Page 20 of Sword & Sacrifice

Of all his family, he hoped his mother would catch him. She’d never caught him before, but he pictured her gently pulling him out from beneath the bed to set him on top of it. Maybe she’d hold him close, they could snuggle together for the rest of the afternoon, and she’d tell him what it was really like to run a kingdom—all the fun parts, none of the stuffy, boring legislature.

He had vague memories from when he was younger of someone tucking him in close for bedtime stories. He couldn’t remember the content of the stories or even the person’s voice, just a sense of peace and warmth that he wanted to feel again.

The door swung open as someone entered.

Silas tensed in anticipation, wondering how long it would take his mother to spot him.

The door closed and his mother sighed. “Honestly, Miri, I can’t stand him lurking around. When does he leave?”

“Next month, I believe. After His Highness’ birthday.”

“Damn, is that next month? I almost forgot.”

Silas’ heart sank and his little fist clenched. It’s all right. She didn’t really forget, just almost. The thought offered him little comfort.

“He’s getting quite big, isn’t he?” The fondness of his mother’s voice cheered him somewhat.

“I rarely see him,” the other woman replied, her tone subdued.

“Come now, Miri. Don’t look at me like that.” His mother’s skirts came into view as she sat at her vanity. “You know I don’t like it any better than you do.”

Another set of skirts appeared as the other woman stepped up next to her. The queen’s skirts were a beautiful, shiny blue with little hand painted flowers all along the fabric. Everything was clean and neat and new. Miri’s skirts were a darker blue, the hem older and frayed, and short enough for Silas to spy the edge of a worn shoe. “Claire, I—”

“What do you think?” his mother interrupted. “The pearls or the aquamarine?”

After a long hesitation, Miri said, “The aquamarine.”

“Yes, you’re right, they match the dress better.” His mother fumbled around for a moment and then something softly clattered to the floor. “Shit!” She bent down to search for it. “Miri, do you see it?”

The other woman sighed and got down on hands and knees to search.

No longer wishing to be found, Silas crawled further into the shadows of the bed, watching both women fumble along the floor in a frantic search.

Miri gave up first. “I’m sorry, Claire, it must have fallen in a crack.”

“Gods dammit,” his mother hissed. “Those were my favorite pair! I can’t only wear one of them!”

Both stood up and Miri’s voice softened as she soothed his mother. “You can turn it into a pendant instead. No matter what form it is, it will complement your beauty.” Miri continued to console her with soft murmurs as they exited the room.

Once the door closed, Silas scrambled out from under the bed and began searching the floor for his mother’s lost jewel. He didn’t know what an ‘aquamarine’ was, but if he found it, his mother would praise him and hug him close.

He spent two hours looking for it and only stopped when his father found him and dragged him back to his tutoring session.

Examining the gem closer, Silas remembered his mother wearing a teardrop necklace on occasion, and he had some vague images of earrings before that. Which one am I holding now? he wondered, rolling it between his fingers.

“Your Majesty?” Strider waited until Silas looked at him to continue, “Did you want to see anything else in the library or should we move on?”

Silas slipped the stone into his pocket. “Yes, I want to see the Records Room.” It was a separate room within the library intended to keep all the kingdom’s records safely locked away. Although it wasn’t as protected as the Vault, he hoped some of the documents had remained intact.

Since he was more familiar with the library, even in its devastation, Silas led the way, with Strider guiding him around the worst areas of damage. As they neared the room, Silas paused. The steel door hung open. “Have your people already explored this area?”

“Yes, to examine it for structural damage.”

“Was the door already open?”

“Yes.”

Silas stepped into the room, knowing he would find only ash. The Records Room had fared as badly as the rest of the library, nothing left behind.