Heir of Amber and Fire by Rachanee Lumayno (read aloud books .TXT) 📕

want the marriage, but King Hendon is pushing for it for reasons unknown. My mother fears that the king is using the wedding as a way to take over all of the Gifted Lands. She sent me to find my real father, Joichan, to help us stop the wedding. Which is why I asked for your help to find Joichan. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Another long silence met my words. Blood pounded in my ears. Now that I was no longer keeping secrets from my friends, I hoped that they wouldn’t reject me, but I knew I had no right to ask that of them.

I suddenly felt arms around me, and looked up into Farrah’s sympathetic face. “All is forgiven.”

Suddenly embarrassed, she pulled away. “I meant to say, Your Highness, it doesn’t matter that you lied to us. Uh, I mean...... Oh, dear. Was it okay that I hugged you?”

I smiled. “Of course. I’m glad you’ve forgiven me. And... I’m so used to not being called ‘Your Highness’ now that is seems odd to hear you say it.”

Farrah laughed as I pulled her back into a warm embrace. Behind her, Rhyss grinned, the tension gone from his face. I hugged him next. When I let Rhyss go, I turned to Beyan. His expression was more enigmatic, but he smiled at me. Our embrace was brief, yet somehow felt full of unspoken thoughts. Next to me, I felt the tension in my father ease.

Beyan gestured toward the fire. “Feel free to stay awhile. I’m sure we have a lot of things to talk about.” His glance lingered on Joichan.

“I wish we could,” I said. “We need to get inside the castle. If we can come back, we will.”

“Please do.” Beyan looked like he wanted to say something more, but Joichan touched my shoulder, indicating we should leave.

As we turned to go, Beyan called out to us. “Allayne... I mean, Your Highness. Princess Jennica. Before you go...”

He pressed something into my hand. I looked at the simple little ring in the center of my palm. I slipped it onto my littlest finger, grateful to have it back. “Thank you,” I said. Beyan nodded at us and stepped back.

Joichan and I continued on our way. We had reached a rare quiet spot in the midst of the campsites when my father stopped me. “Can you get ahold of your friend? If she’s available, she can help us get into the castle.”

I doubted Taryn would answer my call, since we had been unable to connect the last several times I had tried her. But there was no harm in trying again, and my father was right — it would be near impossible to gain entrance into the castle without assistance. And I certainly didn’t want to alert the guards, or worse, King Hendon, to the fact that I was back.

I quickly sketched the gestures and spoke the words for the calling spell. I held my fingers out, not expecting anything to happen. So I was taken by surprise when Taryn’s face appeared almost immediately.

“Taryn! I can’t believe it! I tried to get in touch before, but — ”

“Princess! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to respond before, and I don’t have much time now. It’s all gone so very, very bad here. I’m being watched as well.”

“But what — ”

“I don’t have much time, and there’s too much to tell you.” Taryn glanced over her shoulder at something I couldn’t see. As much as I wanted details, I could sense her fear.

“Then I’ll be brief. Taryn, we’re back in Calia, just outside the gates. We need help getting back into the castle.”

“We?”

Joichan shook his head at me, warning me not to give away his secret just yet. “I’ll explain when I see you. But for now — can you help us?”

“Yes, of course! I’ll mark the path through the tunnels, just in case you need to use them without me around. But I’ll meet you outside the castle, where the secret door is. You remember the location?”

I nodded. “We should be there shortly.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon.”

Taryn’s face disappeared as the magic faded.

Joichan and I made our way to the castle wall without incident. Even though there were so many visitors camped outside the castle — and presumably, overflowing the nearby town — the guards didn’t challenge any who passed by them. I guessed they were probably used to it by now. The servants we had overheard talking had seemed to imply that the days and weeks leading up the wedding celebration were full of around-the-clock revelry.

We loitered by the hidden door, trying to blend into the deep shadows and not attract attention. We waited. And waited. And kept waiting.

Joichan’s quiet voice in my ear startled me. “She definitely should have been here by now. Do you think something happened to your friend?”

I worried about that too, but hearing him say it out loud made it now seem like a real possibility.

“What should we do?” I whispered.

“I suppose we’ll need to find another way in.” He sounded doubtful.

I nodded absentmindedly. There was something small fluttering in the breeze, caught in the wall right around eye level. I stepped closer, reaching out to grab it. It was a hair ribbon, pale in the moonlight.

I reached out again, my hands brushing against the smooth unbroken stone... until suddenly it wasn’t unbroken anymore. My father and I looked at each other. I grabbed the lip of the hidden door and pulled it open a little wider.

“I think Taryn was here.” I indicated the ribbon in my fist. “I don’t know what’s happened, but I don’t think we should wait any longer. She said she’d mark the passageway, so we should be okay.”

My father followed me into the cool, dank tunnel. He tugged the door shut behind him, making the darkness in the passage complete. “Illumine,” I said, and light flared above us.

True to her word, Taryn had marked the way we should go. At each turn