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Chapter One
The torch flickered, casting ominous shadows along the slick stone walls of the corridor. It turned out there was more to the secret passageways in the palace than I thought. In my haste to find where the painful pull in my chest had emanated from only a week past, I had missed it. There were openings in the corridor everywhere and each led to a different place. I bet one could arrive anywhere in the palace if only they knew which paths to take.
In the days following the Solstice Ball, I made it my personal agenda to map out the tunnels and stairways hidden behind the walls. I had found exits leading to the servant’s quarters, the kitchens, and the ballroom. Though it seemed no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find the way back to Morgana’s statues, and I hadn’t heard her voice in my mind since I was last there.
I rounded another bend, throwing my torchlight into the next corridor. Rats scurried away from the light of the flame and a shiver rolled up my spine. I had been following this path for an hour now, trying to head in what I thought was an easterly direction, down and down and down. But it only grew darker, and I saw no sign of an exit anywhere up ahead.
Alaric would be furious if he returned to my chambers to find me gone… again. I’d been given a taste of freedom since the threats against my life were eradicated. But I still hadn’t told him everything about the Mad King, and the Blessed Blade, and the stone I still wore on my index finger. I would have to tell him eventually, but then it would be back to escorts everywhere I went and an audience while I slept.Ugh.
Just another day. One more day of freedom and I would tell him, and we’d figure it all out together—the five of us.
A snorting sound up ahead threw me off balance, my foot caught on a loose stone and I winced, my toe throbbing. A low whinny echoed through the dark and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I raced ahead, careful to keep an eye on the uneven ground. The corridor dead-ended up ahead. Mustering my strength, I shoved at the stone wall, and was rewarded with a groan as it inched open.
The strong smell of the stables assaulted my nose, filling the space with the vapid odors of sun-dried hay and tangy manure. I peeked out, finding no one there tending to the beasts. But of course, there would be no one, not in the wee hours of the morning. The sun had yet to rise, and the night sky was still dark enough to see the speckling of a thousand stars.
Quickly and quietly, I doused my torch in a bucket of water and slipped out, using my shoulder to seal the hidden passageway behind me. The warm summer breeze pulled at the fabric of my blouse and lifted the sweat-dampened hairs from my collarbone.
The stalls stood to my right, and open-air and the fenced grazing area spread out before me to the left. Another whinny had me standing on tip-toe to peer into the first stall. A brilliant white stallion stood proud inside, lifting his head as though in greeting.
“Hello,” I said to the horse, recognizing him from the intricately embroidered leather saddle, and topaz headstall hung on the wall behind him. It was Tiernan’s horse.
I cocked my head at the massive beast, and after a moment’s consideration, I unlatched the door and opened the stall. The horse eyed me suspiciously, his ears pressed flat against his head. “It’s alright,” I crooned, stepping inside.
I had seen plenty of horses since my return to the palace, but never before then. There was no need for them on the Isle of Mist. It took only an hour to walk its circumference.
The horse stepped back, stomping its font hooves against the hay covered earth.
“What are you doing?”
My heart leapt into my throat and I tripped in my haste to turn around, falling on my rear in a pile of hay.
He laughed and casually strolled into the stall to help me stand. My eyes adjusted to the dim to find Tiernan. I took his outstretched hand and brushed off the bits of hay clinging to me, acutely aware of how I must look. Cheeks stained red, my hair an absolute mess, and wearing trousers of all things.
I swallowed, dropping his hand, “What areyoudoing here?”
Tiernan shrugged, and I noted how his tunic hung open at the collar. Smooth tan skin showed beneath, and his hair was pulled back with a strip of leather, bundled in a tangle of gold at the nape of his neck. “I come here every morning to tend to him. He’s an energetic horse. If I don’t take him out for a ride, he’s a nightmare for the stable-boys.”
“Oh.”
He raised his brows, moving to fetch the tack from the walls, “Does Alaric know you’re down here alone?”
I pursed my lips at him, earning myself an exaggerated sigh, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him… if you’ll let me escort you back to your chambers,” he challenged, gesturing to his horse.
“On that? Can’t we walk?” I crossed my arms over my chest, my pulse racing at the idea of climbing onto something so big.
He tightened the straps on the horse’s sides, securing the saddle in place. “We could, but where’s the fun in that? I’m assuming you’ve never ridden before.”
“So?”
“This can be your first lesson.” He finished saddling the beast, and stroked its long mane, whispering something in its ear. “Don’t look so frightened. Come, Liana, he won’t bite you. At least, not after I’ve politely asked him not to.”
“That’s reassuring,” I said, snickering at him, but I crept across the stall to where he waited, hands laced together in a sling to help me step up into the saddle.
A horse would not best me. I was certain every noble in the palace knew how to ride horseback and were not intimidated by the animals. It would be simple enough. All I had to do was sit in the curved leather saddle and hold tight to the reins. If I trusted a mischievous Draconian warrior to carry me through the skies, I could trust a horse to carry me over ground. Right?
I stepped into Tiernan’s hands, and took hold of his shoulder, “You’re coming too, right? I don’t know how—”
“Yes, Liana. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”
