The King's Mistress

Chapter 37: Light The Way

Sierra walked carefully on the roof tiles. With the cool night breeze blowing against her skin, a smile formed on her face. It had been a while since she was able to enjoy the beauty of the night.

She leaped across the roof of another building before making her way down to the ground level. Before she left her room, she picked up the mask she had worn during the ball. Under the shadows of the nearby trees, she put on the mask before continuing to make her way around.

She carefully avoided the patrolling guards as she made her way toward the dungeon. Feeling confident, she took a right turn without checking, running straight into a group of four patrol guards. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"Dang it," she cursed beneath her breath.

They noticed her instantly. But before they even had the chance to say anything, Sierra made quick work of them. With precision, she hit each of them on the side of the neck. One by one the men dropped to the ground like flies, passed out.

A grin appeared on her face as a sense of achievement washed over her. It had been a while since she was able to ’practice’ her skills. Pretending to be a princess was tough work. Looking at the unconscious guards before her, Sierra came up with a plan.

She dragged one of them into the bushes of the nearby forest cover and took his armor. She quickly put them on, before removing the mask she had worn, keeping it in her pocket. Once she was appropriately dressed, she came out of her hiding spot and hurried on her way.

In disguise, getting into the dungeon was a piece of cake. No one seemed to suspect anything and no words needed to be exchanged. Still, she remained on high alert. After all, it was only a matter of time before the guards she knocked unconscious would be found.

She scanned each cell, looking for any clues about the person she was looking for.

"They could have already moved the body," she thought to herself as she bit her lip.

But luck was on her side. Sierra soon came across a familiar face. It was the man she had come looking for. There were two men in the cell with him, examining the body. Sierra cleared her throat audibly to get their attention.

"I am here to collect information regarding the prisoner," Sierra said confidently in a low voice.

She clenched her jaw as she waited for a reply, hoping they would not be able to see through her ruse.

"Who sent you?" one of the men in the cell asked.

"I... King Alistair sent me," she quickly blurted out. It was the first name that came to mind and she was thankful for that.

"The King?" the men turned to look at one another before turning back to reply Sierra, "Based on our findings so far, this man died of natural causes."

Sierra narrowed her eyes, "Is that so?"

"Are you questioning our hypothesis?!" one of the men in the cell asked as he walked over towards Sierra.

She stood her ground and stilled her palpitating heart. This was no time to panic, she had to remain calm. But Sierra did not believe a word these men said. It could not have been natural causes, something did not add up.

She had to take a look herself.

"I think you’re both lying," Sierra said as she opened the gate to the cell and took a step in.

Without a word of warning, she knocked both of the men out before they could even say another word. As their bodies slumped to the ground, she quickly pulled them to the side, hunched over. Then, she turned her attention to the body and took a closer look.

A close examination of the cell also revealed interesting pieces of information that she would not have known if she never came.

"I should have come sooner," Sierra sighed.

But with what she had seen and based on her close examination of the body, she had the answers she was looking for. It confirmed her suspicions. The man was murdered by poison to conceal the true masterminds.

She searched through the man’s clothing, hoping to find some physical evidence. Unfortunately, he did not have anything of value on him.

"He must have been searched when they brought him in," she muttered to herself.

As she continued her search for a second time to ensure she covered all of her bases, something caught her attention. She had noticed the bowl of spilled gruel on the ground near the man earlier during her inspection. As she neared the mouth of the dead man, which was open slightly, she caught a whiff of a unique scent.

A scent that she found familiar.

"Could it be..." Sierra wondered as the cogs in her mind began to churn.

She straightened her back and carefully exited the cell, making sure she did not leave any evidence of her visit behind. Sierra carefully slipped through all of the guards and only heaved a sigh of relief when she was once again out in the open air.

But before she could make her way back to the Celestial Lodge, she went into the forest for cover to remove the armor she had taken. For safety, she put the mask she had brought with her back on.

Just when she assumed the coast was clear and Sierra took one step out of the bushes she had used for cover, a large bell was rung.

Sierra almost leaped out of her skin when she heard. In the distance, she could hear the guards coming in her direction.

"There’s been an intruder! Everyone stay on your guard!" A voice shouted in the distance.

"Hey you! Over there! Stop right there!" the voice was directed at Sierra.

She turned to see a group of six guards coming her way. They were coming the way she needed to go. It looked like her luck ran out. Sierra immediately turned and sped off in the opposite direction. She could not get caught.

If she did... she did not want to know what the consequences were.

"Hey! Stop there!"

"Quickly! After her!"

One of the guards blew a whistle, alerting all other guards in the vicinity. Sierra was now a fugitive. Regardless of the circumstances, Sierra did her best to keep calm. she made sure to use the cover of shadow and night to conceal her movements as much as possible.

But she did not know where she was going. The only time the princesses were allowed beyond the Celestial Lodge was if they were being escorted for a tour or being called to see the King.

Not to forget, that was mostly done during the day. Under the cover of night, Sierra could barely tell where she was going, even with the help of the lights that lit the way.

"We’re losing her! Hurry!" someone yelled in the distance.