She slid from his lap, his hands grasping for her as she backed toward the door, watching him struggle.
"You..." His words were slurring now, eyes struggling to focus. "You poisoned..."
"Not poison. Just sleep." She watched him try to reach for something, anything, but his hands wouldn't obey. "I told you I was tired of fighting. I just didn't specify which fight I was ending."
He tried to speak again, but the words wouldn't form properly. His hands scrabbled at the table's edge, trying to keep himself upright.
"You took everything from me," she said quietly. "Now I'm taking it back."
He collapsed back into the chair, eyes rolling back. The last thing he managed was her name—half-curse, half-question.
Then silence.
She stood there shaking, the wine still making her skin feel too sensitive, her body still warm from his touch. Blood trickled from the bite on her throat, and she pressed her hand to it, trying to stem the flow.
One hour. Maybe two. That's all she had.
She ran.
Chapter nineteen
The corridors beneath the main castle were colder, older. The stones here wept with moisture that smelled of earth and decay. Briar's torn dress dragged through puddles she couldn't see in the dark, the silk heavy and ruined. Every footstep seemed too loud.
"Left here," she whispered to Karse.
They pressed against the wall as footsteps echoed from ahead. Withered. Two of them, their antlered heads turning slowly as they patrolled. Briar held her breath, feeling Karse's heat behind her, ready to burn if needed. The creatures passed, their decayed robes brushing the floor with sounds like dead leaves.
They moved deeper. The warmth in her chest pulled stronger now, reaching for something below. Her throat still bled sluggishly from Malus's bite, each pulse of her heart sending fresh trickles down her chest.
Another patrol. They ducked into an alcove, Briar's back pressed against Karse's chest. His scales radiated warmth, but she couldn't stop shivering. The Withered passed so close she could smell them—rot and winter and ancient earth.
"How much further?" Karse breathed against her ear.
"Next corridor."
Once the coast was clear, they crept forward and stepped around the corner. The hall stretched on endlessly, ending in darkness and shadow. Briar didn’t hesitate, passing the door leading to the oubliette without sparing it a glance. The hall narrowed and Briar slowed, angling her steps until she saw the shimmer. It was still there, just as Briar remembered it from what felt like a lifetime ago.
"Are you planning to walk through solid stone?" Karse asked dryly. "Because while I appreciate optimism, I don't think that's how walls work."
Briar moved to the seemingly blank wall, reaching for where the hidden latch would be. "It's here."
"Of course it is. Invisible doors. Fae can’t make anything practical."
"Wait."
The voice came from shadows so thick they seemed solid. Briar's entire body went rigid, ice flooding her veins. She spun toward the sound, the warmth in her chest flaring defensive heat.
She knew that voice.
Ferria stepped into the weak torchlight. Her dark hair hung limp and tangled, nothing like the perfect waves Briar remembered. Her dress was torn at the hem, stained with things Briar had no desire to identify. Hollows carved themselves beneath her eyes, and her hands trembled slightly as she raised them, palms out, empty.
"You." The word ripped from Briar's throat, raw and violent. She took half a step towards her, the warmth surged, responding to her rage, wanting to burn. “All of this is your fault."
"I know." Ferria's voice held none of its usual music. Just exhaustion.
"Do you?" Briar took another step forward, and Karse's hand settled on her arm—not restraining, just present. "Do you know what he's done? What your precious Malus has become?"
"I've been living in the walls for three days." Ferria's eyes stayed steady on Briar's face. "Sleeping in service corridors. Eating scraps. I've heard the screams from the great hall. Seen the blood on servants' clothes. Smelled what the Withered do to anyone who resists." Her voice cracked slightly. "Yes, I know what I helped create."
