Chapter 4

A few days from her arrival to the new world of Mondel, Liona found herself settling into the kingdom very nicely. She and Adara could not be separated, babbling to one another about their very different worlds and feeding off each other’s opposite personality. The princess was very outgoing, keeping Liona on her feet and distracted from the fact she had no idea where she was. On the other hand, Adara mothered Liona like a Barbie doll, dressing her up in fancy clothes and pressing her for stories about where she came from.
“Tell me about your friends again.” Adara insisted one afternoon as the two sat by a pond near the castle.
Liona only shrugged, picking up a pebble from the dirt and throwing it towards the pond.
“I miss them a lot.” She admitted, looking over at Adara. “Foster is like the brother I never had, and Kali…she’s funny and smart, and she really completes me, you know? She’s like the peanut butter to my jelly.”
Adara frowned. “What is peanut butter?”
Liona momentarily froze. “Oh…it’s just ground up peanuts. It’s a Karel thing.”
“But what are they like?” Adara asked, scooting closer to Liona.
Liona looked at her and gave her a weak smile. “Well, Foster is a little awkward, but very funny. He’s always trying to protect me, and he’s always there for me if I need him. I’ve known him since I was five.”
“Do you love him?” Adara asked.
Liona was a little taken back with her question. “Well, I guess like you love Oliver. More of a brotherly love.”
Adara nodded. “And Kali?”
“Kali is Kali. She’s sarcastic, bold, adventurous. Very laid back, she keeps both Foster and I from freaking out.” Liona said, beginning to feel very alone when describing her friends. “What about your friends, Addie?”
Adara’s smile faded and she looked at the ground. “I don’t really have any friends. Growing up Oliver had his military friends as he learned to ride a horse and handle a sword. Meanwhile I was expected to concentrate on my studies and be a lady. My only friends have been my maids, but I’ve never had any like you, Lilly. I feel as though you want to be my friend because you like me as a person, not because you’re expected to because I’m a princess.”
Liona was speechless, but managed to regain her composure. “Addie, that’s terrible. Of course I’m your friend because I want to be.”
Adara looked up at her and smiled. “It is very nice to hear that, Lilly.”
Suddenly the girls were interrupted by the sound of galloping in the distance. When they looked, they saw Oliver riding his large white horse towards them.
“Oi! Father is calling everyone back to the castle.” Oliver said as he came closer.
Adara frowned. “Why? Today is supposed to be for free time.”
Oliver dismounted his horse, walking only a few feet from them. Liona noted he looked a little grim.
“Master Darius has arrived.” He said, looking directly at Adara.
Lilly looked back and forth between the siblings as Adara’s jaw dropped slightly.
“Who is that?” She asked.
Adara awoke from her shock and turned to answer her question. “Master Darius has known our father for a very long time, they studied at the same University. He used to come to visit all the time, but then disappeared mysteriously.”
“Until now.” Oliver finished. “He’s come back, and he has a wife now. Lady Meave.”
Adara shook her head. “Where has he been?”
Oliver only shrugged. “I haven’t the faintest. You two had better come though, father is arranging a feast as we speak. Everyone in the castle is expected to be there. Perhaps we shall find out tonight.”

* * * * *

Liona followed obediently as Adara led her back to the castle and to her room to change for the event. Adara seemed oddly uncomfortable about the return of Master Darius, and Liona’s curiosity could not be contained.
“Is there something wrong?” She asked, as Adara fussed over what to wear. She had several dresses laid out on her bed, a determined frown etched on her delicate face as her eyes scanned her choices.
Adara shook her head. “It’s just so strange, Lilly. He disappeared five years ago, and all of us were sure that he was dead.”
“He just disappeared for no reason?” Liona asked, pointing to a gold dress with intricate lacing and beads. “I think that one is best.”
“Oh,” Adara sighed, her face relaxing a bit. “Lilly, I already couldn’t live without you, you make the best decisions. But no, he didn’t disappear for no reason, I suppose. He had gone on a quest to seek a part of our history that has been forgotten. Only, Master Darius did not think it was forgotten; only hidden. He claimed that he knew where to find the missing piece, and he disappeared into the Kismet Desert. We had searching parties looking for him for nearly a year after. He seemed to be gone.”
Liona nodded. “That is really strange. I wonder if he’s found what he wanted?”
Adara shrugged. “I would not know. Now, Lilly, we must get dressed. No matter what happened, Master Darius is a very dear friend of fathers. Tonight will be a very important event.”
When the two girls had finished making themselves presentable, Adara grabbed Liona’s hand and led her through the maze of a castle until they’d reached a small connecting hallway that Liona recognized as an entrance to the dinning hall. One of the maids stood beside it and nodded at the girls as they came.
“You’re just in time, princess, your brother is being announced on the other side.”
Adara sighed. “Thank goodness. Thank you, Maggie.”
The gray-haired maid nodded silently and turned around to open the large doors to the dinning hall.
“Princess Adara Elizabeth Contess-Mondel, and her maid Liona Knight.”
The girls continued to hold hands as they entered the room that had dramatically changed since the last time Liona had laid eyes on it. Packed full of people, the room was lavishly decorated with tapestries and a grand glass chandelier that Liona had not seen before. The room smelled of a sweet mixture of food and incense, and as they approached the table Liona realized the china was all crystal and ice sculptures of doves decorated the table as a centerpiece. It looked as though the castle were hosting Cinderella’s ball, not the homecoming of a friend.
Liona sat next to Adara near the head of the large table that spread all the way across the room. Oliver already sat across from them, his attention taken by Fredrick Sald, the military General that commanded the Mondel army.
“The hall hasn’t been like this in ages. Since my mother was still alive, really.” Adara said, smiling to herself. “It really is beautiful when we want it to be.”
Liona nodded. “No kidding.”
But she didn’t have much more time to comment, as the horn players who had been waiting by the grand entrance doors began sounding. The grand doors were pulled open and three figures walked through. Liona recognized one of them as the King, dressed in fancy robes and wearing an incredibly large and decorated crown.
The other two figures were new, and Liona presumed that they were Master Darius and Lady Meave. Master Darius wore dark robes and had a very dark appearance about him, with slick dark-brown hair and glowing blue eyes. Lady Meave wore a piercing red gown, which complimented her black hair and peculiar auburn eyes well.
The whole room stood up at their entrance, and the three figures walked to the very head of the table where three unoccupied throne-like chairs stood. After they reached the table, the King bowed at the hall, and everyone sat down in unison.
“You remember my children, I trust?” The King asked, motioning for his guests to be seated.
Master Darius smiled crookedly. “Of course. Adara and Oliver, you have grown so much. Perhaps I should introduce you to my wife, Lady Meave.”
Oliver nodded, reaching out to take her hand. “It is a pleasure meeting you, Lady.”
Adara also smiled at the woman, and bowed her head. “We are very happy to see Master Darius has found his love.”
“You are too kind.” The Lady said, flashing a brilliant smile at them. Liona noted that the woman had an accent that sounded rather Russian, or Eastern European. It was a sharp contrast to the British-like accent of the Mondel’s.
Liona marveled at the scene before her, feeling like a spectator in a living storybook. Still, she couldn’t help the anxiety that was eating at the lining of her stomach. There was something wrong about Master Darius. In all of the stories that she’d read, such a mysterious homecoming could mean nothing good. Yet she knew there would be no way to tell the princess about it. How could she explain how she knew?
The evening was pleasant as the food arrived and the hall ate a deliciously large dinner of four courses. For the most part, the head of the table remained agreeable as they made small talk, but soon it became clear Master Darius would have to explain himself.
Right before desserts were served, the King went in for the kill. “Darius, friend, I am honored at your presence here after so long, but I have to ask; where have you been for all these years? We were so certain that you had perished in the desert.”
Master Darius nodded coolly. “And I am sorry about that, Richard, but trust me when I say that I could not contact you to let you know that I was safe. I would have, my friend, if it was at all in my power to do so.”
“Then what happened to you?” The King said, concern in his eyes.
Master Darius nodded. “When I ventured into the Kismet Desert, it didn’t take me long to run out of supplies. I was a fool to think that I could cross it alone, with the little supplies that I did have. I did think that I would die there, and not two weeks in did I lie in the sand and wish myself dead.
“I woke up several days later to find myself in a tent with an old woman tending to me. At first I thought that I was saved, but she soon explained to me that I was in an Eastern Gypsy camp, and that my debt to them for my life would be my service for five years. I was to live among them, traveling on the Eastern side, and assisting them in their robberies.
“I did not think that I could bear it, living the life of a Gypsy, but soon I came to know them and their ways. They meant no harm to me, Gypsies simply believe that debts need to be paid, and after my debt was paid I would be awarded freedom with no trouble. I have to admit, it wasn’t an entirely disdainful occurrence, as I did meet my wife there.”
He looked over to Meave, who smiled at him. Liona narrowed her eyes at the couple. She didn’t buy the story at all.
“So you never did find what you were looking for?” The King asked. “You were in such a hurry to leave you never did explain very much.”
Master Darius only shook his head. “I wish I had a more interesting story to tell you, friend. However, I do not. I did not find what I sought, and as the Gypsies explained to me later, it does not exist. They have been in that desert more times than any other, and there is nothing there.”
“Well,” The King said nodding. “I am glad to have you here. You may stay as long as you wish, Darius.”
Liona soon stopped listening to the conversation, which turned to less interesting small talk about future plans. Her mind was turning in a million different directions, trying to figure out how to prove to Adara that Master Darius was not telling the truth. She decided that that night, she would go on a little adventure of her own.

* * * * *

Later that night when Adara had gone to sleep, Liona dressed in her nightgown and waited in her bed until she heard the bustle of the castle quiet down. Most all would be asleep, and she knew that the guards would not be paying attention to anything but the outside of the castle. Carefully, she crept out into the large hallway, which was dimly lit and easy to maneuver around when you were small like Liona was.
She didn’t know exactly where Master Darius would be staying, but she was determined to try to find out. She slipped into a side hallway that she knew to be where the military men slept, and quickly stopped in her tracks when she saw a group of three guards standing and talking to one another. Backing up around the corner, Liona peeked out and listened to what they were saying.
“We’re supposed to wait for the signal, idiot.” One growled.
Another one grunted. “Why is that? He said midnight, and that’s in five minutes.”
“Wait for the signal.”
“Are you sure this is his room anyway? What if all the others wake up?”
“They won’t wake up, that’s why we’ve got the arrows. Clean shot, right through the head, got it? No noise. We get all of them first, then we move to the girl’s room. By then Darius will have the King, and then we burn the place down.”
Liona tried to hold a gasp that wanted to escape her chest. They were going to kill everyone. Everyone. Including Adara. They weren’t guards at all, they were some sort of followers of Master Darius.
Not knowing what else to do, Liona ran as quickly as she could to Adara’s room, panicking. There was nothing else she could do but try to save the princess, the men were just about to move on the army and apparently Darius was already at the Kings room. As soon as they were done, they would burn everything. Her chest blazed with fear as she reached Adara’s room and burst in, closing the door.
“Who is there?” Adara asked, sleepily.
“Adara!” Liona panted. “We have to go, now!”
Adara sat up in bed. “What? Lilly, is that you?”
“Now!” Liona breathed. “They’re going to kill everyone, I overheard them talking just now, and they’re on their way to kill you! Addie, please, let’s go!”
Liona couldn’t really see the princess’s face because it was dark, but soon Liona saw a flame spark and Adara lit a candle.
“Kill everyone?” She said, her face pale.
Liona was on the verge of tears. “Please, Addie, we need to go, they’re on their way. I don’t want them to kill you.”
Adara nodded silently and got out of bed, motioning towards an armoire in one of her corners. “Over here, my father told me to use this in case of emergencies.”
Adara ran over to it, opening the doors and disappearing in the mound of clothes. Liona followed, closing the closet doors behind her. In the back of the closet-like structure, which was much deeper than Liona thought it was, there was a small trap door against the wall that Adara began to open.
“There are tunnels that lead outside the castle.” Adara whispered shakily. “There are only five entrances, but they’re meant for escape from attacks.”
Suddenly the girls heard Adara’s door burst open, and Adara quickly blew out her flame. They waited quietly in the dark as they heard whooshing noises of arrows hit her bed.
“Hey, she’s not here.” A man grunted.
“What? Are you sure this is her room?”
“I don’t know, that’s what Darius said. Maybe it was one of the others.”
“No one could escape after the fire.” Another man agreed. Let’s just burn it, we probably already got her.”
Liona felt someone tugging at her arm, and she felt her way though the tunnel entrance that Adara had opened. Slowly closing the door, Adara quickly lit her candle again.
“In the rush I only brought one box of matches and three candles. I hope this can last us.” Adara whispered.
Liona saw a tear dot her cheek, and she frowned. “I’m so sorry, Addie. By the time I heard them it was too late.”
“How did you know to listen?” Adara asked, standing up.
Liona realized that the tunnel was big enough for them to stand in, and she also stood. “It’s a long story.”
“Well, we’ve awhile before we make it outside the castle. But for now we’d better hurry. If they’re burning the castle, we need to get to the underground part before the tunnel collapses.”
Looking over, Liona realized there were stairs just a few feet away. Nodding, the two girls quickly began descending the staircase.