Queen of Hearts Complete Collection: Queen of Hearts; Blood of Wonderland; War of the Cards. Colleen Oakes

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ for a name. A name that might mean nothing; nothing more than a traitor waiting in the dark with a dagger behind his back. Do you truly believe this woman has all the answers? What answers are you seeking? And if she does, why is she in the Black Towers?”

      He gave a sigh. “Dinah, listen to me. Criminals go to the Black Towers. Criminals and liars and murderers and people who your father needs to disappear. It is not a place for a princess.” He kissed her knuckle chastely. “My dear friend and future queen, please abandon this.”

      Dinah’s head was swirling. She hadn’t considered all the things that Wardley had said, but it didn’t matter. She knew the slithering feeling making its way up her spine, day by day. “As the Princess of Wonderland, I order you to help me.”

      Wardley gave her an exasperated look. “You wouldn’t do that. Besides, I don’t have to listen to you. You’re not the queen yet.”

      “But I will be.”

      “And on that day, I will listen to you.”

      Through the filtered moonlight, Dinah looked at him—her friend, her playmate. Someday maybe her lover. “I cannot do this without you, Wardley. We’ve always dreamed and imagined what the Black Towers would look like; well, here’s our chance.”

      Wardley abruptly stood, grabbing her roughly by the shoulder. “This isn’t a game, Dinah. This isn’t us playing ‘Black Towers’ in the rose garden, ducking behind the bushes. There could be serious consequences. Do you want to lose your crown? Do you want me to lose my head?”

      Dinah dropped her head with a whisper. “I know I am asking too much of you. But this is something I must do, with or without you. There is something else. The symbol on the note—the triangle made of waves? I’ve seen it before.”

      With a finger, Dinah drew the symbol in the dirt-lined floor. Wardley looked at it blankly. “What is that?”

      “It took me all night to remember, but I know where I’ve seen this symbol before. It’s etched in the tunnels below the palace. I remember, there were three hidden tunnels. One led to the Great Hall, one led to just outside the gates on the east side, and there was another one marked with this emblem.” She pointed to it. “Before, I thought it was a picture of a mountain—the Yurkei Mountains—a sign marking that the tunnel went in that direction. But I was wrong. It’s the symbol for the Black Towers. I think that tunnel leads into the Black Towers.”

      Wardley scratched his chin, stubble already starting to grow back from that morning’s shave. “But how can we be sure?”

      “We can’t.”

      “And we wouldn’t know which tower Faina Baker was in to begin with.”

      “That’s correct.”

      Wardley now paced angrily, his boots stirring up a small dust cloud. Dinah could see that he was actively fighting his own curiosity. “How would we even get into the Great Hall? It’s guarded round the clock. Just for my amusement, let’s say we get in there, and then we use the tunnels to get in. Then what? We can’t just stroll around the Black Towers, the princess and I, out for a tour.”

      “We can take care of that,” breathed Dinah. “I have a plan.”

      “Let’s just say that we get in. We find Faina Baker in one of seven towers. We talk to her, have some tea, she tells us all sorts of secrets. Then what? We just stroll out onto the Iron Web? Make our way back to the tunnels?”

      Dinah gave a shrug. “We have a lot to plan; I’m not saying it will be easy.”

      “Easy? It’s madness. This is a suicide mission. And for what?”

      Dinah raised herself up from the bench and took his arm gently. “For the future queen to have the upper hand before her coronation. For not wondering what if? For answers that have never been given to me, and never will be. For the possibility of understanding something about this place.”

      “And if I lose my head?” Wardley asked.

      “Then I will be very sorry,” she said. “It is a lovely head.”

      She placed her hand on his cheek. She felt so near to him—his physical presence was overwhelming. She took in his hot breath washing over her face, the sweat shimmering on his brow, his curly chocolate hair pushed haphazardly back from his forehead. Without thinking, she pressed her lips against his. They were cool and soft, and hers felt warm and hungry against them. White lights exploded underneath Dinah’s eyelids and she opened her mouth slightly under his. His lips remained still as he jerked back in surprise, his hands on her shoulders.

      “Dinah, I—” He didn’t have time to finish. Something moved in the darkness below. They heard the shuffling of feet, an unexplained whoosh of air. The ladder gave a wooden creak. In one rapid movement, Wardley drew his sword and pushed Dinah protectively behind him. His blade gleamed in the moonlight. “Someone’s here,” he whispered. “Don’t move. Stay behind me.”

      Fear froze them both as a chill crept upon Dinah’s skin, a breath caught in her throat. Neither of them moved for several minutes, barely daring to breathe. From the darkness, the sounds of long, easy breaths drifted up the ladder. And then, just when the sound of her roaring heart was so loud she was sure it was drowning out the entire palace, the presence disappeared. The malignant air was sucked out of the room, although the feeling of being watched lingered. Dinah wondered if whoever it was had been there the entire time. Wardley replaced his sword.

      “They’re gone. They couldn’t have heard us, could they?”

      Dinah shook her head. Suddenly, there was a bang, and they both jumped toward each other as the doors of the Heart Chapel burst open and three Cards marched in for their nightly rounds. Dinah and Wardley ducked down into the Box to avoid being seen. She felt a rush of relief at the Cards’ presence, even though she lay on the stinking floor to avoid their gaze. Wardley looked over at her with wide eyes.

      “There was someone there,” he whispered. “I heard him.”

      Dinah gave a nod. Wardley gave her a look of defeat, his face coated with a fine layer of brown dust. “Fine,” he snapped. “I’ll go to the Black Towers with you, but I’m not going to enjoy it. You’re right—something is amiss. I hear whispers at the stables, and among the Cards. A Spade told me that the king fears for his life and is gathering his Cards all around him. But why?”

      “You’ll go with me then?”

      Wardley nodded, his ear cocked, listening to the watch. Dinah was glad to see them go, but the mortification of kissing him slowly returned now that the danger had gone.

      “Wardley, I’m sorry about the—”

      He cut her off. “Don’t worry about it.”

      They heard the doors to the chapel slam shut, and suddenly they were alone again. Wardley grabbed her hand and yanked Dinah to her feet. “It’s time to go. Now.” They climbed quickly down the ladder, Wardley wrapping his arms around Dinah’s waist at the bottom and putting her on the ground. “Go, now. Go back to your chambers. Take the servants’ passage. We will talk about this later. Come see me at the stables tomorrow. We are not going to meet here again. Ever. I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”

      Dinah СКАЧАТЬ