CHAPTER: THE SECRET IN THE ARCHIVES
Queen Rose stood in the middle of the council chamber, staring at the parchment the captain had brought from the forest.
Protect the child.
And beneath those words was Jasmine's name.
She had read the message so many times that she could recite it without looking at the paper, yet she still could not understand what it meant.
Who had written it?
Why had it been hidden in an abandoned building?
And what child had the writer been referring to?
Rose looked toward the captain.
"Did you find anything else in that building?"
"No, Your Majesty. We searched every corner, but the parchment was the only additional discovery."
"And the blood?"
"We have collected a sample. One of the healers accompanying the search party believes it may belong to a woman, but we cannot confirm that yet."
Rose's heart tightened.
A woman. A child. A broken royal seal.
She could not help wondering whether Jasmine had been injured.
