Chapter 1
“Sacha should live by our rules. Heads down, noses clean, mouths shut. It’s the best way to live,” Hodgepodge said. “No trouble that way. And that’s what’s heading for the wee lassie if she doesn’t show up to help with the cleaning. She’s paid up until the end of the week, even though she resigned.”
I briefly rested a hand against the cool side of my scaled, brown wyvern companion as he huffed and snorted his annoyance. “Sacha is never late. She could be sick. We’ll have to check she’s okay. Last week, she was complaining of a sore head.”
“From too much maple mead! And if she is sick, we shouldn’t go near her.” Hodgepodge adjusted his thick tail around my neck as I dashed along the quiet stone corridor in the central atrium of the Ithric Castle. I’d learned many years ago to step lightly on the stone floor and could hurry almost silently without drawing attention. Which was absolutely the best way to live, especially when your companion wasn’t strictly legal, and attracting the steely eye of any member of the royal household ended badly.
“Lady Isolda insisted on an extra clean of the dragon chamber before her son arrives,” I said. “It won’t be as thorough as I’d like if Sacha doesn’t help. I can manage a brief tidy in between castle visitors but nothing to make the place gleam.”
“It’s already clean! We’ve been over that place with a fine-tooth comb without Sacha’s help. Lazy girl. There’s not even a speck of dust in the highest corner,” Hodgepodge said.
“I’m not questioning orders. Whatever Lady Isolda asks for, she gets.” I’d waited for ten minutes in the chilly courtyard for Sacha Dumas to show, before dashing inside the castle so I wasn’t late for my shift. Something must be wrong. She was a decade younger than me, so should be through her reckless years, but Sacha still enjoyed long nights in the Pickled Badger, downing mead with the burliest of men and challenging them to arm wrestling.
“If she checks, tell her royal ladyship you cleaned the chamber with Sacha. She won’t know the difference. The haughty madam hasn’t done a day of cleaning in her over-privileged life,” Hodgepodge said.
“I’m a terrible liar. You know that.” I glanced out the window at a dull gray sky. It was late afternoon, and there was less than an hour before the royal guests arrived. The anticipation of Prince Jasper Ithric’s return had spun the household into a frenzy of activity, especially since it was the first time he was presenting his betrothed to the public.
I hurried down the servants’ stone staircase, along another corridor, and into the vast kitchen. Sacha had a fondness for bread, and right about now, the family leftovers would be distributed to the servants.
Alice Greenback looked up as I appeared in the kitchen door, her white hair tucked neatly under a cap. “Afternoon, Bell. Hodgepodge. If you’re hungry, you’ll have to wait. It’s full steam ahead to prepare for the visit. Lady Isolda has ordered roast suckling, three basted geese, and five dessert options! I’m almost on my knees, and I’ve got two girls off with some stomach bug. I told them to go to the apothecary, but they couldn’t afford his fee.”
“I’m not here to fill my belly.” Although the smell of sweet baked apples and cinnamon made my stomach grumble.
“I could handle food.” Hodgepodge lifted his snout and inhaled. Although we weren’t allowed companion animals, most of the castle servants kept their own creatures, and they were all fond of Hodgepodge, so I trusted them not to reveal my odd choice of friend.
Alice tossed him a cheese rind, which he caught in his mouth. She chuckled. “He’s perfect at waste disposal.”
I smiled. Hodgepodge always enjoyed his food. “I’m looking for Sacha. She’s late for her afternoon shift.”
Alice rubbed butter into flour with expert skill. “Haven’t seen her. I assumed she was with you, cleaning the chamber for our oh-so-special guest. Five desserts! I ask you. Prince Jasper is Lady Isolda’s son, not some rival noble they need to woo to top up the almost empty coffers. Rumor has it our pay will be docked again this month if they don’t scrape enough money together. There’ll be a mass walkout if they don’t fix this mess.”
“We should strike,” Hodgepodge said.
“If we did, they’d easily find our replacements from the village.” I glanced around, always wary of who could be listening in to report back to the family. Gossip about the royal household was forbidden, as were so many things in this unsettled realm.
Alice saw me looking and waved a flour-covered hand. “I trust everyone here. If I caught a traitor, they’d end up in next week’s pie.”
I grimaced, and Hodgepodge snorted smoke.
“I’m worried about Sacha,” I said. “Do you think she’s sick, too? Maybe this stomach bug is going around.”
Alice chuckled, a deep, mirthful sound that spoke of many nights enjoying a spiced herbal pipe. “Maybe lovesick. The last time I saw her, she was starry-eyed about that new stable hand. The dark-haired one with the smoldering eyes, who always forgets to do up his shirt whenever a pretty girl is around.”
“When we met him, I thought he looked cross-eyed,” Hodgepodge said. “And he kept trying to look down Bell’s dress.”
“No doubt. He’s too smug for my taste, though. Knows he’s handsome, but looks aren’t everything. They fade. And what are you left with? A bad character and a broken heart.” Alice tossed a slice of apple for Hodgepodge, which he chewed noisily beside my ear.
“If you see Sacha, send her to the stone chamber,” I said. “The prince is due soon, and Lady Isolda has been snarling at everyone to ensure things are perfect.”
“I’ll send her your way if she shows her face.” Alice shook her head. “All this stress for one visit. And they could have given us more warning. I had to ride out at dawn to the next village to get supplies, and I won’t be in bed before midnight because they always eat so late.”
“It’s the family’s privilege,” I said. “They jump, and we say how high.”
“I’m too old for jumping,” Alice said. “My hips even hurt when I turn too sharpish.”
“So are we,” Hodgepodge said. “We’ll enjoy a quiet night in after the visit. Hot cocoa, feet up, snuggled under a blanket.”
“Sounds idyllic,” Alice said. “Save me a spot.”
We left Alice chopping more fruit for the tart, and I dashed up the stairs toward my cleaning closet close to the stone chamber. I’d grab my supplies and check the chamber on my own. I had no issue with covering for Sacha. She’d do the same for me.
“Stop your fretting, lassie.” Hodgepodge gently nosed my ear. “No new dust has formed in the last few hours. You’ve cleaned the chamber six times today.”
I reached the top of the stone stairs, hurried along another corridor, and unlocked the cleaning supplies cupboard. “I always do my best in the ten minutes they give me.”
The castle’s dragon stone chamber was a magnificent monument to the incredible creatures that used to rule alongside the family. When the last dragon died, the family created life-sized stone statues of two of the greatest dragons who’d ever lived, Emberthorn and Stormwing. Every day, hundreds of visitors came to the castle to see them, pay tribute, and wish blessings upon the dragons for their return.
It had been twenty years since Emberthorn died, and the dragons were dearly missed by all fifty villages and towns in the Ithric Realm. It wasn’t just because they’d been magnificent to look at, but because with their passing, we lost something crucial to our long-term survival.
I wheeled out my mop bucket, grabbed another bucket full of cleaning potions, brushes, and cloths, and then locked the door. I turned and almost collided with Gwit Buckleberry. I dropped my bucket, and the contents spilled across the floor.
He jumped back, narrowly avoiding being doused in my unique potion of baking powder, salt, and a dash of cleaning magic. “Sorry, Bell. My fault. I wasn’t paying attention. Let me help.”
“Thanks. I’m in a hurry. Big day, today.” I kneeled and grabbed handfuls of cloths but then paused and inspected his pale face. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. No. Well, I’m still looking for Maggie. It’s been well over a month since I last saw her.”
I dumped my cloths into the bucket and sat back on my heels. “You still haven’t heard anything?” Gwit had asked for my help in finding Maggie, and I’d asked everywhere I could think of, but she’d simply vanished.
“Maggie is flighty, but she’s never been gone this long.” He tugged on the crumpled hem of his tunic. “I’m thinking the worst, especially with the rumors flying around.”
“Rumors?” I asked.
“We’re not getting involved,” Hodgepodge said. “Rumors lead to problems, and we don’t need problems in our lives.”
“Hodgie, you love Maggie. She always feeds you raisins from her pocket whenever she sees you.”
Hodgepodge huffed into my ear. “We keep our heads down, remember?”
I scratched under his chin. Hodgepodge always watched my back, and he knew if we stayed quiet and out of the way, we’d be safe. I always agreed with him, but I considered Gwit a friend. We’d started working at the castle around the same time, and he’d looked out for me and advised me to steer clear of the young princes and their wild ways. It was time to help him. Gwit was suffering, and I couldn’t ignore that.
He glanced along the corridor, first left then right. “You didn’t hear this from me, but I’ve heard gossip other women are going missing, and it has to do with the royals.”
My mouth formed an ‘oh’ of surprise, and I blew out a breath. The Ithric family ruled strictly, and since the dragons had gone, those rules had only tightened, leaving a lingering atmosphere of fear. I understood why they were so strict. They were dealing with a crisis and had yet to find a solution, but it wasn’t enjoyable living under a cloud of tension.
Gwit nodded as if I’d spoken my thoughts aloud. “I’ve been asking around, and more than a dozen women have gone missing.”
“So many? I thought it was just Maggie. How did I not know about this?” I asked.
“Because we don’t poke around in things that don’t concern us,” Hodgepodge grumbled. “Best thing.”
Gwit placed the last of my scrubbing brushes into the bucket. “It’s not just happening here. When I’ve been on my rounds, I’ve asked in other villages and towns. Two disappearances in each. Whoever is doing this, they’re being careful not to get noticed by never taking too many women from one area. It’s clever.”
“Are you sure the women have been taken?” I asked as diplomatically as I could. Maggie was a free spirit and had once disappeared for a week, following the mystical oak tree spirit from Middle Mallow. “The women could have moved or met someone and eloped. The army passed through less than a month ago, and their uniforms always get hearts fluttering.”
“And skirts lifting,” Hodgepodge mumbled.
Gwit glared down a long thin nose. “My sister didn’t elope nor get her head turned by a soldier. She’s more sensible than that.”
I held in a sigh. I knew Maggie better than Gwit realized, and a quiet life wasn’t for her. She’d talked to me about adventure and going to new places, meeting new people. And she’d been a child when our last dragon died, so she had no memory of being ruled by such magnificent creatures, and she wanted to experience that. We weren’t the only realm who had dragon rulers, so I understood her desire to expand her horizons. Some people were born adventurers. Some, like me and Hodgie, weren’t.
“I know you’ve tried to find her, but will you keep looking?” Gwit asked. “When I ask around Maggie’s friends, they get nervous. They see me as some fuddy duddy old fool trying to stop her fun.”
I gripped the handle of the mop that stuck out of my other bucket. “I always keep an eye out for her, but not right now. We’ve got the royal visit soon, and I can’t find Sacha. She was supposed to help me today, but she didn’t show.”
His face grew ashen. “Sacha is missing too?”
“Oh! No, not like Maggie. She’s only been missing today. I saw Sacha yesterday.”
“Are you sure? That’s what happened with Maggie. One day she was here and the next gone. All of her things left behind, too.”
“I didn’t realize she hadn’t taken her belongings,” I said.
“We’re not getting involved,” Hodgepodge muttered. “Too risky.”
“Bell, please. I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate. Maggie considers you a friend. She confided in you, didn’t she?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Not really. I got the impression she saw me as an older, sensible sister, not really a good friend.”
“Heads down, noses clean,” Hodgepodge whispered in my ear. “Attention means death.”
With regret, I shook my head. “Another time, Gwit. I’ve got so much to do, and Lady Isolda demands perfection in the chamber. Prince Jasper wants to show his bride-to-be the dragons as soon as they arrive. Apparently, she’s been talking about nothing else for weeks.”
I’d unintentionally eavesdropped on Lady Isolda one afternoon as she’d strode around the chamber barking orders and complaining about her son’s bride-to-be for being interested in dragons, so I knew exactly what she thought of Camilla Oldsbrook. I pitied the royal bride. This family came with sharp edges and even sharper tongues.
Gwit hung his head then nodded. “I understand. I don’t know what to do, though. She was my only family. I’m responsible for her. Since our parents’ death, Maggie has been unsettled. I do my best, but it’s never enough. Now this. She vanishes.”
I released my grip on my mop and patted his shoulder. “When she returns, she’ll be full of tales of adventure and most likely have a handsome young man in tow. You can scold her for leaving, but if she’s found happiness elsewhere, be happy for her.”
“I will. Thanks, Bell.” Gwit hurried away, his hands clasped and his shoulders tense.
“Don’t get us involved in anyone else’s business.” Hodgepodge slid down my back and hopped on the mop bucket, riding it as I dashed through the corridor to the stone chamber.
“I’m not. But he’s a friend, and we like Maggie. I want to make sure nothing bad has happened to her.”
“Do that, and something bad will happen to you. The family despises nosiness. Heads have rolled when they’ve discovered people snooping into business that doesn’t concern them.”
“A missing servant is our business,” I said. “And if more servants go missing, it means we have to work harder. Well, I work hard while you get a free ride.”
Hodgepodge curled his tail around the wooden mop handle and blew out smoke.
I turned the corner and froze. Prince Godric Ithric, Lady Isolda’s youngest son, strode toward us, his head turned toward the tall guard by his side as they conversed.
My pulse fired into fear mode. I hurried to the edge of the floor-length tapestry depicting a bloody battle between the family and an ancient enemy and slid behind it, taking my cleaning equipment and Hodgepodge with me. I held my breath as their footsteps grew closer, and I closed my eyes and whispered a silent prayer to the dragons that Prince Godric wouldn’t notice a human-sized lump behind the tapestry.
Hodgepodge leaned his head against my thigh, and I welcomed the comfort.
“Mother is insisting on tripling the guard on the outer walls.” Prince Godric’s posh, crisp tone verged on boredom. “Apparently, she thinks Jasper may be a target. I can’t imagine why anyone would want that little toady dead. Unless he’s bored them into insanity.”
“I’ll ensure it’s done,” the guard said. “We’ve had word from the advance scouts that Prince Jasper and his party have arrived at the final checkpoint and are being escorted here.”
“My joy knows no bounds,” Prince Godric drawled. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”
I grew lightheaded from holding my breath, but I didn’t dare make a noise. It wasn’t until the footsteps faded that I allowed myself to breathe.
“That was too close,” I whispered to Hodgepodge. “Although I’m surprised our dour-faced posh boy is even out of bed. He usually lounges around all day, and when he gets up, drinks to excess, and then takes some poor unfortunate woman to his bed.”
Hodgepodge grunted his agreement as he peeked out from underneath the tapestry.
Prince Godric’s reputation was the worst, and his personality was even more twisted. I’d valued Gwit’s warnings to stay away from the princes as they’d matured. I never wanted to be the unfortunate woman they summoned. Although now I’d hit my fortieth birth year, I felt certain my work-scored hands and faint wrinkles made me invisible to them. For that, I could only be grateful.
I flexed my fingers. I’d been clutching my mop handle so hard, my hand hurt. “We’re safe now. Let’s get to the chamber.”
I’d just grabbed the handle of my mop again when something jabbed the tapestry from the other side. “Come out with your hands up.”
