Stay (6 page)

She went about dressing me, and putting my
hair up. By the time that she was through, I barely even recognized
myself. I wore one of Bree’s black uniform dresses, it was a little
snug but it would do. My hair was pulled up in a tight bun on the
back of my head, and the dark heavy glasses hid the details of my
face.

Bree’s disguise was put to the ultimate test
as we passed through the sitting area and headed for the door.

“Bree, do not forget to pick up my beads from
the jeweler while you are out.” Called the queen who was lounging
on one of the sofas. She just glanced at me briefly and went back
to reading her book without another word.

Bree gave me a quick grin and raised her
eyebrows to show me how satisfied she was with her disguise.

We stepped out of the front door and onto the
marble steps that led down into the streets of the city. I was so
excited to be out of my room that I was nearly bursting. I was
bouncing up and down with glee. Bree gave me a stern look and I
stopped, pouting a little.

I breathed the air in deeply, it was scented
heavily with the smell of baking bread, and I sighed. “Mmm.”

“Hush.” Bree said. “You are going to draw to
much attention to us.” Shaking her head, she took me by my arm and
led me through the streets of Petrona.

I tried as hard as I could to take in my
surroundings. Along the main avenue, there were several clothing
stores with beautiful mannequins proudly displaying the style of
each store. In one of the windows, I saw an adorable red and white
striped top with a flirty black bow off to the side of its scooped
neck collar.

“Oh wow, Bree. I want that.” I exclaimed, but
Bree only ignored my drooling and tugged me along the sidewalk.

I spotted the bakery. It was stacked with
cakes, pies, and breads. My mouth was watering as I looked
longingly into the window. Each time that I gradually managed to
pull away from Bree to check something out, she would pull me back
to her and scold me about giving myself away.

It would have been nice if I could have taken
more time to browse. It would have been especially nice if I would
have had some money to purchase a few of the things that I so
desperately wanted or needed. I would have to do something about
that.

Maybe I could talk Lilith into letting me
work as a housekeeper or something. She would probably enjoy
watching me do menial labor. Not that I was above it, but she did
not know that. To her I was the princess who was a threat to her
crown.

The first stop on my outing with Bree was at
the seamstress shop. Sew Lovely was the name of the little place.
It was tucked along one of the side streets. The sign hanging over
the door depicted a spool of thread and a needle with a long red
string hanging from it. A little bell chimed as we entered through
the door.

The seamstress introduced herself as
Gertrude. She was a sweet older lady with fiery red hair. It was
fastened on top of her head by two large knitting needles. She had
the kindest pale blue eyes, and they shined with joy as she talked
about her shop and all of the things that she could do.

She measured me from head to toe. When she
finished she showed Bree and I several nice fabrics and a few
patterns that the queen had requested for my wardrobe. There was
lace and satin in every color imaginable.

Apparently, the seamstress was the only
person in town that knew my true identity. She took me into a large
dressing room and had me try on a very elegant gown. It was silver
satin and covered in sparkling rhinestones. I could not wait to see
how it looked.

“This one will be for the ball.” She said
with glee.

“I am going to a ball?” I asked in
amazement.

“Oh, why yes dear.” She said. “You didn’t
know? The ball is for you. It is where you will be announced to the
whole city.”

I remembered the queen mentioning a ball when
I had first arrived, but I had been locked away ever since. She
never mentioned that it would be so soon. Actually, she had not
spoken to me at all since then.

Gertrude went on tucking and pinning the
dress to prepare it so that it would properly fit. While tucking
one sleeve she leaned in close and whispered. “Child, how are your
parents? Will they be coming back to Petrona for the ball?”

I was so shocked that I did not know what to
say. “My parents?” I asked.

“Well, yes.” She said hesitantly. “Everyone
is hoping that they will return and take the throne back from that
retched Queen Lilith. Things just have not been the same since she
became queen. But please do not repeat what I say. I would hate to
lose my head over such a thing. Perhaps I should not have said
anything at all.”

“No, no. I would never tell. I have no idea
what has become of my parents. I miss them terribly. I wish that
they were here. They would definitely know what to do about all of
this.” I said.

I felt another pang of loneliness at the
mention of my parents. I wished that I could just go back home. I
hated being locked away from everything that I loved. I missed my
parents. I missed my home. I even missed Brokk. I stared at the
floor as Gertrude finished up my fitting. She kept chatting away
but I did not hear another word. I was too lost in my own
misery.

I could not help but stare down at my ring.
It looked beautiful against the shimmering silver fabric of the
dress. I imagined Brokk escorting me to the ball. I bet he would
look awesome in a tuxedo. We could spend the whole night dancing in
each other’s arms. If only I could get to see him again. I would
definitely ask him.

As soon as my fitting was finished, Bree
rushed me out the door and we continued down the busy street. She
needed to pick up a few things at the market, so we roamed through
the carts and stalls that had been set up for the merchants. There
were lots of different farmers there selling everything from cheese
to meats to fruit. Bree picked out the few things on her list that
the cook had asked her to pick up while I moseyed up and down the
aisles taking everything in. Everyone seemed very friendly. They
said hello and smiled as I walked by, I wondered what Gertrude
meant when she said that things had not been the same since my
parents left.

Bree finished up with her purchases and we
turned the corner from the market and headed for the jeweler. As we
walked, I noticed a group of men gathered around what looked to be
guards. They were dressed in deep navy uniforms with some sort of
emblems embroidered on them.

My heart raced as I searched their faces
hoping to at least spot a glimpse of Brokk. Just as I was about to
give up and turn into the jeweler’s shop with Bree, a dark haired
guard walked over to join the others. I froze where I was and
stared at him as I held my breath. The weight of my stare must have
been too much, because he lifted his gaze and searched the crowd
until his eyes met mine. We stood there like that for several
minutes, not wanting to move or look away. However, another guard
caught his attention and pointed animatedly at some of the men in
the crowd.

“Callie, what are you doing? Get in here!”
Bree called from inside of the shop and hesitantly I turned and
walked inside.

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a fog.
I walked with Bree to the remainder of her stops, but I hardly
noticed where I was or who I met. My mind was on one person and one
person only. Brokk.

I did not know why I was letting him affect
me this way. When I was with him all that I had wanted to do was
get away from him and get home to my family, but now that he was
gone, I longed to see him again.

I could not help but think of those deep blue
eyes and the way that they were smoldering at me in the cave. Or of
how his arms felt, as he held me until I fell asleep. How could he
be so kind one minute, and just walk away the next? Did he have any
idea how bad the queen was treating me? No, he could not. He would
have come for me if he did. That is what I kept telling myself
anyway.

Bree browsed around the shelves of the
leather shop on her last stop. The smell of leather was always one
of my favorite scents. I stood just outside of the door with my
head resting against the glass display window lost in my own
thoughts. I felt something brush lightly down my cheek and turned
quickly to find Brokk pulling his hand back from my face.

The feeling of warmth and relief that I felt
just standing there next to him was almost overwhelming. I thought
that I was missing him these last few days, but I had no idea how
much until he was right in front of me. I wanted to throw myself
onto him and never let him go again, but I did not know if he was
feeling the same way.

“Oh.” I said, sounding surprised. “Where did
you come from?”

He let out a brief chuckle and then went back
to looking way to serious. “Callie, what are you doing out here?
And why are you dressed as a servant?”

“Brokk.” I had no idea where to start, or
even if I should. Instead, I asked, “Where have you been? I have
not heard a word from you for over a week.”

He looked down. “I have had a lot of work to
do. It has kept me away from here for a few days.” There was
something in the tone of his voice that I could not understand.
Like he was trying to keep something from me.

“Brokk? Is something wrong?” I asked.

He met my eyes then, and his were swimming
with tears that had not yet spilled over as he choked out his
words. “Callie, something terrible has happened. I tried to stop
it, but I was too late.” He bowed his head again as the tears began
to stream down his face.

I grabbed him by his arm and led him around
to the back of the building. I had no idea what this was about, but
we definitely did not need an audience. “What is going on Brokk?
What has happened? Tell me please.”

“They must have followed me when I tracked
you.” He said in a rush. “After I brought you here, I went back to
the surface to check on your parents. I felt sure that they knew
that we had come for you, but still, I wanted to be sure that they
were okay. Callie, they were not okay. They were not. I am so
sorry.” He sobbed.

“They were dead.” He said the words but they
were barely audible.

It took a few moments for his statement to
sink in. When it did, it was as if someone had just slapped me hard
across the face. The feelings of shock and despaired ripped through
me. I had to place one of my hands against the wall to brace
myself. I was not sure that I would be able to stand on my own. My
parents. Both of them. Dead?

“How?” Was all that I could manage to
say.

“
They were murdered, Callie. Their
throats had been cut.” He whispered.

The scene played out in my mind. The horror
of it was almost too much. I did not want to think about it. I
tried to look at something else to distract myself, but it was no
use. All that I could see was my parents lying on the floor covered
in blood.

“Callie, look at me.” I heard Brokk say. I
pulled myself from my thoughts and looked up to find him staring
into my eyes. I searched his face for some answers. I could feel my
emotions changing from despair to anger and rage.

“Who? Who did this, Brokk? You said they must
have followed you, who followed you?” I demanded in a whisper.

“The guards. The queen’s personal guards. I
thought it would be enough if she had you. I know that she has
always dreaded the return of King Elver and Queen Faylinn. I knew
that she was greedy for power, but I never would have thought that
she would do something like this.” He said desperately.

“What do you mean that you thought it would
be enough if she had me? You knew that she hated me? You knew why
she brought me here?” I yelled in disbelief. He knew all along what
she wanted, and he did not even care. He practically delivered me
to her wrapped up in a bow.

I started to shrink back from him. All of the
sudden I could no longer stand to be in his presence.

“Callie, please.” He pleaded; his tears were
still falling from his eyes. “Please let me explain.”

“NO!” I cut him off. “Stay away from me! I
hate you! I hate your freaking guts! I never want to see your face
again!” I screamed as all of my pain and anger boiled to the
surface.

I could not stand it anymore. I had to get
away from him. I had to get away from everything. I started to run.
I had no idea where I would go, but it did not matter. I had never
felt so much pain in my life.

I heard him calling after me.

“Callie! Callie please! Stay!”

I just ignored him and ran faster.

Chapter 6

I continued to run until I thought my lungs
would collapse. All that I could think about was my parents lying
in a pool of their own blood. I could not get the image out of my
mind.

I ran up and down the streets of the city. I
started to fear that I would never find my way out. I ran past
endless people that turned to stare. I never stopped. I
couldn’t.

As I ran, I spotted something that caught my
attention. I slowed my pace and finally, I stopped. I bent over
with my hand on my side. I was panting for breath and my muscles
ached from exhaustion.

I looked around and found that I was alone. I
had noticed along one of the walls of the cavern that surrounded
the city, that there was a heavy iron door. A shiny gold padlock
dangled from it but it was not closed. I stepped forward, ripped
the lock from the latch, and carefully slid into the narrow
passageway that was behind it. I carefully closed the door behind
me.

I vaguely wondered why a locked door would be
along the city’s wall. I also wondered why it might have been left
unlocked, but I could not stop long enough to think about it. I did
not want to be caught somewhere that I was not supposed to be. I
pressed forward through the passageway and it led into large
tunnel. It was very much like the one that Brokk had brought me
through. The walls were slick and dark, and it smelled of mold and
stagnant water. I worried that I might see a rat or something
worse.