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I pushed the unmarked stone. The door swung open and a gust of musty air billowed into our faces. There were no lights on the other side, but I knew this passageway like the palm of my hand. I gestured at Orla to follow me.
She grabbed my arm.
“No,” she said. “I’ll go first to make sure no one is outside.”
“I know this passageway better than anyone,” I replied. “Let me.”
“No,” Orla said firmly. “They might have set up a trap here. There could be guards outside. I don’t feel anything, but we can’t risk it. I’ll go.”
It was useless arguing with her.
I nodded.
Orla entered the darkness, leaving me behind.
It was hard to wait until she reached the other side of the passageway. It had only taken a few minutes, but as I leaned against the stone and waited for her to reach out, I could not stand still.
It’s safe, Orla said. Can you come on your own?
Of course, I replied.
I prepared myself to take that first step.
Then, I stopped.
This was stupid. Why would I enter that dark passageway on my own? There would be cobwebs there. It would be moist and dirty — certainly not fitting for a princess.
No. I would go back to my room to embroider a perfectly elegant-looking flower on a pillow. The perfect flower... Perhaps I could have enough time to embroider a few of them.
I could gift those pillows to some of our guests. They had come for my wedding from all corners of my realm and deserved a well-thought-out gesture of that sort.
And if I wanted to make sure none of the ladies felt left out, I would have to do a lot of embroidering before the wedding. I only had a few days. Better start right now...
I turned away from the passage to do just that.
But the hallway wasn’t empty.
The shock of seeing her woke me up from the haze of her control. I remembered who I really was and what I was supposed to be doing.
Lady Queill smiled.
“Get out of my mind,” I said, through gritted teeth.
Lady Queill raised both of her hands up in surrender, the cruel smile on her face lingering as her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“You got me, princess,” she said.
I felt Orla in me right then. I let her in without thought, even though I wasn’t sure if Orla needed my permission. She looked through my eyes and saw that it was Queill. She knew I was caught.
Leave, I said. And don’t come back. She has me. It’s up to you now to...
Orla did not bother to give me a response. I felt her refusal but did not hear her in my mind.
“Oh,” Lady Queill’s smile widened. “What was that? Are you talking to someone? Who is it?”
“You are enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked. I didn’t know what I could do to stall Queill so that she would not know Orla was here, but as soon as I thought about that, I realized my mistake.
“Orla?” Lady Queill’s smile faltered.
