Read Online The King's Daughters by Nathalie Mallet - Free Book Online
Authors: Nathalie Mallet
Tags: Fantasy
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between the narrow corridor and the garden's entrance.
"Which one died here?" I asked, staring at the polished stone floor.
"All three, Your Highness."
"What! Together? You cannot mean together."
"Yes."
"All three!" I found this shocking to say the least. "In what condition were the victims?"
The guard's face paled. I watched his Adam's apple go up and down several times, apparently recalling the scene wasn't a pleasant task. Lowering his gaze to the floor, the guard said in a grim tone, "The thing . . . the thing that killed them . . . was very hungry that night."
I didn't ask the man for more details. His answer was clear enough. "Thank you," I said, and left.
* * *
"My lord . . . my lord, where are you going?" Milo asked, while trotting behind me.
"To my room, Milo."
"But . . . I thought you were going to solve this mystery, like you did in Telfar with your brothers?"
I stopped walking, folded my arms, and faced Milo. "Oh, I am! I'm going to try my best to sort this out. Who knows, maybe ridding the castle of its ghoul will earn me the king's gratitude and Eva's hand."
A wide grin split Milo's face. "My lord will succeed, I'm sure of it."
I sighed. "I wish I could be as optimistic as you are, Milo. Honestly, I'm scared to fail and ridicule myself even more than I already have. Since I arrived here, I've been unable to do anything right. It's like I'm cursed. At this point, Milo, I'm not even sure Eva wants me anymore. She's ignoring me, leaving me all by myself, as if I didn't matter to her." I stopped talking, fearing my voice would break if I continued.
"My lord, with her mother gravely ill and her sister's recent kidnapping, perhaps she needs to spend some time alone with her family."
Milo's words made so much sense that I felt my mood lift and hope returned to my heart. "You're right. I am inconsiderate. I should not jump to conclusions like that. Eva probably has good reasons to—" My eyes had just fallen on a dark spot on Milo's kaftan, right on his shoulder. "Is that blood on your shoulder? Has someone struck you again?"
Milo stared at the stain with surprise. "No!" he said, rubbing his finger on the spot. "It's fresh!"
"You've picked it up somewhere," I said.
We retraced our steps to a fork near the narrow corridor. Specks of blood marred the dark gray stones of the wall. We followed the blood tracks. They led us halfway down a long passage we hadn't visited before, where the tracks abruptly ended. I looked around. I could see that this passage had only one door at its very end, so we pushed on.
Moments later, we both stood in front of a large metal door, staring at it in silence.
I gripped the handle and pulled the lever down. "It's unlocked."
With a nod to Milo, I opened the door. What I discovered on the other side couldn't be more unexpected. "Whooo, what is this place?" I said.
"I don't know, but I love it," breathed Milo.
For a brief instant, we both remained in the doorway, gazing in wonderment at what lay ahead. A lush jungle occupied the space in front of us. I could see palm trees and hibiscus bushes. The entire space was bathed in warm sunlight, and songbirds could be heard singing in every corner. Although I knew this was nothing more than a giant conservatory, for me this felt like paradise, like an oasis amid the frigid gloom of this castle.
"Oh, my lord," Milo said, entering the conservatory. "Can you feel this blissful heat? Can you feel it?"
"Yes, Milo. Yes, I can feel it. Quick, close the door before it escapes."
I strolled along the gravel pathway winding through the conservatory, admiring the plant specimens it housed. I was impressed by its broad selection. Most of all, I was surprised by its existence. From what I had gathered so far, Sorvinkians weren't exactly the most sophisticated of people, and a conservatory like this one had to be a complicated and delicate operation to run. I stopped in front of a small iron stove, the third I had seen so far.
"Which one died here?" I asked, staring at the polished stone floor.
"All three, Your Highness."
"What! Together? You cannot mean together."
"Yes."
"All three!" I found this shocking to say the least. "In what condition were the victims?"
The guard's face paled. I watched his Adam's apple go up and down several times, apparently recalling the scene wasn't a pleasant task. Lowering his gaze to the floor, the guard said in a grim tone, "The thing . . . the thing that killed them . . . was very hungry that night."
I didn't ask the man for more details. His answer was clear enough. "Thank you," I said, and left.
* * *
"My lord . . . my lord, where are you going?" Milo asked, while trotting behind me.
"To my room, Milo."
"But . . . I thought you were going to solve this mystery, like you did in Telfar with your brothers?"
I stopped walking, folded my arms, and faced Milo. "Oh, I am! I'm going to try my best to sort this out. Who knows, maybe ridding the castle of its ghoul will earn me the king's gratitude and Eva's hand."
A wide grin split Milo's face. "My lord will succeed, I'm sure of it."
I sighed. "I wish I could be as optimistic as you are, Milo. Honestly, I'm scared to fail and ridicule myself even more than I already have. Since I arrived here, I've been unable to do anything right. It's like I'm cursed. At this point, Milo, I'm not even sure Eva wants me anymore. She's ignoring me, leaving me all by myself, as if I didn't matter to her." I stopped talking, fearing my voice would break if I continued.
"My lord, with her mother gravely ill and her sister's recent kidnapping, perhaps she needs to spend some time alone with her family."
Milo's words made so much sense that I felt my mood lift and hope returned to my heart. "You're right. I am inconsiderate. I should not jump to conclusions like that. Eva probably has good reasons to—" My eyes had just fallen on a dark spot on Milo's kaftan, right on his shoulder. "Is that blood on your shoulder? Has someone struck you again?"
Milo stared at the stain with surprise. "No!" he said, rubbing his finger on the spot. "It's fresh!"
"You've picked it up somewhere," I said.
We retraced our steps to a fork near the narrow corridor. Specks of blood marred the dark gray stones of the wall. We followed the blood tracks. They led us halfway down a long passage we hadn't visited before, where the tracks abruptly ended. I looked around. I could see that this passage had only one door at its very end, so we pushed on.
Moments later, we both stood in front of a large metal door, staring at it in silence.
I gripped the handle and pulled the lever down. "It's unlocked."
With a nod to Milo, I opened the door. What I discovered on the other side couldn't be more unexpected. "Whooo, what is this place?" I said.
"I don't know, but I love it," breathed Milo.
For a brief instant, we both remained in the doorway, gazing in wonderment at what lay ahead. A lush jungle occupied the space in front of us. I could see palm trees and hibiscus bushes. The entire space was bathed in warm sunlight, and songbirds could be heard singing in every corner. Although I knew this was nothing more than a giant conservatory, for me this felt like paradise, like an oasis amid the frigid gloom of this castle.
"Oh, my lord," Milo said, entering the conservatory. "Can you feel this blissful heat? Can you feel it?"
"Yes, Milo. Yes, I can feel it. Quick, close the door before it escapes."
I strolled along the gravel pathway winding through the conservatory, admiring the plant specimens it housed. I was impressed by its broad selection. Most of all, I was surprised by its existence. From what I had gathered so far, Sorvinkians weren't exactly the most sophisticated of people, and a conservatory like this one had to be a complicated and delicate operation to run. I stopped in front of a small iron stove, the third I had seen so far.
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