Queen of Hearts: The Crown (Queen of Hearts Saga #1)(23)
“Hurry up! You are slower than a moss-eating bug.”
Dinah shot him an angry look and continued to carefully climb, splinters driving into her bare feet. Once she reached the top, she was greeted with the hint of a foul stench: waste, oil, and rotting vegetables—the smells of poverty. Whoever was supposed to clean The Box after the last event, didn’t. Standing, she brushed her fingers through her tangled hair and straightened her cloak. Wardley stood in front of her, dressed in his practice clothes—a loose white linen shirt, dark-red pants, and black riding boots. His shirt was opened across the chest, and Dinah could see the gleam of his sweaty skin in the moonlight. Her heart knocked tricky in her chest and she forced herself to look away.
Wardley gave her a quick hug. “Ugh, you smell awful.”
Dinah punched his arm. “It’s The Box. Stop it.”
“That felt like a swift breeze blowing over my skin,” he chided, smiling. Dinah felt the earth tremble. “Try again.”
He held out his arm. Dinah struck him with all her might. He winced. “Alright, that did actually hurt. Keep working on your sword arm. Someday, your father will train you to use the Heartsword.”
“Not likely, but it’s a nice sentiment.”
They sat together on a tattered wooden bench that reeked of fish.
“So, what did you need to tell me?” Wardley asked. “Did you need something? Are you in trouble? You should have just come to the stables in a few days. It’s a lot easier than sneaking around here. Have you noticed that there are Heart Cards everywhere now? It’s getting ridiculous, all the men that bear the uniform now. Your father doesn’t care anymore if they are qualified or good men; he just wants bodies in cloaks.” Wardley made a disgusted sound. The constant lowering of requirements to become a Heart Card was something that he lamented often.
“At least they’re not Spades.”
He looked over at her and saw the seriousness in her eyes. His smile faded. “Dinah, what is it?”
Dinah brought her face close to Wardley’s ear. Just being this near him made it hard to breathe, but they had much to talk about. To any observer, they would look like young lovers, whispering words of endearment. “Yesterday someone gave me a note. It was at the feast, and it was slipped into my berry loaf. It said ‘Eat Me.’”
Wardley pulled back from her, his face riddled with concern. He took her face in his hands and tilted it so that he could look clearly at her. “You didn’t eat it, did you? Dinah, that could have been poison.”
Dinah shook her head. “No, no, of course not. I didn’t eat it. But I did break it open. And this was inside.” She reluctantly pulled back from him, and removed the tiny vial from her cloak pocket. “There used to be a piece of paper inside of it. I read it, and then I ate that.”
Wardley’s eyes widened.
She continued. “On the note it said, ‘Faina Baker, The Black Towers.’ And then it had a triangle symbol.”
Wardley looked at the ceiling, considering. “Faina Baker, I’ve never heard that name before. Have you?”
Dinah shook her head. “Never. I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon, but no. I’ve never heard of her either.”
Wardley took the tiny vial out of her fingers and peered at it in the moonlight. “What do you think it means?”
Dinah wrung her hands together. “I truly don’t know, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s something important.”
“You can’t know that, Dinah. This could be a trap. Someone plotting against the King, someone plotting against YOU. Your father has many enemies. It could be a Yurkei assassin.”
“I know that. I do.” She pulled herself closer to him, her skin pressing against his, her mouth against his ear. “I can’t explain it, but I need to find her. Faina. This note wasn’t sent in malice, I can FEEL that.”
Wardley took her hand in his and a million stars shot over her skin. “Dinah, I know you want to believe this. I just don’t know if it is wise. Your coronation grows closer every day, and maybe this is just you being nervous about taking the throne.”
Dinah lifted her black eyes and stared at his face. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course. You are my best friend,” he assured her, giving a nervous laugh, caught off guard by her intensity.
“Then help me do this. Wardley, something is amiss. I can feel it. There is a lurking, a presence, a danger, something BAD is happening. And someone is trying to help us. I NEED to speak with Faina Baker, and I need your help to do it.”
Wardley shook his head. “Getting into the Black Towers will be impossible. You’re the Princess; they track your every move. And even if they didn’t, you can’t just break into the Black Towers. They’re swarming with Clubs.” He lowered his voice. “And gods know what wickedness we will find in there. You’ve heard the stories. Some things can never be erased from one’s mind. The Black Towers are a place of violence. Torture. Sickness. The depravity of the kingdom is held there, and you’re willing to risk all that, just 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?”