Page 75 of Hidden Kingdoms

Fair play; that was a weird way for someone to open a door.

Belting the jacket tighter around me, I stepped out, waiting for him to lead the way. He continued to stare at me in confusion for a moment before starting off down the corridor, and I followed him through the grey stone hall.

As with every time before, the further we walked from my room, the grander it grew. Red carpet lined the floor, and gold adorned almost every surface from the skirting to the carved architrave that lined the ceiling.

Through the windows along one wall, I caught glimpses of the world outside. Instead of the gardens and forest I had spent hours looking at, the rolling green hills tipped white in frost had me pulling my jacket tighter.

The guard led me through a door and down the stone steps behind. Twisting round in a spiral, the stone walls enclosed me as I ran my fingers over the cold rock. The bottom led us to a small corridor which continued in one direction and another door stood in front of us which the guard pushed open. Light flooded in, and I shielded my eyes as they adjusted from the dark of the stairwell. Gesturing for me to go through, he closed the door the second my feet were out, and I whirled around to stare at the nowfirmlyshut door.

I knew that being left alone meant there was absolutely no chance of escaping, and I sighed in quiet frustration before turning to inspect this new place.

Wide eyed I took in the beauty that lay before me, knowing I had made the right decision not to fight them on this. Boxed in on three sides by high stone walls, I was in a small, privatecourtyard. The walls rough walls tall enough there was no way I could climb over, despite the ropes of ivy and climbing flowers that had fused to it. Beneath the tangled greenery, I could make out lines scorched into the same design that had been etched into the palaces front doors.

Tipping my head back, I marvelled at the expanse of uninterrupted blue sky stretched above me. There was still a chill in the air, the braziers cast from flame-twisted metal that were dotted throughout the garden remained unlit, but the sun’s rays were warm enough on my skin. I had a feeling the height of the walls were the reason I wasn’t shivering my ass off.

It felt like a secret, intimate place.

A gentle burbling sound pulled my attention, reminding me there was more to look at. The floor consisted of small, smooth stones that snaked into pathways across the courtyard where flowers of all kinds bloomed in the spaces between, reaching high to greet the sun as I had.

An archway, also covered in ivy, served as an entrance to a garden beyond which a pool took up a wide section of space. Water tumbled from a stack of black rocks, causing ripples to move across its glossy surface. Soft clover grass lined its edge before it met with the stones.

Passing under the arch, I moved further along to an old oak bench, polished smooth with age and cocooned within a canopy of blood-red roses. Their thorny branches twined together, creating a solid roof until nothing but the tiniest beams of light could shine through.

Ducking inside, the echo of magik passed over my skin. It was soothing—a balm—and somehow, I knew this wasn’t a test. The cold bite of the wood seeped through my dress as I sat, the scent of roses heavy in the air I inhaled deeply, the smell pulling at something familiar within me just out of reach.

Hugging my jacket to me, I stayed in the quiet comfort of the thorny shade, fingers running along the worn oak, almost soft in its smoothness, wondering how many people must have sat here before me.

Where were they now? Who were they? This place was far too beautiful to be solely for the use of prisoners.

Leaving the shade, I headed back into the sun, continuing along the pathway as the flowers swayed towards me in a light breeze as if in greeting, tall stems bending gracefully my way. My fingers floated over them as I walked, a light dusting of pollen collecting on my skin.

Mostly hidden in tangles of ivy was a golden statue, of a man and woman wrapped in an embrace. It was seamless, its still-gleaming surface shining from under the mass of leaves.

It was hauntingly beautiful, a loneliness seeping from every stone. The once-neat patches of flowers grew wild and scattered in their abandonment. I felt as if I was the first person to step foot here in a long time.

And out of all the places they could have sent me, I was brought here. To this quiet, secret place.

Had Kaius arranged this?

Or the tall woman? Bastian?

My bark of laughter jarred the quiet peace of the garden, and small birds that had been hopping through the vines took flight. I very much doubted it was Bastian.

I sat down onto the grass at the edge of the pool and time slipped by as I watched ripples spread across the surface, each one breaking at the shore seconds before another joined. The gentle lapping of water and the almost warmth of the sun lulled me into a sense of relaxation I hadn’t felt since I’d been brought here.

My mind wandered to sunny days at home in my garden, sitting with a book and Titan stretched on the ground next to me.

For a moment, I let my heart ache for the chance to stroke his soft fur again, to look into his handsome face. I even missed having to sweep up the mountain of fur he moulted when summer came around. I allowed the pain of missing him, of missing Nanna, to flow through me, squeezing like a vice at my chest as tears tracked down my face. I didn’t stop them. It felt safe here to just feel, to give myself this moment alone with my pain with only the sky as a witness.

Soon the tears stopped, and I tilted my head back, allowing the sun to dry them and hide their evidence.

I doubted it would be much longer until they came for me. I should have bought a book; that Faerytale one would have been good—the encyclopaedia not so much. Plus, how was I supposed to explain that it just turned up in my bed out of nowhere? Then again, this place was full of magik so maybe that wasn’t so strange?

“Hello.” A gentle voice drifted from across the water and my heart jumped into my throat as I scrambled backwards, eyes darting wildly and magik surging through me—apparently now ready to use against this newfound threat.

How the fuck hadn’t I noticed anyone else was here?

Standing opposite me, the entire pool between us, was a woman I knew hadn’t been there earlier. Where would she have even been able to hide? My heart was still hammering away as I stared dumbfounded at her, unsure on what to do.

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