“I need to put the torch out. Look here—there is a shelf cut out of the stone.” I saw, just to the side of the ladder, a small alcove in the stone. There was something already placed in the alcove long—like a giant candle snuffer.
Selene picked up the snuffer and showed me how she used it to put out the torch.
“I’m putting the torch and snuffer back on the shelf. There is also a spark lighter, flint, and stone, in the alcove. There is a similar shelf back at the dressing room entrance.”
I nodded, and soon we were in darkness again. “Selene,” I called worriedly.
“I’m here,” she said and took my hand. “I need to ascend first. My blood is necessary to open the seal above,” she explained. “I’m going to place your hand on the first rung of the ladder. Follow behind me. It’s not far; you won’t fall,” she encouraged before I felt the cold metal of the ladder and her hand left mine.
I heard her climb the ladder. “Follow me, pet,” she instructed, and I took hold of the ladder, moving my hands to the sides and upward before stepping onto the first rung to follow.
Soon, I could see daylight from the open exit and I was relieved when Selene’s face appeared above the opening. She reached out, easily pulling me up and out the secret passageway.
We were outside, on a hillside. Shrubbery surrounded us and acted as cover.
“We’re outside the estate grounds?” I asked as I looked around.
“Barely,” Selene answered. “Look there.” She took my shoulders and turned me. “The apple orchard is on a hill but just above the treeline, you can see the mansion.” I saw the pointed towers of the mansion. We weren’t far at all. A short run really—up the hill to the apple orchards.
“If the building was built with such concern for safety—barricaded doors and secret passageways—why was it built downhill?” I questioned.
“Below us, there are many old mines. My mother’s ancestors made their fortune through mining. There were large deposits of coal and oil in the sea territory that once belonged to Ardens. The ground here is not safe to build upon,” she explained.
“Does Ardens still mine?” I asked curiously.
“Not so much, not coal anyway. Some time ago, when my mother was a child, they found a deposit of sapphire. Very small deposits weren’t unusual, but this was larger and restored the wealth of Ardens for a generation at least. New and existing avenues of trade and revenue must be funded if Ardens is to keep its place and prestige in the north,” Selene explained, and she sounded drained, exhaling softly.
“This is a problem you’ve been worried about?” I asked.
She nodded and began to walk further uphill. I followed her silently, taking her arm and offering a smile when she glanced down at me.
To my surprise, there was an old stone, either carved by man or time, to resemble a bench. Selene took a seat and faced the estate. I sat beside her. From here, we had a vantage point of most of the estate.
“Can people see us?” I asked.
“Most likely,” she replied and rested her head on my shoulder. I rested my head against her in return.
“Won’t they wonder how we got here?” I asked, worried we would give the secret passageway’s location away.
“Let them wonder. The older servants will know, to some extent, of the passageways—no doubt, it is their home too—but without my blood or a relative, they can’t gain access, not without tearing down the walls.”
“Are you very worried?” I asked.
“About?” she questioned, and I felt the full weight of her rest against me. It was nice. The stone was cold, draining the heat from my buttocks, but Selene beside me was warm and heavy.
“Ardens, and trade and stuff,” I tried.
“No, yes,” she sighed, “I worry not for Ardens. This could be our home someday. A real home. No throne, no duties—well, none like that of a kingdom—and no laws that really matter to hinder us. Viridis have set a precedent for generations. They award titles within their House to any in line regardless of status. We could follow their lead. Have a child of our own, maybe—" my breath caught in my throat in surprise, “sometime far in the future,” she added, “Ardens could be safe for us.”
I listened carefully, sure that my heart had sped up at the mention of a child. I was unaware that Selene was planning our future. It made me nervous—a sick kind of nervous. I wasn’t ready. Was she planning to abdicate the throne? To give up everything she had ever known or wanted for me? What did that mean? What kind of impact would that have on the kingdom? On us?
“You… Kids? Selene, I’m… I’m not ready and… and you don’t want to be queen?” I asked her slowly, trying and failing not to let my shock and worry show.
“It might be necessary in order to have you like I desire,” Selene finally responded, lifting her head from my shoulder and facing the Ardens Estate.
“Is it what you want?” I continued, my heart thumping against my chest, horribly aware that Selene would be able to hear it. What did she think it meant? I wasn’t even sure how I felt.
“I thought I knew what I wanted. I never doubted my role or my future. I knew what lay ahead of me. I was content. I thought I was. But then I thought I had lost you. In the face of losing you, I found that you are all that truly matters to me. Ardens could be safe. A few cousins that I might personally behead if they become too much of a pain—but keep a pig fat, and it doesn’t complain,” she said, sighing again, and her head dipped as she looked down at her lap. I took hold of her hand and dragged it into my lap.
