Chapter Twenty Three; Proof.

Alanna strung the keys on her dagger belt, which was hidden beneath her shirt. She ran to the hall to check that Roger was there and not wandering around the palace.

She laughed as she spotted Jon sitting next to Lady Delia of Eldorne. The girl was a beauty; there was no denying it; her chestnut hair and ruby coloured lips were striking against the emerald velvet dress she was wearing. But her green eyes were calculating and sharp. Her dress neckline was extremely low and she was trying to use that to her advantage. Jon looked disgustedly at her, then turned to the lady sitting on his right, plainly hoping that Delia would get the hint and leave him alone. Unfortunately for him, she didn't.

Gary was sitting, to his great delight, next to Lady Cyntheria of Elden and was flirting earnestly with her. She didn't seem to be rebuking his advances at all.

Raoul could have been made of wood for all he was doing. His dinner partner had evidently given up on making any conversation with him and therefore was chatting with Alex and his companion.

Roger was sitting at the high table, along with the King and Queen. Duke Gareth was at his other side. As she watched, Alanna saw Roger exchange a long look with Delia. She lifted her hands in a gesture of defeat, he glared fiercely at her, and immediately she began trying to catch Jon's attention again.

Alanna left as silently as she had arrived, making herself seem to be part of the palace.

She headed up through the passages she knew no one else would be in. When she reached Duke Roger's door she pulled the keys off her belt and, checking no one was coming up the tight stairs, selected the same bronze one that had opened the door the first time she had been there, and inserted it into the lock. She recalled the exact motions Balern had made to open the door before moving. She laid her hand on the nameplate then twisted the key twice. For one, heart stopping moment it wouldn't turn past the first rotation, but then continued turning when she forced it with all of her strength. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and pushed open the door and stepped over the threshold. Now she headed straight for the room the manservant had locked before. It was locked again. She repeated the same procedure as on the outside door. To her surprise it worked, the door opened and she stepped into the secret room.

The room was small and was, as Alanna had suspected it to be, Roger's workroom. It was filled with all kinds of arcane equipment. Scrying stones and charts stood on a table that was, in its turn, stacked high with books. Her attention was drawn to a whistling sound by one of the windows.

A small screen, no higher than Alanna's waist stood in the corner. A small pile of sand and a puddle of water lay on the flagstone beside the screen. Curious, Alanna lifted one edge of the screen. She was hit by a flurry of sand at once. She dropped the cloth back down and sat back on her heels, blinking furiously. But she had seen something swaying in the midst of the storm. Alanna peered over the top of the barrier. A shape was suspended there, in mid air. She reached in, wincing as the sand bit into her hand and lifted the thing out.

When it was free, Alanna gasped. It was a near perfect model of Queen Lianne. This was image magic, he had placed this doll into a magically sustained sandstorm to wear it down, and therefore the Queen would also become ill, but in such a way that no one could suspect unnatural means. The sand storm must be stopped at times, Alanna suspected, to make her illness even more realistic.

Squinting down behind the screen again, with the doll in her lap, she found a bowl of water with still more dolls inside. Slowly and carefully she drew them out and laid them in a row before her. King Roald, Prince Jonathon and the Provost were all there. So was Duke Gareth, the Palace training master, and one other man, wearing crumpled green and brown clothes, short and stout with brown shaggy hair. All the dolls were made so realistically that they could have been miniature people. The clothes were tailored and the hair was real and implanted in their wax heads. Duke Roger had spared no expense.

With slightly trembling hands, Alanna set the dolls back in the water. She realized the purpose of the bowl of liquid as she lowered Duke Gareth, the water would act as a veil, numbing the senses of those represented by the dolls, so hiding Roger's plans from all those with influence in the palace and at court.

Now Alanna rose, she had enough proof to satisfy anyone. She walked to the desk and examined the books. She selected a few of the thicker books and dumped them in her room before going back to the hall to show her proof to those she had come to think of as her friends; Gary, Alex, Raoul and the Prince.

Well guys? Do you like? Hate? Let me know please.

By the way, all my judges out there email tortallianheroes@yahoo.co.uk and let me know who you are so I've got your addresses. It's not too late to join. But I will be drawing the line when the site opens around the end of the month.

HuntressDiana