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Several seconds tick by while we stand only strides apart, facing each other without a word until I finally decide to speak.
"Have you decided you'd like a taste of your own medicine? Is this penitence?" I gesture to the face covering.
"I am holding Court today." As usual, he responds without actually answering my question, but he has revealed something even more infuriating.
"So, you do allow people in the castle? Just not for the sake of your wife?"
The guards shuffle uncomfortably, but the king only sighs.
"I allow those in need to petition their king for a short period of time every other week.” His tone drips with condescension. “I wouldn't expect you to understand the difference, as that would require you thinking of someone besides yourself."
I stare down at the faded markings on my hands, so he won’t see the truth in my expression.
That I despise him.
This is at least the second time he has called me selfish, and it doesn't sting any less when coming from a man who essentially had me shipped here like I was little more than livestock, a man who couldn't begin to understand that I have spent my entire life at the expense of someone else's.
He hasn’t moved, but he is impossible to read, even when his face isn’t hidden.
“I think I prefer this face,” I say at last, gesturing to his mask. “The beast. At least there is honesty in that.” I walk around him without another word, giving him a wide berth and holding my head high until I reach the relative safety of my chambers.
He is better at avoiding me after that.
Khijhana is at least my constant companion, speculating and observing at my side. Even now, her ears twitch in warning.
I listen for the telltale footsteps in the hallway. They pause just in front of my door, their shadow stretching under the frame for several seconds before he decides to move on.
I’m not sure if the way my heart thunders within my chest is from relief or disappointment. Either way, his retreat is the sound we’ve been waiting for.
I ease out of the bed and into my slippers, careful not to allow a single floorboard to creak, in case he or a guard is listening. Tying the plush robe tighter around my waist, I ease open the panel in the wall and usher Khijha through before following her. I slide the hidden door back into place and pause, waiting to be sure Einar hasn’t decided to venture through the passageways this evening.
When I hear the scrape of his desk chair on his floor, I feel safe enough to creep down the hall in the opposite direction.
Many nights of this routine have taught Khijha and me the ins and outs of most of the castle. I’ve even found a door that leads to a back entrance of the castle. It’s solidly locked up, but only from the inside. I think I have come close to exploring all of Alfhild.
All except for the West Wing. There must be a passage somewhere, but I have yet to find it.
Khijha purrs and presses her body closer to mine in a gesture of comfort. I know she can feel the tension rolling off of me in waves, just as she is curiously in tune with all of my emotions. I’ve never had a pet, but the ones I’ve observed haven’t appeared to be nearly this intuitive.
Once I solve the list of mysteries this castle has to offer, I plan to learn more about chalyxes and why they are so rare.
We continue down several corridors, winding our way through the shadowy silence.
It’s somewhat unnerving how much I prefer the dark, hushed passageways to the light of day and interacting with people with murky motives. The shadows are illuminating, in their way, while the light offers so much brightness to hide behind.
Sadly, while my spying has revealed some information, it’s not the sort I was hoping for.
There seems to be an illness spreading through the castle. Many of the staff have taken to their beds; some of the courtiers as well. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m not allowed in the West Wing. I can hardly afford to fall --
The sound of whispering voices stops me in my tracks. Khijha doesn’t need to be told to be still. Her glowing eyes peer up at me expectantly, while her tail curls around my ankle.
I find the small opening in the stones, just wide enough to allow me to peer through if I squeeze one eye shut. I still my breathing, straining to listen carefully to the quiet conversation being held.
“...unimaginable.” A man’s voice comes from the other side of the kitchen.
It isn’t until the other speaks that I finally see them, two beaked forms.
“I know, I know. But what is he to do now? They’re already married.” This from the taller but far skinnier figure. His voice is deep, with its own sort of built-in echo, as if he is perpetually speaking in a cave.
