“Did we go to the same Summer Solstice Party or not?”
“What?”
Abraxas shook his head with a laugh. “And you’re suppose to be the cleverest of us all, Miss Volaticus.”
Maeve snatched Spinel away from him and walked away.
“Everyone needs to stop saying that,” she muttered to Spinel.
After her daily classes, Maeve laid back on her dorm room bed reading a particularly good chapter of a book Lavinia left for her as a surprise. It was waiting on Maeve’s nightstand, what used to be Lavinia’s nightstand as Head Girl, when she arrived at school. The note read:
I knew you’d come around.
-Lavinia
Spinel was batting at her bag, meowing. Maeve gently removed him and opened her bag. A soft green glow was emitting from the bottom.
Maeve grabbed the piece of parchment and looked at Mal’s handwriting as it scrolled across the page.
After dinner, after duties, meet me on the first floor.
When Maeve arrived, Mal was already waiting for her on the landing.
“Hello,” said Maeve curtly.
“We must not be seen,” said Mal quietly.
“I think we’ve mastered that,” mimicked Maeve.
He began walking, and Maeve followed.
They crossed the grand entryway and began the ascent into the dungeons of the castle. Mal looked over his shoulder as the corridor turned darker. The charm on Maeve’s wrist illuminated, lighting their way.
Ahead in the distance, light spilled into the corridor from the south stairs of the castle. To their right was the descent to the old dungeons, which were only used for storage now.
“What are we doing-” started Maeve in a hushed voice, just as Mal leaned his shoulder into the solid stone wall.
It gave beneath his weight, opening in a perfect rectangle and revealing a narrow set of stairs carved into the stone. Mal gestured towards the staircase that lowered deep under the castle. Maeve stepped towards the stairs and held out her arm. The charm shot light down into the uneven and steep stairs.
She looked back at Mal apprehensively. The hidden stone door was already closing behind him. There was only enough room for the two of them to stand on the top step. Mal snapped his fingers. A beam of hazy light dropped below them.
Mal offered her his hand. She looked down at it and back up at him. She placed her hand in his. His skin was smooth and cool. His fingers wrapped around her own.
He led her down the slick and narrow stairs. She braced her free hand on the stone walls as they made their descent.
“We’re going into the mountain?” Maeve asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
The air grew colder every few steps. Maeve’s grip on Mal’s hand tightened each time the uneven stairs caught her off guard. Maeve slipped behind Mal, her low heel slipping off her foot. He whipped towards her, grabbing her by the ribs and bracing her against the wall of the stairwell. Maeve winced as her back slammed into the stone.
She looked up at him with quick breaths.
“Wonderful,” she sighed. “More for you to hold over me.”
Mal’s dark chuckle filled the tight space. Maeve relaxed into his grip.
Mal didn’t release her. He moved his face towards her shoulder, brushing her hair back from her neck with his nose. Maeve reclined her head as her arms drifted to grip his forearms. He inhaled her scent slowly. His chest rose, pressing into her own.
