Decadent fabrics trimmed in ropey fringe draped the large windows. The dusty furniture was heavy and ornate. Dingy rugs in various shades of blue ran beneath my feet. Even I recognized the opulence of the space. This was a room better suited for royalty. At least it had been. And yet the dragon insisted Thorne put me here.
I coughed, waving my hand at the dust motes that floated in the air.
“Apologies, your fake ladyship,” Thorne sneered. “The maid hasn’t cleaned these rooms in… Well, let’s just say it has been a while.”
“And why is that exactly?” I turned to face him. “How did all of this come to be hidden inside a mountain? What is this place?”
He fell silent, a cast of emotions passing over his flawless features. Anger, grief, I couldn’t tell. The silence between usstretched so long I assumed he’d ignore me. Finally, his lip curled and he spat, “The Kingdom of Pyrrhus.”
“Peer-raws?”I repeated slowly, my mind reeling. Gingus had told stories over supper—tales of a land of prosperity swallowed by darkness. “As in thelostKingdom of Pyrrhus? I thought that was a myth.” As was the majority of the stories Gingus had told. Gingus. My heart twisted. Was he now one of the fallen?
“Only to the ignorant.” Thorne snapped. His eyes shuttered, expression hardening.
Before I could demand more, he slammed the door in my face. The echo rattled dust from the rafters. I glared at the spot he’d vacated. So that was the trick. If I wanted Thorne to leave me alone, all I had to do was ask about his past. Good to know.
Chapter Nine
SERAFINA
“Flark my life,”I cursed, glaring at the thick door and its sturdy iron lock. On the floor sat the twisted bit of gold filigree I’d jimmied into the lock with zero success.
The windows, unlike the door, opened easily. Unfortunately, they were useless since they rested atop a steep wall with no footholds and a bone-shattering drop.
The moment Thorne locked me inside, I’d ransacked every drawer and chest. While I’d discovered nothing that would aid in my escape, I had found an extensive supply of men’s clothing. The fabric, though aged, was finely made—sturdy enough to have endured the passage of time. Although there wasn’t enough to make a rope, at least I was no longer half-naked.
I hitched the waistband of my stolen pants higher and tightened the knotted shirt at my waist. One way or another, I was getting out of here.
As I surveyed the room, the silence pressed in, giving my thoughts too much space.
I was a fake princess locked in a crumbling castle guarded bya cranky dragon and his ill-tempered companion. On top of that, horrifying creatures thought to be extinct had attacked my village. While the monsters seemed to have retreated, everyone I knew was either dead or captured.
The fist squeezing my heart attempted to drag me down, but I shoved it aside. I couldn’t afford tears. Not with Speck’s life hanging in the balance.
Think, Serafina. Think.
The lock was hopeless. The window a death drop. No weapons to be found. There had to be something here to aid my escape.
A sharp knock rattled the door, and I jolted at the sound. If it were Thorne, he could go to Hades. I was in no mood to deal with the blue-eyed devil’s snide remarks.
I froze as the lock’s tumblers clanged and the door swung wide, revealing a stout figure. One look and shock zapped my brain. I barely kept myself from thrusting out my index finger, blurting—green! Instead, I mashed my lips together, the word emerging as a vulgar grunt.
One eye—only one—glared from the center of the woman’s forehead. Silver streaks threaded through her braids, her weathered green skin lined with age.
A trogg. An actual trogg. All my life, I’d heard stories of their kind in whispers and folktales.Meeting one in the flesh was…unsettling. And from the look she gave me, the feeling was mutual. The way she stared, you’d think I was a ghost risen from the dead.
Her dark purple lips cinched into a grimace. “You going to stand there and gawk or let us in?”
“Oh. Right. Sorry.” It was then I noted the tray she carried along with the second female trogg who waited behind her, bucket and broom in hand. I stepped back, opening the door to its fullest.
Despite my fatigue, the temptation of freedom called. Theopen passage invited me to bolt, which would undoubtedly cause the trogg to attack and call for backup. Whereupon I’d be captured and tossed into the dungeon. With a heavy sigh, I closed the door behind the pair.
“I’m Myrna. That’s Azuk,” the elder said without preamble, plunking the tray onto a small side table. “Thought you might be hungry.”
“That’s…kind. Thank you.”
Azuk was taller and younger, with wide-eyed energy and a mane of black braids twisted into two buns. She gawked at me as if I’d sprouted a second head. “Praise the stones. They said you were alive, but I didn’t actually believe them. How did the dragon accomplish such a feat?”
“Hush, Azuk.” Myrna swatted in the direction of the other trogg woman. “Best you keep out of things that are none of your business.”
