“We’re here.” She whispered, feeling around in her bag for a tiny key. Fitting it into the double doors, she pushed them open and ushered us inside.
Slick tiled floor nearly tripped me up as I entered the dark baths. A lone light gleamed across the room, where a lantern rested on a counter. The man dozing behind it shot to his feet,grabbing the lantern like it were a sword he could defend himself with.
Seraphim approached him, finger pressed to her mouth. “The lord’s kin seeks entry.” She whispered.
Rubbing his eyes, the middle-aged man gaped. “By the gods. I never thought you’d actually-” He fumbled around his counter, grabbing a ring of keys and hoisting his lantern. “This way. Keep quiet.”
The man’s light illuminated the baths, preventing any accidental dips into the water. I admired the spacious pools and decorative tile. This must be an establishment for the affluent—I’d never laid eyes on anything half as extravagant.
Percy bumped into me, similarly admiring the baths. “Seraphim? Do we have time for a-”
“Sh.” She hissed.
Holding back a laugh, I followed Seraphim through a back door into a store room, where our guide leaned down to fit a key into a trap door. Pulling it open, he climbed down first, then beckoned us to follow.
Shimmying down the ladder, I dropped down into a tunnel carved in soft earth. An escape tunnel for the royal family, back when this place had its own king, I’d imagine. Breathing in the stuffy air, I hurried after the guide as we fled beneath the city and the manor’s well-guarded gates.
Another rusted ladder waited at the end of the tunnel, and the guide crawled up, asking me to hold his lantern while he fitted his keys into the hatch above. It swung open into a shadowed pantry, his lantern shining on sacks of wheat and baskets of oranges.
Our guide waited until we’d climbed out before hurrying us through the door, past the kitchen, and into a dark dining hall. Setting the lantern down on the long table, he bid us wait. “I shall fetch the good lord. Stay here.” He said quietly before slipping away.
Sighing with relief, Seraphim pulled down her hood, red locks spilling loose. Percy collapsed into one of the dining chairs, perking up and feeling the cushion. “Wow.” He murmured.
“Here at last,” Seraphim said. “We should be safe now.”
I paused in the pantry door, watching Seth haul his dog up the ladder. Setting down the shaggy mutt, he exhaled from the effort. Tapping the dog’s rear to get Whisper away from the lord’s food stores, Seth touched my arm as he entered the dining room and anxiously paced around the table.
“Are you sure your brother’s people can be trusted?” He asked.
“They’ve served my family for decades,” Seraphim said. “They’re loyal to him.”
“Hm,” Seth peered out the door. “You’d be surprised how little decades can matter to some people.”
Eleos stood beside me, and I stiffened. “I read his thoughts. He was relieved to see Lady Seraphim unharmed.”
“Of course he was.” Seraphim pulled her mask off. “He was steward when I was a child.”
Hurried footsteps echoed down the hall, and a man stepped through the door—Seraphim’s brother, Lord Phaedrus. Fiery red locks tumbled around the shoulders of his luxurious silk robe, a beautiful black garment trimmed with silver. His features matched his sisters’: sharp and handsome, but it was his eyes that drew my attention.
Sage-green. Blinking, I rubbed my weary face and met his gaze.
He smiled. “You’re late.” He tutted, striding to meet his sister. “I was beginning to think I’d need to go in your stead.”
Seraphim embraced her brother. An exuberant grin stretched across her face. Genuine happiness. “Sorry. There were a few bumps along the road.” She stepped back. “There is much to tell-”
“Tomorrow.” Phaedrus interrupted. “These are your people? And you trust them?”
“With my life.”
“I’d praise the gods if you didn’t look half-dead.” He said. “I’ll prepare rooms for you. Wait here. And, help yourself to the pantry in the meantime.” Bowing his head, the lord turned and departed.
Percy whistled. “A noble larderandroom?”
Seth rolled his eyes as he threw open the kitchen door. “Percy,youwere a lord.”
“Only a minor one,” Percy grumbled, chasing after Seth.
My appetite withered into nausea. Wondering what had come over me, I wandered down the dark hall and reclined against the wall, waiting for the steward to return.
