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Chapter Fourteen

R unning wasn’t the best idea when trying to avoid a nasty spill, but my weak heart held on for as long as it could.

The palace interior was much cooler due to all the drafty windows, but there was no escaping the heat I felt entirely.

I needed to find Jean, before or after I blacked out.

I needed to make sure the wishing diamond was still safe.

“I know everything that goes on in this palace.”

Jet’s voice resonated within me, causing my feet to go faster even though I could no longer feel my legs.

It felt like I was stumbling more than running, but I couldn’t rest yet.

If Jet truly knew everything, would that mean he knew about my friendship with Jean?

About the ring in the lamp? No, he couldn’t possibly know. ..but still, I needed to be sure.

My fears were far from alleviated when I arrived at my suite. A guard stood outside my door just like normal, but there was no feather at the top of his helmet .

My stomach churned as the dizziness mutated into awful nausea. I stumbled inside my room anyway, quickly confirming that Kipu was still safely inside. He was napping peacefully in the balcony, blissfully unaware of anything around him.

I collapsed into a padded chair, pressing a hand over my heart while a round of heavy breathing came and went.

Like clockwork, I blacked out. My body must have gone limp, because I vaguely remembered the feeling of slipping off the chair and piling onto the floor.

It only took a few seconds for my spotty vision to return, and slowly the woozy sensation started to lessen.

Kipu must have woken up at some point, because when my vision returned, I found him perched on my knee and pecking at my other leg.

My time at the palace must have been improving my health more than I realized, because I started feeling better much faster than I normally would.

My heart rate was no longer climbing, but it didn’t feel like it was calming down either.

“ Kya? Kya? ” Kipu kept pecking at my leg, and I gave him a shaky pet to let him know I was okay. He didn’t seem convinced though, and continued his peck therapy until I found the strength to get back on my feet.

I took everything slowly, testing my limits before pushing them as I looked longingly at the lamp on the other side of the room.

One step at a time, I made my way across the suite like it was the full length of an endless desert, finally resting when I sat down on the bed, close enough that I could reach the side table.

I snatched up the lamp, the cool metal relieving to touch. The lid took a minute to wiggle off, but once it was free, I could see the diamond ring still waiting safely inside.

“ Lamp! ” Kipu said proudly, happily dancing on the side table by swaying back and forth on his feet.

A massive sigh of relief left my lips as I fell back onto my pillows. Beads of sweat dotted my forehead, and I probably smelled like I’d been swimming in a puddle in one of the bazaar’s alleyways, but I couldn’t care less, not even as Kipu enjoyed his lamp dance.

After taking a moment to catch my breath, I shook the ring out of the lamp until it landed in my lap. I picked up the sparkling gem, my thoughts shooting off in every direction like the light refracting off the jewel.

You’re safe, but where is Jean?

I slipped the ring onto my finger, twirling it with my thumb as I tried to think through the most logical answer. Perhaps he was just on a break? Maybe he stepped away for a meal?

He wouldn’t leave the lamp unguarded without a good reason .

The ring’s magic seemed to infect my mind, filling my thoughts with ideas of wishes. I hated how easy it was to fall victim to the magic, but at the same time, I couldn’t resist the lure.

“Kya!” Kipu finished his dance, fluttering over to the edge of my pillow to stare at the ring. “Gold!” He nuzzled his beak against the ring, his eye for treasure drawing him to the sparkle.

“Maybe he left you on guard duty.” I pulled the ring away before he could nip at it. I gave his feathery head a pat. “You haven’t happened to see Jean around lately, have you?”

It seemed silly to ask, but Kipu was rather fond of Jean, maybe he had some sort of bird ability to track him down.

“Die, mon,” Kipu tilted his head, sounding out a word I had never heard him say before. “Diemon.”

“Diamond?” I repeated. Kipu squawked happily, but even after deciphering his words I was still plenty confused. The tone he was mimicking was different from mine, but Jean couldn’t talk... “Where did you hear diamond from?”

“Diamon!” he repeated, the tone deeper than mine.

“Whose voice is that?”

He didn’t explain, of course, but he did start mimicking a bird chirp and tried to peck at my ring again. I tapped a finger to my chin, thinking back to the missing jewelry that had been discussed this morning.

What if Jean was questioned about the missing diamonds?

The ring suddenly felt too tight on my finger. During breakfast, I was the only person who hadn’t commented on the situation. Did they find that suspicious? What would it mean to them if all but one princess had been robbed? Would they question her guard first?

Would they blame him?

“Gold!” Kipu tried to peck at the ring again, startling me out of my thoughts. “Diamon!”

“Trust me, Kipu,” I said as I pushed him back again. “You don’t want to go looking for diamonds. They’re nothing but trouble. I can’t even help Adir find the missing jewelry thanks to a certain diamond.”

I twisted the ring, the perfect loop making me wonder if such a powerful magic could allow loopholes.

“But maybe I can help Jean instead...” I whispered to myself, my heart hammering as my blue eyes reflected in the glassy stone.

It had been nothing but trouble...but so was a sword if you didn’t know how to wield it properly.

Maybe I just needed more practice... “I wish I could find the missing diamonds. ”

The magic’s pull won me over, making it far too easy to speak the wish aloud.

My heart rate increased like I was recovering from my fainting all over again, but I was too restless to relax.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the magic next.

Maybe a big flashing arrow that hovered in the air?

A magic portal that would lead me to the stolen goods?

I waited for a moment before finally deciding that I felt the urge to move. My legs were begging to stand, and it was then that I realized there was someplace that I wanted to walk... I bit my lip, nodding at the ring like I was giving it permission to take me over.

It was the strangest sensation. Every step I took felt intentional, but I had no idea where I was going.

I stepped out of my suite and wandered purposefully through the halls.

The magic’s pull made me leave the familiar parts of the palace, letting the mental map in my head guide me deeper into the heart of the structure.

It was like there was an invisible string puppeteering me to center stage.

The magic couldn’t handle everything though. I had to stop when I reached a blocked hallway. Two guards that didn’t look even half as friendly as Jean were standing in the center of the hallway, glaring me down the second I was within their sight.

“Guests are not permitted in this wing of the castle, Your Highness,” one of the guards said with a deep grizzly voice .

Dead end.

“Of course, my apologies.” I tugged awkwardly at a strand of my hair. “I was only exploring. I’ll head back now.”

I turned back the direction I came, but the tugging feeling in my chest didn’t go away. The diamonds were somewhere past those guards, but how was I supposed to get around them?

The magic churned within me, redirecting my path as if it refused to be thwarted so easily.

A concealed door caught my attention, and the strings yanked me toward it.

I’d seen many veiled doors in the palace.

They concealed the same servant halls that Jet had led me through when I first arrived.

The wallpaper was cleverly placed to hide the door’s seam in the wall, and even the doorknob was painted to blend in with the deep-purple patterns on the wallpaper print.

I reached for the handle, glancing around to ensure no one was watching as I slipped into the hidden corridor.

It was just like the last servant hall I’d passed through, even down to the lingering scent of incense in the air.

It was impossibly hot inside; without the air flow of any windows, the heat was nearly suffocating.

I moved quickly, wishing I wouldn’t run into any servants along the way.

Wait, wishing !

“I wish no one would notice me in the servant halls.” I rubbed the ring, speaking in a bare whisper in case the magic decided not to work.

Even with the protection of the wish in the air, I still moved as quickly as possible.

Footsteps echoed in front of me, and fear immediately penetrated all the faith I had in the ring’s power.

There was nowhere to hide, and no time to make a plan.

A male servant walked out from around the corner, carrying a wicker basket full of laundry that was piled so high it blocked his view.

Despite not being able to see where he was going, he walked with full confidence, easily navigating the hallways like he’d probably done a hundred times before.

In a moment of panic, I pressed myself against the wall and held my breath. I wasn’t sure if the ring made me invisible, or him extra oblivious, but the servant didn’t even flick an eye in my direction as he strolled straight past me to carry on with his chores.

A sigh of relief swept through me, and I carried on with my mission, feeling a bit more at ease with the ring’s magic on my side.

It didn’t take long for the heat to make me feel dizzy again, but I could already sense that I was close to where I needed to exit the hall.

I powered through the discomfort. The pull in my chest led me deeper into the heart of the castle, and I continued to focus on the magic tug instead of the ache in my head.

When I finally felt compelled to stop, I found myself in front of another door. The brass doorknob was well-worn from multiple hands rubbing off on it, and when I pulled it open, not even the faintest squeak echoed from what must have been freshly oiled hinges.

A bedchamber?

I stepped inside, taking in a breath of cooler air and closing the door behind me as I surveyed the spacious room.

The room was empty of people but filled to the brim with every luxury one could imagine.

It was twice as large as my own suite, with towering ceilings that had silk tapestries covering every square inch of the walls.

Velvet-pleated furniture that looked far too warm for the hot climate was positioned around the room, and a massive bed with an olive-wood frame took up the center of the room.

I could still smell the soap on the freshly changed linens as I wandered into the room, careful not to touch anything that would indicate that I’d been here.

The dizzy feeling lingered in the back of my head, but the tugging feeling went away entirely, leaving a void in my chest as I searched aimlessly around the room.

The diamonds must be in here somewhere, but where? And whose room is this ?

I didn’t know if it was the magic still doing its job, or if my instincts as a jewel thief were kicking in, but I found myself drawn to a chest in the corner of the room that was sitting atop a well-polished table.

I hurried over and picked it up, immediately hearing something jingle inside.

It was no bigger than a loaf of bread, and the keyhole was wide enough that I could have it picked in a matter of minutes with the right tools, but I had a far better tool at my disposal.

“I wish it was unlocked.”

The chest felt lighter somehow, and I lifted the lid to find that it opened with ease. Sweat ran down the back of my neck as I stared inside the glittering chest of jewels.

The diamonds...

They were all there. The missing earrings, broaches, necklaces, everything the girls has complained about at breakfast. I wiped at my forehead, feeling suddenly overcome by the heat and the burden of the knowledge I’d now attained.

What do I do now? Could I even tell Adir if I tried?

I needed to sit down again. I’d been pushing myself too far, and it was about to end with me passed out in the bedroom of a thieving nobleman. I placed the chest back on the table, preparing to close it before a familiar voice that froze me solid .

“Kya?” My heart stopped as the prince’s voice echoed behind me. I spun around, the blood draining from my face until I probably looked as pale as a ghost. “What are you doing in my room?”