Stunned disbelief hung heavy in Narcissa’s dark brown eyes. It was obvious she was struggling with what to believe. “Are you sure about Kara?”
Desideria nodded. “Think about it, Cissy. She’s always pushed us to fight, even to the death. She pushed us all beyond our abilities and then never wept when one of us died. She never thought Mom should have been in power. You know that. I overheard her talking to one of her conspirators. She and Karissa have teamed up so that they can rule the two empires jointly… after all of us are dead.”
Narcissa swallowed. “You think she’s killed Gwen?”
That question sent a chill over her. “Why do you say that?”
“I came in here to talk to her and she’s gone.” She gestured to the shards of pottery on the floor. “I was so angry at her for being stupid that I let my control slip.”
That was what happened when anger was the only emotion their people sanctioned. Violence erupted over the smallest of offenses.
Now Desideria remembered why Caillen and company were such a welcome relief to her. It was so nice to be around people who had a variety of emotions, most of them pleasant and amusing. People who could tease each other and not go to war over it. People who didn’t answer every insult with a punch.
Caillen moved forward. “Have you any idea where she is?”
Narcissa shook her head. She locked gazes with Desideria. “If what you’ve said is true, we have to find her. Fast. There’s no telling what could happen to her.”
She was right, but Desideria had a bad suspicion about her sister’s whereabouts. “Where’s Kara?”
“I haven’t seen her since the press conference. She vanished while I was talking to the reporters… you don’t think she’s harmed Gwen, do you?”
It would make sense, but she didn’t want to panic her sister. “We’ll find her.” With a calmness she really didn’t feel, Desideria ran through her mind where her sister might be. It was dizzying really. The palace was huge with more rooms than their small group could search through before being caught.
But if Gwen had felt threatened…
There was only one place she’d go for safety.
“The crypt.”
Narcissa screwed her face up. “What?”
Since Gwen was eight, she’d been drawn to the crypts, claiming the old tombs made her feel safe. For some reason Gwen had refused to share, she’d always believed that the spirits of their ancestors would watch over and protect her any time she was there. While Desideria had thought the dark, dismal tunnels were creepy and damp, Gwen had considered them her solitary haven. Probably because it was the one place Kara would never go. She thought the crypts were haunted and they weirded her out even more than they did Desideria.
“I know it sounds peculiar, but it’s where Gwen always goes when she’s upset.” Not that Narcissa had ever cared whenever Gwen had sought refuge.
“That’s idiotic.”
Desideria had to force herself to remain patient with her sister’s ire.
Caillen ignored Narcissa. “Lead the way, Princess.”
Inclining her head to him, Desideria went to the bookcase to her left. Like most rooms in the palace, there was a secret passage behind it that allowed the royal family to escape in the highly unlikely event that they should ever be overrun by enemies. All of them had been forced to learn the access points as children—a task Narcissa had balked at, but it was something Desideria and Gwen had enjoyed learning. More to the point, they’d enjoyed exploring down there too.
The one in Gwen’s room was the quickest way to the crypt which lay on the outermost corner of the palace lands. That was the main reason Gwen had chosen this room to be hers. At night, she’d often left the passage door open, wanting the spirits to come visit her.
Yeah, and they all thought I was the strange one…
Not wanting to think about that either, she used one of Caillen’s light sticks to lead them into the winding darkness. While dank and depressing, at least there were no animals in the tunnels. The exterior access portals were airtight and undetectable to even the smallest creatures.
Closing her eyes, she forced herself to remember where Gwen preferred to hide. The northern crypt that was their great-grandmother’s tomb. Since Gwen had favored her most out of their family, she’d chosen that as her special place.
It didn’t take long to reach it.
Desideria opened the iron door to the room that had been carved from stone to provide an eternal resting place for the marble sarcophagus. Most of the women buried in the crypt were in wall tombs. Only war heroes such as her great-grandmother who had kept them independent during the Ascardian Revolt were allowed to have rooms dedicated to them. It was an honor all queens aspired to.