m sorry for eavesdropping.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I gestured for her to come closer.
“I want to help, in any way that you will have me. He ruined my entire life, he took away my childhood and everything that I know. I don’t want to just sit here and wait for him to be caught. I want to be useful and I know I’m just a random girl from the town and I probably don’t have any skills but I would like to help.”
I glanced over at Ryker because I was unsure of what to say. There was truly nothing she could do to help. I didn’t want anyone digging into my father’s things and unless she could go out with the guards then she was better off in the palace than helping. I shot Ryker a ‘help me’ look and he sighed.
“Alara, I understand, but the best thing you can do is to stay safe.”
“No, you don’t understand, your majesty,” she shot back. “That house was all I had left
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of my parents. It was everything to me and he took it. I have nothing left of my family. Please, I will do anything.”
She dropped to her knees and I saw fresh tears in her eyes. I glanced over at Christine who I could see was also moved by her. Maybe it was because she had also lost her parents but we understood her pain and at least I was able to get rid of the person who killed my mother, she wouldn’t get that privilege. Ryker glanced over at us and I nodded.
“Okay,” he said finally and I saw her eyes widen in shock. “There isn’t much that you can do here but there is a guard, Steven, and I am sure he would be more than happy to train you. I will not be putting you out on the front lines but you will be learning how to protect yourself. Is that okay?”
She nodded and I watched as she launched herself into Ryker’s arms. He stiffened and cleared his throat and she immediately pulled away. “I apologize, your majesty, thank you, I won’t let down.”
you
GIFT
