Chapter 307


    Chapter 0307


    Things were direr than even Charlotte had made it seem.


    My stomach twisted into knots. The people’s usations weren’t limited to singr nouns. They


    weren’t just talking about Terry and no one else.


    The use of plural told me they meant the entire royal family, including Nichs. This meant he was in


    grave danger. If the people turned on the royal family, if they thought to overthrow them, they would not


    stop with just the King.


    shes of Nichs trapped in a prison cell came through my mind. Or worse. Maybe they would kill


    him.


    The dark thoughts took hold of my heart so strongly that I couldn’t remember where I had been


    headed. I only knew where I wanted to go now: to see Nichs, to ce my eyes on him. and know


    that he was safe.


    I darted in the direction of his personal rooms. Along the way, I noticed the increased number of guards


    around the pce. At first, I chalked it up to the increase in the number of protestors. It made sense to


    increase the protection of the royal family when they were being threatened.


    But then, as I came around the corner, I heard a set of voices, and recognized that these. guards were


    here for a more specific purpose.


    To personally guard their princes, Nichs and Julian. As well as to…


    “We’ve thoroughly checked this passageway, Sir,” said one of the guards. “It was clear.”


    “Good,” Nichs said. “Keep a guard posted there. This one leads to the kitchens, which is a pivotal


    location. We cannot allow any intruders there.”


    “Yes, Sir,” said the guard.


    I stepped into the room from which I heard the voices, and found Nichs and Julian peering over a


    familiar set of maps and blueprints. We’d used those blueprints to find the secret passageway that had


    led from the cer to Terry’s mansion.


    Several sets of guards were scattered through the room. Some were disappearing into an opening in


    the middle of the wall. A bookcase had been shoved out of the way. A painting had been knocked to


    the ground. No one had bothered lifting it.


    Julian spotted me first. “Ah, Piper. There you are. We were hoping you would stop by.”


    “You were?” I asked.


    Nichs looked up too, then. His eyes met mine, held them for a moment, and then dropped


    Julian smiled wider, as if topensate for Nichs’s coldness. He didn’t have to do that. I knew I was


    the one to me for the wall between Nichs and myself now.


    Julian waved me closer, so I walked to his side. He traced his finger over a secret passageway in the


    map.


    “See this here?” he asked. “We’re checking this one next. One by one, we’ll get through them all.”


    “We’re also searching for the ones that aren’t on this map,” Nichs said.


    Julian nodded, grim. “Terry made alterations on his own. We’ve had soldiers dig through his private


    documents, searching for his own personal maps, but so far we’vee up empty.”


    “He kept everything,” Nichs said.


    Terry shrugged. “There are many damning pieces of evidence against Terry in his mansion.


    Unfortunately, none of the ones we’ve found so far are the ones we need.”


    “Why the search?” I asked. “What could be found in these passages?”


    Nichs lifted his gaze to mine again. “You know why.”


    Jane. “Surely she left the pce while she had the chance. Without Terry…”


    “It’s worse than you think, Piper,” Julian said. He nced at his brother. “Worse than we thought too.”


    “What do you mean?” I asked.


    Julian sighed.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Nichs spoke, “Jane has more influence than any of us have given her credit for.”


    I blinked. I still didn’t understand.


    Nichs paused a moment, then spoke again, “We believe she might be Hawk’s right hand.”