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The gate was easy to spot when you knew what to look for, although it blended into the wall, painted in similar shades of cream and white. A curtain of evergreen ivy shielded it from view.
Picking locks was something she’d trained in while she was a pawn in the King’s army. She had excelled at it. She pulled two metal pins from her hair, and the section they’d held back curled into her face, obscuring her vision as she proceeded with practiced ease.
Sweat beaded at her temple as she jiggled the bars inside the keyhole. The click came soon after, and the gate eased open, allowing the muggy air of underground tunnels to whiff out.
It was impossible to see a thing once the door had swung shut behind her. She stepped down polished stone steps, taking one at a time until she found the softer ground below.
It took her eyes a while to adjust to the pitch-black darkness. It took her even longer to get her bearing as she set out through the tunnels. She hadn’t expected them to be so mazelike. She didn’t want to use her magic and drain her energy further. Nor was she sure what awaited her once she got out of this labyrinth.
How long had she been here? She continued on the path with the strongest breeze running through it, hoping it would lead her inside the governor’s house. The surrounding scent of mud cleared the further up this way she went, and the air warmed up, which was a good sign she was getting closer.
“Well, look who came to play,” Julius’ voice rang over her, smug and suave. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on edge. She pulled her knife with a trembling breath and turned around—but met no one.
How did he know she was here? Where was he?
Her surroundings spun around her as she turned again and again, trying to find the bastard anywhere in the carved rock that cut her off her on all sides. Wait. Which way was the back and which the front? Where had she come from?
“Cora.” He chuckled, his tone that of a good-hearted greeting, and yet it felt nothing like it in her current situation. “There you are.”
He appeared from the shadows, a mirage come to life. His power had hidden him from view all along with a shielding spell. Easy for someone like him to master, whereas it was impossibly hard for gray sorcerers like herself. She’d ran her energy reserves dry when attempting to cast one while crossing the yard.
Her heart stopped, and a nip of pain extended from her skull down to her neck. The numbness traveled to her limbs, a sudden cold that burned underneath her skin.
She registered the thump of her knife as it fell into the mud below. Her surroundings flowed like ocean waves. She fell, and everything appeared to go in slow motion, until the arms of the snake wrapped around her body. With little care, Julius draped her over his bony shoulder.
Panic rushed through her as the numbness continued to hold her limbs prisoner, and her sluggish mind struggled to come up with ways to escape. Although she tried to grab the fabric of Julius’ coat, everything refused to move—why couldn’t she even do something so simple? There was no scent of magic in the air. No ropes tying her down. Nothing hurt.
“Save your efforts to fight it. It’s a well-crafted brew known to paralyze every limb. It even makes some people forget what happened to them while under the influence. You don’t have to worry about that, Cora. You will be eternally sleeping by then.”
The dim tunnel moved around her, and she registered the screech of rusty hinges as a door opened and shut behind them. They entered a large hallway with stone flooring and gold-framed pictures hung on the walls, fuzzy around the edges of her vision.
Julius strolled through it like he owned the place. He whistled a cheerful, macabre tune, ignoring the guards that sneered as they passed them by—at her, or at Julius? She’d never know.
A familiar voice called to them. A sound that pulled at her heartstrings and made the adrenaline already pumping through her body double. She opened her eyes and tried to focus on the words.
“Is she all right? Should I call the healer, sir?”
“No.” Julius’ deep timbre rolled under her stomach, and his hands came up her thigh, squeezing. Although the sensation was dulled, her stomach revolted at his touch. Nausea twisted her gut.
“Should I bring her dinner, then?”
“There won’t be a need for that either. You see, Cora is not a guest. I don’t want word to spread about her being in my chambers. Is that understood?”
Silence.
“Is that understood?” Julius repeated with a snarl, abandoning his false politeness.
“Quite, sir.”
“Good. I would hate for you to encounter issues while I’m here.” Julius shifted his weight, turning away from the man, dismissing him. “Make sure no one disturbs me.”
As he moved, Violet could finally see the man. His tired expression matched that of his daughter, Myna. Harry’s eyes widened when their gazes met. His jaw, covered in a dusting of blond beard, jutted forwards as it clenched tight, his knuckles whitening where he clutched the wooden handle of a mop.
Laura must have heard about the separate entrance from her brother-in-law if he worked here. Not from a town’s gossip. Which meant that Violet’s stubborn refusal to follow any advice she was given had cost her not only her own life, but what was far worse… she’d failed Gavin as well.
She couldn’t even tell if tears wetted her cheeks. This was a nightmare, and she’d failed Gavin and herself.
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