Page 62 of Vow of the Undead
Now it’d come to this, my wild escape to pass Loki’s trial.
The shadows may find me again, but they’d find an honest woman, not a woman sitting beside a disturbed and cruel king. I just had to find a way out. Or find Stasia.
Even a bird with clipped wings can escape its cage.I hadn’t forgotten her unusual words, as if she, too, considered escape.
The kitchens were my best bet, so I forged on, following the warmth. Surely, the hearths here would be the hottest part of the castle, not unlike the communal hearth back in Skaldir.
Shoving through a heavy door, I spotted her across the room and relief flooded me. Despite this, my face must have been the dazed agape expression of the vessels because she came to me at once.
“My queen,” she breathed, green eyes as wide as a child’s.
I shook my head. “Don’t call me that.”
Her brow arched. “You’re terrified.”
“It’s that obvious?”
With a nod, she pursed her lips, pushing her pink cherub cheeks up. Her honey voice dropped to a whisper. “What is it?”
I stepped closer and kept my voice as low as possible. “You’re planning to escape, aren’t you?” Her strawberry lips parted. Sudden fear darkened her bright eyes. “Nobody told me,” I said quickly. “I only know, or am guessing because I’m…”
“Observant,” she said, relief lacing her voice. “I know, and honestly, it’s about damn time, my queen.” I narrowed my eyes and she cleared her throat. “Miss…Silver?”
“Just call me Silver.” I winced.
She sucked in a breath and cupped my elbow. Guiding me out into the hall, I suddenly missed the warmth of the hearths.
“As I was saying.” She clucked her tongue as she pulled me around a corner and we continued down a hall I actually recognized with the double doors to the throne room. “It’s about time you want to leave. I mean, your betrothed is an undead monster.”
My heart skipped. She was right, but in so many little ways King Drakkar didn’t match that description. He’d cared for my cold hands, defended me for sleeping late when I needed rest, his mere words had made me wet with wanting.
But it was all a facade—and I would know.
A dull ache hooked into my heart and seemed to drag it to the depths. Of course a lying king would choose the woman whose entire life was a lie. We were the same.
Stasia continued talking quietly as she led me down a wide hallway. “Didn’t you ever wonder why I left the kitchens when you came here?” I furrowed my brow and followed in her wake. She marched straight for two massive doors and shoved one open. “You have always been my ticket out. Since the moment I saw your expression when the king proposed to you, I knew you didn’t want to stay here.”
Air blasted into the hall, needling my face with icypinpricks. Stasia slipped outside and I stepped to the threshold. Stone steps lay before me, and beyond that, Mara. I’d been holed up in the castle so long, I forgot how high this fortress stood over the village. Flickers of distant candlelight dotted the landscape below, mirroring the glittering stars across the open sky.
Stasia grabbed my wrist and pulled me through. The door groaned as it fell shut behind me.
“Escape is simply walking out the front door?” I said, sliding my eyes to my handmaiden.
She tilted her head side-to-side. “Youcan simply walk out. You’re nearly the queen, and as your handmaiden, I go where you go, even if it's just for a breath of fresh air. This is the tricky part. I can’t leave the property, and I suspect King Drakkar wouldn’t like you going far either. But from the windows, I’ve mapped a path that will keep us in the shadows.”
My mouth popped open. I stared at her wordlessly for a moment, awe and appreciation stealing my breath away. And I’d known to seek her out, so a small slice of this admiration was reserved for myself, too.
It was as if Loki had sent Stasia to guide me through my escape from Mara’s Keep. This trial was proving far easier than Freya’s, which was definitely not what I expected from the God of chaos.
“Thank you. I–I don’t know what else to say. This is perfect.”
“Follow me,” she said, trailing the shadow cast by the castle. The moon hung bright and shimmering behind the spires.
As easy as it’d been to walk out the front doors, escaping tonight, with heavy and tired limbs, would prove difficult. When and how would I rest once I was out of Mara’s Keep? In there, I was surrounded by monsters, but out here, life was uncertain.
I’d take the uncertainty, even if my body argued with it. Thankfully, it wasn’t long until the thrilling energy of escape bolted through my veins. This temporary boost would have to pull me through until we were able to stop and breathe.
Like the long halls, we followed the length of the structure for what felt like an hour before cutting to the right and slipping into a narrow space between overgrown plants. Spiked bushes clawed at my neck and arms as we ducked into the darkness provided by the bushes. Dim moonlight filtered through the thick branches, just enough for me to make out the shape of the delicate flowers. Roses.
