The attitude of the council members made it perfectly clear that if she did not become their puppet they would refuse to acknowledge her. More importantly, if she didn’t want to get dragged into something irreversible, she needed to escape the palace.

After checking again to make sure the door was closed and locked, she walked over to the bookshelf. “Aracnos?” Tianna called softly.

“Have you already finished the book I gave you?” Aracnos asked as he squeezed past two books into view.

“No. I did read a lot of it but there is something more important,” Tianna replied, “Do you know a way for me to get out of the palace?”

“There are many ways to leave the palace, but I suspect you mean a way to sneak out without being noticed,” Aracnos answered, “What do you plan to do after you escape.”

Tianna hesitated. “I am not sure, but if I stay here I won't be able to do anything no matter how much I plan.”

“Has the situation already become that dire?” Aracnos questioned.

The door suddenly opened, not giving Aracnos a chance to hide. Tianna jumped up to hide him out of instinct and met eyes with Densooth.

“I looked into Jerath’s situation, and I have some unfortunate news,” Densooth told her. Luckily he didn’t seem to have noticed her suspicious actions. “The Saorsa has accused Jerath of being a traitor and an accomplice to your kidnapping. If Ruena had not stepped in and demanded a fair trial, regardless of the circumstances, we might have been too late.”

“Why would they accuse Jerath?” Tianna demanded.

“My guess is that he was framed,” Densooth answered, “One of the staff of the Belleas resort has been denounced as a traitor by the Belleas Company and they are currently hunting them down.”

“Was that set up too?” Tianna found herself doubting everything in this situation.

“If it was, it was against the orders of the Toll family. They dislike anything that interferes with business,” he replied calmly, “For now, it is more important to focus on how to rescue Jerath. You do want to rescue him, yes?”

“Of course,” Tianna agreed, “but can I even help?”

“You can be a witness and tell the truth about your own kidnapping,” Densooth told her, “I will also provide any support you need. Now is not the time for me to be careful and hide from the council.”

“Will my testimony make a difference?” Tianna questioned, “I can only prove that Jerath did not personally kidnap me, but it sounds like he is being accused of being the inside man.”

Densooth placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “Simply tell them what you told me. The kidnappers came by order of the Black Wolf. All servants of the Black Wolf bear his mark in some form.”

“His mark?” Tianna repeated, “What does that mean?”

“It often appears as an accessory, such as a pendant or bracelet,” Densooth explained as he strolled over to the bookshelf. Luckily, Aracnos had carefully hidden himself during their conversation. “All of the marks have either a black wolf fang, or an image of a black wolf’s head.

Though I have heard stories of some with a wolf bite scar imprinted on their skin.”

Tianna moved towards the door and paused. “The council won’t just let me leave,” she pointed out, “How am I going to attend this trial in the first place?”

“I know more of this castle than the council ever did,” Densooth assured her, “Realistically speaking, the council does not have the power to prevent the Queen from leaving. Until you are officially acknowledged as the heir to the throne, it is too dangerous for you to stay here.”

“How are we going to leave?” Tianna asked.

Densooth carefully parted to volumes on the bookshelf and placed a new book in the space he had created. The bookshelf vanished and revealed a passageway behind it. “Even if magical transportation is barred in the palace for safety purposes, there are spaces where it is not. This is one of the escape paths created for royalty when the palace was first constructed.”

Just as Tianna was about to ask how to use transportation magic to escape, she remembered the device Ruena had given her when they met in Belleas. “Is it safe for me to approach Ruena?” she asked instead.

“You must be referring to the rumors of her serving the Black Wolf,” Densooth replied, “I think you will find that she is more loyal to justice and truth than she is to him. Even if the Black Wolf commands it, she will not harm you.”

“Thank you,” Tianna told Densooth and stepped into the passage.

“Hold on,” Densooth called out, before holding out the book Aracnos had given her, “You should take this with you. Just in case.”

Tianna carefully took the book. She could feel her heart pounding from the nervousness. “How did you know?”

“About the book?” Densooth clarified, “I am the one who asked Aracnos to give it to you. He may be a spider, but he is one of the few left in the palace still loyal to the line of Queens.”

“Oh… Well, thank you,” Tianna managed. It was all she could think to say. She quickly turned back to the passage to hide her embarrassment.

“I need to stay here for now, but I wish you luck.” The passage closed with Densooth’s partin words and Tianna found herself alone in the dark.

Tianna continued to walk forward in the darkness until she reached a room of sorts that was lit by a dim glow with no visible source. Tianna reached into her pocket and took out the portal device Ruena had given her. Here was to hoping that Ruena’s workplace was near where Jerath was being tried. Would Ruena be disappointed that Tarina was just Tianna?