Chapter 44 Are Monsters MadeFound? #2
We take turns watching the door, resting in shifts. Once we’ve taken all the sleep we reasonably can, we climb the castle floors, each step feeling like a hammer to the head.
The ground floor is dark, though it should be early morning. I search for the sun or moon, but the right wall of windows is a haze of blinding white.
“What is…?”
“We’re snowed in,” Lucian says, a faint tremor in his voice.
Of course we are.
Workers and nobles rush around us. More servants than I’ve ever seen are running through the castle, carrying food, quilts, and clothes.
There are more guards too, lined against the walls like statues, weapons in hand. They don’t bustle about like the servants.
They’re just waiting.
“Has this ever happened before?” I keep my voice low, making sure no one hears.
He takes a moment to answer, “No.”
I knew the snow seemed loud.
More blood trickles down my neck as we walk, and I raise a hand to hide it.
Lucian hands me a cloth. I don’t meet his gaze as I accept it.
I wonder if he knows it’s blood.
“Can people get… out?” I ask, worried this will only make things worse.
I sneak a quick glance at the guards.
“Through a portal, yes. Though the intense weather may make them unstable.”
The first time the castle is trapped by snow—and it happens now, when I’m glamoured as the queen’s head advisor?
A servant rushes up to me, and I stiffen. Lucian gently grabs my wrist, whispering, “It’s all right.”
I stand taller, trying to be Piphany.
The young girl stops and lowers her head. Warmth wafts from her heavy breath.
“Her Majesty the queen requests your presence, Miss Piphany,” she says. Her voice is light and airy.
I give her a small nod, then stop midway and clear my throat.
“Thanks—” Lucian tightens his grip on my wrist, cutting me off. Piphany wouldn’t thank a servant. With a stern tone, I add, “Tell her I will be there shortly.”
The servant nods again and rushes off, while Lucian smiles at me.
“You’re managing nobility well,” he says, raising an eyebrow.
“And all I have to do is be a pompous ass.” I smile back at him as we hurry down the hall.
“Are you name-calling now?”
“Why would you think that?” I tilt my head.
We stop when we reach the long, dark hall that Lucian says leads to Queen Leiana’s quarters. There are fewer guards here. Lucian opens the nearest door and pulls me into a vacant room. It’s nearly impossible to see after he shuts the door.
Hiding behind a cupboard, he whispers, “Tell the guards Queen Leiana needs the original Sovereign Script for a meeting.”
I nod. “I know, Lucian.”
Lucian smiles. “I love hearing you say my name… And put your voice an octave higher.”
“Queen Leiana needs the original Sovereign Script for a meeting,” I squeak, then drop to one knee, bowing my head. “Your highness,” I add mockingly.
Lucian meets my gaze as I rise. “You could work on your bow.”
“You just want to see me on my knees.”
Lucian shakes his head. “Perhaps in another way, yes.”
I smile. “I’ll go fetch that insanely powerful artifact we need now.”
“A woman with direction. Almost makes me forget how distracting you are on your knees.”
“Distracting.” I step closer. “But also deadly.”
“You never scare me, darling.” Lucian raises his eyebrows, his gaze darkening. “You excite me.”
“That much is obvious,” I say, turning to exit the room.
Lucian remains hidden behind the cupboard.
In the hall, I stand taller, brushing dust off my dress—white and new, not ripped and red, thanks to the glamour.
I sway my hips, trying to mimic the few strides I’ve seen Piphany take.
When I reach the guards stationed at the queen’s door, I glance down at them with disdain, as if they’re no more than the peasants who prop up thrones.
There are six of them, standing guard at a single door. A bit overkill—but very royal overkill.
I announce the line I rehearsed, “Queen Leiana needs the original Sovereign Script.”
“The Sovereign Script?” one guard questions, stepping forward.
“Yes,” I say. “The Sovereign Script.” I scoff, looking down my nose. “And who are you to question orders from Her Royal Highness?”
The guard straightens and steps aside, joining the line of five others.
I walk past them with my chin high. The door is almost as large as the ones in The Void, white with thin lines of silver spiraling across it.
But it’s nowhere near as opulent as the room itself.
Fractured beams of light illuminate the space, scattered by the crystal chandelier overhead.
Everything gleams, from the high-gloss floors to the silver moldings curling along the ceiling like frost. The bed rests atop a raised platform, five wide steps above the main floor.
Lucian told me to look for a small silver box with a carving of Sulva mounted on its lid. I climb the platform and open every drawer, listening carefully for the guards. They could enter at any moment, and I have to be ready when they do.
Worse still, there’s nothing in the drawers.