The plan was to use the secret entrances to get into the castle and confront her scheming older brother. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was what they had. They had to find out when the best times would be, so they needed more information about the current schedules of the guards and Eldon's day to day habits. She knew just the person to talk to.
"Would you be able to get word to my personal servant, Lantha?" Mina asked Indira over their evening meal. "She can be trusted and she's likely to have or be able to get the information we need."
"Are you certain? They're offering quite a lot of money for the two of you. It could sway almost anyone's heart." Indira cautioned.
"She's loyal to me. I'm sure of it. She's been with me my whole life." Mina insisted.
"Very well. What would be the easiest way to get to her? Will we have to get into the castle?" Indira asked.
"She visits her mother every week. In two days, she should be there for the day," she explained.
"Why don't you just go there?" Indira was plainly put upon.
"It's too close to the palace to risk. There are a lot of nobles who would recognize me, including her mother." Mina was sure of Lantha's loyalty, not so much with her mother's.
"I'll send someone first thing that morning." She responded. "If anything happens to them, I'll expect compensation."
"Of course."
Lantha was clearly confused by why she'd be called to a brothel and brought to the private dwellings of the mistress. That was, until she saw Mina. Her face lit up like a thousand candles as she ran into Mina's arms. Mina hadn't realized how much she had missed her until the tears began to build up in her eyes.
"I've been so worried about you, my queen." Lantha cried.
"And I've missed you so much!" Mina sniffled. The two women held each other for a long while, occasionally sniffling or sobbing.
"Now, why in the world are you in a brothel?" Lantha chastised.
"Hiding. I know about the reward for me and Evander. I'm not ready to face my brother just yet." She led Lantha to the sitting room and sat with her on a settee.
"Why don't you want to face your brother? He's been looking high and low for you." She asked curiously.
"We think he's the wielder of the darkness and is trying to take over the kingdom," Mina explained.
"Eldon? Do you really think he has that in him?" Lantha held her hands tightly.
"Aurelius disappeared right after he took the throne. Everyone who knows Eldon knows he envies the throne. It makes sense." Mina shifted in her seat. "Besides all that, the man who tried to bring me back for the reward abducted me and nearly killed me."
"Oh my goodness!" Lantha exclaimed. "But you're alright now?"
"Yes. The royal doctor took good care of me. Prince Oriol made sure of it." She comforted her friend. "Also, I'm with child."
"That's fantastic news! But how do you know so early?"
"An oracle told me." Mina took a deep breath. "Lantha, it's a girl."
"Oh." Her face darkened with sadness. "Well, how can I help?"
"We need to know everything about my brother's schedule and what he has for guards posted, especially at secret passages. I don't want my arrival to be announced, so we need a secret passage that is close to the throne room." She explained carefully.
"Give me a day. I can bring you what you need." Lantha got up from her perch and pulled Mina to her feet as well. The two embraced again.
"Take care of yourself, Lantha. Don't put yourself in any danger." She ordered her friend.
"You don't need to worry about me. Nobody notices the help." Lantha smiled. "We'll meet again soon."
"We will, yes." And with that, Lantha left. Mina couldn't help but worry that she had sent Lantha to her death. That her brother was going to catch her trying to get the information asked for and use the darkness to kill her off. It was something that ate away at her for the rest of the day.
"My little queen, you seem tense," Egon said, rubbing her shoulders as she sat on the edge of the bed, trying to will herself to get ready to sleep.
"I am. I'm worried I've just sent my oldest friend to her death." She admitted to him.
"She will be fine. She's very capable." Evander pitched in. He had only known her for a week, but even he had a high opinion of her.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm worrying about nothing. It's just that it's the darkness we're dealing with. The only thing that can hold up against the darkness is here." She pressed her hand to her chest.
"You're not doing anyone any favors by obsessing over it." Egon insisted, now rubbing lower in her back.
"I'm not obsessing over it. I think I'm justifiably worried about someone I've known my whole life." She reached behind her head to untie her dress and stood up to take it off.
"I think she'll be fine. She's been fine so far, and she doesn't have to do much out of the ordinary to get the information we need." Egon pulled her back onto the bed once her dress was hung and started to rub her back again. "Everything will work out."
"How are you so confident?" She lay down on the bed so she could relax into his massage.
"Practice," he laughed.
Lantha returned the next night, well after dark. She was led to the mistress's dwelling as she had been the day before. Mina hurried down the stairs in only a robe, Egon and Evander in tow. She hugged her friend tightly as if she was seeing her again for the first time in forever.
"I have what you need." She said and opened a folded piece of paper. Inside was a rough drawing of the throne room and the surrounding hallways. "All of the x's are guards. It seems like Eldon doesn't know about quite a few of the passageways."
"Aurelius was the one who had all of that knowledge. Eldon was too busy being our father's shadow to learn more than he had to in order to follow him." Mina was pleased with this information. There were even more available than Lantha knew about.
"Eldon is in the throne room if he's not sleeping or eating. He usually sees guests and takes commoners' concerns in the morning, leaving the afternoon open for meetings with nobles, which haven't been happening with much consistency. If you're looking to get him alone, your best bet is before or after meals. That's when he usually takes a break from everything."
"Thank you, Lantha." She hugged her again. "I don't know how I'll repay you, but I will, I swear it. Anything you want."
"No need. Serving you has been its own reward. Now, I must go before someone notices that I'm missing." Lantha pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and gave her one last hug before leaving.