Page 32 of Songs and Spun Gold
Slowly lowering his hand, he peered into the dim back of the stage area. “Lotti?”
“She has disturbed your focus from your music. Who is she?”
“I assume you were lingering in the shadows when I met her.” He took a step back and then turned away, rubbing the back of his neck as he paced. “You must have heard her name when she gave it to me.”
The shade parted as she stepped forward, almost reaching the lit area of the stage. The candlelight illuminated the very edge of her hood as she tipped her head forward. “What are you afraid of, Axel?”
“Afraid?” he chuckled. “Why would I be afraid of you?” But even as he formed his face into a perfect carefree smile, he could feel his heart racing. He’d known Lotti for years and had always been perfectly at ease with her. Yet this morning, her obsession with the woman he’d met on opening night sent shots of wariness down his spine. The low light of the stage suddenly seemed ominous in a way he’d never imagined it could.
“Why won’t you tell me who she is?”
He took another slight step back. “I’m never going to see her again. I really don’t see the importance.” Above him, a soft rattling sound drew his attention. It was impossible to see the ceiling with only a few candles lit, but he couldn’t help remembering Georg’s accident a week and a half earlier.
“I want to know.”
“Weren’t you the one lecturing me about being distracted?” he sidestepped. “I thought we were here to sing.” Glancing up at the ceiling again, he added, “Although perhaps we should relocate to one of the practice rooms this morning.”
For a moment, Lotti continued to loom on the edge of thedarkness. Then she withdrew with the words, “You are right. And I believe your suggestion is wise. Come.”
Watching the ripples in the shadows and listening for the faint sound of her shoes on the wood floor, he followed her off the stage and down into the bowels of the theater.
~
Stepping out of the front door, Axel took a deep breath and relaxed in the glow of the winter sunshine. Normally, he wasn’t quite so pleased to leave the theater, but this morning had been…interesting. Even after Lotti dropped the subject of his opening-night lady, he’d felt uneasy. Hopefully, things would be normal the next time he came.
He raised an eyebrow when he located his guard. Instead of standing at attention and scanning his surroundings, Otto had his back pressed against one of the columns that framed the portico, his right foot propped up on the column behind him and his arms crossed under his cloak. From the tilt of his head, one might suppose that he was dozing where he stood.
As soon as Axel approached him, Otto straightened and moved to join him. Neither said anything as Axel led them down the few steps to the road and set a course for the castle.
“I know I usually make the trip on my own,” Axel said casually after a little while, “but I expected you would take the position a little more seriously.”
Otto was walking a half-step behind him, his eyes sweeping over an alley as they passed. “During the hour you were inside, twenty-seven people walked past. Three live on the other side of the castle, as I’ve seen them pass my gate many times before, two were married guards on their way in for their shifts, five were castle servants, and one was one of your father’s advisors.” Axel stared at him. Glancing over, his guard explained, “I assumed that you chose me because you want your destinationto remain secret. If a royal guard was on duty outside, it would have given you away.”
Axel blinked and returned his focus to the road ahead. “Are you sure you’re not a spy that my father has cleverly maneuvered me into having at my side?”
“If I were, would I tell you?”
“Not if you were a good one,” he chuckled. “Tell me, how did you become so skilled at this?”
Offering him a small smile, the guard replied, “Through years of trying to keep my little cousin out of trouble. She has a disturbing tendency to act without first thinking things through.”
“I do hope you’re not equating me with her.”
Otto’s smile morphed into a smirk as they turned a corner. “She recently visited the capital with a friend. While here, she went walking with a complete stranger that she met at a show. But I’m sure you’d never do anything like that.”
Rather than dignifying that comment with a response, Axel glowered at his guard. Otto opened his mouth, then suddenly snapped it shut, grabbed Axel by the arm, and dragged him backward onto the street which they had just left.
“Otto, what are you—”
“Shh!” Otto hissed, raising a hand as if he planned to clap it over his prince’s mouth. Dropping it, he flattened himself against a wooden storefront, pulling Axel with him. To Axel’s astonishment, the older man was pale under his tanned skin, and a bead of sweat ran through his short, blonde hair, despite the cool late-autumn morning. The guard’s head was turned toward the corner.
Axel tried to step forward, but Otto held him back, holding a finger to his lips when Axel started to ask for an explanation. He might have ignored the motion, but the hand that still grasped his arm was shaking slightly.
After a couple of minutes, a man walked by. He wore a black cloak with the hood pulled low over his face. Otto’s eyes followed him until he’d passed out of sight. Even then, he held Axel back for a few more minutes before easing forward and slowly releasing his grip.
“Am I allowed to ask questions now?” Axel said lightly as he straightened his cloak over his shoulders. He watched his guard out of the corner of his eye.
Otto continued to peer down the street, but Axel noted that while his breathing had steadied, his hands were still shaking. “I couldn’t let that man see you.”
