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The sound of a key rattling in the door made Emilie pause, and we both straightened. I headed for the door, Emilie not far behind me, and it opened at the same time I reached for the handle.
“Step back,” Reyna said with a finger pointed at the center of my chest.
Despite having no intention of following her directions, the vines encircling my wrists and ankles burned with the need to obey.
I stepped back and Emilie did too, with a look of horror. I realized this was the first time she’d experienced the strength of our magical bindings. Her arms were pinned tightly to her side. It was as if the magic sensed her struggle and fought harder against it.
I kept that in mind as I allowed the vines to guide me where they wanted. Reyna moved further into the room with two of her minions behind her, dressed in all black with face paint distorting their features. Beneath the paint I could see scarred, mangled flesh. I wasn’t entirely sure that they were human.
“I have a job for you to assist with today. If I’m going to give you free room and board, the least you could do is help me prepare for a party this evening. The dining hall will need a deep clean as well as the drawing room. You can follow me.”
We didn’t have the chance to deny her. Reyna exited the room first, while Emilie and I followed mindlessly. The two henchmen trailed behind us.
Reyna again took us on what I suspected to be a roundabout path to the dining hall and kitchen. I tried to tally the turns and memorize the marks on the walls, but they all blended together.
Eventually, we came to a chamber filled almost entirely by a dark walnut table adorned with a black and turquoise floral arrangement in the center. A dozen chairs were spaced evenly around the table and a plush black and emerald rug was laid underneath.
There were no windows in the dining room, giving it a stifling atmosphere. It smelled like dust and damp, mountainous rock. A fireplace roared, and I embraced the warmth of its flames. Golden candelabras lined the exterior walls, flickering softly despite the still air.
Reyna pointed toward a sponge and bucket. “These floors will need scrubbed, and the mantle needs dusted. Once you’re done with that, the furniture in the drawing room has some stains that need tidied up. I want all of it sparkling clean by the time my house guests arrive this evening. That should give you about…seven hours,” she noted after checking the clock above the fireplace.
Emilie and I shared a suspicious glance. This couldn’t be all that Reyna wanted from us. Her big evil plan was to imprison us as housekeepers?
“And if we don’t?”
She sneered. “Then Luther and Tristan have my permission to punish you as they see fit.” She looked toward her guards and they nodded in understanding.
The skirt of her black dress swirled behind her as she left the dining room. Her two wardens stayed behind, guarding the open door to the hallway and another closed door, which I suspected connected the dining room to the kitchen.
“Well, you heard her. I guess we should get started,” I said.
Emilie didn’t move. I could see the wheels turning in her mind, though I wasn’t sure what exactly she was thinking. She whispered so the guards wouldn’t hear. “This is absurd. We shouldn’t be scrubbing her floors. We should be looking for a way out. Aren’t you supposed to be a war god or something?”
I huffed a laugh. “You’re living in a fairytale, princess. In the real world, things don’t work that easily. I don’t have any weapons. I don’t have any magic. And I don’t have my armies. What is it exactly that you think I can do?”
“I don’t know. Can’t you take out the guards? If we get their weapons then we can find a way out of here and run back to Osavian.”
“Do you know the way, princess? I didn’t realize you were familiar with the layout of this prison.” I couldn’t help the sarcasm in my tone. Emilie seemed to bring out the worst in me. “And what happens once we’ve escaped? If we escape? We’ll likely starve to death or die of extreme cold out in those mountains. No, it’s best to stay here and keep our heads down until we have a solid plan.”
Emilie looked indignant. “Fine. I’ll dust. You scrub.”
She flicked her hair over her shoulder as she headed toward the fireplace.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d scrubbed a floor. Never, perhaps? I was pretty certain that usually there was a mop involved, not a tiny sponge, barely the size of my hand.
I knelt before dunking the sponge into the soapy water, which had cooled to room temperature, and began to work on the spotted floors.
“What the hell is this?” Emilie asked. I looked to find her dragging a rag across the velvety arm of a sofa.
I shrugged. “Wine?”
She sat back and flung her hands into the air. “Wine isn’t going to come out. This is pointless.” She looked around the room as if she were trying to make sense of it all.
Much to my delight, the drawing room was the one place we’d been taken so far that had a window. I tried to inch closer to see where it led, but everytime I did, the guard moved toward me. Eventually, I gave up. It was nearing sunset, and the light cast a cool glow over Emilie’s freckled skin.
“Are you getting anywhere?” she asked me.
The entire day had been plagued by Emilie’s pestering and attempts to make small talk. I just wanted to be left alone with my thoughts. To think of other ways to escape or outsmart Reyna.
