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Where was I going?
A pull at the core of my being drew me to the right, toward the Great Hall. I swallowed, eager to return to my chambers, but I was almost there. And there wassomethingI had to see there… or something I had to do. I wasn’t sure. In a trancelike state I padded to the entryway of the hall.
The cauldron perched atop its pedestal on the dais, beckoning. The bluish fog always rising from the surface of the water seemed to glow—almost to shimmer, small shining flecks catching the moonlight from where it streamed in from the windows on either side of the space.
Liana…a strange voice whispered, and I whirled around, searching for the owner of the voice. There was no one.
My lips parted, and I stood perfectly still, waiting for whoever it was to come out. Did someone lure me there? Was this all some form of trickery to get me out into the open? Alone. Did I fall for it?
I crept forward, keeping my eyes and ears open in case of an attack, cursing myself for not bringing a weapon with me—for leaving my chambers at all.
As I neared, it was clear the buckling of the earth I felt beneath me during my Ceremony was no hallucination. There was a jagged, crater-like dent in the marble where I had stood, and a fissure sliced through the stairs and spider-webbed out through the Great Hall.
Liana,the phantom voice whispered again, the sound seemed to come from everywhere and no where at the same time. I ground my teeth, wrapping my hands into the fabric of my night clothes.
I had to go back. I shouldn’t have ventured so far from the safety of my chambers alone. But I was almost there—almost standing over the cauldron of water that almost destroyed me.
The fog thickened and pulsed as if it were a living thing. The air cooled to the point of freezing until plumes of steam accentuated my rapid breathing.
Be warned…the voice said, echoing inside my skull.Not everything is as it seems…
I wrapped my arms around myself to stave off the chill, speaking through chattering teeth, “Wha—what do you mean? Who are you?”
Liana…
“What do you want?”
A crash outside the Great Hall had me snapping my attention to the entrance, my heart galloping in my chest.
Run,the voice commanded, and a section of the wall opened behind the cauldron, warm air pouring from the darkness within. The sound of thudding footfalls heading straight for the Great Hall thundered from across the room. Without time to think, I flung myself into the hidden passageway and the stone door shut behind me.
The darkness was all-consuming. It was as though someone had thrown me into a vat of ink. The air was musty and warm and the floor slick with condensation. I shuddered, stabilizing myself with a hand on the rough stone wall as I stood. I listened for a sound, for anything, but was met with complete and utter silence.
If there was a way in, there must be a way out,I told myself, cursing my rash decision to jump inside. I pressed lightly against the wall where the hidden doorway had been, but somehow, I knew, I justknewit wasn’t safe on the other side any longer. Whoever had been about to enter the Great Hall wished me harm. And that voice, whatever—or whoever it was—was trying to protect me.
Swallowing my panic, I searched for another means of escape, using the walls of tunnel-like corridor to find my way.
What feltlike hours could’ve only been minutes as I followed the path around a sharp corner and saw a faint fissure of light up ahead.A way out!I raced to it, using my nails to pry open the section of wall. In my haste to break free of the blackness, I tripped, falling to my knees on the other side. The entrance sealed itself back into place behind me.
if the scent of lilac and rosebud was any indication, I was near the gardens. The passageway I’d just come out of had vanished. Only if I looked closely, could I see the near imperceptible line in the otherwise smooth stone wall.
I flew from the alcove, ready to run straight back to my bed, when a shadowy figure emerged from the gardens.
“Who’s there?” he shouted.
And I ran. I ran as fast as I could but didn’t get more than a few paces when I was tackled to the ground. He knocked the air from my lungs, and I struggled to breath. The male had me pinned to the ground, his hands like manacles around my wrists, his body weight pressing into my hips.
I thrashed and struggled, vaguely aware of the strangled sounds escaping my lips. The male was off me within an instant, staggering backwards.
“Queen Liana?” he asked, though it was more of a statement. He fell to one knee, bowing his head, his honey blonde hair looking more like muted beige in the bright moonlight. “Please forgive me.”
“Tiernan?”
What is he doing out here all alone in the middle of the night?And without a guard.
He looked up, and I saw the strain in his sharp features, “Please,” he repeated, “I didn’t know it was you.”
I stood, brushing the dust from nightclothes. “Why are you out here? Why are you even still here at all?”
