Queen Apisalia's Arc

Chapter 3 of 3

Apisalia left the archive with Mellifer at her side. She needed a place to gather whispers without drawing the court's eye. They walked to a small stone cottage with yellow trim, tucked behind a row of hedges. She lifted the hearthstone and showed him the hidden cellar below. "We work from here," she said. "Quiet. No guards." Outside the archive grounds, they found the proof she needed. A tall wooden gate stood charred and split, its iron bars blackened by fire. Soot still smudged the bee carvings near the top. Mellifer ran a palm along the burnt wood. "Someone forced this open and burned the evidence after," he said. "Not an accident. A cover." Apisalia studied the ground. Boot prints. Wax drippings. A torn scrap of sash caught in a hinge. She tucked the scrap into her sleeve. The fire had been meant to erase, but it had left a trail instead. They crossed to a weathered shrine of stone walls and mossy hexagons where worker bees often paused to rest. Apisalia waited. By midday, three older keepers had stopped to murmur prayers. She offered honey cakes and listened. One keeper, eyes sharp despite her age, leaned close. "The night the archive burned, I saw a courtier slip out the side door. Wore the sash of the inner council." Apisalia drew out the torn scrap. The color matched. She had a thread now, and a circle to pull it from. The inner council. Her hunt had a direction at last.