A Dangerous Dance [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Twenty

BLAKE WOKE TO SOMEONE SHAKING HIS shoulder roughly, pulling him from sleep.

Blinking, he pushed the hand away and straightened with a groan. His back and neck were stiff and sore, a result from falling asleep at one of desks in the library. Books were littered across the surface of the desk, along with his barely legible notes.

He stretched and turned to face the person who so rudely awoke him, surprised to see the pale face of Jamie. Jamie looked frightened and upset.

"Blake. The princesses are missing."

"What?" Blake demanded, instantly more alert at the news, "That's impossible. I saw them—"

His stomach dropped.

Jamie frowned, "What is it?"

Blake lunged up out of his seat, gathering together his scribbled notes, "I dare not speak her name here, but it's bad, Jamie, worse than we imagined. I must see the King right away, where is he?"

Jamie still seemed confused, hurrying after his cousin as Blake practically ran from the library, "I- he's in the princesses' chambers, but wait, Blake—!"

The older male was already hurrying up the stairs, wheels turning in his head as he went. After leaving the princesses last night, he had gone straight to the library.

The Shadow Queen. The name was familiar. A faint memory of his childhood, being told stories by his mother at night to warn against acting out.

It had taken him quite a long time to drudge through the library, searching for certain books that he knew they had back home but that hadn't necessarily meant King Nathaniel had them in his possession. He had only found maybe half of the books he wanted, but it was better than finding none of them.

High Marland just simply wasn't a country invested in myth and magic and folklore, not as Great Calmark was. However, Blake knew with absolutely certainty that the princesses were caught up in dark and ancient magic.

There was a bustle of activity on the floor with the princesses' chambers. Servants running back and forth, guards everywhere, and Blake even saw a few black-robed, white-collared priests in the mix as he hurried towards the chamber.

Two guards stopped him from entering, one speaking, "My apologies, Lord Etherson, but the King isn't allowing entry at all. You'll have to wait."

Blake scowled, "No, I must go in now. I have information for the King."

The guard simply shook his head, "Our orders are to not let anyone in without direct permission of the King."

"This is absurd." Blake muttered, "I can help."

"Please, My Lord, I do not wish to forcibly remove you." The guard said.

"I know where the princesses are."

All activity around Blake stopped abruptly. A surge of satisfaction rushed through him as servants, guards, and other attendants stared at him.

He was quickly allowed entrance after that, causing a stir within as he rushed in and immediately went straight towards King Nathaniel.

Locklyn noticed him first, frowning as he turned to face him, "Lord Etherson—?"

"There's not much time. I know where the girls are." Blake stated bluntly.

Nathaniel turned, drawing back slightly in surprise, "Lord Etherson? What is the meaning of this?"

"Your Majesty, all due respect, but you have no idea what you're dealing with." Blake spoke with a desperate edge in his voice, "There isn't much time to save them."

"Are you implying that you know where my daughters are? What proof do you have?" Nathaniel demanded.

Blake tried not to let his temper get the best of him, since he knew that King Nathaniel was just as worried as he was. He took a deep breath, then reached into his pocket to reveal the golden leaves and the black sand.

Nathaniel and Locklyn listened with avid attention as Blake explained the golden steps and the forest and the lake leading to a dark castle. He showed them his notes and explained who exactly they were dealing with.

The Shadow Queen. Blake had of course, grown up hearing the tales of the woman. He used to think it was just an old wife's tale used to scare children into obedience. Some said that she was born corrupted, full of dark and unspeakable magic, others said she gathered forbidden knowledge and sold her soul for power, and many spoke of how she lured in innocent people through contracts and drained their life-force to gain her power.

Every story had a common thread. The Shadow Queen was not to be trusted or approached in any way. A dangerous being full of insidious intent. There was a reason the Shadow Queen was used a tale to keep children obedient.

A contract with the creature meant death. The allure of it was that she offered something a person desperately wanted. For their lover to return their affections. Riches and fame. A couple desperate for a child. But in the end, everything came with a price.

"Show me." Was King Nathaniel's response once Blake was done explaining.

He nodded, and led the way into the princesses' bed chamber, hoping and praying he remembered the pattern on the wardrobe he had seen Althea trace.

The scowl on the King's face only deepened as he studied the wardrobe, "Isabella's wardrobe..." He murmured, touching the wood with a gloved hand, "She hated this dresser. When she had it removed, I thought she had it burned."

Blake frowned, "Did this belong to the Queen, Your Majesty?"

Nathaniel nodded, turning to face him, "It was. She discovered the wardrobe shortly before we learned that we were having Althea and Blythe. But I did not know she had given it to the girls."

And Blake came to a sudden realization, one that saddened him. Queen Isabella must've been so desperate to give Nathaniel a son that she had turned to magic as an aid. He knew that they had tried to conceive a child for many years once Nathaniel had taken the throne, without success, until suddenly they announced the arrival of Althea and Blythe, then more and more princesses were born.

Isabella had gone to the Shadow Queen. And she had given her what she wanted, children, but never a son and it had obviously came with a high price.

Nathaniel sighed, "Oh Isabella, what have you done, my love?" He murmured in a quiet, broken voice. Blake's heart ached for the King.

Blake cleared his throat and Nathaniel regained his composure, "This is the entrance? But how?" The king asked.

"There was a pattern Thea traced." Blake murmured, reaching up to begin the pattern, his finger tracing the carving in the dark wood.

But he soon stopped, for the pattern did not turn silver as it had with Althea. Growing panicked, he began again and traced out the entire pattern to no avail.

"I don't understand..." He shook his head, "I saw it with my own eyes, so why...?"

And then he silently cursed himself for not thinking of it before. He turned to Nathaniel.

"It won't open. Not during waking hours." He deflated, "We'll have to wait."

"What do you mean?" Locklyn, who had stayed silent for the most part, now spoke up.

Blake looked between Nathaniel and Locklyn.

"We can't help them until the sun goes down. They're trapped, for the time being. And there is nothing we are able to do."