Catalyst (Book 1) (17 page)

“No, Premier is here.”

Krystal turned to us. “I will show you to your rooms,” the princess said. “If you’d follow me.”

We were silent as we followed her from the room. It was not until we were halfway down the corridor that I ventured to speak.

“I’m glad to see you again, Your Highness,” I said as I walked alongside her, flanked by guards. I recognized Ardimus, from that day in the forest.

“And I you.” She smiled at me. “I see the years have been kind to you. You look well, Hellsfire.”

My eyes devoured her. She had grown taller and her body’s curves had deepened. “And so do you, Your Highness.” Ardimus flicked me a quick warning look. “I mean, you look better than when I last saw you. I mean—”

“I know what you mean, and I thank you.” Krystal's lips curled in a little smile. “I'm glad to see you came to Alexandria. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

“What do you mean?”

“I—” The princess stopped herself, glancing quickly at the elves. “So what brings you here, Prastian and Hellsfire? I assume this isn't a social call.”

“No, Your Highness,” Prastian said. “We came because our king ordered us to. We're looking for elves who were sent here a few weeks ago. We've not heard of them since.”

Krystal looked surprised, then concerned. “You're the first elves I've seen in months.”

“Are you sure? They should have been here.”

Krystal's voice turned icy. “I'm positive, Prastian. I have no reason to lie to you.”

“Forgive me, Your Highness,” Prastian said.

She nodded. “Why would King Sharald send elves here?”

“He's worried about the Wasteland monsters,” Prastian said. “Increasing numbers of them have been getting through your patrols and wreaking havoc near Sharald. We’ve had to send parties out to kill the creatures. We needed to know if things in Alexandria were as bad as they appeared.”

Princess Krystal's face didn't change, but those of the guards around us did. Their faces hardened, and a few gave each other worried looks.

“As you can see, Alexandria still stands,” the princess said. “As long as the bloodline of Alexander exists, it
will
stand.”

“As you say, Princess.”

“But Princess, something's wrong,” I said. “Surely, you of all people could find out what it is.”

She stopped and measured me with that royal gaze of hers.

“Forgive me, Your Highness,” I said, bowing. “Could you please help us out, if you have the time?”

“I'll do what I can, Hellsfire.”

“Thank you.”

We reached our rooms. I was the last to enter mine.

“I’ll be back in a few hours to escort you to dinner,” the princess said. “You may want to rest. I know how tiring traveling can be. Though you may find a formal dinner even more tiring.”

“Where will you be?” I asked.

“I have duties to attend to.”

“What about the guards?” I glanced at one of the stoic guards from the corner of my eye.

“As father normally puts it, ‘the guards are here for your protection.’” Krystal smiled. “I’ll see you in a little while, hero.” For a brief moment, she melted my worries and hunger away.

But the moment didn’t last. I shut the door, then cracked my neck and shook my shoulders, trying to relieve myself of the stress that had built up over the day. I wished that I was visiting Alexandria under more normal conditions. I would have loved to see the city and talk with the princess.

There wasn't time for that now. We needed to find out what had happened to the elves and what was wrong within the city. Alexandria hadn't fallen yet, but it looked like it was getting ready to topple.

I took a look around. I couldn’t believe the size of my room. It was almost as big as my old longhouse in Sedah. The bed was big enough to hold three people, and the pillows were stuffed with feathers instead of hay. There was a large wooden dresser and three cushioned chairs. The bed’s covers were made of satin. The only downside was that the door couldn’t be barred from the inside.

I walked over to a window that overlooked part of the courtyard. It was full of servants, guards, handmaidens, and pages all going about their business. Across the courtyard, from the shadow of a darkened doorway, I thought I saw someone staring up at me. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, then took a closer look. Nothing was there.

I drew back. My lack of food might have made me see things that weren’t really there. Who would want to spy on me? Maybe Premier, or a concerned guard. Or maybe just a curious servant. I went to the bed and lay down. I had never slept on anything so soft. Maybe I would take a nap. I had a feeling it was going to be a long, tiring night.

----

I woke up when I heard a chain rattle. Footsteps crept across the stone floor. It was a servant with a candle and hot water, so that I could wash and change before dinner. I had just finished when Ardimus appeared at my door.

“I have come to take you to the dining hall.”

“Where’s the princess? I thought she said she’d come and get me.”

“Her Highness is busy.” His expression said I had a lot of nerve questioning anything the princess did.

“I can’t wait to eat!” Demay said when we were all in the hall. “I’m starving. I hope these humans can cook as well as us.”

“Demay, please,” Prastian said. “I’m sure the feast will be enough to fill our starving bellies. My younger brother meant no offense, Ardimus.”

“None taken,” Ardimus said. He turned to me. “Hellsfire, I never got the chance to properly thank you. I owe you what my people call a ‘debt of honor.’ I will not rest until I fulfill it, although my first duty will always be to the princess and the king.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but stopped. I knew it would be pointless to argue. My mother had once told me about debts of honor. They were unbreakable unless one person died or the debt was fulfilled. They were common among those from the Burning Sands, but many people had their own variations—those from places where honor and duty were paramount. I nodded to him and hoped that he wouldn’t need to fulfill his debt. If he did, then that meant I was in serious trouble.

When we entered the dining hall, I froze. It was filled with powerful, well-dressed people. Men wore gorgets with slight patterns along the bottom edges. The bright reds and oranges contrasted with the browns I was used to. The women wore slim and modest gowns. Necklines were high and white or black gloves covered their arms.

“We should be as sociable as we can,” Prastian said.

Behast grunted.

“Even you, Behast. We need to see if anyone here knows what happened to our people.”

“But the princess said she hasn't seen any elves,” I said. “And I believe her.”

“I know, Hellsfire. I believe her too. That doesn't mean that no one else knows anything. Someone must have seen something.”

“I'll do my best.”

“Good. Also, please try not to cause any more incidents.”

“Incidents?” I asked. “What do you mean?” Prastian had already left the group. He smiled and greeted some people he knew.

Demay went off to try and be like his brother, talking with nobles. He walked right up and complimented the women on their choice of dress. Behast went to talk to the one group of people he could—soldiers.

I stood there trying to figure out who to approach. As I scanned the room, I realized there was no one I could relate to. I wasn't a soldier, so I couldn't talk about weapons or fighting. I wasn't a noble, so I couldn't talk about ruling or ordering people around. I had the most in common with the servants, and they were too busy with their duties.

“You look like a statue,” Princess Krystal said, from over my shoulder.

I turned and bowed. “Your Highness.”

“Why are you standing here all by yourself?”

All the other people were engaged in conversation. They laughed and smiled at unfunny jokes or told battlefield stories. Some whispered lies I’m sure were far deadlier than any sword or magic. “I honestly didn't know who to talk to.”

“Are you enjoying yourself, at least?”

I gazed into her violet eyes. “I am now.”

She smiled. Although she was schooled in not showing her feelings, her color heightened faintly. It was not quite a blush, but it was close.

I grinned back, happy that I could bring such a lovely smile to her face. “I wish you could show me around Alexandria, Your Highness.”

“Me too.”

“You did promise me a tour all those years ago.”

“I wish I could give you one now, but I can't.”

I was going to ask her why, but I remembered what I was there for. “Did you find out any information about the other elves, Your Highness?”

The princess frowned and shook her head. “You're far too direct and honest. You would be terrible at politics.”

I hung my head, trying to conceal my embarrassment. I was going about this the wrong way. “Sorry.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Don't be. It's refreshing.”

I bowed. “Glad I could be of service, Your Highness.”

“I'm sorry. I haven't found out anything about those other elves. Are you sure they came up here?”

I shrugged. “I'm not, but King Sharald is and so is Prastian. They set out to come here, and no word has been received that they went anywhere else.”

“Do you think something might have happened to them along the way? They might have been attacked by bandits.”

“Maybe.” My eyes widened. “Or maybe it was something worse? The Wasteland creatures.”

“Hellsfire, things—” Krystal stopped herself. She glanced around and lowered her voice. “Since you've been so honest with me and you've saved my life, I'm not going to lie to you. Things aren't as they seem.”

“What do you mean?”

“That's all I can say right now.”

There were far too many people around us. They didn’t seem to be paying attention to our conversation, but that didn’t mean they weren’t. “I understand. Thank you, Princess.”

The princess's violet eyes looked worried, and she lowered her voice even further. “Listen, there's something else I must tell you. I—”

The princess didn't get to finish her sentence. A footman announced that dinner was ready. Krystal hesitated, then moved off with dignity to take her seat. I raised an eyebrow. What could she tell me that was so important, if it didn't have to do with the missing elves? Prastian disturbed my thoughts by touching my elbow. He led me to the great, rectangular table. We were given seats close to the king and princess, as befitted a royal envoy.

When the servant came with the first course, I had to stop him. I told him I wanted to have what the elves ate. I no longer ate any meat because of my powers.

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Yes, please, and thank you.”

“As you wish.”

As I ate each vegetable-filled course, Prastian kept the king and others engaged in conversation. Instead of trying to find out more about the missing elves, he tried to find out more about Alexandria, so he could get a feel for how things were beyond what we had observed. However, people kept dodging the subject, no matter how subtle his questions or comments were. I was glad he kept the conversation going. I didn't want to talk, and the king's eyes kept straying towards me, making me nervous. Premier kept glancing at me too. His cold eyes held a hint of amusement.