A CROWN IN CHAIN

CHAPTER FIVE: THE STRANGER'S WARNING

The forest grew darker as Elena walked beside Mara.

The stranger's words continued to trouble her.

You speak like your mother.

Who was he, and how had he known her mother?

"Mara," Elena said, "who was that man?"

The old woman continued walking. "I don't know."

Elena stopped. "He knew my mother."

"Many people knew your mother, child. She was not always the quiet woman you remember."

"What does that mean?"

"It means there are things about your family you have yet to understand."

Elena's frustration grew. "Everyone keeps telling me that! My sister is a prisoner, soldiers are hunting me, and all I have is a pendant and a name—Nicholas. How am I supposed to find answers when nobody will tell me the truth?"

Mara turned to face her.

"I know you are afraid."

"I'm not afraid. I'm angry."

"Perhaps you have every reason to be."

Elena looked away, gripping the pendant beneath her clothing.

"Is my sister still alive?"

"I cannot promise what I do not know," Mara answered carefully. "But the crown may have reasons to keep her alive. We must hope she is safe until we can find a way to reach her."

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Then we must hurry."

Before Mara could reply, the sound of approaching horses interrupted them.

She pulled Elena behind a thick tree trunk.

Three soldiers rode along the narrow path, their armour reflecting the fading sunlight.

"Search the eastern road," the leader ordered. "The commander wants the girl found before she reaches Travellers' Rest."

Another soldier unrolled a sheet of parchment.

"What about the pendant?"

The leader's expression hardened.

"Recover it before taking her to the commander. Do not damage it."

Elena's heart pounded.

They were not merely hunting her. They wanted what her mother had left behind.

When the soldiers disappeared, she turned to Mara.

"Why do they want my pendant?"

Mara's face remained unreadable.

"Because some objects carry more than memories."

"That isn't an answer."

"No," Mara admitted. "But it is all I can tell you for now."

Elena wanted to argue, but she knew they could not afford to remain there.

They continued through the forest until they reached a sheltered clearing. Mara brought out a piece of bread from her bag and offered it to Elena.

As they ate, Elena studied the old woman.

"You said my mother asked you to protect me. When?"

"Years ago, before the crown began its campaign against women who refused to surrender their rights. Your mother feared that something terrible was coming."

"Did she know we would be in danger?"

"She feared it."

"Then why didn't she warn us?"

"She believed keeping you ignorant would keep you safe."

Elena shook her head.

"That decision has cost me enough. I want the truth, Mara. All of it."

For a long moment, Mara said nothing.

Then she reached into her clothing and withdrew a small piece of folded fabric.

Inside lay a broken silver chain and a damaged clasp.

Elena stared at it.

"Where did you get that?"

"Your mother gave it to me the night she disappeared."

Elena's breath caught.

"You told me she was gone."

"She was gone from your home. That does not mean I know she is dead."

Elena felt as though the ground had shifted beneath her.

"Are you saying she might still be alive?"

"I'm saying I never saw her body."

For years, Elena had believed her mother's story had ended in tragedy. Now, for the first time, she wondered whether there was more to it.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I needed to know whether you could survive the truth."

Elena gave a bitter laugh.

"My home is gone, my sister has been taken, and the crown wants me captured. I've been surviving since this began."

Mara lowered her head.

"You are right. I have asked you to trust me without giving you enough reason to do so."

She held out the folded fabric.

"Your mother left this with me. Keep your pendant hidden. Do not let anyone join the two pieces until you understand what they mean."

"Why?"

"Because together, they may reveal something the crown has spent years trying to bury."

Elena carefully returned the fabric to Mara.

"Then we must find Nicholas."

"Yes," Mara replied. "He knew your mother better than almost anyone. If someone can explain what happened to her, it is him."

Elena rose.

"Let's go."

They travelled until they reached a narrow bridge crossing a dry ravine.

Someone stood on the opposite side.

A man in a dark cloak, his face concealed beneath a hood.

The stranger from the forest.

Elena immediately reached for her pendant.

"Why are you following us?"

"The soldiers are searching the eastern road," he answered. "You have less time than you think."

Mara tightened her grip on her staff.

"You promised not to interfere."

"And I intended to keep that promise. But the commander has sent another group ahead of the first."

Elena stepped forward.

"You know the commander?"

"I know what he wants."

"The pendant?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me why!"

The stranger studied her face.

"Because your mother took something from him."

Elena's pulse quickened.

"What did she take?"

"Proof."

"Proof of what?"

A distant whistle echoed through the forest.

The stranger turned toward the sound.

"They are coming. Take the narrow path behind the bridge. It leads to an old watchtower. Nicholas will know what to do when you find the marker there."

Mara looked suspiciously at him.

"Why should we trust you?"

"You shouldn't. Not yet."

He turned to Elena.

"When you learn what your mother did, remember this: not everyone who serves the crown is loyal to it, and not everyone who opposes it is your friend."

Elena stepped closer.

"Who are you?"

For the first time, the stranger hesitated.

"Someone who failed your mother once."

Before Elena could ask another question, he disappeared into the darkness.

Mara caught her arm.

"We must move."

Elena looked toward the narrow trail. She was tired of secrets, tired of running, and tired of being treated as though she were too young to know the truth about her own family.

But her sister was still out there, and her mother's past might hold the key to saving her.

She began the descent.

Whatever awaited her at the watchtower, she would face it.

She would find Nicholas, uncover the truth, and bring her sister home.

And if the crown feared what her mother had left behind, Elena intended to discover exactly why.