A Guide to Charming Royals

Chapter Forty: ARIAH

Every palace has its secrets. As a royal, some you know, some you are aware of, and some you create.

But the secret of the passage was for us, for a Drasqat, to pass onto her children, to maintain it in the walls of the palace, and never let an outsider know. We broke the rule, by revealing it to two outsiders, potentially endangering the lives of so many others in the palace.

But as Madyan walks next to us, his footsteps soft, eyes gazing at us every so often as though wanting to make sure we're still with him, and the way his lips part in awe at the sight before him, we don't want to believe we've done wrong.

"How do you know which passageway opens to which place?" he asks

We rub at our eyes, urging the sleep to leave. "We're taught the map of the palace as children. There's a class we have to take, where we learn emergency exits, major rooms, and for an exam we draw out the floor plan. It's for our own safety but it's tedious work."

"So, someone like us, who hasn't learned all of this since childhood, how will they know how to exit?"

"It's made for Drasqat royals to learn when they're children, so that it's engraved in their minds as they grow older, and then you just know. Somewhat like driving down multiple roads, and you know how many intersections to pass before you've reached your destination."

"But we're in the dark and everything looks the same."

"We're messing with you, May," we say, turning through the tunnel, and once we do, we point out a symbol on the wall. It's light, but our eyes have been trained to seek out these symbols composed of letters and numerics in the Arabic alphabet. We used to go on 'field trips' with our cousins through the tunnels, having to identify these symbols for class. "Let us clarify. We weren't kidding about learning the emergency exits and all that, but when it comes to tunnels, they're not really made for us to travel through. Still, in case of an emergency, we're taught to recognize symbols. Each exit has a symbol that matches its tunnel opening. For example, this X13, we know, leads to the kitchen."

He cracks a smile. "Glad you still have your humour."

The other option would be to worry about Leila and Deen, which we cannot afford at the moment. "Deen mentioned something about a photowall, which we're assuming is the family photo hall. So, we're going to need to head upstairs, which means we need to take the staircase from the library. If the guards are following protocol, the library won't be searched until later. They first check all major areas."

"Shouldn't the guards first secure the passageways in case of an emergency escape?" he asks.

"Good point," we mumble. "There will be a team soon enough heading into the tunnels. But most guards don't quite know each exit, since it's really for a Drasqat to know only. But some of the servants do, so they'll probably be leading the team of guards. Though, we should tell you, if someone, an assassin let's say, is in the tunnel, they're not getting out. There's only one exit out of the palace through the tunnels."

He shakes his head. "This is unnecessarily complicated."

"Agreed."

"Should we ask about the exit?"

"Let's hope you don't need it."

"Should we be walking these tunnels if there's an assassin somewhere?"

"Not at all."

He follows us, and we step out of the tunnels and into the library. It settles upon us that if Leila is in the tunnels, she may not know how to exit one, which is concerning, especially if something has happened to her. So, we quicken our pace, our steps like thunder in the silence of the library as we head up the staircase.