The Ruby Moon
Authors: Trisha Priebe
© 2016 by Trisha White Priebe
Print ISBN 978-1-63409-903-5
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-68322-028-2
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-68322-029-9
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The Ruby Moon
, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.”
All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
Cover Illustration: Scott Altmann
Cover Lettering: Kirk DouPonce
Published in association with The Blythe Daniel Agency, P. O. Box 64197, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-4197.
Published by Shiloh Run Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P. O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683,
www.shilohrunpress.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
Printed in the United States of America.
To Steven Joel Priebe
a.k.a. Henry
With special thanks to Kelly McIntosh, JoAnne Simmons, and the rest of the editorial team, without whom this book would not exist. Thank you for your time, talent, and tenacity.
ONTENTS
Chapter 1
The Underworld
“Hello?” Avery called, carefully stepping into the darkness.
Suddenly the air grew colder and the scent of wet earth grew stronger as the ground beneath her formed steps—cold, jagged stairs carved into stone—though she had no idea how many there were or where they led. She steadied herself and descended carefully, sliding each slippered foot over the edge and holding her breath.
Everything told her to turn around and go back to her room, to
safety.
She knew she shouldn’t make this trip alone and without a candle.
But Avery had never preferred
safe,
and time was not on her side. She trusted her eyes would adjust to the darkness any minute so she could see what lay on this side of the mysterious door in the library before it was too late.
Footsteps?
She stopped and listened.
A rat,
she decided.
No doubt the castle underbelly is full of them.
She took another step. Why had it been so important to her mother to hide the key to this door in the back of a book with the words “This book must not be destroyed”?
With each step into the castle’s frigid interior, the air became more pungent, like she was sinking into a sewer. She yanked her hand back from something slimy on the stone wall, her breath coming in cold puffs.
If she found where the stairs led, she might finally understand why she had been brought to the castle against her will and, more importantly, what had happened to her mother, father, and brother.
A silhouette.
Avery stopped, sure someone was moving toward her.
She heard breathing.
“Who’s there?” she called. “I demand you tell me your name.”
Don’t panic,
she reminded herself. Too often her imagination got her into trouble. But just as she took another step, she felt someone in front of her.
She jumped back and shrieked.
Someone grabbed her wrist and clamped a hand over her mouth.
Icy and strong, it smelled of dead fish.
She felt hot breath as a woman whispered in her ear, “Go back where you came from and never come back. You are not welcome here.”
Avery nodded vigorously, and when the figure melded back into the darkness, she turned and raced back up the stairs—tripping over the hem of her dress and bruising her shins on the stone steps—finally reaching the library door.
She would return to her side of the castle—for now.
The chaos inside and outside the castle had reached new heights as preparations for the king’s grand Olympiad grew to a fevered pitch, raising excitement in the kids’ quarters. The kitchen girls worked overtime making every imaginable delicacy. Rumor was, there would be enough sugared fruits to feed a tiny nation.
According to the scouts, brightly colored tents already dotted the landscape outdoors, and athletes in every possible sport trained on the grounds. When the scouts weren’t busy monitoring the royals, they met in the kids’ Great Room to reenact wrestling moves or practice their jousting skills with the king’s discarded blades.
The girls volunteered to watch and critique, no experience necessary.
The next morning Avery arrived in the sitting room, flustered.
She was late for the morning cabinet meeting with Tuck, Kendrick, and Kate, but she wouldn’t tell them she had discovered the key or that she had attempted to sneak into the castle’s underbelly. She wouldn’t admit that she tossed and turned in bed all night trying to figure out why the woman told her never to return.
What secrets does the underbelly hold?
Tuck tossed grapes and caught them in his mouth, a swarm of Bronte’s puppies running around his chair.
“You missed breakfast,” he said, his mouth full.
Avery sat in her assigned spot. Picking up the agenda left at her place, she rolled her eyes.
Pointing to the list of topics, she said, “We’re supposed to be discussing the king’s pressing political agenda, but obviously he doesn’t have one right now since he’s busy throwing the world’s greatest Olympiad. This meeting is a waste of time. I have other things to do.” She stood to leave.
“Make no mistake,” Kendrick shot back, “the Olympiad
is
the king’s strategy.”
“It’s a series of games,” she said.
Kendrick blew out a breath, and Avery knew she had annoyed him. Adjusting his glasses and motioning for her to sit back down, Kendrick explained, “He knows his health is failing and his family’s succession to the throne is at risk unless he produces an heir or establishes peace. Angelina isn’t pregnant, so his only choice is to pursue goodwill with his enemies.”
“What enemies?” Avery asked. “Inside or outside the kingdom?”
“Both. Plenty of people would love to see the throne pass to their own families. With word spreading that His Majesty is sick, people who want his power are already moving into the kingdom. Every day the scouts report new threats.”
Kate said, “He’s hosting the Olympiad to make everyone happy with him, but it won’t happen.”
“Agreed,” Kendrick said, leaning back and tossing a grape to Tuck, who caught it in his mouth.
The boys broke into exaggerated cheers.
“I think this meeting is over,” Avery said.
“Mark my words,” Kendrick said, “the Olympiad is going to end badly.”
Avery suspected her second trip to the castle’s underbelly would also end badly, but next time she would take her jeweled dagger.
Kendrick’s Secret
Avery slipped into the fragrant darkness of the pantry, bent until her knees met the cool tiled floor, and cranked open the slat to peer through the vent and check on the king.
Spying on him felt important, so she did it often, despite the risks.
As she suspected, he looked older and weaker than the last time she had checked. His thick silver hair was thinner, making his head look unusually large for his body. He had the hands of an old man, and he dozed when he should have been sifting through the important papers on his desk. He had a kingdom to run, and yet he couldn’t even keep his eyes open.