Page 20 of Frost Bound

The discreet door swung back closed with a soft click.

She’d made it outside her rooms without anyone noticing.

Dahlia approached the deep red curtains and paused right before touching it. She listened, her ears straining for any sound.Nothing.

This was the part that scared her the most. Stepping out into the light.

It took her longer than she wanted to admit to gather the courage, but Lia swept aside the heavy curtain and into the corridor.

No soldier seized her. No servants questioned her. No queen to capture her.

Just an empty hallway and a night sky above her.

Swallowing hard, Lia put one foot in front of the other, gaining speed. All she had to do was walk and mind her own business, not draw attention. She flinched as a male servant rounded the corner and headed straight for her. She kept her eyes forward, fingers tightening on the tray.

Please don’t speak to me. Please don’t speak to me.

He smiled, but passed by without incident.

Lia exhaled through her teeth. Her steps slowed as she reached the intersection. She veered right, going toward the center of the palace. At least that’s where she thought she was going. A pair of soldiers were stationed at the end of the hallway, copper armor gleaming in the lantern light.

She kept her head held high, enough so she didn’t look like she was cowering, but not high enough that she looked like a haughty servant looking for attention. They stared right through her. They probably saw dozens of servants come and go each day. Nothing suspicious about her.

Dahlia reached the shiny onyx stairs and began the descent. The glass ceiling of the palace drew farther and farther away as the spiraling staircase slowly consumed her. Hallways branched off at each level and still she continued down. The air chilled as she finally reached the bottom of the staircase. A long hallway stretched out before her, completely encased in obsidian.

The flames from the lanterns danced along the slick walls, creating a hellscape. She shivered, and forced her feet forward. Two soldiers stood at the end of the hallway, a lotus-shaped doorway behind them.

It didn’t fit. It was too pretty.

Lia pasted a small smile onto her face and slowed as she reached the men. She held out the tray and glanced down shyly at the floor. “My lady bids me to bring you something sweet.” Dahlia held her breath, waiting to see if they’d take the bait. If the queen was down here as often as the servants had led her to believe, Allium must favor some of the men as well as her bloody pastimes.

The soldier on her left cracked first, reaching a gloved hand out to pluck a raspberry tart from the tray. “Please send Her Majesty our thanks.”

Lia smiled and lifted the tray toward the soldier on the right, who seemed to be studying her. “Can I tempt you with something sweet?” A double entendre. She hadn’t met a man who didn’t like a provocative twist of words.

Her statement did the trick. A trickle of interest entered his gaze. He slowly took a date cake, his gaze raking down her body. “I do have a sweet tooth.”

She forced a giggle out. “So do I.”

“Maybe we’ll have to explore our taste for sweets together.” A blatant proposition.

“Perhaps…” she drawled. “I can’t keep the others waiting. My lady expressed her desire for me to thank you all.” Lia stepped between them.

“Hold your breath,” the flirty one called. “It stinks down there. And continue to the very end. The men are at the back.”

She hustled down one more flight of stairs. With each step, the stench grew worse. Her eyes watered, and she choked back a gag as her slippers touched down on the grimy stone floor.

No more flowers or shiny obsidian.

Just rows of bars and cells and filth.

Oh, Cosmos.

She crept down the aisle, feeling sick at the state of the people in the cells. None called out to her, but cowered against the back walls of their cells, eyes downcast in fear. She frantically scanned each person, looking for her brother’s familiar mop of hair, his freckled face.

Steeling her nerves, Dahlia slowly approached a right turn in the hallway. She didn’t know what lay on the other side. More guards to be sure. All she had to do was keep her calm. The sound of boots against stone ahead caused her to freeze. Her fingers clutched the tray.

Did she push forward or run back the way she came? Neither seemed like a good idea, but staying frozen in the dungeons seemed even worse.

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