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"Indeed you have, my dear sweet goddess. Time for an outfit change," said Sophie, coming towards her with mischief alight in her eyes.
Chapter 28
Beingintightbreechesand a white shirt while hiding in a cold cell was a strange turn of events for Wren. It turned out that visiting the keep actually meant that people hid while one person searched for them. Sophie had gleefully filled her in on the way to her rooms where she provided an outfit change.
Wren had looked at her friend in disbelief when she had presented her with the shirt and breeches, but Sophie was clear that there would be no argument. Wren was painfully conscious of how the breeches clung to her as they were made for Sophie who was smaller than her. Even the white shirt that was usually loose on Sophie, clung to Wren.
Before they had even left Wren's rooms, they had argued until it was decided Sophie would be the one to find them. When Sophie and Wren arrived at the looming stone structure, Sophie had shooed her, telling her to go hide while she counted.
Wren had entered the dark building and was startled that the only light available poured through the thin cut windows along the walls. She had to wave away cobwebs and fight through the dust that inhabited the building. It was clear that no one had been here in some time and she wondered what the tower had been used for.
Her wandering brought her to a stairwell and she was shocked to see that it continued on for what she assumed to be the top of the tower. Each floor held a door along the stairwell and each floor seemed to have a series of rooms. Some looked like they had once been living spaces while some were still used for storage. One floor consisted of a series of cells that lined the walls of the tower in a circle.
That was how she ended up curled up in the corner of a long-abandoned cell hiding. She had curled herself into a corner where a set of handcuffs loomed above her. She regretted her choice in a hiding spot as soon as she settled in. If someone took the entrance to this floor and rounded the corner, she would be easily seen. She heard footsteps coming down the corridor, and she stood up pressing her body against the wall. The footsteps came closer, and she found her breath coming faster with every echo of footfall.
Soon the footsteps were close enough that Richard came into view, his eyes quickly landing on her.
"A terrible hiding spot, sister." He smiled roguishly.
"Well, I haven't had years to figure out the best ones so I am at a disadvantage," she complained.
"All right. Fair point. I will give you a tip as a gesture of good will," he said benevolently. "Top floor of the keep there is a wooden crate. Hide in it. I used to hide in there and they could never find me because if you turn the latch counterclockwise it's impossible to open from the outside."
He backed out the cell door. "But first, you count." He turned and ran out of the room.
Wren couldn't help, but smile at the lightness she felt. She counted for what seemed an appropriate amount of time before going to see who she could find. The keep was dark and cold and yet Wren wondered at the history the old tower had seen.
Wren made her way to the stairs, finding each floor and exploring it. Her legs ached from climbing so many stairs and she made a mental note to ask why there wasn't a floor limit for hiding. She came upon a room on the seventh floor that had its door suspiciously shut.
Wren's heart beat frantically as she carefully opened the door unable to prevent the aged creaking it groaned with. The small room held racks of old weapons that were obviously rusted and forgotten. She moved along the racks slowly pushing them out of the way. An axe dropped to the ground by her foot causing her to shout in alarm.
"Gods, Wren, why would you look behind weapons? Are you trying to get your foot chopped off?” said Sophie, crawling out of a pile of blankets in the opposite corner that she had failed to notice.
Wren only smiled at her. "I guess that means you are it."
Sophie cursed at her, but as Wren left, she could already hear her counting. Wren climbed what seemed like an unending amount of stairs until she was sure her legs would give out. Just as she was about to abandon Richard's hiding place, she reached the top, collapsing on the floor to catch her breath.
When Wren recovered enough to take in her surroundings, she found a circular room with tall narrow windows every few feet. She walked to one of the windows and a cool breeze found its way through the narrow slit.
Wren breathed in the cool air welcoming it after the climb up the stairs. She had never been so high up in all her life and when she dared a glance down towards the ground a queasy feeling filled her stomach forcing her to withdraw her gaze. When she worked up the courage to look again, she took in the expansive green fields and the castle looming nearby. She could see how the castle opened up to the many small gardens from the tower, and she could even see the village far in the distance if she squinted enough.
She wasn't sure how long she stood admiring the view, but soon she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Wren turned around in a sudden panic and found the box Richard had told her of. She quickly opened the lid of the box and folded herself inside, her hands searched for the latch to turn and found it right as the footsteps reached the top of the stairs.
Her heart beat so fast, she thought whoever was out there would hear her. She put her hand over her mouth trying to stifle the sound of her breathing.
"Richard, I heard you get in the box, you know Sophie and I used to let you hide in there forever as a game. It's not a great hiding spot." He began pulling off the lid of the box. Wren held her breath as she realized Richard was a liar as well as a poor strategist when the lid popped right off.
Malaki looked very surprised to see her instead of Richard. "You aren't Richard," was all he said.
"Well spotted," said Wren, standing up. "Your idiot brother told me this was a good spot to hide."
Malaki laughed and offered his hand, helping her get out of the box. She easily maneuvered her leg to get out without the constraint of a dress. When she went to get her other leg out of the box, her foot caught on the useless latch causing her to stumble. Malaki quickly reached over and caught her before she fell. Her breath hitched and she righted herself using his arms for support. When she stood straight again, she was holding either of his arms with hers and she was painfully close to him.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice almost a whisper.
"It's all right. It isn't your fault I'm clumsy." Wren shrugged nonchalantly, though still so close to him she was anything, but nonchalant.
"No, not for that." He pushed out a breath. "I'm sorry about how I treated you yesterday, and all the days before that."
