Chapter One

Chapter One

The Book

Rubbing her hands to keep the warmth circulating, Queen Thayet hurried down the hall towards the palace library, her hazel eyes flashed over the tapestries hung throughout the corridors. She thought back to when she had first come to the castle, how large and vast it had seemed. After being there a few weeks she had grown accustomed tot eh comings and goings of the people around her, she new when the pages would be at their rowdiest, and when the horses would need to be groomed. Her favorite place to go, had to be the library, in the evenings when the sun had gone, she would sit emersed in the smells of the old pages and the stories of other Kings and Queens who had ruled so nobly over Tortall.

          Trying to keep her feet from clicking on the marble floor, she approached the library. Miles, the history scholar had left the door unlocked so that she could gain entrance without the worries of bothering a guard. She glided quietly through the door, the soft swish of her soft green dress being the only noise as she headed for the back row of the books. As she approached the last row, she noticed the tiny shaft of light from a candle, slowly move across the book titles. As quietly as a mouse she cast her eyes around the corner, nad drew back quickly as the hilt of one man's blade caught the light of the candle.

          "Have you got it?"

          "Keep quiet would you?"

          "What? Are you scared the daft Miles of Oleau will catch us? He's so daft he left the door unlocked."

          Thayet wanted to confront them and defend her friend, but she was more curious as to what they were looking for.

          "Why is it we had to fetch the book anyways?"

          "Don't question the knowledge of the Dark Squire! He knows what is best and can decide who does what."

          Thayet's breath lodged in her throat. The Dark Squire's were a group as powerful mages who stole and seiged castles throughout the land. But she had not heard of tehm for over two hundred years. Could it be that they were coming back?

          "Did you hear that?"

          "What? Do you mean that coughing sound?"

          The Queen closed her eyes and preyed that they would not look around.

          "What if someone is listening in?"

          "Don't be such a coward, concentrate on finding the book!"

          "I would feel much better if we made sure their was no one here."

          "Fine, but don't take long, we still have to get back to our rooms."

          Thayet glanced down at her hip, her dagger was perched their glinting, as if waiting for a fight. She looked back up, her eyes set and steely. The first man rounded the corner, she spun around and kicked him in the stomach, he had not been prepared and was bowled over in shock. Turning she rand towards the next row of books and glanced at her skirt. If anything it would be the reason she would have to slow down, sighing, she bent over and ripped the skirt part off, her legs instantly felt lighter in just the breechs she was now wearing. The second man was rounding the corner, he wqas prepared with his sword held in fighter's stance.

          Saying not one word, Thayet ducked, rolled and lept over his swinging blade. The man was angrey, and aiming to kill. Seeing a slip in time Thayet gave a quick punch to his eye and then stepped with all her might on the foot of her oppenent, he shriecked with pain and stabbed his knife at her with all his might. Thayet swerved away, but not in time, she felt the sharp sided sword graze the side of her head as the mans assistant grabbed his companion and fled.

***

          Thayet sat eghausted in a chair by the fire as she watched her husband pace angrily. His ice blue eyes shot to the door as two men entered, it was Miles of Oleau and Gareth of naxon, to of the Kings most trusted advisors. Miles rushed quickly to The Queen's side as Gareth and Jonathon conversed quietly.

          "Goddess bless that you are not badly injures Thayet."

          "Yes," Thayet winced as the pain from her cut seared. "If only I had been able to identify those men!"

          "You did well, my lady," Gareth condoled, joining by the fire, "after all with a punch to the eye will not easily be hidden come the morrow."

          "For now, that is all we have to go on," Jonathon kissed Thayet on the cheek. "I have sent for Alanna, she will be hear by dusk tomorrow, after her battle with those spidrens in the yamani's she returned to  Bazhir to rest but I mentioned that you had been injured Thayet, and she is on her way."

          Thayet felt a little pain in her stomach as her husband said the lioness's name. Johnathon and Alanna had been lover's for many years but she had rejected his hand in marrige, and though she shouldn't be, Thayet couldn't help being just a little jealous of her husbands old feelings to the lady knight.

          King Johnathon smiled down at her and brushed a loose strand of jet black hair, much like his own out of her face. "come now darling, there's not much left to be done in the night, when morning has come we will set about looking for our imposters. She looked up at his firm set jaw line and strong features and knew it would be all right. She sighed and rose to her feet, picking up a lantern of blue fire the king had conjured up for her she headed down the darkened hall to her room.