The Shadow Tide

CHAPTER 4 - Trick

The passage was open. How that was possible, no one could explain. The stones seemed to have been removed one by one, using a chisel and hammer to separate them from the cement that bound them to create a space large enough to fit a crouched adult man. It was meticulous work that would have taken weeks, months, perhaps. How could someone do that without being seen?

"Unless the work was done from the inside," Arian said, and Brethen had come to the same conclusion.

The secret passage was under the bridge, hidden by the structure itself. This would have facilitated the work being done in secret. But still, the entrance was within the palace walls, and the assassin had to enter somehow. So far, everything pointed to the fact that he had help.

"We'll look into this," Captain Alma assured them. Her guards surrounded the entire area, searching for more clues inside and outside the tunnel.

The Captain told Arian that she would conduct a thorough investigation in the palace to find the person responsible for aiding the intruder – if there really had been anyone. So he and Brethen continued with their day and went horseback riding and playing cards as planned. But the truth was that neither of them was truly focused on those activities.

Brethen had seen the intruder's body the night before. He was tall and slender, with long hair and beard, and fair skin. Judging by his appearance, he could've been from anywhere within Pretoria or even a neighbouring kingdom. The ring used to store the poison that killed him was made of simple, unadorned metal. The Shadow Tide symbol tattoo was not recent.

"There are identification spells," Arian had said. "I can try to get more information from the body."

But King Gavin was adamant about wanting his son out of that matter, especially when it involved the use of magic. A spell of that level would leave marks larger than just stains on his hands that could be easily covered with gloves. With Belinda's imminent arrival at the palace, all eyes would be on her and Arian, and the king didn't want to take any risks.

More than once throughout the day, amid gallops and card games, Arian suggested that Brethen helped him enter the cold room where the body was being stored, still waiting to be cremated. She refused, not because she disagreed that his magic would be useful to the case, but because the body was being guarded twenty-four hours a day, and the guards had orders not to let the prince in.

At night, however, Brethen woke up to a noise. It was a muffled sound, a thud, coming from the hidden passage that connected her room to the prince's and led to the secret tunnels. She jumped out of bed instantly, grabbing the dagger she kept hidden on the bedside table, and sneaked through the passage. The secret corridor was empty, and the hidden door leading to the prince's room was closed, but she still could hear sounds coming from there.

Brethen hurried and pushed the door with all her might, fearing what she would find on the other side. But her despair proved unfounded.

Arian was standing there alone in the room, still in his daytime clothes.

"Brethen!" he said, surprised to see her there in a nightgown with a dagger in hand.

"Arian, I heard a noise and--"

"It was just me."

Arian was simply standing there, with his hands behind his back. His behavior was quite strange – or stranger than usual. Brethen's eyes scanned the room, trying to understand it, but everything seemed to be in its proper place.

She crouched to look under the bed.

"Breth, stop that," Arian whispered. "There's no one there."

"I heard noises, and you're acting strange," she said, kneeling with her head close to the ground, but the bottom of Arian's bed was empty.