Princess of the Midnight Ball - Jessica Day George [71]
The sitting room looked out on the front gardens, where the mob had been when Galen had left earlier. There was no sound of shouts now, however, and Galen strained to see outside without rising from his chair.
“You need have no fear of the mob,” Angier said, following Galen’s gaze. “I took care of them.”
Galen felt a lurch of distrust. “How?”
“I assured them that the witch would hang tomorrow morning, and that the Interdict would be lifted as soon as I was satisfied that there was no further taint on the royal house,” the bishop said coolly. “I promised to lead next Sunday’s first mass myself.” He smiled. “A week should give the king plenty of time to abdicate, don’t you think?”
“Abdicate?” Galen felt cold. “But the king is innocent! And so is Fraulein Anne!”
“Of course she is,” Angier said, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “But we can’t very well hang dead Queen Maude, now, can we? And the king’s abdication will be a blow, I’m sure, but the people will come to see the wisdom of it in time. The entire royal family is tainted by this witchcraft and vastly unfit to rule an otherwise godly nation like Westfalin.”
Galen’s thoughts roiled. Angier wasn’t lying: the bishop was going to execute Anne and put pressure on King Gregor until he gave up his throne. Galen swallowed the bile that rose in his throat, and concentrated on the pistol pointed at him. He had to get out of here, and soon. It was already past noon, and Galen had no idea what Rose was going through in the kingdom Under Stone.
“Your Excellency,” Galen said as calmly as he could. “Please, I only want to help the princesses.”
“Help? With your filthy magic cape? You are probably the one who is hiding them from me!”
Galen decided to lay his cards on the table. He needed the bishop to be on their side. “No, Your Excellency! I swear I don’t know any magic. I am only trying to save the princesses from the King Under Stone. I was given this cloak by one of the magicians who imprisoned him.”
“The King Under Stone!” Angier snorted. “A fairy tale used by nasty little witches to cover up their own evil machinations. There never was a King Under Stone, boy. It’s nothing but lies.”
“Then who did Maude make the bargain with?” Galen pointed at the diary on the table with his chin.
A mistake. The bishop swelled like a bullfrog.
“You’ve been trespassing with your little cape, I see,” he hissed. “Now, tell me where the princesses are!”
“I told you: they are in the prison-realm of the King Under Stone!”
“Liar!” Angier howled.
“You have the proof right there, in Queen Maude’s own diaries,” Galen said heatedly. “You must help me free them!”
“Abominations and lies!” Angier shook his head, jowls quivering. “You will hang for your witchcraft, boy, even if we can’t prove that you abducted those poor misguided young women.”
“I never would have hurt them,” Galen said hotly. “I’ve been trying to gather information so that I could help. I came here yesterday—” Galen stopped as the bishop looked beyond him.
“Thank you, Captain, we’re done,” Angier said, lowering the pistol.
Galen lurched to his feet, one hand on the pistol at his belt, spinning around to see … nothing. There was no one behind him.
“Stupid boy.” Angier laughed.
And then Galen’s head exploded with pain as the bishop hit him squarely in the back of the skull with the butt of his pistol. Galen fell facedown on the lush red carpet. Through the cotton that seemed to be wrapped around his head, Galen heard Angier calling out for help, that the mad gardener had just attacked him.
Then darkness rolled up and Galen was lost.
Prisoner
Rose and her sisters had never been past the ballroom in the Palace Under Stone. Even the retiring room set aside for them with chamber pots and wash basins was immediately off the main hall, making it unnecessary for them to venture far from the ballroom. Now, however, they were deep within the palace, and