Theondar known at that time? If he had, wouldn’t he have said something?
Probably not. Lacertin could imagine Theondar holding back that knowledge. Maybe he would have said something had Lacertin been more forthcoming.
“The room is locked, then?”
Bren nodded.
Could the shaping he’d detected been Theondar leaving the palace? He hadn’t been close to the king, not like he was close to Althem, but maybe Althem had sent him to spread word of the king’s passing. Other warriors and shapers would need to know.
“Why have you come?” Bren asked.
Lacertin shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, now, does it?”
He started down the hall, glancing at the shapers stationed at the base of the stairs, the same shapers he’d seen earlier. They watched him with a readied shaping. Lacertin felt better than he had when he’d been here earlier, well enough that he could ignore the way they stared at him and not fear that they might shape him with his back turned.
Without knowing why, he started up the stair at the end of the hall.
He stopped on the second floor and listened. His earth sensing told him that someone was here. Though he didn’t know who, he sensed someone in the princess’s rooms. Lacertin hurried down the hall, only stopping when he reached her door.
Something was different.
Lacertin couldn’t tell what it was. There was a vague energy in the outer room, like someone had recently shaped, but he didn’t see anyone here. He knocked at the inner door, but there was no answer. He knocked again, and again there was no answer.
A sharp buildup of energy pushed on him from a shaper nearby.
Lacertin opened the door and met little resistance.
Inside was empty.
That wasn’t quite right. A dark outline along the wall to his right looked like a doorway had formed in the stone, but it began to fade the longer he was in the room. Whatever had happened to the wall had happened recently.
If there had been a shaper here, was Ilianna harmed?
He owed it to Ilton to find out. Whatever else happened, the king had trusted him and Lacertin still served the king, even though he had died.
He stopped in front of the wall and pushed on the stone. The outline of the doorway had faded to nothing, disappearing completely. He knew something had been there. He’d seen it and, in the residual shaped energy, he felt it. Lacertin closed his eyes and listened to the stone, using earth sensing as he did.
There was a faint trail of energy. With a shaping of earth, he tried pushing on it. He felt resistance, so he added fire to the shaping of earth, contrasting the elements. With a soft groan, the wall shifted, opening up before him.
Lacertin staggered back. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it wasn’t a door opening.
What was this?
He ducked his head inside. If something had happened to Ilianna, if there was a shaper involved, he needed to find out.
The wall swung closed behind him, plunging him into darkness. He held his hand on the wall and made his way forward, using a combination of earth and fire sensing to reach for shapers lanterns, but he sensed nothing. His hand brushed a corner and he stopped, forced to turn.
Where was he?
Somehow, he’d found a way inside the walls of the palace, but where exactly? And where did this lead?
Without light, he might not be able to find his way out. He could always shape earth and force his way through the wall, but that seemed drastic. Besides, there was another concern he had to worry about: he wasn’t alone in this passageway.
Lacertin listened with earth sensing but came up with nothing. Whoever had come before him was already gone.
Not everything was gone. There was a subtle tug on his senses, a gentle wind that blew through here. Lacertin pulled on the wind, using a shaping to latch onto it, and followed it forward. He turned again, but this time, the wind guided him, easing him forward. He kept one hand on the wall as he went, trailing along it so that he knew
Probably not. Lacertin could imagine Theondar holding back that knowledge. Maybe he would have said something had Lacertin been more forthcoming.
“The room is locked, then?”
Bren nodded.
Could the shaping he’d detected been Theondar leaving the palace? He hadn’t been close to the king, not like he was close to Althem, but maybe Althem had sent him to spread word of the king’s passing. Other warriors and shapers would need to know.
“Why have you come?” Bren asked.
Lacertin shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, now, does it?”
He started down the hall, glancing at the shapers stationed at the base of the stairs, the same shapers he’d seen earlier. They watched him with a readied shaping. Lacertin felt better than he had when he’d been here earlier, well enough that he could ignore the way they stared at him and not fear that they might shape him with his back turned.
Without knowing why, he started up the stair at the end of the hall.
He stopped on the second floor and listened. His earth sensing told him that someone was here. Though he didn’t know who, he sensed someone in the princess’s rooms. Lacertin hurried down the hall, only stopping when he reached her door.
Something was different.
Lacertin couldn’t tell what it was. There was a vague energy in the outer room, like someone had recently shaped, but he didn’t see anyone here. He knocked at the inner door, but there was no answer. He knocked again, and again there was no answer.
A sharp buildup of energy pushed on him from a shaper nearby.
Lacertin opened the door and met little resistance.
Inside was empty.
That wasn’t quite right. A dark outline along the wall to his right looked like a doorway had formed in the stone, but it began to fade the longer he was in the room. Whatever had happened to the wall had happened recently.
If there had been a shaper here, was Ilianna harmed?
He owed it to Ilton to find out. Whatever else happened, the king had trusted him and Lacertin still served the king, even though he had died.
He stopped in front of the wall and pushed on the stone. The outline of the doorway had faded to nothing, disappearing completely. He knew something had been there. He’d seen it and, in the residual shaped energy, he felt it. Lacertin closed his eyes and listened to the stone, using earth sensing as he did.
There was a faint trail of energy. With a shaping of earth, he tried pushing on it. He felt resistance, so he added fire to the shaping of earth, contrasting the elements. With a soft groan, the wall shifted, opening up before him.
Lacertin staggered back. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it wasn’t a door opening.
What was this?
He ducked his head inside. If something had happened to Ilianna, if there was a shaper involved, he needed to find out.
The wall swung closed behind him, plunging him into darkness. He held his hand on the wall and made his way forward, using a combination of earth and fire sensing to reach for shapers lanterns, but he sensed nothing. His hand brushed a corner and he stopped, forced to turn.
Where was he?
Somehow, he’d found a way inside the walls of the palace, but where exactly? And where did this lead?
Without light, he might not be able to find his way out. He could always shape earth and force his way through the wall, but that seemed drastic. Besides, there was another concern he had to worry about: he wasn’t alone in this passageway.
Lacertin listened with earth sensing but came up with nothing. Whoever had come before him was already gone.
Not everything was gone. There was a subtle tug on his senses, a gentle wind that blew through here. Lacertin pulled on the wind, using a shaping to latch onto it, and followed it forward. He turned again, but this time, the wind guided him, easing him forward. He kept one hand on the wall as he went, trailing along it so that he knew
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