Page 71 of The Queen's Crown
The soldier seemed to shrink into himself. “He just…disappeared. He didn’t use any of the palace exits.”
“Perhaps he scaled the exterior palace walls. Did you look out of the windows to see?” Rainer asked, folding his arms and standing a solid foot above the man.
“No. He went around a corner, out of sight. When those following rounded the corner, he was nowhere to be seen. The corridor had no windows. We’re doing a palace-wide sweep right now. We’re checking all the rooms.”
Rainer took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling. “Fine. Get back to searching. I want everyone on duty looking for the assassin.”
The wordassassinsent a shiver through her. She’d just survived an assassination attempt. That could have been the man who killed Alina.
Rainer ordered all the soldiers out of the room, so it was just the two of them. He went over to the door leading to his rooms, opened it, and called for his steward. They spoke so quietly Sabine couldn’t hear a word they said.
When Gunther closed the door, Rainer turned to her. “I’m getting you out of here.”
“Where are we going?”
He came over and placed his lips next to her ear and whispered, “My private vacation home. Pack a few things. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes. I don’t want anyone to know what we’re doing or where we’re going.”
“Excellent idea.”
After gathering a few necessities and shoving everything into a leather bag, Sabine went to the royal suite to find Rainer, Harta trotting alongside her. She found Rainer exiting his bedchamber, a small sword strapped to his waist. The weapon made his alluring demeanor look intimidating.
“You’re not taking a bag?” she asked.
“I keep the home supplied with everything I need. That way I don’t have to worry about taking things back and forth.” He held his hand out to her. “Let’s be on our way.”
She hesitated a moment. He was taking her to his private residence. Alone. She clasped onto his warm hand. He led the way down the stairwell to the training room. He put his finger to his lips, and she nodded. On the far wall, there were two doors. He took the one on the right. They traveled along a plain corridor. At the end, they came to a large bathing room, the floor made from squared tiles. Rainer released her hand and knelt in the corner, lifting four of the tiles and setting them aside. He waved her over.
Peering down, she saw a narrow stairwell leading into what had to be the mountain.
Rainer motioned for the dog to go first. Harta carefully descended the steps. Sabine went next, holding onto the railing as she went down. Rainer gathered the tiles and then entered the stairwell, putting the tiles back in place above him, sending them into complete darkness.
Without talking, Sabine continued descending what felt like hundreds of steps. Finally, her feet came across a flat surface. Harta brushed up beside her. A moment later, a light blossomed.
Rainer stood beside her with a torch in hand. “There are a series of stairwells we must navigate,” he whispered. “The lower we go, the more they tend to get wet and slippery, so be careful.”
She nodded, thankful for the light.
“I’ll lead the way.” He turned and descended another flight of stairs.
Sabine went next, the dog close behind her. At least this time she could see the steps. The lower they went, the eerier it became. The silence turned so deafening that she could almost feel the stone walls around her whispering as a dull sound rang in her ears.
Her legs began to burn, so she stopped to rest for a few minutes. She hadn’t thought going down stairs would be so difficult. Rainer glanced back and saw her standing there. Wordlessly, he stopped and waited, holding the torch, and rubbing the dog’s head. When Sabine’s legs recovered, they continued their descent. Clinging to the railing, she felt steadier on her feet.
Just when she thought things were getting better, her hand slid over something wet. She shivered, assuming it was water from the walls, and wiped her hand on her pants. The steps got slicker, water now visible in a few places. The echo of a dripping sound pinged every few seconds.
After what felt like forever—it had to be a solid hour—the floor leveled out. Sabine’s legs shook. She feared she wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow. Rainer led the way down a tunnel that reminded her of the lava tube she’d traveled through when she first came to Lynk.
“We’re almost out,” Rainer said. A minute later, he stopped before a warped wooden door. “Strange,” he mumbled. “The lock isn’t on. I can’t even remember the last time I came through here.” He opened the door and bright light inundated them.
Squinting, Sabine stepped outside into a jungle, breathing in the fresh air. Bright green trees with vines hanging from them and exotic shrubs with leaves larger than her head clung to the land in every direction.
Rainer secured the door. “Follow me.” He led the way, though no trail was visible.
They traveled for about a mile. The farther they went, the thinner the vegetation became until they exited the jungle and came to a steep cliff, the ocean below a brilliant blue that smashed against the rocky shoreline.
“Now what?” she asked, her legs shaking. She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“One last descent.”
