22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Winter has lasted much too long, and it’s not until I ask the servant the date that it becomes clear I’m nearing six months of being snowed in with King Zyon.
It shocks me and spirals me into melancholy I can’t break.
How have I been here for that long? It seems impossible, but it’s confirmed when I ask three more servants.
Six months, and I’ve failed at every task given to me except for finding the dagger.
Over that time, Zyon went from the man I hated to someone who might be my friend and more.
The attraction started shamefully early, but the feelings have deepened.
Not from the passionate minutes we steal that take us close to giving in, but the moments in which he shows me who he is underneath the performance of king.
The fury of the snow growing outside emphasizes how much winter is keeping its hold on the castle.
We should be well into spring at this date in the year.
The longer I stay in the castle, the harder it seems to be to remember I have things I need to do, like a fog has settled into my mind and Zyon is all I can focus on.
I chide myself for not being more diligent in my quests and riffle through my bag to pull out the potions I made yesterday.
The five colorful bottles go onto a shelf once I have them recorded in my inventory notebook.
I reach back in to make sure I’ve grabbed them all and touch a smooth box.
I’d forgotten Maximo had given me a present from Zyon, so I remove the lid and stare at the golden ring with a firefly on top.
The insect’s rear is white and smooth, differentiating it from the rest of the piece.
There’s a small note inside that says it will always bring me light in the darkest of times, and it reminds me that Maximo said to use it when I need light.
I stick it on my finger and go into the dark bathroom. As I expect, light streams from the ring, and the bathroom is lit to full visibility. It’s an enchanted ring from the ember fairies, and I’d only ever seen one other in my travels.
Gulzar toddles over to me, and I pick him up, kissing his nose and placing him on my hip.
He’s growing fast, and eventually, he’ll be able to carry me.
I drop him off with the maids and head toward the dining hall for breakfast with the king.
He’s been preoccupied with something for the last few days and hasn’t gotten me for our meal.
Maybe it’s because he knows I willingly eat with him now.
Ruax stares at me from behind a pillar. Even though his wolf skull looks the same as his friends', I know it’s him. He also has no flesh for expressions, but anger vibrates from him. "I need to speak with you. It's important."
"When I'm done with breakfast. Where?"
"The dungeon. I need to show you something."
I take three steps away from him and stop. "Can't you show me up here?"
"No, please. I know we've had our differences, but we used to be friends. I need your help, Neera."
The guilt and pity that rise for him has me relenting any reservations I have on it. "Okay. Let me finish my meeting with the king, and I'll meet you there. Probably about an hour." Before I can ask him where the dungeon is, servants bustle past carrying pink linen.
He fades into shadows while I continue to the dining hall.
I scoot the heavy stone chair in to be closer to our small feast. There is enough bounty for two people to enjoy with the small stacks of pancakes, fruit, and tea. “Where is spring?”
Zyon breaks his gaze from the large arched window he’s standing in front of, watching the snow fall with no relief. “I don’t know. It’s endless now, but it’s something I welcome. It’s given us more time in the cave.”
“The rose has probably long wilted, and I must have failed. Lazzus hasn’t returned because I said cruel things to him.”
He takes his place at the head of the table, and a servant rushes over to pour his tea. He waves her off and pours it himself. “Lazzus is not that sensitive. If he hasn’t returned, he has his reasons, and they have nothing to do with you using strong language.”
“You don’t even know what I said to him. It was terrible.”
“I don’t have to know.” He mixes in cream and takes a sip of the steaming liquid.
“For weeks, I’ve tried to shout for him so he would appear and I could apologize, but he never answers me. It’s impossible to make it right when he won’t speak with me.”
“He is a wraith with no soul. It’s not you who is the problem.” He pushes the strawberries toward me. “Are you not hungry?”
“I was waiting for you to join me at the table before eating, but I don’t believe that.”
“That you are hungry? You need to eat for strength.”
“No, that he has no soul. It’s very clear he does. Maybe it’s diminished, but it’s not gone.”
He reaches over and places his hand over mine. “He’ll be back at the right time. As much as I loathe him for this curse, he desires it over as much as any of us do.”
“You blame him for the curse?”
“Yes, he’s a wraith attached to a curse. That means it’s his fault. It’s unfortunate that my family and innocent women have been dragged into it for generations.”
“That’s what it means to have a wraith attached to a curse? That they caused it?”
“Yes, they’re the ones being punished until they correct their actions.”
“And me taking the necklace to the well will be Lazzus correcting his actions?”
He stops eating and looks away for a second. “It must be. Though I can’t tell you how.”
“What job have you given Ruax?”
“What do you mean?” He cuts up his pancake and takes a generous bite.
“Around the castle. What have you assigned him to do?”
“Nothing. He’s in my dungeon until I can ship him off after the curse is broken. My instinct was to kill him, but after your reaction to his sentence, I figured you wouldn’t want that.”
I study the stitched flowers in my white napkin. “You put him in the dungeon?”
“Yes, other than death, it’s the only place he belongs.”
I open my mouth to tell him his prisoner is most definitely not in the dungeon but think better of it since Zyon might actually kill Ruax. “Will you ever free him?”
“Maybe. I have some business I need to tend to. You’ll be thrilled to hear, I think you deserve a break from monster fighting today.”
“That is the best news I have had in weeks.”
A genuine smile lights up his entire face when he looks at me. “Foolish woman. What do you think you will do today with your slothfulness?”
“Bask in it.”
He shakes his head, adding a laugh at the end. “I’m not even sure I’ll be back for dinner, so I will tell the servants to put something in your room. Any requests?”
“I would like to say chicken, but it’s becoming harder to eat that with the librarian being one of the kindest people I know.”
“She’s not a real chicken.”
“How is she not? You used the wolf skulls for Ruax and his friends.”
“Because they were conveniently there.”
“You don’t use real animal skulls to make the people? Where do they come from?”
He throws his thumb behind him. “The bone yard, and then I manipulate the size so they fit on human skeletons better.”
“Why not use human skulls?”
He shrugs. “There aren’t any. Only bodies.”
“That’s very strange.”
“And you don’t find everything around here strange?”
“That is a good point.” I put two pieces of sausage in a napkin as a treat for Gulzar.
He wipes his face with his napkin and snaps his fingers to summon a servant. “I’m finished.” He rises from his chair and walks over to me, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, quite.” He exits the room in swift strides.
I touch my lips and think over the natural way he kissed me like we’re simply in a relationship without formality.
Could I be with the king without formal acknowledgement?
Not that I care too much for such things, but a life in the shadows seems sad.
Almost as if he’d be ashamed of me. That sours my stomach, and I move on from the thought.
I’ve nearly given up on the cloak and need to make finding a way to Lazzus the priority.
It’s strange that the rose hasn’t wilted yet.
Ruax isn’t behind any pillars in the grand room.
Only paintings color the spaces between the large marble columns.
He probably already left to meet me, so I drop off the treat to my pet and go looking for the dungeon.
A chicken head servant walks past, and I spin around and run after her. “Excuse me. Where is the dungeon?”
She hesitates and shudders. “The dungeon, miss?”
“Yes, the place prisoners are kept. Do you know where it is located?”
Her beak drops, and she trembles as she points toward the northern wing. “The dungeon. It’s that way. Last door and down, down, down, and down.” Her voice grows quieter with each word.
“Oh... ummm... thank you.” I head the direction she pointed to, and everything looks like the rest of the castle for a good while with the white marble floors, decorative columns, and larger paintings.
The farther I walk, the stranger everything becomes, and I stroll past wooden mermaid statues carved into the side of the wall.
They hold tridents in their hands, and their eyes hold blue gemstones.
The floor turns a deep red under a smooth transparent layer that looks as though blood is trapped underneath.
The doors go on forever, and I fear it may take all the time I have for the day to get to the last one.
The strange marine carvings continue with only brief breaks for red closed doors.
The one at the end of the hall is black, but I turn the knob after searching to make sure Maximo isn’t close.
I nearly topple down steep black stone steps as there is no light, and there is an immediate drop to the first one.
I fumble and find the railing, grasping it to steady myself, but I don’t have to go back and search for light thanks to Zyon’s gift.