“How did you know where we would be?” I’m not sure if it’s the first question I should be asking, but it’s the first one to come to mind.
“We have someone on the inside.” I open my mouth to ask another question, but he cuts me off. “I promise I’ll explain everything to you, but right now we need to go.”
He grabs my hand and takes off running down the alley. A couple others join us, but there’s no sign of Cylas. When we come to a dead end, the man, whose name I still don’t know, taps on the ground.
“Step back,” he orders, gently guiding me with his arm.
The place we had just been standing suddenly opens up, revealing a hidden tunnel. He motions for the two other men to go down first, and we quickly follow behind. The passageway is already lit with glowing orbs, but even with the added light I can’t tell how far it goes or where it leads.
We’re not running anymore, but our pace is quick as we make our way through the tunnel. Once we reach what must be the end, the tunnel opens up again. This time we’re met with a forest of gold and rust-colored trees. I’m not sure how deep into the forest we’ve gone but based on how long it took us to get here we must be pretty far from the heart of the realm.
The man, who I would guess is in his late thirties, offers me his hand and pulls me up out of the tunnel. We walk only a few yards before they all stop. He nods to one of the other men who kneels on the ground. I watch as he removes the blackglove from his hand and places his palm on the grass in front of him.
I let out a gasp when a house appears before us. Whatever magic had been concealing its location has vanished, revealing a charming cottage-looking house camouflaged within the surrounding trees.
“Not what you were expecting, huh?”
I shake my head, still in awe.
As we walk through the front door, we’re greeted with the smell of cinnamon. It’s been so long since I’ve smelled anything resembling food that the scent instantly makes my mouth water. The two other men kick off their boots and plop down onto one of the couches. Whatever this place is it must feel like home to them.
“Come Reign, let’s get you settled.” The man with the scar leads me into one of the other rooms where a woman is laying a pile of clothes on the bed.
“Oh Artemus, you’ve brought home a stray.” The curvy woman waltzes over to us and swoops me up in her arms. “Hello, my dear! I’ve heard so much about you!”
When I turn to the man, whose name I now know is Artemus, he adds, “I promise I’ll explain.”
“First things first.” The woman walks out of the room and brings back a tall, bearded man with her. “Please get that monstrosity off this poor girl.”
The man walks behind me and before I can ask what he’s doing, the power dampener falls from my neck.
“How did you—”
“Ramus here, created these collars under King Cimmerian’s orders,” Artemus answers. “Before he handed them over, he made sure to put in a fail-safe that would allow him to override the lock if he needed to.”
I turn to the giant whose head almost touches the ceiling. “Thank you.”
He nods with a grunt before turning around and walking out the room.
“He’s a man of few words,” she tells me as she hands me a stack of folded clothes. “Let’s get you cleaned up! I’m sure it’s been a while since you’ve had a proper shower.”
“What gave you that impression?” I reply sarcastically.
The woman laughs hysterically. “Oh, I’m going to like you! It’s about time there’s another woman around here.”
She leads me into a bathroom and starts the shower. Just as she’s about to close the door behind her I start to say, “Thank you…”
“Tilliana,” she interjects. “But you can call me Tilly, dear.” She offers me a kind smile that reminds me of Agatha before leaving me to wash up.
The hot water feels like a massage as it pelts my bare skin. As I wash my body, I notice just how many cuts and scars now mark me. In the dark cell it was hard to tell and when I had seen my reflection in the oval mirror, I still had clothes on. But now there’s nothing hiding every wound that has been inflicted on me since I was brought to the kingdom.
When the water goes cold, I take it as my sign to get out. It’s going to take more than one shower to untangle the mess that is my hair, so I don’t even bother with it. Instead, I just put on the fresh pair of clothes that are slightly too big and avoid looking at myself in the mirror. I already know what I’ll see, and I’d rather save myself the heartbreak.
“Here you go,” Tilly offers, setting a plate of food in front of me.
Judging by the look on her face as she watches me shovel food into my mouth, I must look like a starving animal. I knowit’s not the best manners, but it’s been months since I’ve had solid food and I can’t control myself.
“Alright.” Artemus takes a seat across from me. “I’m going to do my best to answer any questions you may have but know that there are some things I can’t tell you.” I’m not exactly pleased that he’s already preparing me to be let down, but at this point I’ll take what I can get.
