Page 17 of Crown of Briars
I looked at her in confusion, and she said, “Das lochen es brignok.” She moved her fingers through the air, wiggling them as if she were sprinkling glitter in the air.
My blood chilled.The castle is enchanted.I remembered Clermont giving me a similar warning. What would have happened if I’d opened the door without Enzira here? Would something in the room have attacked me?
I shuddered at the thought.
“Safe?” I asked, pointing to the open door.
Enzira nodded. “Yes. Is safe. But no…” She swung the door as if to close it. “Non mur das pursh.”
Don’t close the door.
A shiver of awareness rippled down my spine. I was torn between terror and curiosity. How did the magic work? Did it apply to all the rooms, or only mine? Was it because I was human?
Biting my lip, I nodded, gazing apprehensively at my open door. Enzira shuffled to the other side and cracked open Ramia’s door as well. All the while, my maid looked on with narrowed eyes, her face full of displeasure and apprehension.
Enzira pressed a fist to her heart, then gestured down the hall where we’d come. “Food.”
With that, she turned and left us. The darkness swallowed her form almost instantly, leaving only the soft padding of her footsteps until they, too, faded completely.
I turned to Ramia and whispered, “Don’t close any doors.”
She huffed a frustrated sigh. “I gathered as much, my lady.” She cut a sharp glance at me. “You were right to keep your knowledge of their language a secret. Who knows what important information you might come across if they speak freely in front of you?”
I certainly understood the advantage, but it didn’t mean I liked it. Right now, I would clearly get more information by speaking plainly in Agnarrish instead of pretending I couldn’t. But Ramia was right. Once I met the king, there was no telling what conversations I might overhear.
“I think I should go in with you,” Ramia said, pointing to my open door. “Just to be safe.”
I was perfectly fine with this. Slowly, I pushed the door open the rest of the way. Lanterns immediately came to life, the same eerie white orbs that lined the hallways.
As my eyes adjusted, I made out a massive bed taking up one-half of the room. It was easily twice the size of my bed in the Earthen Court. I presumed the mattresses here were much bigger to accommodate various unseelie forms. Delicate lavender drapes hung across the bed, and it was littered with plush pillows that made me want to dive in and bury myself in the softness.
An armoire made of hand-carved mahogany rested on the opposite end of the room. Next to it was what looked like a giant black hole. My eyes widened as I took it in. I edged closer, but Ramia grabbed my arm.
“Careful, my lady,” she hissed.
I nodded, peering closer. It was certainly a hole. All I could make out was darkness from within, but it smelled strangely sulfuric, and the air surrounding it was warmer than the rest of the room. Curiosity wriggled within me, but I wasn’t daft enough to move any closer.
My gaze roved over the room once more, and I frowned. “No bathing chamber?”
“I can send for a tub for you later, if you need it,” Ramia offered.
I shook my head. “I’m exhausted. I’ll just go to sleep and bathe in the morning.”
“Very well, my lady.” Ramia reached into her bag and withdrew a familiar pouch made of blue scales, then dropped it into my open hand. “This is yours. And I’ll leave your books on the stand over there.”
I offered her a warm smile. “You are too kind, Ramia. You think of everything.”
She returned the smile. “My duty is to you, my lady.” She strode toward the door, then paused. “It makes me nervous, leaving the doors open like this. Anyone could come in.”
I swallowed. “I think I’m more afraid of what the castle will do to us if we disobey Enzira's warning.”
Ramia grimaced. “I suppose you’re right. Well, if you need anything—and I meananything, my lady—please come and fetch me.”
“I will. Thank you, Ramia. And…” I paused, emotion welling in my throat. “Thank you for coming here with me. I feel terrible, dragging you into this when?—”
She raised a hand to stop me. “None of that, my lady. I would feel wretched if I had abandoned you to this fate when my sole duty has been to look after you. You should not go through this alone. And every queen needs her handmaid.” She offered me another smile, this time with a gleam in her eye.
When she turned to leave the room, that word hung in the air:queen.
