The Emperor's Betrothed Consort

Fifteen

S omeone was coming up the stairs from the ground floor. They were being quiet, and the only reason I had any idea they were coming was the light they must have been holding. I knew they held a candle because the light flickered against the walls.

If they had been holding an electric lamp, it would have been a steady light, but the flicker meant they were holding a candle. That meant they weren’t an electro mage or didn’t have access to an electric light.

I slipped under a hall table. If it was a normal person, holding the candle at chest level like most people found comfortable, the light would cast shadows under the table. Unless they bent to check for me, they wouldn’t see me.