Not that I cared what she liked, but I found that fighting with her was not as enjoyable as I had hoped.
The passageway ended and the lantern on the wall signified I had reached her hallway. The iron hooked lanterns were a common marker to the various secret corridors.
Reaching out with my shadows, I twisted the knob, bathing the area in a dim light. Though this entryway didn't enter her room—there were no secret entryways into her room, another reason I had chosen it—it entered behind a tapestry very close to her chambers.
“We’re leaving the passageway,” I whispered. “When we get to your room, we must be quiet and quick.”
She nodded.
I pressed the round disc right under the lantern and the stone wall slipped away. Dark, thick fabric blocked our path and I listened for any steps or breathing, something signifying someone else was in the hall. When I was sure we were alone, I pushed the tapestry aside and pulled her out into the hallway, replacing the fabric quickly and pushing the button to close the passageway.
I pulled her down the hall, my hand sweating within hers.
When we got to her chambers, I removed the blindfold.
She rubbed her eyes, staring at the door with a shocked expression.
“These are your new rooms.”
“I'm not staying in the spire anymore?”
“You’re queen now. You belong in the royal wing. Do not leave these rooms tonight, under any circumstances.”
“Okay.” She tugged her robe tighter around herself.
“I will say that I brought you back in the morning before any of the servants were awake. You must—”
Her eyes widened, her gaze going past me.
“Your Majesty?”
I turned around to see the younger priest of the three I had told to leave my room. He was walking with incense, swinging the ball back and forth.
He looked past me at Deirdre, then back at me. “Why are you two not in your chambers? We all…”
A moment passed as the priest’s gaze danced between Deirdre and me, analyzing why we were here in secret.
I’d already angered the priesthood by defying tradition and kicking them out. What would they do if they learned the truth?
Before he could speak another word, I shot forward and slammed a shadow blade right into his heart. He gurgled on his sentence, blood splattering my chest. The incense ball he carried dropped to the floor with a loudthunk.
Deirdre gasped and ran forward. “Why did you kill him?”
I grabbed her, pushing her back toward her room. “Get inside quickly.”
“Why is it that nobody can know the truth? Is it that big of a deal?”
“You're not truly queen—”
“But the unicorn said I was not to be harmed.”
“It is a protection he might revoke if our marriage is not consummated… and you’re not ready.”
“This is my fault, then? His death is because of me?” Her bottom lip trembled, and she stared at the body behind me, those dark eyes welling with tears.
Was I going to be the source of her misery forever?
“No. I made the choice to stop, and I killed him. This is not your burden to bear. Get in the room and stay there until dawn. Lock the door and do not make a sound. Do you understand?”
