Page 41 of Only Flames Remain

A smile pulled up the corner of my mouth. “I would, thank you.”

I continued down the hallway and stopped when I reached the apex of the curved staircase. I turned to Sorin, awaiting his instructions.

“Where to, Your Highness?”

“Follow me.”

He continued walking until I was practically winded from the distance. This castle was enormous. We ascended another flight of stairs to the fourth level and down another corridor lined with beautiful, ancient artifacts. At the end of the hall was a room with obsidian double doors adorned with golden, unlacquered brass handles.

I turned toward him, a question in my gaze. He gestured for me to continue onward. I did, grasping the brass hardware of the door in each of my hands and swinging both doors wide at once.

The rooms beyond were so impressive my mouth fell open of its own volition. The prince approached from behind me, and I quickly gathered myself, running my hands down my skirts.

My eye was immediately drawn to the arched grand windows lining the entirety of the back wall. They reached from the floor to the ceiling, the very top painted in beautiful stained glass. The view beyond was dark, but I could just make out the glimmering surface of Blackwater Lake beneath the crescent moon. Grand double doors led out to a stone veranda, an elegant balcony the color of the darkest night twisting and turning in an elegant design.

A massive four-poster canopy bed dominated the right side of the room, draped in deep crimson velvet that pooled toward the floor like spilled wine. The carved wooden posts rose into the shadow of the vaulted ceiling above. Candlelight flickered from every corner. Tall candelabras and clusters of tapered candles cast a warm glow against the dark stone walls.

To the left, a fire crackled low in the hearth, its glow reflecting off the black, polished marble floors. Before the fireplace were two chairs embroidered with black velvet. Beyond the fireplace was a dark oak bookshelf filled to the brim from the floor to the ceiling. The space was adorned with yet another sitting area—an ebony chaise covered in luxurious silk.

The air smelled of smoke, spice, and something darker.

Each item was meticulously placed as if the room weren’t even lived in. Everything in this room spoke of indulgence and control.

The fireplace mantle was golden, dripping down toward the marble floor as if it were molten fire, stopped in time. A portrait of a beautiful woman with amber hair was resting above the fireplace, the frame dark and ornate.

I wondered who she was, though she bore a striking resemblance to Sorin himself.

Before the bed was a heavy oak door that led to a painfully organized study. From what I could gather from the entryway, the room housed a rich mahogany desk, velvet mulberry wine-colored drapes, and books upon books.

The washroom must be the closed door before the fireplace.

I committed every elaborate detail to memory. If I were to poison him by infiltrating his quarters, I would need to be intimately familiar with this room and everything in it. I turned toward him, feigning full attention while my mind still reeled with possibilities as I silently cataloged everything I had seen.

A full decanter of liquid sat on the gilded table next to the two sitting chairs. I could add poison to it—assuming it wasn’t for show, and he partook in the spirits. I would make a note of how often I needed to refill it, thus illuminating how often he indulged.

The mahogany office desk was equipped with quill and parchment. It would be easy enough to dust a poisonous powder across the surface of them both—if I could procure such a poison in this kingdom. It would need to be ground into fine dust and would have a significant effect when inhaled. It would be risky if anyone else were to breathe it in, including myself.

He studied me, his eyes dark and unreadable.

“You’ll be in charge of tending to my housekeeping needs. Making the bed, changing the linens, freshening the textiles weekly. Sweeping. Dusting. Wiping down every surface. Washing my garments. Tending to the fire.” He paused, his gaze flitting to the far wall of arched glass.

“Do you need me to bring you your meals?” I asked.

“No.” Sorin shook his head. “I take my meals in the dining room with my family.”

Well…there goes that plan.

That eliminated half of the ingestible poisons I had already been thinking of as I mentally checked them off my list. Not having access to his food would limit the poisoning to inhalation or contact. It would be difficult, but not impossible.

Ingestion was always simpler and neater.

“Anything else?” I asked, ready for him to return to his business so I could explore his chambers in solitude.

He nodded, as if just remembering. “Yes. Voirel will be joining you. Voirel!”

He turned toward the door as he called out. I could hear the faint patter of footsteps down the hall.

“Voirel?” I asked. Would I be working with another maid? “The room is big, surely, but does it truly require two of us?”