Chapter 48
MYRA
"Are you sure we’re in the right spot?" Myra asked when they reached a dead end of a dark alley after having parted ways with Bax. The buildings were so close together on this side of the capital that the opposing brick walls were only a few yards apart.
"Yes," Laurince said as he began rifling through the trash and pushing various items to the side.
The plan was simple. Since several squadrons of soldiers were assisting with raids throughout the kingdom, castle security was lighter than usual.
Bax mentioned that a guard had raised concerns about their thin numbers, but Sebastian had brushed it off.
Apparently, the sitting ruler believed he was untouchable within the castle.
Now was the best time to act. Bax went to the castle ahead of them to inform some trusted guards about their plan to reclaim the throne, while Myra, Laurince, and Rian came here.
Surveying the dim alley, Myra questioned their supposedly simple plan.
The storm had yet to let up. Their cloaks were soaked, Myra’s shoes were drenched, and her socks were soon to follow.
"Can you at least tell us what we’re looking for?" Rian asked, grimacing as he stepped in a massive puddle and soaked the toes of his boots.
"It’s—" Laurince ran his palm along a brick wall.
"It’s here somewhere. Just—A-ha!" He sprinted to a bin and shoved it away.
Bending down, he ran his fingers around the sewer drain, scraping at the edges to find purchase.
The metal was slick from the storm, though, and he struggled to pull it up. "Give me a hand?"
With a groan, Rian hurried over, and the two lifted the grate up and heaved it aside.
"Please don’t tell me we’re going down into the sewer," Myra said, her voice raising an octave as she leaned forward. Inside the sewer, nothing but darkness greeted her. She sniffed, expecting a rancid smell, but the storm must have hidden the sewer’s scent.
How far was the drop? Would the current sweep them away?
Laurince gave her an apologetic smile. "That’s the plan."
For whatever reason, Myra had not been privy to this part of the plan, though. She sent a quick prayer to the gods.
"Your Majesty, will you do us the honor?" Laurince asked, ushering Rian forward.
"Oh, so now I get to lead," Rian retorted, stepping forward. He sat down on the wet ground, and his feet dangled over the ledge.
"For a second at least," Laurince said.
"Bax better come through or else this will be for nothing," Rian grumbled.
"He will," Laurince said. "He should already be inside the castle and gathering the others."
Rian arched his brows, a hint of disbelief wafting off him. "See you both down there," he said before pushing off and jumping. A second later, there was a loud smack as Rian hit the ground.
"It’s dark as shit down here," Rian called up, his voice echoing in the tunnel.
Myra’s stomach turned as Laurince offered his hand. Taking it, Myra hesitantly stepped closer and peered into the sewer.
"Scared of the dark, Haze?"
It was meant to be a jest, but as Myra stared into the shadows filling the sewer, her body trembled.
The darkness instantly transported her to the cell in Ardentol.
Screams of prisoners and victims echoed in her ears, as though they had followed her all the way here.
The grief, pain, and agony of the past mingled with that of the streets of Frenzia.
The emotions overwhelmed her, flooding her senses.
Calloused hands cupped her cheeks. "Hey," Laurince beckoned, suddenly in front of her. "He holds no power over you, remember?"
Myra gulped. Her gaze bounced across Laurince’s face, trying to ground herself in the present.
"You don’t have to go. Staying back doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t mean he won. You can—"
"No," Myra interrupted with a shake of her head. She wasn’t in a cell. She wasn’t trapped. She refused to let Domitius get to her. He wasn’t here in Frenzia. If all had gone according to plan, Kallie had already dealt with him.
Her pinky brushed against the knife tucked in her pocket. She wasn’t defenseless anymore. "I’m going."
Laurince swept his thumbs across the sides of her face. "That’s my girl."
As his dark brown eyes danced across her face and a million concerns spun in her mind, Myra stopped thinking. She stopped waiting. She reached up, grabbed him by the shirt, stood on her toes, and kissed him.
For a moment, Laurince was frozen, his lips unmoving. But then, just as quickly, he leaned into her. His hand slipped to the back of her neck, and he deepened the kiss.
His lips were sweet and soft and so at odds with the chest muscles beneath her palms. She could taste the faint trace of ale on his lips mixed with the rain.
And she cursed herself for waiting this long to taste them, to feel their heat against hers.
As she melted against Laurince, everything else disappeared.
All her worries and concerns. All the fears.
But nothing this good could last forever.
A whistle sounded from the sewer, ending the moment.
With a small sigh against her mouth, Laurince pulled away.
He rested his forehead against hers. His breathing was labored and matched her own, and she wondered how they could have been so out of breath from such a brief kiss.
As short as it was, though, it rivaled all the other kisses she had experienced in her lifetime.
"We should probably get going," he whispered.
"You’re probably right," Myra said, voice breathy. "Maybe not the best time to—"
"There’s never a bad time for that, Haze," Laurince said, interrupting her. His touch softened. "I’m just sorry for not having done it sooner."
Myra pursed her lips, but for once, she didn’t care that her cheeks turned pink. She smirked as she looked at him, noting the raindrops running down his cheek. "Who’s the one apologizing now?"
Laurince laughed and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and stepped back, hand outstretched. "I’ll be down right after you," he reassured her, squeezing her hand when she took it.
Myra sat on the cold ground and shimmied across the wet stone. With her feet dangling over the edge of the sewer, she released Laurince’s hand, then rolled onto her stomach. The ledge dug into her ribcage as she took a deep breath.
Then she fell into the void.
Myra expected to land in a pool of water. Instead, her feet hit a small puddle. The hard drop sent a vibration soaring through her limbs, and she stumbled backward, bumping into whom she could only hope was Rian.
"You all right?" Rian asked, steadying her.
Her ankle stung, but luckily she didn’t think she had sprained it. "Yes, I think—"
Rian yanked her as a shadow fell over them. A whoosh of air whipped across her face, blowing her hair back.
"Everyone good?" Laurince asked once his feet hit the ground.
Myra nodded, but when she realized he couldn’t see it in the darkness, she responded, "Yes."
Boots slapped against puddles, sending water kissing her ankles. She reached out, searching for a wall to guide her. She hit something solid. A hand grabbed hers.
"There you are," Laurince whispered, finding Myra even in the dark. He lifted her hand and pressed a soft kiss on the top of her knuckles.
Rian cleared his throat. "I might not see you, but I can hear you. You’re panting more than a dog, Laurince."
"Oh, shut it," Laurince said, twisting them around toward Rian’s voice. Then he said, "Wring out your cloaks as best you can."
Myra peeled off her cloak and twisted it, draining the water from the fabric. As she put it back on, shuffling sounded beside them.
"It’s fucking dark down here," Rian said. "How are we going to—"
A spark burst to life as Laurince struck a match and pulled a small torch from inside his cloak. The glow of the fire cast an eerie light across Laurince’s features, but Myra had never been more thankful for the flame.
"Well, that solves that," Rian said. "Now, which way are we—"
"This way," Laurince answered, weaving his fingers between Myra’s and pulling her behind him.
"I guess I’ll stop asking questions, then," Rian mumbled.
"Probably for the best," Laurince mused.
The flames bounced off the rounded walls of the sewer, and moisture glistened across the stone. But beyond a thin puddle that spread across the floor from the rain, there was no sign of water damage along the walls. Even the smell was better than she had imagined it would be.
"I thought this was a sewer," Myra said.
"It was supposed to be, but an engineer messed up the plans and didn’t connect it to the main sewage line," Laurince explained with a shrug.
"How did I not know about a tunnel that runs directly to my castle? And why didn’t you tell me?" Rian asked, glaring at Laurince.
"There are a lot of things you don’t know about your own castle and kingdom, remember?" Laurince arched a brow at him. "After all, you didn’t know about the experiments happening in the other tunnels."
"At least I knew those tunnels existed."
"But you never went to scope them out, did you?"
"Neither did you," Rian spat.
"Does anyone else know about these tunnels?" Myra asked, diverting the conversation as she nervously scanned the shadows ahead. Thick spiderwebs hung from the ceiling, and she did her best not to look at them too closely. She hated spiders.
Laurince shook his head. "Not that I’m aware. I accidentally discovered this tunnel when I was studying the layout of the castle. Some maps had slight differences around the location of the sewers, and I started digging into it. It took a long time to figure out."
"What’s to say no one else knows, then?" Myra asked. "If you found out, then others most likely have, too."
"Are you questioning my ability to uncover something no one else has?" Laurince asked, looking over his shoulder and smirking at her.
"No, I just…I don’t want to be caught surprised."
"Well, let us hope Laurince is as special as he thinks he is," Rian said behind her.
They made their way through the tunnels, the glowing light of the torch guiding them.
Their soft breaths and footsteps on the concrete were the only sounds that broke up the silence.
As they headed further into the tunnel, the air became tenser.
Based on the eeriness seeping in through the ceilings and dripping onto the floors, Myra knew instinctively that they were nearing the castle.
When she first visited Frenzia, she didn’t know why paranoia and fear gripped her throat when she would wander the halls.
Now she knew all too well what horrors were taking place underneath their feet.
The atrocities and secrets that had been occurring without Rian’s knowledge.
She thought of the animals in the cages.
Their thrashing and screeches were an incessant echo in the back of her mind as they continued.
She only hoped that Laurince was right and that this tunnel didn’t connect to the others.
"We’re getting closer, aren’t we?" Rian asked.
"I think so," Laurince said. "Once we’re inside, we stick to the plan. This should take us near the west wing. Bax will meet us in his room."
Soon, the light hit a wall.
"Great," Rian said with a disgruntled grunt. "It’s a dead end."
"Haze, will you hold this for a second?" Laurince held out the torch.
Myra took it and held it up for Laurince as he swiped his hand across the wall. He pressed his palms against a brick. Then something clicked.
"Ready?" Laurince asked, glancing back at Rian and Myra.
They both nodded.
"Put the fire out," he instructed, and Myra only hesitated for a second before dousing them in darkness.