The Runaway Queen

Chapter 7

Hawthorn woke in the early afternoon. As the maid fussed around the room, he pulled on his robe and wandered into the bathroom. The minute had barely passed when Kohen entered the king's chambers.

He stood near the door, watching the maid stripping the sheets from the bed.

"Good afternoon, my lord. Are you ready to receive your briefing?" Kohen called out.

The bathroom door opened, and Kohen was given a derisive glare.

"I have been awake for a minute," he grumbled.

Turning back into the room, Hawthorn splashed water on his face in an attempt to wake up.

"I know, but I thought that you'd like to be kept up to date. Orin is making another attempt at getting information from Seraphina."

"Has he gotten anything of value?"

Wiping the water away, Hawthorn tucked the towel on the rail and wandered out of the room.

"She has confirmed that she was contracted by the government. General Lewis Harvey was the one she liaised with, and she believes that he was the one orchestrating the entire plan. He formed a panel of advisors that created the plan, spies were sent out to observe, and when everything was ready, they organised a meeting of the world leaders."

"And Seraphina was okay with all of this going on?"

"Orin believes that it suited her goal to remove you. She did not tell any of them that she was a vampire as well. They had the means to get her closer than she had in the past. It would seem that this was not her first attempt. Her intentions beyond your death are still unknown."

"I'm sure she would step up and take over the leadership."

Hawthorn glanced at the maid as she bundled up the linen. She rushed out of the room, leaving them alone.

"Continue with the supervision of the interrogation for now. Relent on Seraphina at some point to allow her a reprieve and restore her blood intake. The more information she offers, the better. You can incentivise her with something from my private collection if you like. Bring Orin to my office later. I hope that he will have a lot of things to tell me."

"Me too."

"In the meantime, please extend an invitation to Jack Wesley to visit this evening."

Kohen's eyes lifted to Hawthorn's.

"The Prime Minister?"

"Yes," Hawthorn hummed with delight. "Tell him that I'd like to discuss an extremely important matter with him tonight, and if he thinks that refusal is an option, then you may remind him of the thing that I have kept hidden for him."

"Uh, okay."

"That is all for now."

Kohen nodded as he watched Hawthorn turn into the dressing room. As he turned to leave the room, Kohen wondered how he was going to get in contact with the leader of the country.

His service to the king had only been a few years in the making, but Kohen thought he'd met all of the influential contacts that Hawthorn had. He wasn't surprised that Hawthorn knew the leader or that he clearly had dirt on him. It was that way with many people, and Jack Wesley was just another little fly caught in the spider's web.

Hawthorn dressed and emerged from his chambers as quickly as he could. Knowing that Seraphina was occupied, he made his way to the guest quarters. Guards stepped aside as he approached.

"Who has entered the room?"

"Just General Castilla, but he remained at the door for the duration of his visit. He came to collect the queen, and with the other guards, he took her away. No one else has entered yet."

"Good."

Hawthorn entered the room, closing the door behind him. Turning on the light, Hawthorn watched as the dark room showed what would have been hidden from Orin. He was no fool, but Hawthorn knew Orin would have respected Seraphina's privacy as much as he could.

The bed had not been stripped, still rumpled from where Seraphina would have slept. Everything appeared to be in good order.

Hawthorn continued his search past the small dining table between the bed and the lounge chair. Facing the fireplace, the lounge would be the ideal location during a cold evening. Even the early hours of the morning would warrant having the fireplace lit.

Lowering in front of it, Hawthorn looked at the contents of the firebox. The maids hadn't been through the room to tidy it yet. If Seraphina used the fireplace during her resting hours, there should be evidence. There was nothing but black feathers.

Hawthorn frowned as he reached into the firebox, pulling a stack of feathers out. He couldn't believe how many feathers the bird had lost in just a few hours. It made him wonder if a bird had been caught and died in the chimney.

He stood and looked at the perch. The bird was not here. Hawthorn couldn't imagine Orin allowing the bird to accompany Seraphina to the interview.

As he continued to pull the feathers out, the door opened. The maid gasped.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my lord. I wasn't aware that you were here."

"It's alright. When was this chimney cleaned?"

She pulled the records book from the sleeve attached to the back of the door.

"Last week, my lord."

"Is it possible that a bird was caught in it?"

"I don't think so. I heard the maintenance fellow had installed covers to stop the birds."

Hawthorn looked at the pile that was covered in soot. He'd made a mess but knew that the maids wouldn't care.

The maid approached and saw the pile of feathers.

"That is a lot of feathers," she muttered quietly. "And they were not here when I tidied the room yesterday."

Hawthorn looked at his sooty hands.

"I'll be back in a moment. Stay put."

Entering the bathroom, Hawthorn was surprised to see the bird sitting atop the shower screen. He surmised that at least he knew where the bird was, even if it was the most peculiar situation he'd ever encountered.

It appeared as if the bird was not missing a single feather. The view was strange, and it made Hawthorn question everything.

After washing his hands, Hawthorn glanced at the raven. It was asleep, or at least it seemed that it was. Hawthorn didn't know anything about birds.

Leaving the bathroom, he pulled the maid to the far side of the room.

"I have a personal task for you. Tidy the room as you usually do. Dispose of any feathers that you find. Do not mention it to the queen or comment on the feathers. Just tidy the room and leave. Any questions?"

"No, my lord."

"Good. Hurry about your tasks. The queen might return soon."

Hawthorn quietly watched as the maid gathered the feathers. When she left to dispose of them, Hawthorn saw one poking out from the back of the cushion on the lounge. Pulling it free, he pondered what the feathers meant. The questions kept rolling through his mind, wondering how the raven had shed so many feathers and still looked the same.