"So you want to spy on the duke now?" Raoul asked.
"I thought you wanted to find out who more about the assassin," Josh put in.
"I do, but I don't see how we can find anything about the assassin. I mean, he's gone and you said there was nothing of interest in his possessions," Aleia explained.
"You can look at them, they're in that drawer," Raoul waved his hand, indicating which one.
Aleia opened it. It was the usual. A sword, knives, gloves, a handkerchief, a length of black rope. Aleia picked up the rope. It turned to smoke in her hands. Raoul and Josh hurried over.
"How did it—?" Josh started.
"Sorcerer, I guess," Raoul said.
Aleia and Josh looked at him.
"That's how he escaped."
"But we held the rope, and it didn't do that for us," Josh said. Both Raoul and Josh looked at Aleia.
"I don't know, I just picked it up!"
"I don't know how I'm going to tell the captain about this, considering that you were not here," Raoul said.
"Just say the rope turned to smoke, don't mention that anyone was holding it," Aleia said. "So is there anything else we might be able to find out about the assassin now that we know he's a sorcerer?"
"Not really."
"Why not?"
"He could be a shape-shifter. What he looked like when he was here might not even be his natural form. Basically he could be anybody anywhere. We can't track him down."
"Well, since there's nothing we can do about that I guess we might as well spy on the duke," Josh put in.
Aleia turned to Raoul, hopefully. He was the officer so he would be deciding what they did.
"I'd say yes, but what are we really going to do? He's in our own palace, staying with you, we can't really spy on him very much."
"Couldn't we go through his stuff, see if there's anything suspicious?" Aleia asked.
"Alright. Meet us there—uh—when will the duke be out without you being around him?"
"Tonight. He's going to a sort of dinner party with some courtiers."
"Alright, meet us by the stairs outside this wing, after your dinner," Raoul said.
Aleia nodded. "I should go back now, so they don't wonder where I am."
Raoul nodded to her. Josh took her hand in a sweeping bow and said, "Until then, m'lady."
Aleia just shook her head and rolled her eyes.
Aleia walked down the halls, hoping to find her father; she meant to tell him about the duke and his intentions. She found him, close to the gardens.
"Father, I wanted to talk to you about Duke Kevar," she said.
"Ah, I wanted to talk to you about the same thing. The duke is leaving in a few days, but I have invited him to come early for the winter holidays."
Aleia frowned. "Father, I don't think that's a good idea. He's planning to take the throne, I heard him talking about it with someone he's working with, but I can't prove it."
The king didn't look surprised. "Well, I always suspected he would."
"Then why invite him early?"
"Well, I'd rather have him planning it right under my nose, where I can keep an eye on him, than alone at his own estate."
Aleia was not happy about this. "Do you have any idea who he's working with?"
The king opened his mouth and shut it again several times before answering, simply, "No, I do not."
Aleia looked at him suspiciously. He had looked like there was more he was wanted to and was trying to say, but couldn't.
"Are you sure?" she asked slowly.
The king looked angry. "Of course I'm sure! And, Aleia, remember I forbade you to have anything to do with the spies!" he shouted and with that he walked away.
Aleia looked after, feeling confused. He had no cause to get so angry, and how would he know anything about her going to see the spies? She had, of course, no intention of obeying him.
At dinner, the king was in a very pleasant mood, and everything went well, until the queen happened to mention something about the king's sister, who had passed away many years ago. At that subject the king got very upset and angry, mumbled a few things, and left the table.
Aleia and the queen watched him go in confusion.
"Well, I guess he must be still grieving her death," the queen said, frowning.
"But that was years ago, before I was even born!"
"Well, she was his only sibling."
Aleia decided there was definitely something odd about the king.
After dinner Aleia met Raoul and Josh in the decided place. They were all dressed in black and had their swords and knives at their belts.
"You know, I really don't think we're going to have to kill anybody in the duke's quarters," Josh remarked on their amount of weapons.
"Probably not, but I'd rather not find myself unprepared," Raoul said.
When they got there the door was unlocked so they stepped inside. It was dark, with the curtains all closed and no candles lit.
"I can't see anything," Josh whispered. "What was that?"
"Ow! That was my foot!" Aleia replied.
"Oh. Sorry. It was in my way."
"Oh, I'm sure it was," Aleia sarcastically remarked.
Raoul ignored their bickering and lit a torch he had brought with him.
"Ah, that came in handy," Josh said. "Well, I don't see anything suspicious. Guess we can leave now."
Aleia rolled her eyes. "We haven't even looked yet."
They started to examine the room. It wasn't much to see. The bed made, clothes in the closet, a few books on the table, nothing very interesting. Raoul went to see what the books were, Aleia went to see if there was anything behind the clothes or in their pockets, and Josh examined some papers on the desk.
"That's weird," Josh said after they had been looking for a while.
Aleia came over. "What is?" she asked.
He handed her a paper. "Findy cluzy?" he attempted to read it.
Aleia frowned and looked at it. It read—Fynde clooze. "It says find clues, Josh, in case you were wondering. I don't get it, though. And it's not the duke's handwriting, either," she said looking at the other papers which were accounts from his estate. She handed the paper to Raoul.
He carefully studied the paper. "Strange," he said slowly. "Two misspelled words. The writing is delicate, yet not feminine. I can't think what the duke would do with it, or anybody for that matter."
"Maybe someone put it here for us, maybe they knew we were coming and they're trying to tell us something," Josh said.
Aleia and Raoul both looked at him. The idea was absurd and yet...it almost seemed possible.
"How could we know?" Aleia asked.
"Well, we—" Raoul started, but never got anywhere. They heard footsteps.
"The duke—he should be back by now, or very soon," Aleia cringed.
"We've got to get out of here!" Josh said.
"But if he sees us—" Aleia began.
"He's not here yet the footsteps are the next hallway down," Raoul said, starting for the door.
They got out the door, but whoever it was was coming around the corner. Raoul pushed Josh and Aleia through a door on the other side of the hallway and slid to the floor with the paper, just as Duke Kevar turned the corner.
"M'lord," Raoul said. "This was found outside your door. Is it yours?" he handed the duke the paper.
The duke frowned, read it, and shook his head, "No, what kind of a place is this anyways? Strange servants asking you if weird looking messages are yours every time you walk around the corner," the duke sounded angry, as usual, as he walked through his door.
Raoul waited a few minutes, then opened the door to the room Aleia and Josh were in.
"He's gone. And its our paper."
"But what if someone left it there for him and he just hadn't seen it yet? Like the girl I heard with him earlier?"
Raoul shrugged. "He won't get to read it now."
Josh grinned. "And if it is ours, we need to do some deciphering. Life is getting more exciting every minute!" he said cheesily.
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So how was it? Is cheesily even a word? I don't really think so, but I don't care! Reviews are much appreciated!
