She listened, waiting to hear the footfalls of the victor.
The doors of the armoire swung open, evoking a yelp from Mina’s throat. She looked up into the darkness to see a shadowed figure before her. She stilled, frozen to the spot, but then she realized this was not a man, but a woman.
“Come with me,” the woman said, her voice low.
Mina did not move, her voice shaky as she said, “Please.” She swallowed, her mouth dry. “I don’t know anything about this.”
“Do you want to survive?” the woman asked, her voice firm. Mina nodded. “Then that is all you need to know. Come.” The shadow stepped back, giving Mina space to step out of the armoire.
Mina only stared, terrified that this was a trap—but what other choice did she have? She had been discovered, and she could either go with this woman and be taken right to the raiders, or go with this woman and hope she would help.
With a deep breath, Mina pushed herself over the edge of the armoire, her feet finding the cold floor of the dark room. Elsewhere in the castle, she could still hear the distant voices of men invading each hallway, each locked room.
Mina’s hands shook, her skin cold as the woman grasped her hand, leading her toward the doorway. It was only as they neared the door that Mina looked down and saw two shadows, large masses on the stone floor.
“Are they—”
“Shh,” the woman said softly. “This way.”
Mina swallowed back the nausea in her throat, following the woman through the darkness. Had this woman killed those men? It seemed impossible given that Mina had not seen the shadow of a weapon in hand, though she supposed a knife could easily be slipped into a pocket. But what kind of woman was this to be able to kill two men so swiftly with only a small knife,if that was what she’d used? And what did that mean for Mina’s fate?
As the woman led her through the maze-like corridors without even a candle flame to guide them, Mina considered running. But where would she go? And would she fare any better if those raiders were the ones who found her?
They reached a staircase, and blindly, Mina climbed, feeling her way up the steps. Suddenly, the woman stopped, and Mina almost crashed into her before catching herself just in time. The woman waited, and Mina fought the temptation to speak, to ask what she was doing, where they were going. Wherever they were going, it seemed this woman could hear something Mina couldn’t.
Eventually, the stranger released Mina’s arm, the familiarclickof a lock releasing through the air. A door groaned and Mina was pulled inside, the woman shutting the door quickly behind them and locking it once again.
This room had no windows, the darkness so complete it was almost suffocating. Mina stilled, afraid to move, swallowing down fear.
And then, another lock clicked open several feet away.
“This way,” the feminine voice whispered.
Mina turned toward the sound, fear pressing down on her as she stared into blackness. She could see nothing, make out not one shape or shadow, as though she were sightless. The sensation made her lungs constrict.
“I can’t see,” she whispered, fear spilling through her.
Suddenly, a hand grasped hers, leading her through the blackness. She followed slowly, afraid to trip, her mind creating all kinds of possibilities for what might be in the room around her. She imagined more raiders dead on the floor, mounds of bodies. She inhaled sharply, but no scent of iron or decay greeted her—instead, it was the smell of beeswax and lavender.
The woman’s touch vanished, another door locked, and then, mercifully, a match was lit. Mina watched as the flame seemed to float across the room, the only sign of someone holding it the warm glow reflected on delicate fingers. The woman lit a candle, then another, the light revealing the furniture within.
They were surrounded by stone, with not a single window on any of the four walls. A thick burgundy carpet covered most of the floor, with a dark wooden table above it flanked by two high-backed armchairs upholstered in rich velvet.
In the warm glow of candlelight, Mina could now see that the woman before her was beautiful, and much younger than she’d once believed. She appeared to be near Mina’s age, but there was something regal about the way she held herself. Her hair was long, falling in blonde waves down her back, and from profile, Mina could see the soft slope of her nose, the slight pout of her mouth. She wondered how on earththiswoman could have killed those two raiders so swiftly—she did not look to be a warrior, or a woman familiar with battle.
“That will have to do,” the woman said softly, lighting another candle.
As Mina looked around, she realized that this room did not feel the same as the others in the castle—this space was lived in. It felt like someone’s home.
“Do you live here?” Mina asked, trying to make sense of it all. Her mind began to swirl with questions. “How do you know the Count?”
The woman blinked softly, seeming perfectly at ease despite all that was occurring in these walls.
“Wilhelmina, isn’t it?”
Mina swallowed, alarm rising within. “How do you know that?”
The woman only smiled. “You have many questions. Sit,” she said, gesturing toward one of the armchairs. “You’re safe, for now.” It didn’t sound like a threat, but Mina realized it very well could be. It would be nothing for this woman to eliminate her the way she had those men. “Luckily, I was just making some tea.”
