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I stopped dead in my tracks, the music fading into nothingness, masked by the whirling in my head.
Bennett stood before me. I didn’t think he would come. He was in an all-black suit with a black turtleneck, and shoes that shined like his dark curled hair. His navy eyes were the only pop of color on him.
I didn’t even try to hide the eye roll from him. Pater specifically requested for the attire of his birthday celebration to be “Colorful and Fun” and what does Bennett show up in? Black. All black.
The attendees danced around the room while we both stood there as still as statues.
His lip turned up lightly. “Feeling stabby again?” He leaned in closer, lowering his voice only slightly. “I can almost guarantee your golden dagger is strapped to you right now on the leg that doesn’t have the ridiculously high slit.”
My head whipped around to see if anyone heard what had been said, but people just danced around us, the music engulfing them. I took a deep breath to calm the anger that would soon lash out at Bennett, but then I smelled something.
Alcohol.
Oh, stars.
Bennett was drunk. His eyes were slightly glossed over, and he swayed a little as he stood before me.
No, no, no.
Bennett could not be drunk right now. Not after what had happened last night. I didn’t fully know how well he took the news of my position in the court, and I didn’t even trust him sober to keep his mouth shut.
“No. I don’t have anything strapped to me, and I’m not feeling stabby,” I snapped back at him. My eyes darted around the room, trying to find an accessible pathway through the crowd of people and out of the dining hall. On top of that, I had to figure out a way to get Bennett out of here and away from the open ears of the gossips in this court.
He giggled and whispered, “Liar.”
The strings began to speed up once again. Oh no, we were about to change partners again, and there was no way I was letting Bennett out of my sight in this ballroom.
“Bennett, we need to leave now,” I said sternly.
“Pass.” He rolled his eyes and scratched his head, playing with one of his curls.
I bared my teeth. “Bennett, don’t test me.”
“So feisty, but I guess you should expect that from an. . .” He leaned in one more time and whispered in my ear, “. . .assassin.”
That was it. I yanked on his wrist and dragged him out of the center of the dance floor, despite the annoyed protests he was adamant on giving.
Damnit, he’s strong. There was no way I could physically pull him all the way out of here, and he was starting to resist me more now.
Frustration was starting to turn the tone of his drunken voice from loopy to annoyed.
“I’m not leaving this ballroom. There is alcohol here and tonight, I need it.”
He started to waltz back towards the dance floor, and I flung a hand out, fingers splayed. “Wait!” He looked at me, tapping one foot impatiently. “What if we go somewhere else with alcohol? Somewhere in a different part of the castle.” Bennett seemed to be calculating what I said, so I added, “Somewhere where you wouldn’t have to share your booze with anyone else.”
His head tilted to the side as his eyebrows shot up. “You know what, Rhiannon, that is a great idea.” He walked back towards me and grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the grand ballroom. “I know just the place.”
Bennett dragged me through the hordes of people, and in any other situation, I would never have tolerated this, but I was desperate for him to leave. So, I couldn’t put up too much of a fight against the strain on my wrist. He pushed people aside, and I had to apologize to the ones he shoved while I was given looks of annoyance from each person we passed. I scanned the room, looking for Amica and Miles, and silently thanked the stars that they didn’t seem to be around, surely caught up in the dance or looking for more drinks.
When we finally made our way out of the ballroom, Bennett didn’t let go of my wrist and continued to hold it through the numerous halls we passed through. The grand ballroom was on the fourth floor of the castle, and wherever he was taking me was on the lower levels. Down and down we went on the stairs until we were underground where the cellars, dungeons, and storage rooms were held.
I began to doubt his intentions of bringing me down here, saying, “Why are we here, Bennett? If you really wanted alcohol we could have stopped at the kitchens, or I could maybe bring some to your rooms.”
I tugged against him, but his grip only tightened.
“Patience, Rhiannon.”
I started to feel panicked. The only reason I could think Bennett would bring me down here would be to lock me up in a cell, telling everyone I went for a trip while I rotted down here. Why did it have to be Bennett who found out about my position? Anyone else would have been better. He was stronger and faster than me, and there was nothing in my power that could keep him from telling others my secret. All I could do was trust him, and I wasn’t very good at trusting.
Silence passed between us as we walked together, my heels on the cobblestones echoing off the walls. I had never been to the lowest level before; I’d never had a reason to. Pater never forbade me from coming down here, but never encouraged me to, either. He filled me in on the horrors of what many people down here had done. Thieves, murderers, rapists, and the like swelled in these dungeons.
Bennett turned a corner and unlocked a door using his craft. I followed him into what I expected to be some kind of storage room, but instead found myself in a vast chasm, and for the first time in my life, I laid eyes upon the Veladin prison.
