Page 83 of A Broken Promise

“Go find her, Florian said. “I’ll be just fine. I promise not towalkaway.”

“I’ll be back,” I said as I rushed to the castle doors.

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Priya. Gods, if she was hurt, or if she was captured... thoughts raced through my mind, fighting the raising panic.

I had to find her.

The guards were long gone, letting me easily sneak past the large doors. The ripped tail of my beautiful dress left on the ground was the only evidence of my presence. I adjusted my holster full of daggers to my thighs, just one quick reach away.

The air in the castle was warmer, heavier; quite a change from the freezing, dust-filled air of the ruined ballroom. There was no breeze, and surprisingly it was so vacant. Not a single guard, not a servant. Empty and dark.

All the guards must have rushed to help and so did the servants, but the lack of light? Not even a single oil lamp lit up in the midst of the castle? That I couldn’t explain.

I passed room after room, now coming up the wide, wooden staircase. While the outside of the castle was built out of stone, the inside was made out of the darkest exquisite wood, carved and polished.

I stayed cautious of my moves, aware of each step in the pitch darkness. Each step quieter than the previous, not a single squeak escaped as I made it upstairs. Large, stained-glass windows served asthe only source of light. I welcomed it, though shadows bouncing off the nice furniture along the perimeter made me uneasy.

I wandered further down the hall. Only now that my mind was calmed, I realized that this was quite a bad idea.

Clearly, I wasn’t thinking straight looking for Priya in a castle I had never been in. I had no clue where I was going, or where she was.

I had a higher chance of getting lost than finding her.

I stifled an angry grunt within me. I should just go back, stay with Florian, and wait for Priya there, instead of uselessly wandering the castle.

I turned sharply to walk back and saw a creeping shadow then.

This time it was not mine.

A quick shiver went through my body and goosebumps rose. Gods, was I really that afraid of the dark?

I noticed then the cherry wood door slightly opened, letting in a little flicker of light and a mingling shadow.

I should go back.

Ignore it.

But instead, I took another step towards the door, dagger out, ready to strike.

I tightened my grip, even though cold sweat covering my hands made it difficult. My whole body stiffened as I willed it to take another step closer to the door until my fingers slightly pushed it further open.

Our eyes met within a second. His were so light blue. He was tall and well built. I quickly sized him up. He glanced over me.

The man was dressed in a suit, yet there was none of the luxury of the ball attendees; the worn-out elbows and patched up knees were a loud indicator of it. The ruffled shirt and unbuttoned vest exposed a few well-made daggers, neatly sheathed in his holster—within his reach.

I didn’t dare move my eyes from him. Though out of the corner of my eyes, I could tell I was in a large study, with books and shelves, but more importantly a large desk. The unknown man must have been rummaging through the stacks of papers and drawers, the loose cabinets and half-opened bookcases were left messy in a hurry.

He was clearly an intruder.

But so was I.

Yet if this was some royal scheme, then he could easily blame me for his actions since I was clearly the only witness of his presence here.

Shit.

I was now not only a witness to crime but an accomplice too?

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