Chapter 24
I released the breath I had been holding. My mind was in a daze, but my body leaped into action.
If Hugo was heading to the king to tell him I was a witch, I didn’t have much time.
I couldn’t risk waiting around to find out if the king believed him, not when Hugo had my potion.
Without it, my tail would return and everything would be over for me.
I had to get to the cove and return to the ocean before anyone discovered I was gone.
Once I’d put enough distance between myself and Solvardunn, I would summon the Crow to return me to Vantillios.
I had failed. The only small mercy was that Hugo hadn’t found the bone.
I pulled on a pair of boots as well as my cloak and did a quick final sweep of the room, pocketing the bone that was still, thankfully, concealed.
Before I fled, a thought stopped me in my tracks. What would Tarben think when he returned from the border to find me gone? Would he believe Hugo’s wild accusations? That’s not my concern. Still, something about Tarben thinking I was a witch made me feel unsettled.
Against my better judgment, I hurried to the breakfast table and reached for the quill and parchment. My hands shook as I scribbled the words:
Tarben,
I can’t imagine what you must think of me. Just know it isn’t true.
Alara
I ignored my bewildering desire to write more—what more could I possibly say? Folding the note in half, I addressed it to Tarben and left it on the table. Hopefully Runa would find it in the morning. If she did, she would see to it that Tarben received it. I was sure of it.
Flying out of the door, I nearly bowled over a wide-eyed Runa in the corridor. “Miss Alara?”
“Sorry,” I called over my shoulder, without stopping.
Moving hastily through the corridors, I kept my eyes down and my hood up. On the way, I passed a handful of servants tending to the last of their nightly duties. I ignored them, desperate to get the fuck out of this castle.
Flames of Erasure, what a mess!
Now I would have to return to Vantillios and face my grandmother’s wrath.
The worst part was, I knew Tarben was close to confessing his love for me.
I would have broken the curse, if not for Hugo ruining everything.
I may not have been a witch, but I would have loved to curse him. Something truly diabolical.
I had failed at my task, which left me bitter with disappointment. But I couldn’t dwell on the heaviness in my chest. Not now.
I arrived in a secluded hallway at the rear of the castle.
It took me some time, but I found what I was looking for veiled behind a tapestry depicting a full moon beaming above a midnight sea: a hidden door.
According to Tarben, behind the door was a secret passageway that led directly to the postern gate.
Lifting the tapestry, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
My triumph gave way to apprehension when I saw how impossibly dark it was.
Conjuring a ball of light and summoning my courage, I followed the passageway to an ancient, descending staircase.
Carved from jagged stone, it was damp and mold-infested from centuries without sunlight and fresh air.
My steps were cautious, and I was careful not to lose my footing on a loose stone or the leathery mold.
With each step downwards, the air grew colder, mustier.
I shivered underneath my thick cloak, fully aware that it wasn’t solely owing to the change in temperature.
At last, the stairs brought me to an underground chamber with multiple tunnels all leading in different directions. Had Tarben said it was the fourth or fifth tunnel? The fourth. I was certain he’d said it was the fourth.
As I was preparing to brave the tunnel, I heard a scream that made my blood freeze, followed by a loud thump and a crash.
I stilled.
It sounded like Hugo.
It was impossible to know for certain, but the scream seemed to have reverberated down the tunnel nearest to me.
A prickle of warning coursed through me and my thoughts went to war with each other.
I had to keep moving. Had to follow the path to freedom, sprinting forward without ever glancing back. If Hugo was hurt or in trouble, it wasn’t for me to worry about. After all, he was the reason for my current predicament.
But that scream… Had the murderer found their next victim? If so, could I live with myself if I left him for dead?
He had been an ass to me. Some might even say this was fate’s punishment for threatening me. Even so, I was not completely callous. I should at least alert the guards and let them deal with it.
But Hugo still had my potion. Maybe if I went to his aid, I could retrieve it.
I wouldn’t have to leave the castle. I could stay and complete my task.
If I sent the guards, I might never get it back.
Besides, being the one to help him could only win me even more favor with the king and, more importantly, with Tarben.
My decision was made. Ignoring every survival instinct and every bone in my body that roared in protest, I turned and sprinted down the dark and narrow tunnel. Towards the peril.
There was only the sound of my footsteps as I navigated my way through the blackness.
Heart pounding, I moved quickly, knowing I didn’t have much time.
At the end of the tunnel was a heavy stone door.
Drawing in a deep, shaky breath, I pushed the door open.
Keeping the ball of light raised in one hand, I took a slow, deliberate step forward.
It seemed as though I had come through a secret door disguised as a false wall.
I was in a hallway with a procession of bulky and cumbersome suits of armor arranged along the walls.
The unwieldy armor served as a grim reminder that I was charging head first into danger.
Yes, I had my magic, but I couldn’t use it in front of Hugo without betraying the fact that I was Mer.
I’d be breaking the terms of the bargain and putting myself at risk for nothing.
Mounted in glass cases behind the armor was a small collection of weapons: a sword, an axe, a crossbow and a mace. An idea stopped me in my tracks. If I could borrow one, I might feel less like a lamb entering a wolf’s lair.
Studying the cases closely, my heart sunk in realization that each one was fortified with heavy locks. Damn me to confinement.
There was no way I could get past the locks. I’d never be able to get my hands on one of those weapons. Not unless…
I didn’t think. Didn’t give myself time to consider the utter stupidity in it. Acting out of pure desperation and adrenaline, I dispelled the ball of light, then struck the case containing the sword.
To my satisfaction, a spider’s web of cracks materialized under the impact of my fist. Biting down on my lips and ignoring the angry throb in my fist, I dealt it another heavy blow.
My efforts were rewarded with several new cracks fragmenting the casing.
I attacked the glass again and again until tears welled in my eyes and the pain of each contact reverberated right down to my bones.
The pain was blinding, but I didn’t have the luxury of letting it overwhelm me.
Jagged lines marred the entire surface of the casing—it was at breaking point.
One final strike. Just one final strike would annihilate it. It had to.
Throwing the full force of my preternatural strength behind me, I struck again. This time, it shattered with a resounding crack, like a frozen lake underneath the weight of a mallet.
My entire hand was raw and bleeding and shards of glass penetrated my skin, but I reached in and grabbed the brass hilt of the sword. It was heavier than expected and cold as ice beneath my throbbing hand, but I clenched it tightly.
It didn’t matter that I hadn’t ever wielded a sword, or any other weapon; now I was not completely vulnerable. The thought gave me some comfort as I moved stealthily down the hallway, my ears and eyes alert.
With every light footstep towards the unknown, I became less certain that this was a good idea. But it was the only way to remain at the castle. So I pressed forward.
The hallway led to a set of heavy wooden doors fortified with sturdy iron bolts and locks. But the bolts were released. When I pulled the heavy door towards me, it opened just a fraction. Unlocked. Not surprising when my instincts told me the threat was near.
With some effort, I pulled open the door and stepped into a long, wide chamber with a low stone ceiling and cobwebbed sconces.
Unlit, of course. The dark, desolate atmosphere of the space made me feel as though I was trapped inside a casket.
It made me want to claw at my own skin and scream and pull out my hair and tear down the walls and run far, far away.
I filled my lungs with stale air and willed myself to remain calm. To ignore the visceral reaction in my body. It took every morsel of strength inside of me to stay rooted to the spot and examine my surroundings.
The chamber housed a cluster of cells with grated iron doors on either side of a narrow corridor. I was in the dungeons.
Well, that explained the fit my body was throwing. To say I had no tolerance for enclosed spaces would be an understatement. I fucking loathed them. There was nothing I feared more than being trapped within walls that closed in around me.
My head began to spin; my breath came out in shallow pants. Had my clothing always felt this tight? I couldn’t stay here. I just couldn’t.
The potion! You need that potion. Counting backwards from three, I sucked in another breath. You can do this. Ignoring the feeling that the walls were moving inwards, I squinted into the dark.
The door to every cell was shut. All but a single cell at the end of the chamber.
Sword firmly grasped in my trembling, blood-smeared hands, I crept slowly towards it, careful not to make a sound. Even my shallow breaths had halted, out of fear of being discovered by unwelcome ears.
In turn, my senses were heightened. I was on alert for any sign of movement, any noise. Yet all I could hear was the sound of my heart beating a death drum inside my chest.
Sword raised, I stepped inside the cell and was hit with the metallic tang of blood in the air.
The windowless cell was dank and occupied by a figure lying face-down in a pool of blood on the ground. Manacles were secured tightly around the figure’s wrists, though they lay motionless. Utterly and hopelessly motionless.
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Feeling faint, I approached the figure, and with each step closer, it became undeniable.
Hugo was dead.