She marched at the head of the small procession that followed her silently back to the throne room. King Edward sat on his throne, making a statement, she supposed. His opposition to her was clear.
Hannah strode slowly down the length of the narrow room, her eyes locked on his. There were five soldiers standing near him, nervous and waiting for instruction. He had probably threatened them while she was absent. Hannah slowed and pointed to King Edward as she spoke in words tinged with anger, “Remove that man from the King’s throne.”
“I am the King.”
He said no more. The guards hesitated.
Hannah forced down a smirk before speaking her next words. Her reputation for being snarky would grow on this day. Her attention shifted to the guards. “I am thinking of throwing the last one of you to lay hands on that man in the deepest dungeon for a full year. Then, Queen Elizabeth will decide your fate.”
All five soldiers leaped to the King. In a heartbeat, he lay on the floor nursing several small injuries.
Hannah moved closer and pointed down at him. “You have lost the right to ever sit there again.” She moved nearer until they were only a step away from each other as he struggled to stand. “You knew who I was from the first, what I looked like, and with Jam living here, you knew what to expect. I will have you escorted to Ansel with the purse of gold I promised, but will offer you another of equal size for information.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I suspect you’ve also been in contact with my cousin, Elenore, and Lord Jeffery. Where are they?”
“How would I know?”
She hesitated, then plunged ahead. “Allow me to explain my generosity. One small purse of gold will pay your way to live on a small farm and raise pigs, or in a tiny, inexpensive house on the edge of town. Two purses of that size will allow you to also buy fine clothing and food, and perhaps hire a servant and cook. You have a choice between those two lives, but in the meantime, while you are deciding to answer or refuse, I will send men into the ballroom and offer a single large gold coin to any who will provide the same information.”
Hannah pulled a single gold coin from her purse and flipped it towards the nearest soldier. It spun and sparkled. He snatched it out of the air. She said, “Find me a Royal willing to tell me all about Elenore and Jeffery and return him or her to me.”
The King growled in a defeated tone, “Okay! Okay, I’ll tell you. They were here.”
“How long did they remain?”
“Three trips, months each time.”
Hannah remembered her journey across the lowlands and along the river from Wren. Then up the river to the King’s Palace. Probably fifteen or more days of hard walking and Elenore wouldn’t travel lightly so the trips would have taken longer, probably much longer. The war with Ansel was in progress so there would have been extreme danger too, when in the lowlands. No, Elenore wouldn’t accept that—not even for the crown of Wren. I’m missing something.
“Tell me more.”
“What information are you seeking?”
“Why did they come here?”
“They needed a place to hide, and they had gold. They were avoiding you, Princess Hannah. Both believed you disappeared only so you could hunt them down.” The King’s tone had shifted.
He thinks there is more information he has not shared and he might sell it to me. “A mage traveled with them? A young one?”
“There were two mages, and one trip three. There were storms and the smells of hell in the halls of this palace. None of us dared misstep or chance insulting them for fear of being turned into turnips.”
Hannah chuckled dryly at the misconception. “I assume they traveled in a large body?”
The King was growing cautious, sensing where to withhold information as a means for demanding more gold. It was clear in his seemingly eager, but meager responses. When he discovered what she wished to know, he would raise his price.
A small disturbance came from the other end of the hall, as the officer she had sent with the gold coin entered. With him, was a man dressed in the finery of soft blue, from the tiny hat he wore to his feet. His beard hung to his chest but was neatly trimmed, so it fell in two spirals. His smile was as false as the curls of his hair. He flashed a confrontational look to the King.
The King returned it.
Now, we’re going to get somewhere. Hannah kept her attention on the King as she spoke, “You were here first, and you know the rewards. Talk to me, or I talk to your friend. One way or the other I’ll have what I want in a few minutes.”
“I’ll talk,” the King said grudgingly.
She turned to the newcomer. “You are my truth detector. If he lies or fails to tell me the whole truth, I expect you to speak up and receive the coin.” But the way he stood, the expression he wore told her more. The coin was irreverent. A personal history stood between the two, something she could easily exploit—and she intended to do it.
Hannah said, “You didn’t answer my question. Did Elenore and Jeffery travel in a large group? If so, how large?”
“Twenty to thirty, mostly servants.”
The answer came as his eyes were on the other man. She continued as of it was a normal conversation. “Their purpose?”
“They were willing to pay for sanctuary. I needed gold.”
I’m still missing something. Hannah thought back to the beginning of their conversation. “It seems odd they made the trip all the way down to the mouth of Wren, across the lowlands during the war, and all the way back up here, then returned the same way three times.”
She noticed the flick of his eye to the man wanting the gold coin, as if scared. The King said no more. Hannah waited until she was sure he was going to say no more. She turned to the man she thought of as her lie detector. His face was impassive—at first.
He held his hand out to receive the coin. His voice was almost amused. “They didn’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“The trip you described.”
“Then how did they get here?”
The King was suddenly on his feet. “I’ll tell you.”
Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and said to the guards, “Keep him quiet. He had his chance to talk and tried to deceive me.”
“No, I said I’d talk.”
“Get him out of here,” Hannah said. Then she said to the man in blue with the false smile, “How did they get here?”
“The Eagle’s Nest.”
“I don’t understand. What’s that?”
“An old story we tell children about the early days when Peermont became a kingdom. There were two princes in Wren, but only one could become King. The second son of them was hunting in the mountains and found a way over them into another valley. There, they created a second kingdom called Peermont so both could rule. We call it the Eagle’s Nest story.”
“I still don’t understand. Eagle’s Nest?”
It was clear the man was enjoying himself, and it quickly became clear Hannah was not. She walked closer while thinking, then told the officer with her, “That gold coin I offered will become a silver coin if I do not understand what you’re telling me instantly.”
Instead of shying away or getting upset, he smiled wider. “Princess Hannah, there is a secret passage over the mountains between Peermont and Wren called the Eagle’s Nest.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A secret pass over the mountains that Elenore and Jeffery used? Those few words answered a dozen questions that had plagued her. A place to hide, a sanctuary, support, and how to strike back at Hannah without her knowledge. Elenore had a secure hiding place and a back-door to use as an escape in case Hannah came into power.