The Captive Twin (Principality Book 2) Page 10

  “How is it that you float above the floor like a spirit?”

  “Calm down and I will explain. If I’m a spirit, I can’t harm you, right?” Elaina said.

  “Aaaaah! Come no closer! Back!” shouted the captive twin. Elaina willed herself to move backward, and this time it worked. This helped her look many degrees less intimidating. After a silence that was trying for both young ladies, Eleonora said, in a whisper: “Are you my own spirit? What is this trickery?”

  “No.”

  “How is it that you look like me? Ah, but no child! It’s a premonition—I’m to lose my child!”

  “Calm down. I’m not you, Eleonora. I’m your sister.”

  “Madness! I have no sister.”

  “Not that you ever knew about, perhaps,” Elaina said.

  “What madness! Oh…why, why, why?”

  “I wanted to contact you,” Elaina explained, “but I had no idea that I would, or even that I could, appear to you like this. I’m a human, Eleonora. I’m alive, and my body is elsewhere. Please don’t be scared. I’ll stay back while you catch your breath.”

  “Please, go away,” Eleonora said. Wake up, Eleonora! You’re dreaming! Wake…up! she commanded herself.

  “I can help you.”

  “Go away.”

  Elaina was really starting to worry that her sister’s agitation would affect the unborn child. “Very well,” she said. “My name is Elaina. And I would very much like to help you get out of this cell. When you’ve decided that you’re not asleep, and not mad, please call out to me in your mind.”

  Elaina closed her spirit eyes and willed herself all the way back to her body. From Eleonora’s perspective, Elaina’s ghost twisted and disappeared like a flame being blown out.

  Shaking, Eleonora sidled up to the stiff corpse of her husband and wept.

  A few minutes later, someone threw down a large cloth bundle tied with string. “Who’s there?” she called out. She thought she heard a few whispers, but then nothing after that.

  She untied and unwrapped the bundle. Inside were a roasted lamb leg—still warm—and a skin of water.

  Elaina’s soul became complete once more at Black Tube Caves. Alessa was in a deep trance, so Elaina waited and pondered all she had just been through. Seeing her mother had been amazing! And learning she would see her again! Elaina still had so many questions…

  Alessa’s breathing pattern changed, and she came into herself. “Oh, hi there, sweetie,” she said. “Sorry about that. I was…well, it’s hard to explain. Did you find your sister?”

  “I did, but I think I almost stopped her heart. She was in such a panic, I couldn’t stay. She’d never seen a spirit before.”

  “You actually appeared to her? That’s really rare.”

  “Alessa, she looks just like me, except…that she’s pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?”

  “And very far along.”

  “Like ‘any day now’ pregnant?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is bad,” Alessa said. “How did you figure out how to appear to her?”

  “My mother helped me.”

  Alessa’s face lit up. “What? You saw your mother?”

  “I did! That’s why the divine spirit was calling me through the archway. I…spent time with my mother. She told me so much—gosh, I need to remember it all.”

  Alessa’s eyes started glistening with tears—she was so excited. “My two favorite people, you and Andienna, reunited! Maybe next time I can come along.”

  “She’s really young. It’s so strange.”

  “I imagine it would be,” Alessa said. “What did she say?”

  And Elaina told her everything.

  Eleonora decided she would look upon her husband’s face for the last time. He still looked like he was just asleep, and that was how she wanted to remember him. She covered his head with the end of his own cloak and kissed the top of his head through the fabric.

  She hadn’t been able to remove his cloak properly; she had tried to get it out from under him, but his body moved in such a stiff, unnatural way, she had been terrified that he would fall over into some grotesque, tangled posture. It was bad enough that soon his body would decompose. No, she would leave him just the way he was, and hopefully someone would come soon to lift them both out of the pit.

  Eleonora stood and peered up through the hole in the ceiling—her only window to the real world. Surely, someone had to be along soon to rescue her, she thought. A princess—abducted! The entire kingdom of Destauria had to be mobilized searching for her.

  The night sky was clear; the air filtering down from outside felt bitterly cold and dry. She figured she had to be somewhere in Destauria’s desert southeast, far from the war front.

  She took a walk around her spacious cell just to make sure she wasn’t overlooking any obvious way out. It was easier for her to see the interior of the cell at night, when her eyes didn’t need to reconcile a shaft of bright sunlight with the shadows. The walls of the cell were slippery-smooth, making climbing them out of the question.

  She thought about stringing the blankets together into a rope, and tossing the rope out through the opening in hopes it would snag on something. Ignorance! she thought. Of course there’s someone on guard up there. But would she be a fool not to try? Maybe she would try if this dragged on much longer.

  In the absence of anything better to do with her time, she made a better bed for herself from the blankets. She lay down and tapped an old lullaby on the floor with the lamb bone. She thought again about Elaina’s visit, and grew angry that not only had her husband and her freedom been taken from her, now her mind was being affected with madness. Her rescue couldn’t come soon enough.

  No more ghostly sisters popped out of thin air. Feeling an odd peace, Eleonora slipped back to sleep.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  S hadows leaned and twitched on the rock walls when Elaina stepped into Jaimin’s chamber with her lamp. He opened his eyes halfway. She set down her lamp and started to leave.

  Hey, I’m awake, he said in his mind.

  I’ll be right back, she answered.

  He lifted his head, and it swam. Flop! He dropped his nose back down onto his standard-issue pillow. Not even a good night’s sleep could remedy the fatigue of a week spent sharpening swords and arrows. Elaina knew he was beat. She would try to help.

  She returned, pushing a steel surgical cart on which she had set out an elaborate breakfast. Shaking off the vertigo, Jaimin sat up to see what his love had in store for him. On a porcelain plate, tiny boiled potatoes were arranged in a straight line, cracked open, steaming, and drizzled with a creamy herb sauce. Beside the potatoes, tender strips of baked resran were draped crosswise with braised sorrel. On a large side plate, three hard-boiled eggs powdered with a rust-colored spice wobbled among meticulously arranged swirls of cubed wild mushrooms. There was a glass of milk, and a goblet of nectar. Elaina had even managed to craft scones from the oats in the stockpile, and she’d set these on a third plate, capping them with butter and jam.

  At the sight of the feast, Jaimin’s soul was renewed. “This is amazing. And where did you get the eggs?” he asked.

  “I brought them from Audicia.”

  “You carried eggs an entire afternoon through a snowstorm?”

  “Well, I suspected you were tiring of the dried beef strips. It wasn’t a big deal. I packed them in a sack of wood shavings. They almost broke once, but I got lucky.”

  “I’m terribly impressed,” he said. “You don’t have to treat me so well, you know. Especially with all that’s going on.”

  “Please. I enjoy it,” she said. “Now eat up. The potatoes are going to get cold.” She pulled a chair close to him and sat.

  Jaimin ate slowly so he could relish every mouthful. “You must have driven the cooks crazy trying to come up with all these ingredients,” he said.

  “Some of the spices I brought from Audicia,” she said. “But the cooks were a big help
. And they got some eggs out of the deal. What's on your schedule today?”

  “Mostly the same as yesterday. I need to sharpen as many arrows and swords as I can before the counterstrike. Make a few important decisions in between naps.”

  “Are you learning more about what it is to lead?” she asked.

  “I think so. When I led the rescue of the children, and everyone was looking to me, I felt a certain…confidence. I want to nurture that feeling. But giving the big orders, making the battle plans: that’s still something my mother, Nastasha, and the generals are handling.”

  “You don’t need to be a military leader to be king,” she said. “You can let others handle the strategy and still be an effective ruler.”

  “You think so?” he asked.

  “Sure, why not? As for me, I think I felt the same confidence you described when I was greeting the Celmarean survivors. I tried to see myself as their leader—their princess. And in their hearts they really responded to this.”

  “Then it sounds like we’re making progress. I just hated being so far away from you. Let’s not let that happen again.”

  “I hated it too, but you know we’re never really apart.”

  “I know.”

  Elaina filled Jaimin in on her exciting encounters with her mother and sister the night before. After he ate, the young couple shared a satisfying string of gentle kisses. She helped him shave and wash up over a copper basin, and he headed off for his morning briefing with Nastasha.

  On his way, Tori intercepted him. Princess Tori, Jaimin’s five-year-old sister, had insisted on braving the slippery passage that led down from Three Falls Caves. Sylvia, Jaimin’s friend and classmate, stood by as her chaperone. Tori latched on to her brother and wouldn’t let go. “Hi, Jaimin,” said the princess.

  “Hi big girl,” Jaimin said. “Are you taking care of things for me?”

  “I’m having fun,” she said. “Tending to babies is a lot of work. And I miss Mama. Where is she?”

  “She’s staying with the Audicians for a few more days. Their army is going to help us win this war and get our home back.”

  “Can I help too?”

  “You are,” Jaimin said. “Fighting is just one of the important jobs in a war. Another one is taking care of the small children. Your job is just as important as mine.”

  “Well, you hurry up with yours. I miss my room.”

  “It won’t be much longer now,” Jaimin said.

  “Where’s Elaina? Where’s Alessa?”

  “They should be in their room back that way. You go on and say ‘hi’ to them. I’ll catch up with you at lunchtime.”

  When Tori and Sylvia entered Alessa and Elaina’s room, there were hugs all around. But Tori soon addressed Alessa sternly: “It’s been a while since I’ve had a briefing on the war,” she said.

  “What would you like to know, sweetie?” Alessa asked.

  “Everything! How am I supposed to do my duty as a princess if nobody tells me anything?”

  Tori was right. Not only were the two older princesses obligated by Celmarean custom to fill Tori in on every detail, they were also required to consider her opinion and recommendations.

  Sylvia stepped out to give them privacy, and Alessa and Elaina briefed the little princess, not only on what the Arran and Audician armies were planning, but on Eleonora’s predicament as well.

  Tori took it all in coolly. “Well, my sisters,” she said, “I agree with your plans. Look, I’ll head back to Three Falls in the afternoon because that’s where I’m needed the most.”

  “We love you,” Alessa told her. “Be safe.” Tori gave her and Elaina enormous hugs before leaving.

  ______

  Under guard, Elaina visited the entrance of Black Tube Caves to get some fresh air, and to feel the sun on her face once again. The forest floor was covered deeply in sparking white powder, seemingly held down by a net of blue tree-shadows. She listened for any hint of battle in the air and heard nothing. By tomorrow, the Audician army will be right here, joined with our own, she thought to herself. She was called back inside to tend to a soldier who had developed a life-threatening lung infection.

  After lunch, Elaina, Alessa, Sylvia and Tori, under escort, ascended the slippery, newly-discovered passage to Three Falls Caves.

  When they arrived in the expansive main chamber at Three Falls Caves, they found the court survivors assembled in a convocation, amusing themselves with a skit. Tori and Sylvia joined the audience, while Alessa and Elaina bypassed the group and proceeded toward the “barn cave.” There they found Elaina’s mare Nightmare and Alessa’s stallion Tyrant freshly brushed and washed. Elaina fed Nightmare a carrot, and then hopped up onto her back and gave her a firm hug. “I’m sorry we’ve been gone so long,” Elaina said to her mare.

  Elaina and Alessa hadn’t noticed a soldier who had been pouring grain at the back of the cave. He greeted them, and bowed low. “They look wonderful,” Alessa told him. “Thank you for your service.”

  “It’s an honor,” said the young private. “I wish we could give them more exercise.”

  “They’ll get plenty soon enough,” Alessa said.

  “Please say if there is something more we can do to care for them,” the soldier said.

  “Just keep them safe,” Alessa told him.

  ______

  “Look, we have this whole cave to ourselves, and it’s perfect for Edgy Gander,” Tori said.

  Tori’s two guests, seven-year-old twins Thalia and Erika, looked to each other with eyebrows raised. “We’d rather play Tins of Butter,” Thalia told the princess.

  The skit had ended, and Sylvia had briefly left the three children in the smaller cavern where the royal family had first camped after the invasion.

  “I suppose you think since there’s two of you, we’ll play what you want,” Tori said.

  “Well, yeah.” Erika said.

  “Yeah? Well, I’m the princess, and I get three votes. The choice is mine.”

  Thalia looked at her sister again, and then stood up. “I’ve…uh…changed my mind. I don’t think I want to play anything.”

  “Yeah, me neither,” said Erika, getting up.

  “Sit your butts down!” Tori yelled.

  “I think she’s upset ‘cause her father died,” Thalia said softly to her sister.

  “Well, ours did too,” said Erika.

  Tori’s fists were clenched tight now. How dare they mention daddy! Her eyes darted from girl to girl. “By order of the princess,” she said, “I want you outside this room now. Face the wall for twenty minutes.”

  “You’re crazy,” Erika said.

  “Now!” Tori screamed, so loudly that both girls jumped.

  Alessa and Elaina came down the lava tube several minutes later, and asked the twins what they were doing staring at the wall. They told her everything. Next, Alessa and Elaina sought out Tori, who was weeping into a pillow on one of the cots.

  Elaina quietly sat next to her, startling her. She hopped up, and, seeing her fellow princesses, tried to quickly clear her face of tears. “What happened, sweetheart?” Elaina asked.

  “Nothing. Wha…what do you mean?”

  “There are two girls out there staring at the rock,” Elaina said.

  “Uhm… Did you talk to them? Did you tell them they could stop?” Tori asked.

  “No,” Elaina said. “An order is an order. But…I’m just wondering…how did that order help Arra? How is it helping us win the war?”

  “I…they…” Tori had nothing to say. “Oh, please forgive me sisters!”

  “Come here.” Elaina received Tori into her arms. Tori shook with sadness and her tears flowed once again. Elaina had a sense of what was driving Tori’s emotions, but she didn’t look deeply. She was just there for Tori.

  “I think their time is up,” Alessa said. “I’ll go tell them,” and she did.

  “Are you angry?” Tori asked Elaina.

  “Of course not,” Elaina said. “But nex
t time you are overdue for a hug, come find one of us.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  E leonora watched night fall on her cell for the second time. She still maintained hope that her father would rescue her, but he certainly was taking his time. At least someone was tossing down food and water now and then. Her husband’s corpse was starting to reek. It’s the lamb bones, she told herself.

  Sand-dogs yipped in the distance. A front had passed late in the afternoon, and much colder air had spun in from the north, from the Audician highlands.

  Eleonora sat there against the stone wall, and out of sheer boredom she spoke the name: “Elaina.”

  She scolded herself: What are you doing? It was the madness again—she knew it—creeping up on her. But then, she figured nothing would happen if she just spoke the name: “Elaina…come back.” I’ve said it again! “Quiet, you!” she told herself, aloud.

  Sister! Certainly her mother, Queen Milena, had borne no other children in her tragically short life. Milena was only eighteen when she and her guards were butchered by Arran assassins at the silk market. Eleonora had never forgiven her mother for risking a visit to the popular market instead of having the samples brought to the palace, nor her father for failing to prevent the attack.

  Then she thought: What if mother wasn’t killed after all? What if she was taken away and brought to a place like this, and then forced to have more children? Forced to bear…Elaina? No! Denda would never lie to me.

  “He would, and he has,” came a voice.

  “Who’s that? Show yourself!”

  “It’s me. You called me here,” Elaina said.

  “Let me see you.”

  “Are you going to ask me to leave again?”

  “No, stay,” said Eleonora, now convinced she had lost her mind but willing to indulge in the visions if they could break the monotony of the loneliness and the silence. Elaina appeared to sit down cross-legged on the floor before her sister.

  “I want to know who dares to call my father a liar,” said Eleonora.

  “King Radovan is a good man,” Elaina said. “It’s not his fault, but he’s been compelled to deceive you all your life. Surely you’ve had your suspicions.”