thought of everything.” Brea kicked off her heels and turned her back so Neeve could help her out of the fancy dress. Neeve was already dressed for their trip to the Vatlands. Brea just hoped her friend wouldn’t get caught helping her escape the palace.
“Relax, I’ve done this before. We won’t get caught.”
“You a mind reader?” Brea wiggled out of her bodice and tossed it on the floor with a none too gentle kick. She hoped she never had to wear such stifling clothes again.
“You’re a kind young woman, Brea. In another time and place we might have been the best of friends. You care about the people around you. It doesn’t take a mind reader to see that.” She glanced at Brea’s reflection in the mirror above her dresser. “In this world, that’s a rare commodity. It would be a shame to see you lose it.”
Brea dressed quickly in the sturdy travel clothes Neeve had acquired for her. Dark leather leggings, a linen tunic layered under a leather vest and jacket and a belt with a knife she didn’t know how to use. Tying her long ebony hair back into a messy bun, Brea retrieved her pack.
“There’s a change of clothes, food, and water in there for you. In a moment, we’ll take the servants’ stairs down to the kitchens. If anyone stops us, you’re a new house maid. I’m giving you a tour of the palace before I take you to your new quarters.”
“Got it.” Brea hefted the pack up on her shoulder. “So, we’ll just slip across the bridge to the stables then?”
Neeve shook her head. “The queen has eyes everywhere, Brea. We have to be smart about this. I need you to stay close and keep moving no matter what happens to me. Trust no one.”
“Okay, serious faces on.” Neeve’s grave look shook Brea. “This is a big deal, escaping.”
“A very big deal.” Neeve hefted a pack onto her shoulder. “I don’t know if the queen simply wants you to give Lord Griffin legitimacy through his marriage to you, or if she has something far worse up her sleeve. I only know it’s important to get you out of here as soon as possible. Once we get to the kitchens, there’s another stairway we’ll take down to the dungeon.”
“Dungeon? This place has a dungeon?”
“It will lead us out to the riverbed behind the falls where we’ll make our way into the forest. A friend will meet us there with horses. From there we’ll head south toward the Vatlands marshes. If we get separated, you’re to head southeast and keep going until you find the Eldur camp just over the border. There’s a map in your pack in case you need it.”
“Thank you, Neeve. I’ll never be able to repay your kindness.”
Neeve peeked into the hallway, waving for Brea to follow.
Sneaking down the stairwell, they arrived in the kitchens unhindered.
“What are you doing, Neeve?” The head cook bellowed. “Shouldn’t you be prepping the nobles’ rooms for the evening?”
“Mistress O’Sullivan.” Neeve rounded on the woman. “Just showing the new maid around. She starts in the queen’s quarters tomorrow.”
“What’s your name, girl?”
“Ygritte,” Brea blurted. “Of the Free Folk. North of the wall.”
“Well, Ygritte, we don’t know nothing about no free folk here. Best you finish your tour and get to bed early with you. Big day tomorrow cleaning up this mess of a palace.”
“Yes ma’am.” Brea and Neeve bobbed their heads and turned for the dreary halls leading to the servants’ quarters.
“North of the wall?” Neeve rolled her eyes. “What human nonsense was that?”
“It just came out. I don’t actually think about these things before I say them.”
“If you want to survive in this world, you’d better start thinking ten steps ahead of everyone else, Brea.”
“You’re right.” Brea followed her down the long hall but was unprepared when Neeve took a sharp left behind a bookcase in the wall. “Secret passages?” Brea stepped through the opening. Darkness engulfed them as the bookshelf slid back into place.
“This palace is a labyrinth of secrets and lies.”
Neeve whispered a few unintelligible words before a fire blazed, lighting a torch she’d procured from her pack.
“Was that magic? Like a spell? Griff said our magic didn’t work like that.”
“Lord Griffin has been liberal with his lies, I’m afraid. He is a good man… deep down. But the queen has had him in her clutches far too long. This way.”
Brea followed silently, taking the slimy stone steps carefully. They seemed to wind down into the