Chapter Eight
Chaos was king.
In the absence of the ruler, nothing was as it should be.
Etta stopped walking as a line of guards barred their way.
“No one is to enter the palace,” one yelled from high atop the scaffolding behind the gate.
Alex straightened his shoulders, lengthened his spine, and pushed back his hood. The well-trained guards showed no reaction on their faces.
“Let your king pass,” Alex demanded.
They finally parted and Etta and Simon followed Alex across the courtyard and up the front steps of the palace.
Nobles and their servants crowded into the halls, bumping and jostling Etta, but she managed to stay on her feet. What was happening? She couldn’t remember a time when there’d been so much activity.
Amalie appeared among the fray and when she spotted them, relief
