“Have you two been here since the prisoners were brought in?” Braga asked the guards.
“Aye, my lord,” the guard on the left replied. “Captain Wylin ordered us to stand guard and to allow absolutely no admittance to anyone except him or you.”
“Very good,” he said. Then, to the warden, he added, “Open it.”
The warden unlocked the door and entered the cell. Inside, Braga saw two men chained to the wall, stripped to their waists with gags in their mouths. They were not the same men he had seen the night of the king’s murder.
“Remove the gags,” Braga ordered the warden. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“M-m-my name’s Bendent, Your Lordship. I’m just a street sweeper from Kirby’s End—honest. We weren’t doing nothing wrong!”
“What were you two doing in the sewers under this castle?”
“Hunting rats, sir,” the other one said.
“Rats?”
“Yes, sir, honest, we was. We was told there was a big event here in the castle this morning and the castle kitchen was complaining about rats climbing up from the sewers. ’Cause of the cold, you see, sir. We was told we’d get paid a silver tenent for every rat we done killed and brought out—only …”
“Only what?”
“Only we never seen no rats, Your Lordship.”
“Before we found any, we were knocked out by soldiers and brought here.”
“See? What did I tell you?” Archibald told Braga. “They took her already. They stole her right from under your nose just like they took my letters!”
“They couldn’t have. There’s no way to get up to Arista’s tower. It’s too high, and it can’t be climbed.”
“I’m telling you, Braga, these men are skilled. They scaled my Gray Tower well enough, and it’s one of the tallest there is.”
“Trust me, Archibald. Arista’s tower can’t be climbed.”
“But they did it,” Ballentyne insisted. “I didn’t think it was possible when they did it to me either, not until I opened the safe and my prize was gone. Now your prize is gone, and what will you do with that crowd out there when you have no princess to burn?”
“It’s just not possible,” Braga repeated, pushing Ballentyne out of his way. “You two,” he said to the guards, still standing outside the cell as he walked out, “come with me and bring one of those gags. It’s time the princess came down for her court appearance.”
Braga led them through the castle and up six flights of stairs to the residence level. The hallway here was empty. All the servants were gathered with the others, listening to the proceedings of the trial.
They passed the royal chapel and continued up the hallway to the next door. Braga threw it open and shouted, “Magnus!” Inside, a dwarf with a braided brown beard and a broad flat nose lay on a bed. He was dressed in a blue leather vest, large black boots, and a bright orange puffed-sleeve shirt that made his arms appear huge.
“Is it time?” the dwarf asked. Hopping off the bed, he yawned and rubbed his eyes.
“Is there any chance someone could have gotten up in her tower and stolen Arista out of there?” Braga asked urgently.
“None whatsoever,” the dwarf said with a tone of total confidence. Braga looked back and forth between Ballentyne and the dwarf, scowling.
“I have to know for certain. Besides, she needs to come down for the burning, and I must get back to the trial. You’ll have to fetch her. Take these guards with you. One of them has a gag. Make sure they use it before bringing her down.” To the guards the archduke added, “The princess has been corrupted by dark magic; she’s a witch and can play tricks with your mind, so don’t let her talk to you. Get her and bring her to the court.” The guards nodded and the dwarf led them down the hallway in the direction of the tower.
“Archibald, go get Wylin, the captain of the guards. He’s stationed at the castle gate. Tell him to come to the royal residence wing and provide assistance guarding the princess. I can’t take any chances. Do you understand me?”
“I’ll do as you say, Percy, but I’m sure she is already gone,” Archibald insisted. “These bastards are incredible. They’re like ghosts, and they have no fear at all. They work right under your nose, steal you blind, and then have the audacity to send you a note telling you what they have done!”
Braga paused in thought. “Yes, why did they do that?” he asked himself. “If they took her, why let me know? And if they didn’t, they must have suspected I would immediately check to …” He glanced over his shoulder in the direction the dwarf had gone then turned back to Archibald. “Get Wylin up here, now!”
Braga ran up the hallway, following the dwarf and the two guards. They were just entering the north corridor, which led directly to the tower, when he caught up to them.
“Stop where you are!”
The dwarf turned around with a puzzled expression on his face. The guards responded differently. The larger of the two pivoted, drawing his sword, and moved to block the archduke’s passage.