Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [32]
The moment his foot touched the inside of the palace, King Korox began shouting.
"Mariko!" His words boomed as he stormed through the halls. "Mariko where are you?" No one else spoke. His unanswered calls echoed off the stone walls, making Klarsamryn seem cold and empty. "Mariko!"
"Perhaps we should split up, my lord," said Quinn.
Korox continued his march through the palace-a man obsessed, not slowing his pace.
"There are plenty of Magistrates here," continued Quinn. "I'm sure you will be safe while we search, and we can cover more ground if we're looking in separate places."
The king came to a stop. At the end of the hall, the man with the pointy beard and curled moustache had appeared- the man the king had called Vasser.
"No," replied the king, obviously preoccupied by the presence of the bearded stranger. "For now I need you by my side. Wait right here."
Korox left Quinn behind as he met with the mysterious messenger.
Vasser gave Quinn a wide smile, then he leaned in and whispered something into the king's ear. He talked for some time then pulled a piece of vellum from his pocket, unfolded it, and began pointing at several different points.
Torches behind Vasser and the king partially illuminated the vellum. Every time the shadow of Vasser's head lifted away, Quinn could see right through it. From what he could tell, it looked to be a map of the five baronies-Llorbauth in the center.
Vasser pointed to the docks, then to the south-maybe Duhlnarim? Then back again at Llorbauth. Whatever he had said caught the king by surprise, and Korox took a huge, unbalanced step back, his eyes wide with fear. Looking like a toy soldier, his legs wooden and stiff, the king spun around on his heels, turned, and continued his march down the hall.
"Quinn!" he shouted over his shoulder, resuming his earlier pace. "With me!"
The king's bodyguard rushed to catch up, running past Vasser as he did. The man nodded and gave a small bow, his face the very picture of concern. This man was trouble, but Quinn had no time to deal with him now. Letting him go for the time being, he caught up with the king as he turned the corner.
It was obvious to Quinn that they were headed for Princess Mariko's chamber. Surely by now they had already been checked by the palace guard, but perhaps the king just needed to see for himself.
Barging through the door, the king stepped, into his daughter's room. On any other day, he would have knocked and announced himself, always very respectful of Mariko's privacy. But today was like no other day.
Inside, as Quinn had suspected, the princess's bed chamber was filled with palace guards and court functionaries.
"Where's Genevie?" shouted the king.
Everyone in the room came to a halt. The sudden appearance of a shouting king flustered them, and they tried with only varying degrees of success to follow courtly protocol. Several bowed. One man stumbled over a stool, seemingly blown backward by the sheer force of the king's words. But none of them answered his question.
"The princess's handmaiden!" shouted the king. "Have any of you seen her?"
Silence.
"Does anyone in this palace still have a tongue?" The king was growing more and more furious, his cheeks and forehead turning bright red. "Answer me." He took a menacing step toward the nearest palace guard.
"I… I haven't seen her, my lord." The guard dropped his eyes to the ground, cringing as if he might be struck.
"Has anyone seen her? Where is she?"
Everyone in the room shook their heads. No one knew.
The king flew back out into the hall to Genevie's bed chamber. Not bothering to stop, King Korox kicked the door in with the heel of his boot, drawing his sword as he crossed the threshold.
Quinn had never seen Korox pull his blade inside the palace. His heart pounding in his chest, the king's bodyguard quickly drew his own sword and bolted through the ruined door.
Unlike the princess's chamber, this room had no windows. There