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When the first one was lit, I saw the bars of the cell.
It wasn’t just one cell either. The hallway was line with them. Row upon row of them.
I shone the lamp into one and screamed as I realized not only this cell, but all of them, were filled with people.
Prisoners.
Underneath me, all of this time. While I dined and got new dresses and contemplated over silly things like betrothals and mates and marriage—there were people suffering in cages that belonged to me—to my kingdom—under my reign.
“Who…?” A black-toothed man said to me, his dirt-covered hands gripping the iron bars.
“I am the queen.”
“Then let us go. Let us all go!”
I backed up, overwhelmed by the sheer number of prisoners I had under my care. I dropped the oil lamp and ran up the stairs, disgusted by how little I knew about my own people and the problems we were facing.
But this…this was an emergency.
Something had to be done about all of these prisoners and their dire conditions.
No way in hell I would let this go on any longer.
“Your Majesty?” Candace said, almost running into me as I got to the entryway, out of breath and grasping my robe for dear life.
“There are prisoners down there. The conditions are horrible and the smell…Who put them down there to rot?”
Candace dipped her head. “Bors. Should I call Leif?”
I shut the door, vowing to myself to take care of this—to do something about the horror going on right under my feet.
“Call everyone. At dawn, we’re going to take care of this tragedy, so help me gods.”
Chapter Nineteen
Dawn turned out to be the worst idea ever, but since I was the one who called the meeting, I supposed I had no choice. And those who I “invited” had been up much longer. We were gathered around an immense wooden table made just for such meetings in a room directly to the left of the throne room.
The local council, made up of village and guild and various other leaders was puffy-eyed and yawning, but the coffee the kitchen sent was helping more and more by the minute.
“I need an explanation as to why those people are down there. There’s so many of them. To be honest, and I don’t see this happening, but if those people were to revolt and break out, they would outnumber everyone in this room. Someone please explain.”
I was sure the story of the queen who stumbled into the dungeons in the middle of the night had already floated into their ears sometime between my declaration of the meeting and the coffee, so there was no need to explain why we were here.
Some of the older men on the council looked like they had better things to do.
“Your Majesty, we apologize for the mishap in the night. We had no idea the dungeons were so easily accessible. It had to have been frightening for you.”
Leif was so formal during these things. It was ridiculous.
“While I appreciate the sentiment, I am fine. What did frighten me were the sheer numbers of people down there plus the conditions in which they were being kept. So, if someone could please circumvent thelittle queen who found the bad room in the castletangent and answer me.”
Yeah, maybe I needed coffee, too. Possibly a pastry. I’d ordered some, and they had just arrives, smelling of cinnamon and ginger and looking delicious.
Gunnar was present at this meeting. I didn’t know what that meant, but there it was. At this point, I welcomed anyone who would actually answer me instead of dancing around the issue. He hadn’t said anything yet, but I watched his attentive gaze move from one to another of those present.
Suddenly, I had no patience for trying to figure out what people said, focusing on their lips in a room where a low hum of voices was making it extra hard. “Shift. All of you. Now.”
A moment later, clothing littered the floor and the table was abandoned. Instead we all stood around in a loose circle at the back of the room.
