reached my destination,” he tells me, his voice breaking over our loss of one another. “I hope you will trust in your instincts since I will no longer be around to help guide you, my little girl. The best advice I can give you is to seek out your true friends and always remember to be mindful of things around you. Take nothing for granted, Anna. I love you, my little cherub, and I wish you the happiest of lives.”
I reach out a hand to my father, but his hologram disappears, taking him away from me forever.
I bury my face in my hands and begin to cry uncontrollably. I drop to my knees on the cold prison floor, bereft of hope. It takes me a few minutes to pull myself together, but one thought creeps into my consciousness sustaining my sanity.
I need to find out where my Auggie is. If I can do that, maybe I can piece back together the shattered remains of what was once a happy life.
As I wipe my tears of self-pity away, filled with a new determination and purpose to save not only my father but my best friend, two guards teleport into my cell. They are the same two guards who have always escorted me to my lessons with the empress.
“We’ve been ordered to take you home, Lady Annalisse,” Christopher says as he and Clark walk up to me.
I stand to my feet as they both touch my shoulders and transport me to the front entrance of my home. Without another word, they teleport away leaving me completely alone. I open the front door and walk in.
“Millie!” I call out, closing the door behind me and walking towards the living room to search for her. “Millie!” I call again, even more desperately, but still receive no answer.
“Anna! Anna!”
Vala comes barreling down the stairs from the second floor and launches herself into my arms.
“Vala, where is Millie?”
“Some of the palace guards came and took her, Vivian, and Eliza away two days ago,” she tells me. “I've been here alone ever since. What's happening Anna? What's wrong?”
I tell Vala what transpired at the ball and whisper to her the sacrifice my papa made to secure my freedom.
Vala whines. “Lord Andre is gone? Forever?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” I whisper in her ear.
Vala's little brow furrows and her eyes look troubled.
“What's wrong?” I ask her.
“Nothing, I just miss Lord Andre. Do you think we could go to his study?”
I don't voice my suspicion that Vala is up to something. I simply nod and walk up the staircase to seek out my father's sanctuary.
Once I close the door to his study, Vala leaps out of my arms and scampers over to the wood desk in the room. I walk over to watch as she pulls out one of the bottom drawers. Inside the drawer is a device I've only heard about but knew to be outlawed because it essentially blocked out any surveillance the royal family had in place.
Vala jumps into the drawer and presses one tiny paw on the single red button at the top of the device.
“Now we can talk without anyone listening,” Vala says, jumping out of the drawer and sitting on the floor in front of me. “Lord Andre told me that if anything ever happened to him, I should tell you to tear his desk apart.”
“Why?” I ask, knowing how much my father treasured his link to the past.
“He didn't say,” Vala tells me. “But, I think you should do it, Anna.”
I lean down and take the blocking device out of the drawer and set it on the glass table behind the desk. Vala runs over to the middle of the room to get out of my way. As I glide a hand across the surface of one of my father's prized possessions, I grab the lip of the top and yank the thick, heavy wood off easily, setting it aside behind me.
When I look back at the desk, I notice something wrapped in a silver reflective bag laying within the empty void at the front of it. I walk around to the front of the desk and grab the bag, immediately feeling the weight of something heavy inside.
I lay the bag on the floor and kneel down beside it. Vala walks
I reach out a hand to my father, but his hologram disappears, taking him away from me forever.
I bury my face in my hands and begin to cry uncontrollably. I drop to my knees on the cold prison floor, bereft of hope. It takes me a few minutes to pull myself together, but one thought creeps into my consciousness sustaining my sanity.
I need to find out where my Auggie is. If I can do that, maybe I can piece back together the shattered remains of what was once a happy life.
As I wipe my tears of self-pity away, filled with a new determination and purpose to save not only my father but my best friend, two guards teleport into my cell. They are the same two guards who have always escorted me to my lessons with the empress.
“We’ve been ordered to take you home, Lady Annalisse,” Christopher says as he and Clark walk up to me.
I stand to my feet as they both touch my shoulders and transport me to the front entrance of my home. Without another word, they teleport away leaving me completely alone. I open the front door and walk in.
“Millie!” I call out, closing the door behind me and walking towards the living room to search for her. “Millie!” I call again, even more desperately, but still receive no answer.
“Anna! Anna!”
Vala comes barreling down the stairs from the second floor and launches herself into my arms.
“Vala, where is Millie?”
“Some of the palace guards came and took her, Vivian, and Eliza away two days ago,” she tells me. “I've been here alone ever since. What's happening Anna? What's wrong?”
I tell Vala what transpired at the ball and whisper to her the sacrifice my papa made to secure my freedom.
Vala whines. “Lord Andre is gone? Forever?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” I whisper in her ear.
Vala's little brow furrows and her eyes look troubled.
“What's wrong?” I ask her.
“Nothing, I just miss Lord Andre. Do you think we could go to his study?”
I don't voice my suspicion that Vala is up to something. I simply nod and walk up the staircase to seek out my father's sanctuary.
Once I close the door to his study, Vala leaps out of my arms and scampers over to the wood desk in the room. I walk over to watch as she pulls out one of the bottom drawers. Inside the drawer is a device I've only heard about but knew to be outlawed because it essentially blocked out any surveillance the royal family had in place.
Vala jumps into the drawer and presses one tiny paw on the single red button at the top of the device.
“Now we can talk without anyone listening,” Vala says, jumping out of the drawer and sitting on the floor in front of me. “Lord Andre told me that if anything ever happened to him, I should tell you to tear his desk apart.”
“Why?” I ask, knowing how much my father treasured his link to the past.
“He didn't say,” Vala tells me. “But, I think you should do it, Anna.”
I lean down and take the blocking device out of the drawer and set it on the glass table behind the desk. Vala runs over to the middle of the room to get out of my way. As I glide a hand across the surface of one of my father's prized possessions, I grab the lip of the top and yank the thick, heavy wood off easily, setting it aside behind me.
When I look back at the desk, I notice something wrapped in a silver reflective bag laying within the empty void at the front of it. I walk around to the front of the desk and grab the bag, immediately feeling the weight of something heavy inside.
I lay the bag on the floor and kneel down beside it. Vala walks
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