Prophecy, Book One of the Kingdoms of Chartile

Chapter Twenty-One: Shadows of the Past, part one

The gleam of a spear point caught Piper's eye. Sentries stationed mere yards away would have caught her had she not seen it. She flattened herself to the ground behind one of the many butterfly bushes the Elven palace was famous for. She was thankful she had extinguished the small flame she had created for light as soon as there was the faintest bit of sun for her to see by. It may have slowed her up a bit, having to squint at the tiny compass in her hand, but she didn't care. Piper knew she had several hours on her companions and was not worried about them catching up to her. She knew they would discover she was missing soon enough and come after her. But she would already be in the castle by then.

Pangs of remorse ran in waves up and down her spine when she thought of them. She felt guilty for leaving them behind. She had promised the boys she would always be there for them. Worse yet, the last words she had spoken to Dimitri and Valin had been in anger. She clenched her jaw and pushed her feelings aside. This was her task to do. Gran was depending on her yet. And then there was Taraniz – her sister. She had to find her and speak with her. She had to know. She had so many questions.

The soldiers turned to speak to each other, and Piper reached into her pack, feeling around for the tabard. It wasn't there. Panicked, she dared to sit up, and emptied the pack of its contents on the ground before her. She must have forgotten it in her haste when leaving the campsite. She glanced at the soldiers through the butterfly bush, wondering if she could sneak into the dungeons and work her way up through the palace from below. She had to chance it. It was the only way.

The magic she had once feared only weeks ago was now her greatest asset. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She shifted a tree limb several yards away, but the guards continued their conversation. Piper rolled her eyes and flicked a small spark at a passing bird. It chirped and dropped the seed it had been carrying on one of the guards. This time, they looked up. Again, Piper made the tree limbs sway and rustle. She levitated several large stones, allowing them to fall to the earth again.

She had never been to the dungeons, even as a child, but she recalled the map she had studied in Valin's library the day they left Cannondole. If she remembered correctly, the door she now faced led downward into the dungeons. The map had labeled only the perimeters and the inner gardens of the palace. Once she was inside, she was on her own.

The guards headed toward the sounds. She used compact balls of air to create the sound of footsteps hurrying away.

"Do you hear that?" one of the guards asked, looking in the direction of the sound.

Piper made a distant butterfly bush dance as though someone had hidden behind it.

The first guard looked at his comrade, who nodded. Their spears lowered, the two men approached the bush. Piper took a deep breath and steadied her trembling hands. Silently, she moved behind them towards the door. Her hand touched the heavy iron latch. The guards were almost at the bush. She pressed the handle with her thumb, and it creaked with age. The door swung wide, pulled by gravity, and it creaked even louder.

The guards whipped around, their eyes wide with surprise.

"Stop!" one cried, and they charged her. Piper barely had time to pull her sword from its scabbard, but instinct overtook her. She commanded the wind with ease and knocked the two men to the ground.

They shook their heads, dazed, and the second guard cried, "It's her! It's her! Send the warning!"

The first guard glanced at a pile of kindling mixed with a blue powdered mineral that Piper had not noticed at first. It was a signal fire. It would send a cloud of colored smoke into the air. Taraniz had known all along she would come. Piper was closer to the kindling than the soldiers. She scattered and pile and rubbed it into the earth. One of the soldiers grabbed her, forcing her arms behind her back. Fire erupted from her hands at the guard's waist and caught his gambeson ablaze. He jumped back, beating the flames frantically. The other guard raised the butt of his spear toward Piper's head, but she was faster.