Page 56 of The Princess of Nothing
“Thank you.” I placed it on the desk, proceeding to pretend to look through the inked words. After a couple of minutes, I smiled. “It’s fine. I was wrong.”
“Shall we then?” He gestured at the door. “Let’s go.”
Watching the contract left behind on the desk as I was led out, I ran my fingers along my staff. “I must find my ladies and get my flowers. I will see you under the arch.”
“Winter.” His expression darkened for a second, his gaze uncertain when he searched mine. His fingers tightened around my arm as desperation clung to his features. “You do love me, don’t you?”
I swallowed thickly. I closed my eyes, unable to look at him without my composure cracking. “I love you, Kiros. You know this.”
I opened my eyes. Relief washed his expression, replacing a frown with an excited smile. “Let’s get married.”
My hands were shaking. “Yes. I’ll see you soon.”
Time stopped when he kissed my forehead. I couldn’t believe what I was doing, but I reached up, ran my hand along his chest, and brushed my lips against his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Always, darling.”
My stomach dipped when I watched him leave. He fixed the collar on his shirt, from under his white jacket with gold fastenings. He looked back one last time before rounding the corner, his eyes filled with hope.
After waiting thirty seconds, I hurried out, but the other door was too far away. The servants’ entrance was closer.
Reaching down, I caught a few loose threads, then pulled until the fabric ripped enough for me to tear. It was uneven but reached my knees. I dropped the discarded satin on the ground.
Ducking under a white wood door, I gripped the stone ledge and shimmied down until I reached the laundry room. Buckets of water stood stagnant. Servants kneaded fabrics that could easily pay their yearly coin. They all looked up when I hurried through the middle of the room until I reached the small door that led to the gardens. I turned the brass knob and gulped. I was far from the west of the castle.
I pulled my heels off, threw them into the mud, and fled barefoot, curving with the high walls. I jumped down three steps and hissed when a stone cut into my toe.
By now they’d be wondering where I was.
The air was thick with humidity. The stench of death permeated around the red delicate flowers that reached up from the soil. Squashing them under my feet, I ran through them until I saw the golden satinas.
The guards would be looking for me now, surely.
I took a moment to drop my hands onto my knees, feeling the wood from my staff pressing against my skin, and gulped in a deep breath before breaking into a sprint. I climbed down seven hot stone steps, and fell into a metal gate that screeched open. Iron spikes pointed down at a pitch-black entrance, a small opening under the walls. After dropping my legs into the hole, I scraped down into the darkness.
“You’re here.” He grabbed my hand, holding a lit torch in the other. “We must run.”
I nodded, chasing him down rat- and cockroach-infested tunnels. Squirming when I felt something crunch under my toes, I matched Cedric’s pace. “How far?” I struggled to gasp for air. “I need—” I said. My lungs felt like they were going to collapse. “A minute.”
He placed his hands on my shoulders, his breath hitching when he spoke. “We made it. They won’t think to look here. They think the exit is sealed off. My men are waiting, with hundreds of horses. These tunnels lead out to a small town nearby.” He paused. “Did you get what you needed?”
“Not as much as I could. Kiros found me, but I did get two letters. I didn’t get to read them, but I saw the word dragon, and they were recently opened.”
“We’ll read them soon,” he said with promise. Flames flickered light on the obsidian walls, bringing life to the spiders, rats, and crawlies I didn’t want to see. “I’m good to go.” I shuddered, looking at the insects.
He tugged my hand and we hurried, this time walking fast. The backs of my legs burned, begging me to stop and take a break, but I persisted until they numbed.
“Finally.” Cedric handed me the torch and climbed up the stone. He pushed on two stones until light glistened through, illuminating the grime around us.
I wiped the sweat with the back of my arm. Cedric offered me his hand through the gap and pulled me up. Digging my toes into the hot rocks, I made it out the other side.
I dropped the torch on the ground and raised my head. Sand and dirt covered the desolate road. A small, wood-paneled shop stood lonely under the shade of three trees. I looked around.
The small army moved as one. Fae sat gracefully on their white horses. The leader, who had shoulder-length dirty blond hair and green eyes, looked down at us with a regal air. His long fingers curled around the silver reins. His expression was unmoving. I noticed scars along his left temple, down to his pointed ear, and over to his mouth. His nose, long and strong, appeared as if it had been broken more than once. The rest of the fae wore purple-and-silver robes, thinly waving all the way down to cover the backs of the horses. A crest was embroidered on the back.
Cedric cocked his head slightly to the side. “Meet the best army in Berovia.”
“Are they the light fae soldiers?” I questioned, confused as to how he managed to pull them away from the king.
