“Your Majesty!” a guard shouts from the end of the hall, pulling my attention. His weapons are drawn, his face red and cheeks puffed. “Your Majesty, come quickly!”
Nodding, I wave my hand to dismiss him before turning back to Sorin, but when I do, he’s vanished. Like a phantom in the wind, the only proof he was ever here is the small dagger left at my feet.
Twenty
Elora
“You must move quickly,”one of the Enchantresses says. “Another guard will be down soon.”
“How?” The keys rattle in my shaking hands as I approach the first cell. “How are you here and I haven’t heard you all this time?” I didn’t think a heart could break so many times. But over and over my heart shatters as I glance at each woman locked in chains.
“It’s the keys,” the Enchantress before me says. Her eyes like molten, blue flames; her cropped dark hair shining under the low light. “Only the bearer of those keys can hear us and we them. It’s some sort of spell. Crafted by evil, I’m sure.” Her eyes meet mine. Pain and anger are laced there, but not fear.
She gestures for the padlock on the iron door. “Now quickly.”
As the key slips in, it’s as if my mind has left my body. As if I’m watching from above like a spirit. The final twist and the cell opens with a loud click. We both freeze, our eyes wandering slowly to the staircase where I’m sure another guard will come rushing down.
Another minute passes.
No guard.
The door before me swings open, and the Enchantress takes a tentative step out. My eyes go directly to her wrists. Not raw, but scarred and raised. I unshackle her and catch them before they have a chance to fall onto the ground.
“Give me the keys,” she whispers. Without thought, I do as she says. One by one, she unlocks each door. My mouth hangs open as each Enchantress steps out of their cells. They’ve been here the whole time. A few paces from me. These women…
“Let’s go,” the dark-haired woman says, tossing the keys back to me.
“Wait!” She and the other five Enchantresses turn in unison. They all share the same scarring around their wrists. The same look of determination across their faces. “You can’t just…” I gesture to the stairs.
We’ll get caught.
The dark-haired woman smiles, but there’s nothing warm in her expression. “You can wait here if you want, Enchantress. But we—” She turns, glancing at each of the other women by her side. “We have had enough. We’re going.” She quickly bolts for the stairs, and one by one the rest of the Enchantresses follow.
They’re not afraid.
No. Because they no longer have anything to lose.
Not giving myself any time to think twice, I pocket the keys and follow them up the stairs.
The Enchantresses ahead of me take their time, tip toeing on bare feet down the narrow hallway. String instruments sound around us, stopping and starting again, never playing a full melody or chorus. Almost as if they’re rehearsing. My stomach grumbles as wafts of sugary baked goods fill the hall.
The Autumn Moon.
My breath hitches. Can it be the Autumn Moon already? Have I been here that long? The thought instantly guilts me asI glance to the six women ahead of me. They’ve been here much longer given their emaciated state and scarred skin.
Coming to a stop, the dark-haired Enchantress gestures for me to join them. “What’s your magick?” she asks, her back flush against the wall.
“Elemental. But I’m not sure?—”
“We’ve been mostly drained.” Her eyes peer around me, toward the end of the hallway. Any moment someone could round the corner. My heart races as I watch her.
“We don’t have much left,” she continues, “but with your help maybe we won’t be completely defenseless.” She smirks, but as she tucks a wisp of hair behind her ear, her hand trembles.
“I haven’t been able to access it.” My stomach drops at the admission. While Galen hasn’t had success harvesting my magick, it’s as if it’s been buried away, tucked tightly inside of myself, hiding from the threat of being stolen. “But I’ll try.” I offer her a quick smile which she returns.
“Someone’s coming!” another Enchantress whispers from behind us. Sure enough, over the loud string instruments, boots shuffle around the corner. Clattering trays and chatter accompany it.
With all seven of us, there’s no way to hide. So, instead, we form a line across the hall. The way we came only leads back to the dungeon, so with our backs to the door, we wait for whoever rounds the corner. I raise my hands, as do all the Enchantresses next to me. The lump in my throat makes it impossible to swallow.
