This was all for nothing. Crispin died for nothing!
My legs gave out, and I dropped to the floor. The cold stone pressed against my knees, sending a raking chill through me. Hugging myself, I rocked back and forth, desperate for comfort.
I was alone, and no one was coming to save me.
A brown mouse ran alongside the wall, most likely searching for food.
Its tiny whiskers twitched, and it froze after seeing me.
“Better if someone eats.” Finding the strength to stand, I went to the table and took one biscuit, then crept to where the mouse had stopped.
“Are you hungry?” Taking a piece, I kneeled and held out the food. “It’s all right.”
The mouse squeaked, its whiskers twitching, then slowly moved closer until it was within range and nibbled at the biscuit. I wondered how the fae treated mice and rats. If they saw them as another creature or treated them like vermin, like the priests in the temple I’d grown up in.
Placing the biscuit down, I watched the mouse pick up the rest and drag it back toward the wall and through a little crack.
The doorknob turned, followed by the clicking of the lock. My handmaiden appeared, head bowed.
“Did you bring Boots?” Scrambling to my feet, I brushed the crumbs off my dress, hope blooming in my chest.
“I did. He's in the stables.”
Holding a hand to my chest, I sighed. Boots. My precious, beloved donkey. I might be a prisoner in a tower, but at least he was safe.
Liora didn't smile, and that sudden burst of relief dissipated.
“What's wrong?”
She kept her head bowed, the hood of her cloak hiding her face.
“What is it?”
“I'm sorry, my lady. We were unable to find him.”
I didn’t question who she meant. There was only one ‘him’ that mattered. “I don't understand.”
She lifted her head, and the sympathy in her lavender gaze made me want to vomit. “We searched the area but only found traces of blood and this.”
She pulled a scrap of white fabric from her pocket, and my breath caught. The edge of the handkerchief had been ripped, but there was no mistaking the uneven stitching. It had been a clumsy attempt at a birthday gift for Crispin.
I held a hand to my mouth, the sob ripping through me. “Where did you find that?”
“Near the woods. We believe a wolf may have dragged the body away. There was–”
I held up my hand, shaking my head. “I don't want to hear any more.”
A sharp ringing filled my ears, my vision blurring as the room swam. I reached for the wall but stumbled.
“My lady!” She grabbed my waist and my arm, holding me steady.
My hands went numb, my heart constricting to a point I couldn't breathe.
“Let's go outside. You can see Boots,” she said.
“I thought I wasn't allowed outside without the collar?”
“That is correct.”
