The witch’s castle would be full of tricks, traps, and hidden dangers, she had no doubt.
As Rune watched, a woman pushed a tapestry aside and slipped from the tiny nook it sheltered. She was small—even smaller than Rune—and Rune thought for one heart-stopping moment that it was a child.
“Princess,” the person said again, and moved closer to Rune, her palms up. “You’ve come.”
She was not a child. She was…old. Ancient. A crone, bent and gnarled. She twisted her head to the side and peered up at Rune.
“Hello,” Rune said, politely. “One of the many spies sent to watch me, I take it?”
There was something dark in the old woman’s eyes that couldn’t be hidden by the deep folds and creases on her face.
Rune’s arms were at her sides and she swung one of them gently, allowing her long, lethal claws to scratch at the polished wood floor.
The woman watched the movement, and she sucked in her lips. “You’ll want the dungeons.”
“Will I?” Rune said, her voice mild. “What’s there?”
The woman looked around, her eyes nearly hidden in the folds of her face. “She will know where you’ll end up, dear. She knows everything.” She gestured with knotted fingers. “Here, the walls talk. There are spies everywhere.”
“Why are you risking yourself by talking to me?” Yeah, she was suspicious. She needed help, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to be cautious.
“Come closer,” the crone whispered. “Give me your ear.”
Rune hesitated, then leaned down to place her ear against the strange old woman’s lips.
“I am the ally Gunnar sought to help you. Trust me, Princess.”
Rune’s stomach twisted at the mention of the ghoul’s name. “How can you help me?”
“I helped Gunnar. I can manage you.” Her voice was dry and the smallest trace of humor lit her faded eyes.
“You can cloak me,” Rune said, slowly.
“I still have some power.” The crone rubbed her hands together and the sound was like sandpaper on wood. “Were you stupid enough to let her into your mind?”
“Let me in. Let me make the crawlers fear you as they fear me.”
Her stomach tightened and she nodded. “I dropped my walls and let her in.” She massaged the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t know what I was doing. What happens now?”
“I can make it so she can’t track you, but there won’t ever be a time when you’re completely separate from her.” And she continued to rub her dry hands together.
“That won’t be a problem when she’s dead,” Rune murmured.
But the old woman only snorted. “She’s always going to be alive somewhere, Princess.”
Rune wasn’t entirely sure the old lady was sane, but she’d take any help she could get—even if it wasn’t help she could be sure of.
“What will I find in the dungeons?”
The old lady didn’t answer, but Rune knew she would find only horror in the witch’s dim.
The woman continued rubbing her hands together, and in the gloom, sparks began to fly brightly between them. She mumbled as she rubbed.
Rune shifted from one foot to the other and glanced over her shoulder. “Hurry, old woman.”
The ancient woman hit Rune so suddenly and with so much power that Rune was knocked to the floor.
Dazed, she stared up at the strange, ancient woman, her fingers on her throbbing cheek. She felt the cloaking like a slick second skin. “Hitting me so hard—does that make the cloak stronger?”
“Not a bit.”
Rune climbed to her feet. “Then why’d you do it?”
“Make you think twice before you call me an old woman again.” And she clapped her hands, cackling.
Rune backed away. “Go back into your corner. It won’t be safe for you below.”
The old woman grinned and put a finger to her lips. “Shhh.”
Rune shuddered. She’d never again be able to hear that particular sound without terror seizing her heart. “Where’s the dim?”
“Outside the castle,” the hag said. “Find the backstairs at the end of the hall. Go down to the kitchen and exit the door there. Mind the cook—she’s a vicious and cruel woman who won’t hesitate to sound the alarm. Most people will ignore you if they have a choice—the spell makes you…faded—and they won’t notice you until you bring yourself to their attention. You’ll know the dim when you see it. Hurry, whilst the witch believes you are sleeping.”
She patted her bony chest, and Rune feared she might be having a heart attack. “This will give you an extra few minutes before you’re discovered. And if you do succeed in