Moon Blessed

Chapter 51 ~ Threads of a Plan

Alexei said very little as he followed Maria through the streets of Dimesa, making sure to keep his head down whenever they passed by a group of Guards or anyone from the palace who might recognize him. He couldn't believe Maria had agreed to take him outside the palace grounds. Her and Nikolai's resemblance stood out to him now more than it ever had before.

Not only had they left without an escort, but without permission too. That could get both of them into trouble, which she likely knew, but perhaps she was angry enough with his mother, or desperate enough for Nikolai's sake, that she didn't care. Either way, as long as she took him to Volya, Alexei would be happy.

They rounded another corner and arrived in a quiet neighborhood, not as rundown as others, but not eye-catching by any means. Alexei remained quiet and followed Maria up to one of the small houses. The door was already unlocked when she went to open it. Alexei bit his inner cheek nervously and entered behind her.

"Volya," Maria called. "Are you still here?" To herself, she muttered, "He'd better be. If he forgot to lock the door again, I'll take his key and he can sleep outside when he gets home late." Alexei barely swallowed his snicker.

Footsteps sounded in another room and Volya appeared in the doorway. His gaze fell straight to Alexei and a frown darkened his features. "What is he doing here, Mother?"

"She doesn't know so you're going to have to break protocol for once and speak to me yourself," Alexei replied. Volya glanced at Maria, who said nothing. "It's important, Volya. As Captain of the Guard, you need to hear about it, and Nikolai and I are the only ones who know."

Volya folded his arms across his chest and his frown deepened, but he inclined his head. "What is it?"

"Kazimir is plotting to assassinate my father and anyone who might stand in his way, including you. I..." Alexei faltered, realizing now just how little he actually knew about this plot. That would make it even harder to convince Volya to believe him.

"And you know this how?"

Alexei drew a steadying breath and squared his shoulders, forcing himself to meet Volya's copper gaze. "It was Nikolai who discovered the plot. I managed to sneak down to the dungeon to see him after Nastasia woke up and he told me then. There wasn't time for him to give me any specifics other than what I told you."

"So you have no proof and can tell me nothing aside from that?" Alexei offered a sheepish grin. Volya's frown was more of a scowl now. "You expect me to just take my traitor brother's word about something like this?"

"Nikolai is no traitor," Alexei snapped before he could stop himself. "All he's ever done is look out for my family, my sister especially. Maybe he didn't want to become a Guard or join the Order of Knights. Maybe he was wrong in impersonating a Knight and entering the tournament, but his being there saved Nastasia's life several times."

"I heard all about the alliance between Sir Arlov and the Silent Knight. Maybe they didn't know each other's true identity, but they helped each other all the same. Even now, he's imprisoned and he's trying to help my family."

"What do you expect me to do?" Volya huffed. "I can't run around accusing an Emperor of an assassination plot without proof, and without proof, I won't be able to take direct action."

"Help me prevent it. We need to figure out who else might be involved and when it will take place. If we do that, we can stop Kazimir." Alexei hesitated, then added, "And help me figure out a way to free Nikolai. He knows more about the plot. We can't stop it without him."

"I can't just let him go. Your father said he must be held until he questions him, and besides, impersonating a Knight is still a crime."

"You don't have to be involved with that bit. Help me find Nikolai's friends and we'll figure out a way to get him out. You'll know nothing. We need his help, Volya."