Hidden Knights (Knights of the Realm #3) - Jennifer Anne Davis Page 0,77
recalled Leigh telling her that Anna had been in love with Hudson. However, Hudson was supposed to marry a princess from Melenia. Knowing what she did about her mother, Anna probably still held a grudge against Melenia and wanted them destroyed as well. Reid abruptly stood, another horrible thought coming to mind. What if Idina had written the letter to Russek encouraging them to take over Melenia because Anna had put the clues in front of her?
“What is it?” Owen demanded, his voice low.
“The woman who wrote the letter is Anna. She wants retribution against your family. If she discovers you’re here, she won’t hesitate to kill you.”
“You’re saying I’ve been set up?” Owen asked.
“We all have. This is one big plot concocted by Anna.”
“What are we going to do about her?”
“We’re going to kill her,” Ackley said, his voice dark. “The only problem is, she is already ten steps ahead of us.”
“We’re catching up,” Reid insisted.
“We need to do it faster.”
“What does this have to do with Idina?” Dexter asked, leaning back in the chair and propping his right foot on his left leg.
“In Anna’s letter,” Owen said, “she was extremely specific about what she wanted us to do. She said when the young woman was kidnapped, that was the start of the end. The purpose of the kidnapping was to lure Ackley and Gordon out into the open where Anna could eliminate them. Then the fighting would start. At that time, the dukes are meant to die. Afterward, the king and any remaining royal family members are to be eliminated.”
“Do we have any hope in getting Idina back before the fighting starts?” Reid asked.
“She is being taken south of Lake Folme to an open area where Anna wants the fighting to take place.”
“I doubt the king will travel there with the dukes,” Ackley mumbled.
“When the fighting starts, a group of men is to head to the palace to make the remaining kills.”
“Out of curiosity, why did Melenia agree to this?” Dexter asked.
“For a few reasons. One, my mother wanted to help if the innocent people in your kingdom truly were suffering. Two, we desperately needed the money. And three, my mother sent me without telling Anna because she feared there was something we were missing. They tasked me with figuring out what it is. Now I know.”
Reid’s eyes filled with tears. This was her mother they were talking about. Her mother. How could Anna be so cruel and heartless?
“Are you okay?” Dexter asked.
She nodded. “I need a moment alone.” She exited the office, leaning against the wall in the hallway. It felt like the walls were spinning around her.
“Is she okay?” Owen asked.
“Anna is her mother,” Dexter explained.
“Whom she didn’t know was alive until a few weeks ago,” Ackley pointed out.
“You know Anna better than anyone else,” Dexter said, the chair legs scraping against the floor. “Why did she take Idina instead of killing her in the castle?”
There was a long pause before Ackley answered, “I think she intended for her men to kidnap Reid. That’s what was supposed to set everything into motion. Only, Reid wasn’t here. So the lackeys she sent took Idina instead.”
Dexter’s slow footsteps echoed in the room. “Is that why you left with Reid?” His voice sent a chill down Reid’s spine.
“I didn’t know for sure.”
“You saved Reid at the expense of your own sister,” Owen mused. “Interesting.”
“Yes,” Ackley mumbled. “And now I need to get my sister back.”
“Then let’s get to it. The faster we end this, the sooner I can return to Melenia.”
Chapter Seventeen
The following days were excruciating. More than once, Reid wished she were a bird and could fly over the kingdom to see what was going on. Had Ackley and Owen managed to find Idina? Had the king sent his and the Melenia soldiers north to make a stand? Where were the Axian soldiers? Were Colbert and Markis okay?
All counties north of the Gast River—with the exception of Lyndr—had their soldiers camped outside the City of Buckley. Duchess Lyndr had taken her soldiers south into Axian. Gordon spent his days organizing the counties’ armies into one single unit marching under the Marsden banner. He told Reid he needed to stay busy, so he didn’t go crazy worrying about his sister.
Leigh remained locked in her room. The only one she let in was Nara. Nara told Reid that Leigh was devastated and felt as if she’d lost not one, but two, children.
Dexter continued to hold meetings with the duchesses in