Compass of the Nymphs Page 3

  When Taisiya tried moving the crate on her own, she found it wasn’t too heavy, but it wouldn’t hurt if she took some of the items out. Taisiya haughtily tossed the love potions to the ground before beginning to more closely inspect the other concoctions. There were a few good salves and other medicines that would be useful if she were wounded in a fight. She opened the bag of food and placed those potions in it. The tonics that played to Zara’s vanity and insecurities – for instance, a cream that was advertised to remove any signs of aging – she disposed of and moved on. Before she knew it, the load was much lighter and, in her opinion, much more useful.

  Dragging the crate around was quite a task in the daytime, and it was even worse in the dark of night. Taisiya was careful not to make too much noise and disturb anyone. After many tiring and boring hours, she finally was coming upon the farmland. The other crates set to be shipped up to the queen were all neatly in place and awaiting sunrise to start their journey. Instantly when they came in to view, however, Taisiya saw a flaw in her plan. Each of the crates was numbered, sealed, and secured in place. There was no room for an additional box to fit.

  Taisiya ditched the crate and went over to more closely inspect the cartful of other produce. The sun was beginning to come up, and she could hear the farm animals starting to wake. She knew she didn’t have much time. If she waited in the back of the cart, the farmers would surely notice her when they unloaded the food. She had no way to open one of the already loaded crates either, not that it would be of any help – she knew they were already filled to the brim with produce.

  Along the horizon, the farmers came into view as they neared the cart to start their toilsome journey to the castle. Taisiya mumbled a few profanities under her breath and ran back to the crate she had lugged through town and quickly grabbed the bag of useful ointments and food. She reached in and pulled out one of the darker creams and smeared it on her fingers. Running her fingers down the side of the crate, Taisiya formed a makeshift label on the box. She then quickly pushed it to the edge of the cart that held all the other boxes and then jumped inside, praying that the farmers would assume they had forgotten to load one of the boxes.

  In mere minutes, she heard the deep and gravelly voice of one of the farmers as he approached her box. “What’s this?” he called out to the others. “Box X? Since when has there been a box marked X?”

  “You moron!” one of the other farmers replied, “that stands for Box Ten. The tenth box. One of you idiots must have forgotten to load it with the rest!”

  Taisiya was almost smiling and thinking her plan would work until a third farmer beckoned. “We have no room for ten boxes, boys. Just toss that one in the river, and we’ll say it got lost in transit!”

  Taisiya could feel the box being lifted off the ground, and she gulped. Seconds later, there was a loud thud as the crate hit something hard, causing her to hit her head on one side and spill out all the food in her satchel. Taisiya was just about to pop off the lid and try to jump from what she was sure to be raging rapids when the voice of the first farmer spoke out. “Nah, boss, we got it in there! As long as we hit don’t hit any bumps it’ll be fine!”

  Sighing in relief, Taisiya curled up inside the box and tried to take a nap. This was much easier said than done. Even after pushing the heavy box through town all night and having no sleep, it was next to impossible to get any shuteye on the rickety journey through Solames to the castle. Every single bump the cart hit caused Taisiya to jump in fear. When the roads were smooth, the farmers would strike up a hearty conversation and their voices

  echoing all around her made it even harder to rest. Eventually, everyone going along on the journey seemed to get tired, and Taisiya managed to get some relaxation. It seemed like in mere minutes (although it was actually a couple hours), Taisiya was waking up to the sound of the farmers.

  “Woohoo!” the one called. “Almost there, boys. We should be getting clearance to enter the castle any minute now.”

  Taisiya became more alert and chewed on some of the carrots that Zara had bought. This was going to be a piece of cake.

  “What should we do with Box X, sir?”

  “I mentioned it to the guard,” the first voice replied, “he said to bring it in to the kitchen’s loading dock with the rest of them. He told us to thank the townspeople for contributing more. He said it wouldn’t be any trouble; there is even extra staff in the kitchen today to make sure it gets in its proper place.”

  Soon enough Taisiya could hear the boys unloading her box, and the silence of the world outside quickly changed into the loud hustle and bustle of the queen’s kitchen. The farmers had said their goodbyes and were off. Taisiya munched on the rest of the carrot, hoping that soon there would be silence in the kitchen as they sorted her in with the rest of the food to cook and left for the day.

  She almost didn’t notice that the lid of the crate had been taken off; someone had moved the crate to a dark room. The first thing she saw were the whites of someone’s eyes staring down at her. If Taisiya hadn’t been stuck in a tight, cramped space for over twelve hours, she would have jumped out and been ready to fight. However, her stiff and weary bones gave the person on the outside of the box the advantage…one that he did not take.

  “Well, well, well,” came the smooth voice of Zara. Taisiya blinked a few times and made out the rest of his figure in the darkness. “I had a feeling when the stupid farmers told me there was an extra crate that I’d find you hiding in the bottom of it,” he smiled.

  Taisiya was speechless. All she could manage to say was a simple “…What?”

  Once again, Zara smiled at her. “Get out of the box, please.” He reached down and firmly grasped her arm, helping her get out. Once she was standing next to him, he didn’t let go of her, though. “If I thought you might not run away, I’d let you go.”

  “How did you know I was coming?” Taisiya mumbled, petrified.

  “The queen has been looking for you for some time, you know?” Zara said, raising an eyebrow. “I’d know your face anywhere. I spotted you and your friend when I was at the marketplace. I thought for a second that you saw me, too…”

  “I did…” Taisiya said, “but that doesn’t answer my question.”

  Zara furrowed his brow in frustration. “Well, once I saw the two of you, I followed you to that man, the old librarian’s, house. When you left, I overheard you talking about breaking into the castle. Naturally, I followed you back home. The older woman made it quite easy to spy on the two of you, with opening the windows to let the breeze in and all. I heard the plan and the fight that occurred right after it. I knew you’d find a way to get here, so I raced to beat you to the marketplace. There, I tricked the potion master into giving me one of his crates, since I knew you would more than likely be eavesdropping. When the farmers said there was an unaccounted for crate, I was delighted that you managed to get up here safely.”

  Taisiya did a double take in confusion. “You were following me? You set this up?”

  Zara nodded. “You’re quite stealthy, but you’re

  not as good as the queen’s top spy.” He beamed with pride. Taisiya began fidgeting, trying to break free from his grip.

  “You know what I’m here to do, then!” She growled. “So let me at it!”

  “I can’t do that,” Zara said calmly. “You’ll kill yourself and your parents.”

  “What do you care? Isn’t that what you want?” Taisiya spat.

  Zara sighed. “Well, not really. I don’t like how the queen is running things. She is doing unspeakable things to the most innocent of people. I…I see a spark in you, Taisiya,” he paused and felt her cheek, moving her face so that they were looking into each other’s eyes. “I know that spark can bring a revolution.”

  Taisiya’s stomach turned nervously. “Look, Zara, all I want is to save my parents and be on my way. The queen’s made this personal now, and I’ve got to get my mom and dad out of here.”

  “Don’t you realize,�
�� Zara said, “that I can get them out of here easily. I’ve even made sure their stay here has been as comfortable as possible. If we work together, we can save your parents and overthrow the queen. Please…trust me. I’m begging you.”

  Taisiya pursed her lips. “And I’m begging you…let go of me! I’ll go kill the queen now, if you’d take a second to ease up on me!”

  Zara sighed wistfully. “I would, if it were that simple. Come,” he said, tugging her forward, “We will go and quickly visit your parents... on one condition.”

  “What?” Taisiya barked back.

  “That you promise me you will leave the castle alone tonight and meet me in town tomorrow where we can talk with more privacy.”

  Taisiya rolled her eyes. “Fine!”

  “Thank you,” Zara whispered in her ear. “You will not regret it.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CONFRONTING THE QUEEN

  Zara escorted Taisiya quickly and quietly through the castle halls, intuitively choosing the paths he knew were least likely to have anyone standing guard. All the while, Taisiya was making mental notes of which hallways were empty and which had the queen’s sentinels on patrol. It wasn’t long before the warm and aromatic air of the kitchen gave way to a cold and murky wave of despair as the prison chambers came nearer and nearer. Zara poked his head around a corner and then pulled back, motioning for Taisiya to sit still and be quiet. He then proceeded on without her.

  Zara waved to the guard on duty at the entrance to the prison chambers. “Hello, Marcus!” he called. Marcus acknowledged Zara with a solemn nod. Instead of waiting for a verbal reply, Zara continued: “I’m here to take over your shift.”

  Marcus narrowed his eyes at Zara. “Why?”

  “Simple,” Zara said effortlessly, “you look like you need a break. If I’m not mistaken, your shift ends in about half an hour, right?” Another nod from Marcus before Zara went on, “So…leave early. I can patrol the chambers, easy peasy. Regardless, I’ve got to be down here because there are a few prisoners the queen wanted interrogated by me personally.”

  “This late at night, Zara?” Marcus still wasn’t buying it.

  Zara contorted his face into a tired frown. “Sadly, yes. Now is the only time I have to question them. First thing in the morning I’ve got to head out and look for that troublemaking girl. The queen really wants her head.”

  “Of course; I can’t stand her either,” Marcus nodded, “Is it her parents you’re looking for?”

  Grinning, Zara nodded back. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

  “I wondered why you ordered all of us guards to treat them nicely. Buttering them up before a big interrogation…you’re always one step ahead, Zara.” Marcus laughed and playfully punched Zara’s arm.

  Zara returned the punch and then asked, “Which cell are they in again?”

  “Third one down to your left. You shouldn’t have much trouble with any of the awful people the queen is holding prisoner here. Most of them are asleep by now. Thanks for coming down here, pal. I definitely can use the rest.” Marcus opened the entrance to let Zara in and then turned to leave.

  Zara watched in horror as Marcus went towards the hall where Taisiya was hiding. “Wait!” Zara called out, his voice quavering. “Don’t go down that hall.”

  Marcus turned back to Zara, bewildered.

  Zara’s mind was going a hundred miles a minute trying to find a reason Marcus should take another exit. In a split second, he blurted out the first excuse to pop in to his mind. “You know the big fat head cook. Well, it turns out the soup she made this evening wasn’t as good as she thought, and the toilet room was giving off quite a foul odor as I walked by it coming up to see you. It nearly made me sick…I’d go the other way if I were you.”

  Marcus let out a howl of laughter. “Oooh hooo! Thanks for letting me know. That is definitely a beast I do not want to come near if at all possible.” He winked at Zara and then turned around, walking down another hall. Zara sighed in relief.

  Once the coast was clear, Zara whispered shrilly, “Come on, Taisiya!” He expected her to come right away, so when she didn’t round the corner after a few minutes, Zara left the entrance to the chambers open just a crack and then went off to tell Taisiya it was safe to go visit her parents.

  The feeling of utter horror quickly came back to Zara as he turned the corner. His mouth went dry and his stomach turned into a giant knot. Taisiya was nowhere to be found. He knew that her sole purpose for sneaking into the castle was to save her parents, so he didn’t think she would sneak off anywhere. Another guard must have noticed her and kidnapped her. Zara had no clue just how wrong he was.

  While Zara was talking to Marcus, Taisiya knew that no better time to sneak off would present itself. Ever since Zara had found her sneaking into the castle, he had a firm grip on her, and only now was she able to do what she pleased. As Marcus and Zara talked, Taisiya tiptoed in the opposite direction down the hallways she had been memorizing in her head on the way to the prison chambers. The entire map of the castle was somewhat embedded in her head, so as she travelled further and further, she started to get her bearings and eventually knew where she was going.

  It was getting darker and darker, and the lamplight the corridors offered wasn’t the brightest. Taisiya felt around in the dark, knowing that a door would be coming up soon that opened to a staircase. Sure enough, she felt the door handle and pulled it. The door opened to reveal pitch black. Everyone that worked (or were trapped) in the castle slept at night, so light in the stairway was unnecessary. There was a faint glow of moonlight that shined through a window a little ways up the stairs. It would have to be enough light to guide Taisiya where she needed to go. She quietly shut the door behind her and looked into the dark ahead of her.

  The steps were carved of stone like the rest of the castle, and they were spread out quite far. Taisiya held on to the wall to steady herself and, after a while, she got the hang of walking in the dark. Just as she was getting confident enough to hasten her pace, there was no step where there should have been, and for a split second she felt as if she were falling. She pulled her hand off the wall to catch herself, but instead it just made her fall even worse. Picking herself off the cold floor, she realized the stairs had stopped because she had made it up the first flight and was now on the second level of the castle. There was a door to her right, where Taisiya could slip into the castle’s main rooms if she had any interest in them. Instead, she dusted herself off and began to climb up the rest of the stairs.

  As Taisiya cleared the fourth flight of steps, she stopped and grinned. This had all been too easy. She knew that on the other side of the door was the queen’s suite, and in the middle room would be the queen herself asleep and helpless in her bed. Taisiya reached down and grabbed the blade she kept hidden on her at all times. A smirk on her face, she opened the door and went to kill her prey.

  As Zara was pacing the halls in a futile attempt to find Taisiya, a piercing scream rang throughout the castle. Everyone in the castle quickly woke up as the scream resonated. Zara could tell it was coming from the highest floor in the fortress and ran to rescue the queen. When he reached the staircase, he was met by all the other guards on the level. Without hesitation, they darted up the stairs; the guards on stories above them were already making their way up to the queen’s suite.

  The entrance to the top floor quickly became crowded with guards trying to get in and see what had happened. Zara pushed and shoved his way through and eventually was able to elbow to the front of the mob. As the multitude of guards tapered off, Zara saw a tragic scene in front of him.

  The queen must not have been in bed this early, for she stood in the center of the room, still dressed in an extravagant party dress. The gown, which was a salmon pink color, had a matching sheer hood that protruded out in the air above her light blonde locks that were fastened up in an overstated beehive. In her hands, she held a candle and although the light was dim, her piercing blue eyes shined brightly,
and they were staring daggers at none other than Taisiya. The queen had a sneer on her face as she walked over more closely to examine the girl her guards were holding captive in her room.

  She cleared her throat and used her free hand to run her cold fingers across Taisiya’s cheek, feigning pity on the girl. Taisiya shuddered at the icy touch of the queen and was a little surprised at the sound of her voice when she finally spoke. The queen’s voice was authoritative and silencing, but at the same time she spoke with an air of sugarcoated phoniness. “You may let the girl go,” she said to the two guards holding Taisiya back as she kicked and squirmed to break free from them and attack.

  Zara watched, dismayed. Did the queen not realize who had barged in to her room? And how did Taisiya even sneak away in the first place? She looked over at him, and his heart sank. He held his breath as the guards let her go.

  Taisiya looked over at the two guards and pursed her lips, bearing her teeth at them. They cautiously took a step back. She then turned her attention to the queen and decided to give her the same fake respect that was afforded to her. Taisiya pretended to curtsey and said politely, “Your majesty.”

  The queen turned her head quickly, as if Taisiya’s words were a literal slap in the face. She gritted her teeth and replied, “What is your business in my castle?”

  “I came here to kill you,” Taisiya said, making an exaggerated smile. The queen in return gave a piercing look as her eyes locked with Taisiya’s. She stared her down, and Taisiya’s insides went cold as a shudder ran down her back. All of the guards tensed and moved forward to seize and stop Taisiya, but Zara put his hand out and they stopped. Both he and the queen were curious as to where Taisiya was going.

  “Do you think that’s a very wise thing to do, Taisiya?” the queen said coldly. She definitely knew who had broken into her castle. “You see, I thought you were supposed to be trying to save your silly parents in my prison. Just how in the world did you find your way to my bedroom?”