Chapter 47 Rhea
Chapter Forty-Seven: Rhea
There’s an entire system of tunnels within the castle, and Eve only shows me part of it as we walk hunched over to accommodate the low ceilings.
“Every few feet, you will see a series of paint smudges that indicate what part of the castle you are nearest. Green means the back of the castle, near the largest hedges and garden. Blue means you’re at the castle center and have the chance of popping out in a variety of different rooms, some of which could leave you in more precarious situations than others.
” Her voice is low as it echoes against the stone around us, the golden glow of the torch in her hand casting just enough light to show one of those colored smudges.
“What does red mean?” I ask, letting my fingers trail lightly over the mark.
“Those are for Xander and his men to mark passageways that lead to abandoned rooms that they can convene where the likelihood of being caught is low to none.”
“How did he even discover these?”
“He’s never told me, and the others don’t bring it up, so I’m not sure.
” I shiver at the much cooler air as Eve comes to a split in the passageway.
One is marked red and the other blue. She turns left, following the blue paint smudge.
I glance to the right but see nothing except for shadows, so I turn and follow Eve.
“I like to imagine these were servant passageways or maybe a secret hideout for kings and queens long past,” she muses, dragging her free hand along the wall.
“It is strange to have them here at all.” But even I know that this castle is particularly old.
From what I had read, it housed the very first king of the Mortal Realm, at least as far back as records dated.
I’m sure hundreds of years ago, when there was no Spell protecting the kingdoms from each other, there was likely a need to move with such secrecy.
The ground begins to slope up, and my thighs burn again with the effort.
Finally, with more sweat beading my brow than I’d like, Eve guides us to what appears to be a dead end.
“If you look here,” she says, holding the torch closer to the wall and pointing with her finger, “you can see the faint outline of the door.” Her voice is a soft whisper, and when I lean forward, I can just barely make out the door.
“I think you might enjoy having unfettered access to this place.”
I don’t have time to question her before she pushes at a metal bar attached horizontally to the door, the sound of stone scraping lightly rending the air.
She tips her ear forward as she listens before opening it the rest of the way.
I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s taken me to a library, but a kernel of wonder warms inside of me when I see the spines of books lit by nearby flame gems. I follow her out of the tunnel, brushing my hands on my dress as I stand up tall and take the room in.
“Oh my gods,” I whisper, stepping in farther as Eve shuts the makeshift door. Rows of shelves extend nearly floor to ceiling, stretching towards the opposite end of the room for as far as the eye can see.
“I’m glad to see my hunch was correct.”
I let a small laugh tumble out of me as I struggle to take it all in. It’s more books in one space than I’ve ever seen before.
“This library is technically only open to those King Dolian allows in, and since everyone is out celebrating the king’s return to Vitour, no one will be here.”
“Celebrating,” I murmur in disgust, as if his absence is one to be missed.
Eve chuckles before blowing out her torch and setting it by the wall. “Come on, I’ll show you my favorite spot.”
Our steps whisper against the thick rugs lining the floors, my gaze tracking the towering bookcases on either side of us.
They stretch up so high that even having flame gems attached to every shelf doesn’t make it easier to read the titles at the top.
I can’t help but let my shoulders relax the deeper between the stacks that we go.
“I came here a lot when Xander first showed me the tunnels and how to navigate them,” Eve says, keeping her voice soft.
“There were nights that I couldn’t sleep, and though my quarters here are nicer than most in my position, they still felt so small and suffocating.
” I suppose we aren’t too different in that regard.
I watch as a small smile tugs at the corners of her mouth, her unbound hair pulled over one shoulder.
“Though it isn’t home,” she starts, that smile growing larger when a small spiraling metal staircase comes into view ahead of us, “it’s nice to have a space like this to escape to.
It’s why I wanted to show you.” We climb the steps up to the second floor, where more bookcases are built in neat rows, hundreds of books lining them.
Black metal chandeliers hang from above, holding little glass bowls with a small flame gem in each.
“I’m surprised it isn’t gold,” I say, gesturing with my hand to the fixture.
“Between you and me, I’ll be happy if I never see the color inside any residence ever again.
It makes me all the more happy to know that the humble home I share with my sister is a patchwork of mismatched lights and furniture.
A little chaos is something I never thought I would be desperate to return to. ”
“Will you get to go home soon?” I ask. “Now that we are closer to your home town?”
She takes her time answering, and in her silence, I observe the rest of this floor.
We had ended up at an indoor balcony, after exiting the staircase and following a long aisle.
A metal railing—spindles twisting as they reach from floor to banister—closes in a half circle of space, and beyond that, the first floor of the library sprawls out in front of us.
It’s even more grand from this viewpoint.
At the edge of the library are three stained-glass windows that vertically span nearly the entire wall, each one depicting beings that look too ethereal to be mortal.
Their bodies are lithe, wrapped in strategically placed fabric.
One is male, his dark skin outlined by a faint glow.
The other two are female, one with the same skin tone as the male and the other a color closer to mine.
The latter’s hair is bright blonde, nearly appearing white as it wraps around her down to her hips.
I’m lost in the beauty of their details when Eve finally answers my question.
“As much as I long to go home, I don’t think it will happen any time soon.”
I turn back to her as she takes a seat on one of the chaises, and I follow suit choosing a deep maroon one. “Why is that?”
“The king is very particular about this sort of thing.” I wait for her to elaborate, but she only adds, “It just isn’t the right time.”
The offer to speak to King Dolian on her behalf scratches at my throat, but I push it back down and sink into the chair. “Besides your sister—I’m realizing I have never asked her name—is there anyone else waiting for you?”
“Her name is Elsa, and there is someone else,” she drawls before pinching her lips closed as if she hadn’t meant to answer the question.
I lift a brow, shifting to lay on my unmarked hip as I look at her with anticipation.
Huffing out a laugh, she hugs her knees to her chest. “We’ve known each other since we were children—his parents own the bee farm I told you about.
He’s… lovely. Kind. Smart. Strong. A flirt in all the ways a girl could want without it becoming a burden.
” My finger toys with one of the buttons on the tufted chair as she speaks, the longing in her voice matching what I feel inside.
“Are you two together?”
“He wants us to be, but”—she shrugs a single shoulder—“the nature of my job has always made it difficult to do so.”
“Does he get frustrated by what you do?” I ask. I imagine being forced to stay away for however long the king wants would be taxing on a relationship. Especially when Eve presumably couldn’t welcome her own guests into the castle.
“The opposite,” she says, surprising me. “Edwin has always cheered me on, even when I didn’t think I was worthy of it.”
At that, I sit up a little, making sure to hold Eve’s gaze. “Why would you think you aren’t worthy?” Eve is earning a living for herself, choosing to be away from her sister in order to better support her. Those sacrifices are not easy to make and certainly not ones to make someone unworthy.
She clears her throat, uncertainty tugging her brows together. “Prior to coming to work at the palace, I had a different job. It’s how I met the king originally.”
“What—” A loud bang sounds, and our conversation is quickly abandoned in favor of scrambling off of the chaises and ducking onto the floor.
Voices float to us from below, and I cast a wary eye to Eve who holds her finger to her lips before crawling towards the railing.
I watch as she scans the library, her shoulders hiking before she slowly retreats backwards when the voices grow nearer.
“It seems like some of the nobles have snuck away from the party for a private rendezvous,” she whispers, gesturing to head back towards the staircase.
“We better go before we accidentally get spotted.” Once we are safely hidden by the massive bookcases, we quicken our steps until we reach the stairs and then slow down as we pause every few steps to listen for voices.
I let Eve get ahead of me and follow as she guides us back to the last row of books, the hidden tunnel straight ahead.
“We have to be quick,” she says, the voices doubling until I’m unsure just exactly how many people are in here with us. “I’ll light the torch again once we are safely inside.”
I nod and then watch as she reaches to grab a nearby book from its perch on the shelf. “What is that for?”
“A distraction, should we need it. Ready?”
I stick closer to her as we dart out from the safety of the bookshelves, exposed to whoever might be here as we run to where the torch is laying in front of the opening.
“Did you hear that?” A female asks, murmuring far too close for comfort following the question.
“Shit,” Eve whispers, pressing her fingers along the outline of the hidden door until it clicks. She adjusts her grip on the book she took from the shelf. “Hurry, go!”
I quickly move into the tunnel, leaving enough room for Eve to follow behind.
“Hello! Is someone here?” a male shouts. To my utter disbelief, Eve heaves the book across the open space we just ran through and into one of the bookcases, a loud smacking noise reverberating out. Then she ducks into the tunnel, pulling the wall back towards her with the metal bar.
She doesn’t move, and with our surroundings now pitch black, I have to use the sound of her breathing to figure out how close she is.
Muffled footsteps sound on the other side of the wall, and I move to scoot deeper into the tunnel when Eve’s hand gently lands on my leg, prompting me to stay where I am.
“One of the books fell,” the male says, a hint of annoyance in his tone. “Come on, let’s go back to my place. It’s creepy in here.”
When we hear retreating footsteps, Eve strikes a match and fire immediately casts its glow over her as she lights the torch and then shakes the match to extinguish it.
“You threw a book,” I say to break the tension, the comment making Eve smirk.
“I did, but we needed a distraction!” she argues, her voice only a whisper.
“At the sake of a poor book?”
For a moment, I can tell that she is unsure if I’m joking, but then her features relax, and she shakes her head in amusement. “Listen, I’m all for not harming books unless it comes down to me versus them.”
I can’t help but snort and shake my head, a lightness in my chest that feels foreign now.
We don’t speak much on the way back, and when Eve stops at the door that leads to my bedroom, she says her farewell. “I can’t be seen in clothing not handmaiden appropriate in the halls,” she says by way of explanation. “I’ll use the tunnels to make it back to my own floor.”
I dip my chin as I press along the door like Eve did, finding the section that clicks open. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“Tomorrow. Goodnight, Lady Rhea.”
“Rhea,” I correct, opening the door and carefully stepping through. Turning, I bend over until I can fully see her face again. “Just Rhea is fine.”