recessed alcove contained an oil painting of a summer pasture, helping me orient myself. The third floor of the south turret consisted of servants’ quarters; the floor below me, guest rooms and a secret passage tucked behind a tapestry that led straight to the east wing above the kitchens. I cocked an ear, and when I didn’t hear anything, I quickened my pace to a jog.
None of the torches were lit, but my foreboding stemmed from more than the darkness—the bright, joyful castle I’d lived in my entire life hung heavy with malevolence, like a corporeal presence. If I turned quickly, I could almost see the magic slithering down the walls, and gliding above my head. I ran faster.
My pulse ratcheted into my ears as I reached out to open the staircase door. The witch’s sentinels could be anywhere; a single touch to an object covered in her spell could alert her to my presence. I couldn’t overthink every move I made or I wouldn’t survive. Setting my jaw, I grasped the handle and slipped into the pitch black stairwell. Chills raced over my skin as I pressed against the damp stone wall, my bare feet aching with cold. After several moments of silent prayer, my heartbeat regulated and I felt my way down the winding corridor, one step at a time.
At the door, I stopped to listen and review my path. A short jog down the hall, past the fairy pool tapestry, and through the passage. I was as good as free.
The door swung open, bringing me face-to-face with two men dressed in royal guard blues and greens; two men I’d sparred with in the lists, two men I’d trusted with Veronica’s life—before they took a knee and pledged to serve evil. They were no longer the men I knew.
“Hello, gentlemen.”
Guard one’s empty eyes blinked and then flared just before I smacked the bed plank into the side of his head. He toppled, out cold. Guard two grasped for his sword. But before it was unsheathed, I slammed my fist into his throat, dropping him to the ground. He clutched his neck with both hands, gurgling and choking for air. I shook my head. “I taught you better than that.”
Releasing the board, I dragged the unconscious guard into the stairwell and then returned for the second, who had slumped to his bum, his face turning blue. I’d likely damaged his larynx, but he’d live. I pulled his sword and leveled the tip against his chest. “Get up, or so help me, I’ll run ye through.”
He scrambled to his feet and I directed him into the stairwell. Before the door had shut behind us, I conked the sword hilt against his forehead and he crumpled beside his mate. Making a quick assessment, I tugged the boots off the first man and slipped them onto my feet. A bit snug, but they would do.
After stripping the broader guard of his green coat and the sgian dubh blade from his stocking, I crept back into the main hallway. I jogged to the tapestry, ducked behind it, and opened the panel. Wind moaned through the passageway, the cobwebs so thick I had to use my sword to clear a path. The webs were a good sign that the passage had remained secret.
I paused at the exit. Footsteps sounded on the other side, moving fast. Two sets, by the sound of them. Were they searching for me? Had the castle itself betrayed me to Adelaide, as I’d feared?
It was a risk I’d have to take. Armed, I could easily take two more guards and make my way to the east terrace. I eased through the opening and shut the panel softly behind me. Voices echoed down the hall and I followed their urgent whispers. One male. One female.
Keeping to the shadows, I drew closer. The female voice held a familiar cadence, and by her tone, she was clearly the one in charge. Even if she were a Doonian, someone I’d known, she’d chosen to pledge to darkness. I would need to take her out first.
I slipped into the alcove as their backs were turned. They leaned over the balcony rail, searching for something, or someone—probably me. The woman straightened and my heart galloped into my ears. The grace with which she moved, the solid set of her narrow shoulders . . . Vee, but not Vee. The witch. And with only one guard.
The Vee-Addie thing turned, and I crossed the room in two long