“Dungeon, huh?” she repeats with a small smile.
I watch her work a moment. “So, Rauk needs a cook? Does he also need someone to clean up after him?” I pause and watch her knead bread. “He must be a bear to work for.”
She looks up and meets my gaze. “Don’t be too hard on him or judge something you don’t know anything about.”
Her quiet admonishment burns, but I heed her words. “I’ll try not to, but let me just say, it’s not unwarranted. He was a real jerk to my friends.”
“And yet, he brought you here, and you’re staying under his roof, eating his food,” she says pointedly.
I cough, and my admiration for her starts to grow. “You’re right.” I finish eating, and it’s quiet between us. But it’s surprisingly not uncomfortable. “How long have you worked here?”
“Since before Rauk was born,” she tells me as she moves to the stove and stirs a pot. “His father hired me.” I take special notice of her words because I know the rumors that abound that Rauk killed his father, the king before him.
“Did Rauk kill his father?” I ask.
She turns and eyes me. “You sure don’t beat round the bush, do you?”
“Not usually.”
She turns back to the stove. “He did, yes.”
I can’t believe she just admitted it like that. “So, he’s basically a terrible person then.” It’s not a question.
“It depends on your perspective, I suppose.”
I don’t argue with her, but I know all I need to know. You don’t need perspective when you find out someone’s a killer, especially of their own flesh and blood.That’s next level. “Thanks for the food,” I tell Elowen as I carry my plate over to the sink.
“You’re welcome, and I’ll get that. Just leave it.”
I finish washing my dishes anyway and set them out to dry. “Is it okay if I explore a little?”
“Of course.”
“Any rooms I need to stay away from?” I ask.
“Just the one with all the dead bodies.”
I laugh, but I’m not exactly sure she’s teasing. “All right. Well, I’m off.” I stop at the door. “Do you need any help before I disappear?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you.” She’s already moving around the kitchen again, so I leave her to it. I go back the way I came, checking out the formal dining room and the sitting room more than I did when I was walking through earlier. Every room is just as dark and depressing as the next. The walls are covered with dark tapestries, and the floors are cold. There are several fireplaces throughout, but none of them are lit. I’m not sure why when they could bring so much warmth. Instead, everything is freezing cold. I can’t help but think the house matches it’s owner’s darkness. I head back to the long hallway that leads to the room I slept in. I walk past it to the door at the end. I’m pretty sure that’s the door we came through last night. I stop at the door, noting that it’s solid and heavy. I turn the handle, step outside, and shiver in the cold and then go still. “Whoa.” All I see is white. I shiver and my breath puffs out in front of me. The snow crunches as I walk to the half wall. This area is huge, and it suddenly makes sense to me. This is where Nox lands; that’s why it’s so large and open. I brace my elbows on the half wall and lean forward. From here, I can see a lot. I can’t get over the snow and ice absolutely everywhere. I shiver again; I am most definitely not used to all the snow. I’ve seen snow before but nothing like this. The kingdom is practically made of snow and ice. When I can finally look past the snow, I can see cabins as faras the eye can see. I watch as the smoke curls out of the chimneys and dissipates. My eyes follow the smoke upward, and my eyes widen. In the sky, far above my head are dragons.Spirit dragons.They’re different colors, sizes, and shapes and hands-down the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Two of them chase each other, darting after each other in a dizzying pattern. Another dragon lands on the roof of one of the cabins and then disappears before my eyes. A large blue spirit dragon flies so close to my head, I have to duck. I watch as it flies upward, so high I can’t even see it anymore. From this angle, I can see the castle continues upward. It really is a fortress; that’s for sure. I turn back to watch the dragons play in the sky for a few more minutes before I’m chilled to the bone and have to head back inside. Letting the heavy door close behind me, I stomp my feet, trying to shake off the excess snow, while I let my eyes adjust to the dark hall. After being out in the bright white, it’s even harder to see now. I wonder again why Rauk keeps this place so depressing, especially when it’s so gorgeous and bright outside. “It’s probably to match his sunny disposition.” I laugh to myself and wander around again, looking for a lit fireplace to warm up next to. I don’t find one, but I keep exploring. There's a door on the far wall of the main room that I hadn’t noticed in my exploring, but a quick try shows me it’s locked. I turn back around and debate what to do with myself. I know I’ll go crazy if I stay inside this dungeon of a palace. With that thought in mind, I head back to my room. I find the warmest clothes I own and throw them on before heading back to the kitchen. “Elowen.”
“Yes, Dear.”
“I’m heading out.”
She frowns. “By yourself?”
“Yes. I just wanted you to know so you’re not looking for me.” I really don’t want her to talk me out of it, so I spin back towards the door. “See you.” I make it to the front doors and try to open them, only to find I can’t. Suddenly, all the locks on the doors begin to disengage. I turn around and see Elowen with her hand on a black button. “Thank you.” She nods, and I open the heavy front door and blink at the brightness. I step out onto wide front steps. The door closes behind me with a heavy thud, and I take a deep breath of the fresh air and shiver.Time to get moving.I move down the stairs quickly and start walking to where it looks like the most buildings are. The snow crunches under my boots with every step, and I wonder how anybody sneaks up on anyone in this kingdom. I want to reach out to Redara and see where she’s at, but I also want to check things out too. I decide to leave her with her mate for a little while longer while I explore.
It doesn’t take long for me to pass the first home. It’s a crudely constructed cabin with wood beams and a huge chimney. I bet the homes are nice and cozy, the exact opposite of the monstrosity of a palace with its freezing floors and dark walls. I’m hoping I can meet someone that will let me peek inside their home; I’d love to see one. I keep walking, and more homes come into view. I smell the wood burning coming from deep within the homes. That smell mixed with the cold, crisp air makes for a pretty amazing scent. After walking a little farther, the path becomes wider and leads into a clearing. Past the clearing are several buildings that are clearly marked. I take in the largest one, the one that saysMarketon it, and walk up the steps. There’s a wooden sign in the window that saysOpen. I open the door and step inside. It’s similar to the market in the Wolf Kingdom. Given how cold it is outside, it makes sense that they sell food and wares in here. It’s not lost on me that I seem to catch the attention of every person in here. Conversations cease, and people don’t even try to hide that they’re staring at me. Since they all obviously know I’m not from around here, I lift my hand in a casual wave. “I’m Harper.” Not one person says anything back, and I can’t hide my smirk. “I take it you don’t get many visitors here.” When nobody says anything, I shrug. It’s not like I have any money anyway. “All right. Well.” I shake my head and open the door. “Thanks for the hospitality,” I mutter under my breath. Once I’m back outside, I continue my walk. I am conscious of the fact that every person I pass stares at me. “It’s a good thing I’m not a self-conscious person; this place could give you a complex.” I’m walking when somebody appears literally out of nowhere, and I run right into him. “Good grief.” I step back and look up and up some more. A man with an eye patch and a scar down the side of his cheek stares down at me. I don’t intimidate easily, but this guy...he’s the definition of intimidating.
“Harper.”
I blink in surprise. “You know my name. Maybe you could just tell all those people who keep staring at me what—”
“You need to come with me.”
I look down at his outstretched gloved hand. “Yeah, no thanks. That’s extremely sketchy. I’ll have to pass.”
