I ignore her question. “I came down here to see if the girl is okay,” I say. “Are you?”
She shrugs, leans back against the stone wall. “It could be worse.”
“Yeah, it could be,” I agree. The last time I was here, it was well-lit. I’m lucky that Cora has kept her dark creatures out of here. I shiver as I imagine cambions lurking in the shadows. “Where do you live, Eliza?”
“Hollowfield.”
It’s a lie, and a good one at that. Comprised ofhumans and hybrids, Hollowfield is large enough to go unnoticed in. The perfect town to say if you don’t want someone to corroborate the truth.
“That’s not too far from here. You said you’re a teacher, right?”
She nods, but nonverbal lies always slip past my net. Even if she had answered, it would have been a truth. Shedidsay she was a teacher. Lying is an art and so is learning to detect it. I need to be smarter with my questions, but it’s hard to think with the dark sigil embedded in my skin and this collar like an anvil around my throat. I want to beat my head against the cell bars.
“What age did you say, again?” I ask. I glance at my nails, trying to act casual.
“Young children. Five and six.”
Her head is tilted back, still resting against the stone wall behind her, but her gaze hasn’t left mine. There’s not a shred of fear to be found for someone lying to the High Queen. Mother, the cocky gaze, the confidence…It seems so familiar. “That must be nice. Rewarding, even. Do you have any children of your own?”
“No, Your Highness.”
Truth.
“Maybe someday then,” I say wistfully. “Are you originally from Hollowfield?”
She refuses to break her stare. She even leans forward, the dirt beneath her shifting with the movement. “No, Your Highness. I’m originally from the City of Sand.”
Truth. Although citizens live freely across the kingdom, most tend to live in or near their primary courts. But a deer hybrid originally from House Serpent’s court? Alarm bells chime.
“What made you come here?” I ask.
“To see you,” she says simply, pleasantly.
My heart begins to beat faster at the truth in her words. I breathe in through my nose and force the air back out in a controlled exhale. I don’t know what could set Marik off to peer through my mind, but I need to do whatever I can to prevent that from happening.
Right now, I know something isn’t right. And I need to get out of here before I accidentally clue Marik into it.
“I’ll check on some more water for you,” I mumble, then head back to the guards and out of the dungeon, leaving the liar behind.
Ispend the rest of the evening trying to recall everything Eliza said in the throne room and in the dungeons. But the same questions continue to resurface—Who is she, and why is she lying?
Not that it should matter. Not really. Why should I care, when I should be focusing my energy on finding a way out of here? But I finally have something else to focus on, other than my own shitty situation.
So, the next day, I find myself descending the dark stairs once more after Marik gave me his “permission” to visit the dungeons again. The little girl is still sound asleep, her small frame tucked into a tight ball against the back wall of the cell. Eliza is in the same position as she was yesterday—seated on the floor, legs tucked to her chest, hands and chin resting on her knees. Her eyes follow me as I stop in front of her cell.
“I see you got some more water,” I say quietly.
She clears her throat before speaking. “Yes. Thank you, Your Highness.”
I look around for a plate, but the floor of her cell is empty, save for the bowl of water. “Have they brought you food?” She tilts her head toward the sleeping girl in the neighboring cell, toward the plate that sits discarded on the floor beside her. “Thank you, again. How is she doing?”
“She cries herself to sleep.” Truth.
My chest tightens. All I want is to scoop the girl into my arms and return her to her family. Her parents are probably sick with worry.
“Eliza, about yesterday,” I say, changing the subject. I don’t know how much time I’ll get down here. The guards could walk past at any moment, or Mother forbid, Marik. “What did you mean when you said you came here to see me?” The question gnawed at me all night as I tossed and turned.
She tilts her head. “I came here to seeyou, Your Highness.”
