Aurora's promise
Amid conflicting accounts, Anastacia searches for Flor and the truth about the escape.
When the last advisers left the chamber, Anastacia followed her father to his study. Alfred dismissed the men waiting at the door, but his daughter went in before he could ask to be left alone.
“What will happen to Flor and the others?”
The king remained standing behind his desk.
“I have already ordered the search to continue.”
“Are your soldiers looking for my friends or for whoever killed Arthur?”
“I am looking for everyone involved.”
Anastacia approached the desk.
“That is how they ended up in prison. No one knew what had happened in the forest, but you ordered them all arrested anyway.”
Alfred rested his hands on the papers he still needed to read.
“Arthur was killed inside this castle. Your uncle has just left the council. James Raven walked out determined to act on his own. I must prevent every family from starting to give its own orders.”
“Then listen to those who can help.”
Her father pulled out his chair but did not sit down.
“You think it all began yesterday because that was when you saw those men stand up. Your uncle and I have disagreed for years. The families compete for soldiers, land, influence. Arthur’s death gave them a reason to break away for good.”
Anastacia looked at the door. Charles, Alfred’s brother and Aurora’s father, had always been close by. It was still hard to think of him as someone who refused to work with her father.
“Arresting my friends will not bring Charles back,” she said.
“Nor will leaving a murderer free.”
“We don’t know whether those things are connected.”
Alfred finally sat down.
“If you know anything, Anastacia, tell me.”
She thought of the conversation the previous afternoon.
“Leon was going to try to arrange a visit to the cells. He never brought me an answer. I want to speak to Aurora. Perhaps she knows whether he obtained permission.”
The king called a guard and sent for his niece.
Aurora arrived shortly afterward. As she entered, she looked first at Anastacia, then at her uncle.
“Has something happened to my father?”
“Charles left the council of his own accord,” Alfred replied. “I want to know about Leon.”
Aurora clasped her hands in front of her.
Anastacia explained their conversation in the gallery, when she had asked for help speaking to Elyra, the dudurima elder.
“Did he say anything to you afterward?”
Aurora took a while to answer.
“Leon was not in our room that night.”
Alfred looked up.
“When?”
“Before the shouting started in the corridors. I don’t know what time he left.”
The king called the guard who remained at the door.
“Find Leon. He will be held until I can question him.”
Anastacia stepped toward her father.
“Wait. Perhaps he helped the prisoners. That does not mean he killed Arthur.”
“That is what we will find out.”
“Let me speak to him too.”
Alfred looked at Aurora, who remained near the door.
“You will tell me everything he says,” he instructed his daughter.
“I will.”
The guard left to carry out the order. Aurora watched him go, but did not call him back.
Soon afterward, Anastacia asked a guard to take her to Leon’s cell. She wanted to hear his account before her father made another decision.
She followed the man down the corridors and the stairs to the prisoners’ wing. When they arrived, Leon sat on a bench, his elbows on his knees. He raised his head at the sound of footsteps and stood when he recognized Anastacia.
The guard opened the door for her and moved a few steps down the corridor, letting them talk.
“Aurora said you weren’t in your room,” Anastacia began.
Leon pressed his hands together.
“She was the one who went out.”
Anastacia stayed by the door.
“I need you to tell me what happened.”
“After our conversation in the gallery, I tried to get permission for you to visit Elyra, but I couldn’t. At nightfall I returned to the room I share with Aurora. She wasn’t there.”
“Did you wait for her?”
“Yes. I was still in the room when I heard shouting in the corridor. I went out to see what had happened and learned that Councillor Arthur had been found dead.”
“Did you go to the cells?”
“No. When I saw Aurora again, I asked where she had been. She said she had freed the prisoners.”
Anastacia moved closer to the bench.
“Is that what she said? That she had freed them all?”
“Yes. She said she wanted to help you and find out what Elyra knew about the creatures. I also asked about Councillor Arthur’s death. She swore she had only freed the prisoners and had nothing to do with the murder.”
“And did you believe her?”
Leon looked toward the corridor before answering.
“I didn’t know what to think. But I said we had to tell the king. She had been out of the room on the night a man was killed. Hiding it would only make things worse.”
“Why didn’t you tell him?”
He lowered his eyes to his hands.
“Aurora is pregnant.”
Anastacia fell silent.
“She told me then,” Leon continued. “She was afraid of being accused of Arthur’s death. She asked me to think of the child we are going to have before speaking to the king.”
Anastacia sat at the other end of the bench. The previous afternoon, the three of them had talked beside the window. Aurora had said nothing about it.
“I asked her to speak to your father,” Leon said. “To explain the prisoners’ release before he learned of it from someone else. She asked for time. I agreed to wait until after the council.”
“And afterward?”
“I told her we could not go on hiding it. A little later, the guards came for me.”
Anastacia searched his face for some sign that would help her decide whom to believe. She found weariness and a question Leon seemed to have been asking himself ever since he arrived there.
“I thought she was going to explain herself,” he said. “Not say I was the one who went out.”
“Do you know where Flor and the others are?”
Leon shook his head.
“She didn’t tell me.”
Anastacia stood.
“I will speak to my father. And I will look for the prisoners. They can tell us who took them out of there.”
Leon nodded, but called to her before she reached the door.
“I don’t know why Aurora is doing this. Be careful when you speak to her.”
After telling Alfred what Leon had said, Anastacia went looking for Aurora. She found her in the gallery overlooking the gardens.
Aurora stepped away from the window as soon as she saw her.
“Did you manage to speak to him?”
“Leon said you were the one who left the room. He also said you freed the prisoners.”
“It wasn’t me, Anastacia.”
“Then one of you is lying.”
Aurora looked down the corridor before answering.
“Leon told me where he intended to take them. I can take you there.”
Anastacia stepped toward her.
“You know where Flor is?”
“He mentioned an old hunters’ shelter near the stream. He said he would take everyone there.”
“And why didn’t you say so before?”
“Because I thought it would only make his situation worse. But if you find the prisoners, you can discover what happened. They can show that Leon had nothing to do with Arthur’s death.”
Anastacia did not know whom to believe. Leon said Aurora had freed the group; Aurora denied it and claimed her husband had told her of the hiding place. She needed to hear from those who had been in the cells.
“Then come with me. I want to find Flor and hear what the others have to say.”
Aurora agreed. Before leaving, Anastacia told her father about the hiding place. Alfred ordered two guards to accompany them.
“I don’t want another chase,” Anastacia said. “If they run from the soldiers, we’ll lose them again.”
“The men will observe and bring back a report,” her father replied. “No one will be taken by force without a new order from me.”
“And Flor?”
Alfred looked at his daughter.
“If you find her, you may bring her.”
Anastacia left the castle with Aurora and the two guards. Aurora showed them where to leave the road and, when they reached the stream, pointed out the entrance to a trail among the trees. They tethered their horses there and continued on foot.
The shelter had a low roof covered in dry leaves, and one wall had been shored up with logs. A pot stood beside the ashes of a fire.
The first thing Anastacia saw was the tip of a staff.
Mili appeared beside the door. The little dudurima, who helped protect the Hidden Village, raised her weapon when she spotted the soldiers.
“They came with me,” Anastacia said, stepping forward. “They will not arrest you.”
A high-pitched call came from inside the house.
Flor slipped between Mili’s feet and raced over the ground, scattering leaves as she went. Anastacia knelt just in time to catch her. The baby dragon flung herself against her chest, nuzzling toward her face.
Anastacia tried to say something, but first had to catch her breath. She held Flor tightly, feeling the tiny paws cling to her clothes.
“I looked for you,” she managed to say.
Flor called again and nestled against her neck.
Mili lowered her staff.
“She tried to go after you. We had to take turns looking after her.”
Anastacia held Flor just far enough away to examine her. There was dirt in her white fur, but no injury that she could see.
“Did you feed her?”
“She ate some of mine,” came a voice from behind the house.
Gili emerged from the trees, followed by Satobear. Both bears stopped at the sight of the guards, and Anastacia stood with Flor in her arms.
“My father knows I came. He promised no one would take you by force.”
“Your father was the one who ordered us arrested,” Satobear reminded her.
“I know. That is why I asked for his promise before leaving.”
The guards stayed near the trail. Gili approached Anastacia and touched her muzzle to the hand she held out.
Elyra appeared leaning against the doorframe. The dudurima elder looked tired, but she walked over to Anastacia and laid a hand on Flor’s head.
“Perhaps she can rest now.”
Anastacia took the elder’s hand. She told her of Arthur’s death, Leon’s imprisonment, and the divided council. When she mentioned that they needed to clear up what had happened that night, Elyra asked:
“Does your father still believe the creatures are to blame for everything?”
“He doesn’t know what is happening in the forest. I haven’t been able to explain it either. You were going to tell us before we were arrested.”
“Then we need to talk about the cave,” Elyra said. “What is happening there still threatens the village.”
The elder pointed to the bench beside the door. Anastacia sat with Flor in her lap, and Aurora settled beside her. Mili stayed near Elyra, while the two bears drew closer to listen.
“That cave has an opening to another plane,” she explained. “A place from which the gods can reach our world. The opening is allowing forces to cross that should remain separate.”
“Is that what we heard?” Satobear asked. “The voices?”
“From what you have told me, I believe so.”
Gili lowered her head.
“We followed because it sounded as if someone needed us. Afterward, we couldn’t remember anything.”
“You were not the first,” Elyra said. “There are accounts of creatures that entered that region and came back changed. Some recovered from injuries and said they had seen gods. Others lost control, as you did.”
Anastacia stroked Flor, trying to understand.
“So the same passage can help and can cause that?”
“The rift brings the two planes closer. What comes through depends on who is on the other side. We cannot assume every voice calling out wants to help.”
Mili sat near the elder.
“And is that why they attacked our village?”
“The corruption we saw in the forest is linked to that opening. As long as it remains this way, other creatures may be reached.”
Anastacia remembered the bears’ eyes before the butterflies, the village houses, and the inhabitants trying to flee the new attack.
“We need to close it.”
Elyra nodded.
“That is what I needed to explain before the soldiers took us away.”
“Why me?”
The elder looked at Flor, falling asleep in the princess’s lap.
“Sião chose you, Anastacia. He told me to leave Flor where you would find her. Then he spoke to you while I was being healed. He is bringing you closer to the world of the gods.”
Anastacia remembered the light and the voice she had heard while holding Elyra’s hand.
“He said he needed me. But he didn’t explain what I was supposed to do.”
“Animals sense that presence in you,” the elder continued. “That is why so many approach you. They recognize something we cannot always perceive.”
Gili raised her muzzle.
“After I woke up in the forest, I thought you would run away from us. But you stayed.”
“You were frightened,” Anastacia replied.
“So were you,” Satobear said. “Even so, you wanted to hear us.”
Elyra waited for the princess to look at her again.
“Sião’s choice allows you to reach powers we cannot. What you did for me shows that. But we still need to discover how you can use them at the rift.”
Anastacia looked at her own hand.
“I don’t even know how to repeat what happened when I touched you.”
“Then you must not enter that cave alone, expecting everything to work itself out,” Elyra replied. “You need help. And you need to know what you will find.”
Aurora, who had listened to the entire explanation, leaned forward.
“Is it possible to cross through this opening?”
“Some say they have,” the elder replied. “I cannot guarantee what someone would find on the other side, or whether they could return.”
“And where is this cave?” Aurora asked.
Satobear pointed toward the stream.
“Upstream, as far as the rock face. The entrance is on the left, between two large rocks. That is where we heard the voices.”
Anastacia adjusted Flor in her lap.
“I will tell my father. We need to prepare an expedition and protect those who still live near the cave.”
“I know the way,” Satobear said.
Gili looked at him, then at Anastacia.
“I’m coming too.”
Mili stood to collect the jug.
“Before that, we must warn the village. There are still people there.”
Anastacia agreed to take the information to Alfred and return with an answer. Elyra asked that no one approach the cave before they spoke again.
Aurora stood and adjusted her cloak.
“I will wait near the horses.”
Anastacia nodded. She still needed to hear her friends’ account of the escape. She turned to Elyra as Aurora walked away along the trail.
“Before I go, I need to know who opened the cells. Leon said it was Aurora. She denies it and says she only knows where you are because he told her.”
Mili looked in the direction Aurora had gone.
“But she was the one who freed us.”
Anastacia went still, one hand resting on Flor.
“You saw her?”
“I did. She opened my cell and went to the others.”
Elyra confirmed it:
“Aurora led us through a passage to the gardens. Then she brought us to this shelter.”
“Was Leon with you?”
“We did not see him,” Satobear replied.
Gili also said she had not seen him. None of them knew whether anyone had helped before Aurora opened the doors, but all confirmed that she had been there.
“She said she would fetch you when it was safe,” Mili added. “That is why we stayed here waiting.”
Now Anastacia had witnesses to what Aurora had just denied. She still did not know who had killed Arthur, but Aurora’s role in freeing the prisoners no longer rested on Leon’s account alone.
“My father needs to hear you,” she said.
Elyra nodded.
“We can tell him what we saw. But we do not know what happened to the adviser. We did not pass through the room where you said he was found.”
Anastacia stood with Flor in her arms and called the guards.
“I need to speak to Aurora before we return.”
She said goodbye to her friends and followed the trail. She expected to find Aurora by the stream, but when they reached the place where they had left the animals, only three horses were tied to the trees.
Aurora’s was gone.
One of the guards examined the bank. Hoofprints led toward the road.
“She left on horseback, Your Highness.”
Anastacia looked down the path. Aurora had said she would wait for them.
The guards called for her, but no one answered.
“We will return to the castle,” Anastacia decided. “My father needs to know what happened.”
Night was falling when Anastacia returned to the castle with Flor and the two guards. She asked for Aurora as soon as they passed the gate. None of the men on duty had seen her return.
Anastacia dismounted with help and went inside carrying Flor. She asked them to tell her father she needed to speak to him at once.
Alfred received her in the same room where they had spoken that morning. At the sight of Flor, he pushed his papers aside.
“Did you find the others?”
“I did. And they told me who opened the cells.”
Anastacia explained what she had heard from Elyra, Mili, and the two bears. One of the guards confirmed he had been present for the conversation.
“Aurora freed the prisoners and took them all to the shelter,” the princess said. “She lied when she said she was not involved.”
“Where is she?”
“She said she would wait by the horses. When we got there, she was already gone. The men at the gate said she has not returned here.”
Alfred stood and called a guard.
“Notify the men on the roads. I want them to look for my niece.”
As the soldier left, Anastacia settled Flor in her lap. She needed to tell her father what she had learned about the cave and ask him to hear Leon again. Now she knew Aurora had lied about freeing the prisoners, but she could no longer confront her: Aurora had fled before they returned to the castle.