She straightened and grinned proudly. Once more, her intelligence amazed him.
He winked at her. “Remind me to give you a big kiss after all of this is over.”
“Indeed, I shall!”
Taking careful steps, he moved in front of her. The ground sloped downward, and he followed the dirt path. The room—or whatever it was—down here had no windows, and the walls and floor were made of dirt. He assumed the only light came from the opened spaces around the door.
He narrowed his vision, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He strained to hear any odd sounds. Finally, he noticed a movement in the darkness. He crept closer. Slowly, a woman’s body formed in the shadows. She lay on her side, wearing some kind of night dress and slippers. The woman on the ground released a sob and struggled to sit up.
“My Queen? Is that you?”
Her sobs grew louder as she nodded. Behind him, Clarissa released a cry and pushed past him to her mother. Clarissa fell beside the other woman, wrapping her arms around the trembling body.
When Ryder’s vision adjusted fully, he could see the queen’s arms and legs were tied with ropes. Moving swiftly, he knelt beside her and untied the bindings. As he lifted the frail woman up in his arms, she fell against his chest, sobbing.
“We need to get her out of this dank room,” he told Clarissa. “Quickly, go retrieve the blankets and meet me at the entrance.”
Clarissa wiped her wet eyes and hurried out of the queen’s cell. Ryder shifted her weak body in his arms. “Not to worry, my Queen. I shall have you home safe very soon.”
“Thank...you.”
His heart twisted to hear how weak she was. How long had she been here? And had she been fed at all? Thankfully, they had food in the basket.
When he carried her out of the dirt room, the queen squinted against the brightness. And yet to him, it wasn’t bright at all since the gray clouds still hung thick in the sky.
“Oh, Mother!” Clarissa cried as she placed the blanket around her. “Who put you down there?”
Her mother nodded and seemed to want to speak, but failed. Holding the queen, Ryder could tell she was getting weaker by the second. He knelt underneath the protection of an overhanging tree. If it rained, the branches and leaves would protect them. “Rissa, we need to try and feed her before we leave. She’s so weak.”
Clarissa found the basket of food and brought it over. She ripped off a piece of bread and carefully fed it to her mother. She also helped her drink the water from a water pouch. Once the bread had been eaten, Clarissa fed her the few grapes.
She raised her watery gaze and met Ryder’s stare. “Who could have done this to her?” she whispered brokenly.
“I have a feeling it was the witch.”
“But...why?” A tear slid down her cheek as she moved her attention back to her mother.
“I’m not sure, but somehow it has to be connected.”
“What’s got to be connected?” she asked.
“The king’s guards who have suddenly taken ill—or died—and the prince having the spell put on the flowers to make you fall in love with him. And, of course, your mother being taken prisoner.”
“Mother?” Clarissa asked as she gently stroked her mother’s cheek. The queen’s eyes flittered open, but the woman struggled to keep alert. “Who did this to you? Was it the witch?”
Her mother nodded once and closed her eyes again.
“This makes no sense.” Clarissa sniffed and shook her head. “What reason would the witch have to do all of this?”
“I don’t know, but once I take you home, I plan on finding out.
“Oh, Ryder. You cannot take us back to the palace. The witch is still there. She has to be the one who is acting as queen!”
He blew out an exasperated breath. “You are correct. Until your father knows what is going on, the palace is not a safe place for your mother. Instead, I’ll take you both to my mother’s home. She would be honored to care for you and your mother while I confront the witch.”
“Then let’s go quickly before it rains.”
“I’ll carry the queen on my horse.”
