Brow wrinkling, I stared at the green-eyed man, who rubbed his nose and rolled his eyes. “You weren’t supposed to say anything, Perse.”
“Oh. Oops.”
“Wait,” I interjected. “What do you mean?”
A thin line of light spilled down the hall as a door opened in the distance. Footsteps sounded on the stone floors. Leaning forward, I watched as a woman strode into view, a lantern held up to dispel the pall, casting fiery light over her red locks.
The woman who’d stolen the Bloodstone stood before my cell, comfortably unshackled, dressed in a stylish charcoal coat. Baffled, I furrowed my brow and stared at her in disbelief.
She leaned forward, face obscured behind a plain white mask. “Eager to get out of there?”
Usually, I came up with retorts quickly, but I found myself at a loss for words. Instead, I gaped at her, unable to understand why she walked free.
Pulling a ring of keys from her belt, the red-haired woman unlocked my cell and pulled it open before unlocking the men’s cells. Shooting to my feet, I paused at my cell’s threshold.
“What’s going on?” I demanded.
Casually pushing the other cell doors open, the woman glanced at me. “Someone has an offer for you. A job, in exchange for freedom.”
“Did they offer you the same?”
“In a sense.” The red-haired woman said. “Getting caught was always part of the plan.”
Still confused, I glanced between the men who’d been imprisoned with me.
Noticing my look, the red-haired woman smiled. “Eleos was worried you’d feel lonely if you were detained alone. Now, come.” Returning the keys to her belt, she strode away.
I remained in my cell, watching the woman’s heeled boots click on the stone, her coattail flapping behind her. While thegaudy purple noble chased after her, the man named Eleos paused beside me. “Are you coming?”
Nervously glancing around, I emerged from my cell and pursued the strange woman. “You thought I’d be lonely?” I asked, glaring at him.
“Yes,” he said softly. “You’ve never been imprisoned before. It’s not a pleasant experience.”
“And how do you know that?”
Eleos hurriedly looked away. “I’ve been watching you for some time.”
“. . . why?”
“Mistress Seraphim will answer all your questions.”
Seraphim. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place from where the memory stirred. I’d never met a woman of her stature and brilliantly colored hair before.
None of the dungeon guards stopped us. They nodded at Seraphim as she passed and watched me closely, but said nothing. We ascended the stairs to the palace’s first floor and turned sharply down a hall before entering a door.
A middle-aged man sat at the desk inside, dressed in beautiful red robes gilded with gold. He raised his quill from a piece of parchment as we entered, dark eyes flicking over his guests. Rising from his seat, he ran a finger along the bookcases lining the back wall and pulled out a thick, ancient tome.
Seraphim spoke words of introduction, but I already knew who this man was from his uniform. Lord Atropos, the king’s Archon. This was the man who oversaw the council and ran the country behind closed doors.
Raking my fingers through my hair, I tried to straighten my ruined locks, but a glance at my torn gown dissuaded me from trying.
Cradling the old book, the Archon approached me. “You’re talented. To have effortlessly blended in with the crowd and convinced everyone you belonged, with only a handful of words. To say nothing of that difficult forgery.”
“Thanks.” I cleared my throat. “I had a good teacher.”
The Archon raised his eyebrows and flipped open the book. “Tell me. How much do you know about the Empty?” With a heavy thud, he dropped the book onto his desk.
I studied the book, reading the faded lines of text and smudged drawings: history Ainwir had taught me long ago. Everyone knew what the Empty was. Beyond the borders of the livable world, a great, unending void swallowed what once had been verdant. With every passing year, the border of the Empty expanded, and the land we called home shrank.
