Page 63 of To Save a Kingdom

“Barely a quarter of an hour ago.”

She glanced out the window. The sun was about to rise.

“What about the people staying in the east wing?” Elessan asked, his hand a supportive weight on Aliya’s shoulder.

She wracked her brain. That portion of the castle was where her advisors and the other nobles kept their quarters, along with the visiting elven officers.

The captain shifted, his eyes dropping to the ground. “Most of the council members appear to be working with the intruder.”

Her gut hardened and turned heavy. She shouldn’t be a bit surprised.

Studying the guard’s face, she realized they didn’t know who Brooks was. She cleared her throat. “His name is Brooks, he served as Malkov’s Arcane Inquisitor.”

Recognition sparked in the captain’s eyes. “I didn’t recognize him. He spent so little time at court.”

She waved his words away. That wasn’t important now. What mattered was—

“What about the elves housed in that wing?” Elessan’s baritone voice was tense.

The captain glanced over his shoulder at one of the other sentries who spoke, “King and Princess Enorathil are safe, as is most of the king’s inner circle. They were using the Council Chamber for a private meeting when Brooks attacked.”

Aliya exhaled. That was a relief, at least. The last thing she needed was the death of the sun elf royals on her watch.

“And the others?” Elessan pressed.

Aliya furrowed her brows, tilting her head until it slammed into her with the force of a battering ram. His mother.

“Brooks has taken hostages,” the nameless guard continued. “From what we can tell, none of them are injured, but they’re imprisoned in the library. It’s going to be difficult to stage any sort of rescue operation.”

Aliya frowned. “Why?” Libraries usually came with expansive skylights and several entrances.

“Malkov believed in protecting his knowledge trove from possible attack or sabotage,” the captain said. “The windows are too narrow to climb through, and the walls are all reinforced.”

Well, valek.

“Did anyone spot a female mountain elf prisoner?” she asked. One of the benefits of a nearly extinct race was they were easy to pick out in a crowd.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guard confirmed as his gaze flicked to Elessan then back to hers. “She’s there, as well. Our messenger saw her being escorted into the room with the others.”

Aliya leaned back against her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. At least Sorisana was alive. “If Brooks wanted them dead, they’d already be so.” She tilted her head until she could meet Elessan’s eyes. “She’ll be safe, for now.”

A muscle feathered in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. “We need to get her out.”

Aliya nodded. “We will.” Hopefully before Brooks decided to activate a Whisperer and murder everyone in the castle. She turned her attention to the captain. “Evacuate all nonessential personnel and those within the immediate vicinity. Anyone who stays needs to be issued soft wax for ear plugs, which they are to use immediately.”

The captains’ eyebrows pinched. “Why, Your Majesty?”

Elessan cleared his throat. “Don’t you think if Brooks was going to deploy one, he’d have done so already?”

Aliya shook her head. “We can’t risk it. He may be waiting until he can gather those loyal to him to make sure they’re protected.” Turning her focus back to the captain, she frowned. “Protecting your ears is the only way to survive.”

“I know,” the man stammered. “But why would Brooks have Whisperers?”

And this was the downside of having to keep their theft confidential. She sighed. “We have reason to suspect Brooks is in possession of several that disappeared from where the mages were working to dismantle them earlier this week. Between Brooks and his accomplice, Malkov’s former Master Artificer, there’s no telling what he could do.”

The sentries’ faces went pale. The captain swallowed once, then nodded his head as he collected himself. “We will see it done, Your Majesty.”

As the guards filed out, Elessan caught Aliya’s arm. “We need to get you some of those earplugs. Now.”