Page 21 of Lies Within the Darkest Tower

“I’m sure it’s not as fancy as you’re used to,” Grefin said, his voice dripped with sarcasm, “but we aren’t a prison.”

I shot him a dry look before I could stop myself and rubbed my wrist, still ever-so-slightly warm from the binding spell, then jerked my attention back to the room when I realized what I was doing.

“It’snota prison. This might not be the life you wanted, but it’s not a punishment. Not everyone has enough to eat or a roof over his head like a noble. We work for it, but we get three meals, clean clothes, lessons in numbers and letters if we want it, a monthly stipend, and—” He stepped into the room and pressed his hand against a crystal embedded in the wall by the basin. Light flickered under his hand and grew brighter. “You get your own room.”

“Why don’t the people in the kingdoms know about this?” I asked, stepping into the room, staring at what could only be a magical fae light before turning my attention to the basin. Therewas something wrong with it. It looked like it was attached to the stand and it had a hole in the center.

“Some parts of the kingdom do know. Not all novices see themselves as sacrifices.”

There was that idea again. It was similar to what Lord Quill had said, that some see it as an honor and a duty and were raised knowing they’d join the guard when they were old enough.

Grefin sighed and rolled his eyes at me. “That’s a pump.” He pumped the handle up and down a few times until water spilled into the basin and disappeared down the hole.

“What—?” I jerked back to avoid the inevitable puddle on the stone floor, making Grefin throw his head back and laugh.

“Man, I love you novices! You always do that. Every time.” He picked up a stopper that had been sitting on the stand beside the pump and set it in the hole in the wash basin then pumped in more water, filling the bowl halfway. “This place was built with fae magic so there’s a pipe attached the basin and pipes throughout the Tower. There’s a lot of hard work here, but lugging water around isn’t one of them.”

“Next you’re going to tell me you have indoor privies like the palace in Addur or the Gold Tower,” I huffed, except I couldn’t see a chamber pot. But that only meant if I had to relieve myself, I’d have to leave the building and hike across the bailey to wherever the privy was.

“Andthere’s also a whole fae bathhouse in the cellar, with cleaning and healing pools. Any set of stairs in the barracks will take you to it.” He gave me a pointed look. “You probably don’t want to sleep covered in shadow blood. You only get clean sheets every two rotations.”

I glanced down at the black blood covering my jerkin, shirtsleeves, and hands, and could feel it, sticky and itchy on my face and neck.

Grefin stepped out of the room and grabbed the doorlatch. “Don’t forget where your room is and don’t forget to stay in the great hall after the midday meal to be assessed with all the other novices. The stablemaster will expect you in the stables by the second bell. That means it’ll ring twice after the first ring. The first bell is at dawn. If you don’t waste time, you can bathe and eat your morning meal before the second bell.”

He shut the door, leaving me in my tiny room. I stood there, listening to his footsteps get farther away, my mind whirling. Except I couldn’t make myself focus.

I was in the Black Tower.

No one had yelled at me for being a girl and this was now my life for as long as I could keep my secret. Sawyer’s life depended on me.

I really hoped he was all right, that he’d managed to get through the ring and was on his way to the boarder.

My gaze dipped to my hands and the black blood covering them.

I’d almost been killed.

Fear squeeze around my heart and my hands started to shake. If the Lord Commander and Grefin hadn’t rescued me, I would have been torn to shreds like my clothes and rucksack.

I needed to get smarter and stronger. Fast.

Iwasgoing to survive the Gray. Whatever it took. And then I was going to get Sawyer’s rightful title back. Even if Edred could escape the king’s justice, he wouldn’t escape mine, not for what he’d done to Sawyer and our mother.

I gritted my teeth, squared my shoulders, and reached to dip my hands into the water still in the basin.

Except I didn’t have anything to dry myself with… and I no longer had a second shirt or pair of pants. Which meant I was going to have to venture down to the bathhouse if I wanted to wash up.

If the Tower’s bathhouse was anything like the tales, there’d be towels and different soaps and all manner of beautiful, naked fae women wandering around.

Heat seared my cheeks.

I knew there wouldn’t be naked fae woman tending the baths since this was the Black Tower and there were no women here — although maybe there were since Grefin had seemed so pleased to mention it — but without a doubt there would be naked men.

Lots of naked men.

And while I’d caught glimpses of a few naked men before, Edred had been strict to the point of severe punishment that my maidenhood remained intact. I’d fetch a better bride price if I was still a virgin and no one wanted to risk his ire, not even to give me a glimpse of my inevitable future.

Although what Edred didn’t know, was that I wasn’t a virgin anymore. I’d had an encounter with a boy I’d grown up with behind the stables when I’d become old enough for Edred to send me to my first arranged husband — before said husband had died and I’d been given to his son, who thankfully had been lost at sea before I could be sent to him. Edred had taken everything from me: my mother, my freedom, and my happiness, and I wasn’t going to let him take my very first time with a man, too.

---