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“I don’t know, but it has to be something important if they’re keeping these doors locked.” She sighed, pushing her hair off her face.
We moved slowly, trying door after door to no avail, finding only two small cupboards and the rest locked. Sweat clung to my skin as we moved farther down the strange hallway, finding not only the end of the doors we could see, but a sharp turn that blended into the wall seamlessly. I peered around the corner, my heart sinking when I was greeted with yet more doors.
I opened my mouth to tell Gracie it was pointless when the distant thrum of voices came from the entrance to the hallway we had just come down. Gracie’s eyes widened and, in an instant, we were scrambling, pulling handle after handle to try and find an open door to hide in.
Thankfully, after five unsuccessful attempts, one of the doors swung open to reveal an empty office space. Gracie and I fell through the door, closing it as quickly and quietly as we could and letting out relieved breaths as the voices outside of the door grew louder.
Loud enough that I recognised them as Cyrus and Cirro.
My head snapped around to look at Gracie, who was already staring at me with her mouth open, as though she could not quite believe what she was hearing. I put a finger to my lips, motioning for her to be quiet, and cracked the door open ever so slightly — only enough so I could hear their conversation.
“The heat down here is unbearable,” Cyrus’s voice carried down the hallway, and Cirro’s nasally chuckle followed.
“It is necessary, Your Majesty.” Cirro cooed, and I could not hold back the roll of my eyes.
“Yes, I know.” Cyrus sighed, their voices moving closer to the door we were hiding behind. “Has there been any changes?”
“None have been noted.”
Changes?I frowned as I pressed my ear as close to the small opening in the door as I could.
“It has been fourteen years, Cirro. This is ridiculous.” Cyrus’s voice was frustrated, and right outside the door. They had stopped walking, and I winced as I pulled away from the door, slinking back into the shadows slightly.
Cyrus stood in the middle of the hallway, his hands pushed into his pockets and a frown on his face as he stared down at his adviser. His hair had been pulled back with a leather tie, and his shirt was unbuttoned to the middle of his chest. It was untucked and his trousers lay atop his boots. He looked as though he had just rolled out of bed to do whatever it was they were doing.
Cirro did not look much better. I could see the sweat on the small Fae male from here, and I grimaced at the almost sickly colour of his skin. His hair was just as greasy as it always seemed, and his belly was barely contained within the straining shirt he was wearing.
“I am aware, Your Majesty.” Cirro huffed, out of breathand flushing from the heat, “There is a chance it may not hatch at all.”
My eyes widened, and my head snapped around to look at Gracie, who was staring at the door in shock. They were talking about Aepein’s egg. It was down here, in this castle, hidden behind one of these locked doors. My heart ached in my chest and anger roared through my blood. Cyrus had known the egg was here this whole time and had not mentioned it once. The thought of reuniting Aepein with her lost child made my eyes sting, but I blinked back the emotion. That could be dealt with another time. First, I needed to find out which of these rooms the egg was in.
“How is that possible?” Cyrus hissed, the pair outside the door starting to move again, “We have enchantments, spells, evencrystals, powerful ones! They are all for this ridiculous egg!”
I had never heard him sound so petulant, and I heard Gracie snort from beside me.
“I am aware,” Cirro repeated, and even he was beginning to sound fed up with the way Cyrus was talking. “We have raised the temperature in the room to mimic the temperature of a dragon’s fire, to see if it coaxes any type of response.”
“Good. I want that dragon, Cirro.”
“We all do, Your Majesty.”
The two male’s voices disappeared alongside the sound of an opening and shutting door, and Gracie and I stood in shocked silence.
I had to find out what room they were keeping that egg in. Now that I knew it was down here, adrenaline coursed through my veins at the thought of finding it and taking it home. Gracie placed her hand on my arm, her eyes wide and skin pale, and I knew she felt the same.
Once the silence had stretched on long enough, I pulled the door open again, peering my head around the frame to see if the hallway was once again empty. Thankfully, it was, and with the torches still lit. I let out a breath, stepping out into the sweltering hallway and staring down towards where Cyrus and Cirro had headed.
Knowing what I now did, my conversation with Gracie from earlier that evening popped back into my head, solidifying that yes, I was still going through with my plan.
12
Maeteo
The air whipping around my face made my eyes water. My teeth had been chattering for a grand majority of the flight over the southern seas; despite our proximity to Fire, the mix of Aepein’s speed and our height above the ocean made the wind icy cold.
Hollis was curled into a ball against my chest. She had started shivering soon before I had, and with Tarian in front of her I did not need to worry about him seeing me curling my arms around her waist and pulling her against me. If he did look over his shoulder, I would simply tell him I was trying to keep her warm. Her small hands were curled around my forearms, her thumb moving in a slow pattern on the inside of my wrist.
The southern sea gave way to white sandy beaches, and a sigh of relief left me at the sight of them. Whilst I lovedhorseback riding and flying through the countryside at a full gallop, being on the back of a dragon and soaring above a bottomless ocean was too much for me. Going to war felt more comfortable. Aepein angled herself downwards after a small motion from Tarian, and I clung slightly tighter to Hollis as the motion sent a wave of nausea through me. The downwards spiral towards the beach made me feel lightheaded, and I was convinced that my stomach had been left with the clouds.
