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I pressed my ear against the wood and held my breath. Nothing. There were no sounds coming from the other side.
I looked back over my shoulder, knowing I needed to move quickly because the longer I was here, the riskier it was that I would get caught. After all, the mirror was hanging open back in Vanessa’s room.
I couldn’t turn back now, not when I was close to answers. I said a silent prayer and turned the loose doorknob slowly. It creaked slightly as I pushed the door, which brushed something, and I saw a tapestry hanging there.
It was one of the heavier ones, but there was just enough space that I could inch through the door and peek around the side. I stepped so slowly out of the door, holding it open with one hand as I peered around the tapestry, trying not to let any part of my body stick out around it.
The room wasn’t familiar at first. There were tables strewn about and dishes that were unmarked, not the china that the fae ate off of. But it wasn’t our staff area either. I tiptoed to the other side of the tapestry and saw weapons hanging in droves along the wall.
Laughter boomed from down the hall as the sound of men’s voices and heavy thudding boots got closer. I stepped into the crack of the door, closing it almost all the way, but leaving it open enough that I could hear.
“Shift change in five,” a voice said as the group moved into the room.
The guards’ quarters. I was in the guards’ quarters.
Whoever Vanessa was meeting was someone with access to the guards’ quarters. And it wouldn’t be the first time one or more of them were in on something they shouldn’t be. I closed the door, careful to keep quiet before turning and moving back up to my own exit. Winding through the chilly stone walls.
When I was finally able to see some sort of figures in the passageway again, I breathed a sigh of relief. Almost done and clear of this crazy idea.
I stubbed my toe and yelped before bringing my hand to my mouth.
Shit!
I barely breathed in the moments that followed, and when I heard nothing, I started moving again.
The doorway came into view.
And so did a shadow.
I froze in place as the terror that had been inside of me the entire time I explored Vanessa’s room came to the surface.
I was caught, with nowhere to run.
“What do you think you’re doing, Cora?”
