Chapter 0308

I thought of my twin sister, a child trailing along in my shadow in her pigtails and plaid dress the same as mine, sk ipping away from me and down a dark alleyway. At the far end, a shadowy figure held out their hand. Jane, willing and happy, accepted that hand and welcomed the shadow around her too.

How could it be that a girl so near me in looks and personality, could have taken such a veering path to mine? For her to be so high ranking in the organization meant she had to have pursued it for a very long time longer than these past 3 years.

I shouldn’t have been surprised anymore. Jane had cut into my heart so many times. She

wanted me dead.

But it still hurt anew, to know the woman Jane was now was so far removed from the girl I knew, that the girl I knew might not have existed at all.

Nicholas came around the table and stood at my side. He didn’t touch me, but his closeness alone was a comfort I was incredibly grateful for.

“I’m assigning more guards to your room,” Nicholas said. “You shouldn’t go anywhere without a personal guard following beside you. Do you understand?”

I didn’t. Not really. The protestors outside were not there to call me a tyrant. Nicholas was the one in actual danger. Julian too.

Nicholas must have been able to discern my confusion. I was never very good at keeping my feelings from my face..

“We’re looking for Jane,” Nicholas said. “With her being such a high ranking member of the underground, it’s possible she has… others helping her.”

“Others, who?” I asked.

“If we knew that, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Julian chimed in. “Maybe we should have everyone strip. See who has the tattoo.’

Nicholas considered it. “Our loyal guards would acquiesce, but it will be much more difficult to convince those that are actually guilty of going along with it.”

Julian snorted. “Dear old dad likely won’t lift his shirt.”

“You don’t think…” The King?

“No,” Nicholas said quickly. “The King is not likely to be involved, and I will remind you, Julian, that suggesting otherwise is treason.”

Julian shrugged. “I’m only saying that if he did it, everyone else would do it too. But we

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“We have reason to believe that someone is helping her. And until we find her, you cannot

understood that now. Jane wanted me dead. If someone was letting her into the palace, she

dash of fear zipped through me and I

brushed alongside mine. For

the

a voice, turned us both

He was out of breath, his cheeks red from exertion. “We’ve discovered a new passage, one not on any of the

glanced at each

said. He scooped

coming too!”

at me, a stern look in his eyes. Yet just as I thought he was going to say no, and I was going to

“Stay close.”

>>

libraries in the palace, far from the beaten path the candidates

of the books here are over a hundred years old,”

good as new, dated only by the elaborate decoration of their covers and

within these tomes and these stories, surrounded by the smell of a library and the dash of lavender that a s ervant had

“I promise,” Nicholas said.

the stacks, tucked away within the bookcase itself. It was a narrow opening, Nicholas and Julian would have to be careful not to

you ever find this?”

held something,” Julian said, lifting a rolled-up map. “It’s close to many places, but far from

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maps onto one of the tables on the library then followed a guard into the passageway. A moment, later, his head reappeared. “It’s an old one. The stone

in,” Nicholas said, but Julian disappeared again quickly

said, and rushed to the

Nicholas called, following behind

much effort. He, meanwhile, had to crumple himself up some to stay with

he stayed near. His hand slipped

here too.” Though he was so far ahead, I could only make out the outline of his body in

at once, a loud crash sounded from the far end of the passageway, it

the hard line of his body. It was a tight fit, but somehow, he managed to press me against the wall of the passageway,

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