“Quiet,” Gideon hissed.
I glared at him. “This is a terrible idea.”
“We’re fine. Let’s keep going. It has to lead somewhere.”
“That’s not very comforting!”
The lantern flickered again. The nearby shadows crept around the walls, enclosing us.
Please don’t go out.
“I think I see a door ahead.” Gideon’s voice was hushed, and his pace quickened.
“Wait. Slow down!”
The light dimmed to an ember. The passageway darkened, and I fumbled forward, searching for the rough stone, my heart thundering in my chest.
No. No. No. No…“Gideon, slow down.”
He turned back to me, his face barely visible in the dying light, his eyes narrowed.
A softclickechoed ahead. The sound of a bolt unlatching then the groan of hinges.
The door creaked open just enough that a sliver of moonlight cast into the dark passageway.
We both froze as the oil finally ran out, the lantern flame gone.
My breath stilled, and I reached out for Gideon but only found air.
Then the door fully opened, revealing us.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Deirdre
The servantbarely had time to register seeing us before Gideon grabbed him in a headlock, twisting his neck and pulling the unconscious fae into the passageway.
“Did you just kill him?”
“No, he’ll be asleep for a while. Come on.”
“Wait, there’s no light in there. He’ll be terrified when he wakes.”
“That should be the least of your problems right now, but fine, we’ll leave the door open just enough to allow some light in.”
A few lone candles still burned in the kitchen, highlighting just enough to see. Gripping the mysterious tome, I looked at Gideon, wondering what we were going to do next.
He peeked around the corner to the hallway that led to the great hall. While I didn’t have the layout of the castle memorized, I knew where the great hall connected to.From there, we could take the servants’ stairs to the second floor.
Footsteps sounded from the direction Gideon peeked. He hurried back to where I stood near the back of the kitchen.
“Give me the book.” Gideon held out his hand, motioning for me to hand our discovery over.
I gave it to him just as a familiar fae’s voice echoed from the great hall.
Kane. He’s coming.
“What are we going to do?” I whispered, inching farther into the darkness of the kitchen.
