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“Seems like a fair curse to me,” Lancelet commented.
I wasn’t going to argue.
I thought of what my uncle had told me. That the Valtain king had been complicit. My father.
Did I tell Lancelet that part of things? I swallowed. Not yet.
“The Siabra court is underground. Their palace is built next to a volcano under the earth.”
Lancelet gave me a look as if she wasn’t sure if I was joking.
“Truly, it was. They have powerful magic. They can do incredible things. The palace was beautiful. Beyond anything Arthur could possibly fathom. And the people...” I searched for words. “They’re so different. Not simply different-colored hair or eyes. They have claws and horns, even wings.”
Now Lancelet looked repulsed.
“But they’re beautiful,” I said quickly. “They’re different, yes, but incredible. Each one is so unique. And their abilities...”
Lancelet raised a hand. “Wait. Hush.”
We’d traveled through the passage and up a narrow stone flight of stairs. Now I realized we had come to a dead end. A stone wall.
“Cloaks and coverings,” Lancelet instructed. I checked my own as she pulled her scarf more tightly around her face, concealing all but her eyes.
“Your skin is glowing,” she said accusingly, as she inspected me.
I had covered my hair completely with the scarf and hood, and now I pulled the scarf up over my mouth and nose.
“I can’t help that,” I said, my voice muffled slightly. “Is it very noticeable?”
She shook her head slowly. “But it’ll be even darker out there. They don’t light as many of the street lamps as they used to. We’ll stick to the shadows. No one should notice. Unless they get close.”
She touched her hand to the wall. “All right, let’s go. Quickly. I don’t want this door open longer than a second. We’ll go back a different way, in case we’re followed.”
I nodded, standing as close to her as I dared.
She moved her hand to one side, slipping along the stone wall, and I heard a clicking sound. An opening appeared, narrower than a door but big enough for us to squeeze through one at a time.
“Go,” she hissed, stepping back.
I moved quickly through the opening, then stepped to the side as Lancelet emerged behind me. Flicking a hidden lever in the wall, the opening slid shut.
“Do you think anyone saw?” she asked, her voice low.
“There’s no one around us to see.”
It was true. We were in a dark, covered alleyway.
It reminded me of the one I had once stood in with a knife at my throat. The night Draven had ridden up and slaughtered the men who threatened me, then tossed me onto his horse like a sack of hay.
Of course, it hadn’t been all bad. Being pressed up against his warm, firm body on that horse hadn’t been unbearable.
A lot had happened since that ride.
“Less and less people out,” Lancelet said bitterly, looking down towards the end of the alley which opened into a market square. “They’re afraid. This used to be a bustling market, even late into the evenings. Well, you remember. Now look at it. We’re lucky we didn’t step out into the midst of an encampment.”
She started walking down the alley.
“Encampment?” I asked, hurrying after her.
