Read tales of the latter kingdom 08 - moon dance for Free Online

into the dimness of the chamber, although it was somewhat lighter than when I had first gone to sleep. A gibbous moon was now perfectly framed in the arched window across the room, a window whose curtains had been left drawn so as to let in the cool night breeze.
    The moonlight revealed that Janessa’s bed was quite empty.
    Her absence puzzled me for a few seconds, but then I realized she must have gotten up to use the garderobe, which was located in a little alcove behind a wooden screen. I settled myself back down in bed, sure that I would hear her quiet footsteps at any moment.
    Only…I didn’t. I lay there and waited, and yet she still did not return to her own bed. Worry flickered within me, although I tried to tell myself there must be a reasonable explanation for her absence. Perhaps she had slipped out to have a midnight gossip with Carella and Theranne.
    That did seem rather odd, but it would be easy enough to find out. I pushed back my bedclothes and slipped onto the floor, the silkiness of the rug soft against my bare feet. Moving quietly, I went to the door, then opened it and peered out. Nothing stirred, save the faintest of drafts along the hallway, a draft that made the candles in the sconces flicker gently.
    I padded over to the room that Carella and Theranne shared, certain I would hear muffled giggles and whispers from within. But all was quiet, so silent that I fancied I could hear the hooting of an owl as it sat in the large oak tree just outside their window.
    Well, I would just have to go in. If they were awake, then I thought I would offer the excuse that I had heard a sound and had come to investigate. They might have a good giggle at that, but I did not think they would question my explanation.
    So I pushed open the door.

                                                     

    CHAPTER 3
    And found…nothing. Oh, the beds belonging to my two cousins were there, but they were just as empty as Janessa’s. None of them were to be found — not that they had anywhere much they could have gone, since the room was merely a large rectangle, with no alcoves or cubbyholes to speak of, except the screened-off area which hid the garderobe and the bathtub.
    They simply weren’t there.
    Fear began to rise in my breast, although I told myself that I must keep calm, that of course there had to be a logical reason as to why three girls had vanished from their beds in the middle of the night. Although I certainly did not wish to be subjected to her mocking, I knew I must go to Adalynn and tell her that her sisters and Janessa had disappeared.
    Or perhaps they are all in Adalynn’s chamber, I thought then. I have no idea why she would allow them to disturb her sleep, but that certainly makes more sense than any of the rest of this.
    I went back out into the corridor and down the hall to Adalynn’s room. There was always the possibility that she could have locked the door, but I did not think so. Certainly she had never locked it before.
    To my relief, the door was not latched. It swung open easily enough, even as I opened my mouth to explain to an annoyed Adalynn why I was bursting into her chamber in the dead of night.
    Only…she was not there, either. The moonlight pouring through the window revealed her bed to be as empty as those of her sisters, and of Janessa.
    Something was terribly wrong here. My hands began to shake, but I knew I must do my best to stay calm, to try to discover a logical reason for why all the girls were missing from their beds. Had they all been kidnapped as they slept? But it would have taken more than a few armed men to steal away four grown young women, and how could so many strangers have entered the castle in the first place? Our kingdom was at peace and had been so for many years, but that did not prevent my uncle from having armed guards at every entrance to the castle. Perhaps he did so more out of habit than need, but that