He puffed out a harsh breath. Finally, he said, “In court, they hardly acknowledge each other. Your mother was notorious for calling her the ‘Cold Queen.’ It made people assume she hated Ravanna. And I would have agreed with them. Except early on in her marriage to your father, your mother and Tyrn, her brother, were especially close. They were often seen leaving the castle late at night, headed for the gardens without their guards nearby.” He paused, trying to make sense of his own memories. “I know this because your father was aware of their activity and asked that I station men around the perimeter. He didn’t want them to know, but he wanted them to be safe.”
“There is a chapel in the gardens,” I said, talking to myself more than Brahm. “I think it’s pagan.”
“Aye,” Brahm agreed. “Ancient that one. There has never been a king willing to uproot it or tear it down. Superstitious about it, the lot of them.” He sighed, and I felt it all the way to my bones. “But your mother... well, she still honored many of the pagan traditions. I think your father was charmed by the old ways. She never went out there often. Maybe for a few of the pagan holidays, or maybe if there was a reason to pray for something especially daunting. Except when... well, except when Ravanna was in residence at the castle. Then she would go out nearly every night. And more than once, I caught glimpses of Ravanna heading that way as well. Ravanna, your mother, and Tyrn.”
The initials did belong to them. My head spun with possibilities. With questions. With confusion. Why would my mother speak about Ravanna in public one way and then sneak out of the castle to meet her? Carve her name beside hers?
The old way is the true way.
But what did any of it mean?
The guards’ voices grew louder while the prisoners shouted about sweet kittens. My time was up.
“I’m leaving the castle,” I told Brahm, unsure of the reason. “But when I come back, I will come see you again. What do you need? Let me bring it to you.”
I could not see his face well enough to tell if he was smiling, but I heard his spirits lift in his voice. “Your presence is light enough to get me through for a while, darling girl. Don’t worry about old Brahm. I’ll manage.”
I chewed my bottom lip, tasting the filth of this place. I would bring him a fresh blanket. And food. And clothes. And maybe a bar of soap. And a candle. I would take care of him even if my uncle would not allow it.
“Be safe, Brahm the Mighty. I will find a way to free you.”
His hands slipped over mine where they held his cell bars. “They would be so proud of you, you know? Your parents. They would be so proud of the woman, the queen, you’ve turned out to be.”
His warm sentiment made my eyes sting with tears. “Thank you,” I whispered to him, not certain he could even hear me. “Thank you for your kind words and your help.”
“What’s going on down there?” a guard boomed. He had a stick or a baton, maybe a sword, but he hit it hard against the wall, and it was strong enough to echo all the way to my bones.
“Go,” Brahm ordered. “But come again when you can.”
I released the bar and found the center of the hallway again, where other prisoners could not reach out and touch me. Most of them had scurried back to their dark corners, afraid of the guards and their punishments.
But I wasn’t sure quite why they were so afraid of the guards. Their captors seemed more spooked than anyone when I burst into the light again. They all shouted and jumped back. I sprinted for the stairwell while they shrieked in true terror and asked each other where I’d come from.
I heard them stand from the table and start to follow me when another torch fell off the wall and landed in the embers they had only just doused.
“Not again!” one of them hollered while I sprinted up the stairs.
“Leave her!” someone else yelled. “This one is worse than the other. We’ll all burn to death if we don’t get it put out.”
I left them to their fires and cursing. At the top of the stairs, I slipped off my muddy shoes and left them in a corner for a maid to find later. Hurrying back to my bedroom, I was suddenly surrounded by my guards.
“Where have you been?” Curtis demanded.
“I, uh, I—” I looked down and said, “I can’t find my shoes.”
More guards clattered into the hallway, swords drawn. They all took a step back and let out a sigh of relief when they saw me.
“Your shoes?” Curtis nearly screeched. His face had turned a mottled shade of purple, and I had a terrible vision of being the reason he suddenly dropped dead.
I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder. “Were you worried about me?”
His eyes bulged. “Princess, I—”
“I know they’re waiting on me,” I said placidly. “If you’ll escort me back to my rooms, I’ll just put a pair of shoes on, and then I will be ready.”
A new guard stood nearby. He looked as aggravated as everyone else and as winded. But he was younger than Curtis and leaner. Finch, I knew immediately. This was the man who would get my messages to Taelon. I did not trust him as Taelon did, but I hoped he would prove himself.
Curtis did not continue to argue. Instead, he pressed his lips together and nodded toward the direction of my room.
