I nearly stumbled over myself, until I realized who it was. “Captain Greenwood?”
A pair of gray eyes appeared at the slot of the door next to mine. “I heard everything the other day. My daughter. Is it true?”
The heaviness of his voice told me he already knew it was. I nodded anyway, not knowing if it would appease or upset him.
He heaved a great sigh. “I guess it was expected, leaving her alone with Wilhelmina,” he said. He focused on me again. “But I still believe there is some good in her. There must be.”
“Captain...”
“Please, if you see Narcissa, promise you’ll take her away from her mother,” he said.
He spoke of her as if she were a little girl. Maybe in his mind she was. The thought of carrying Narcissa away from the duchess now was ridiculous at best and impossible at worst. But I didn’t have the heart to refuse Captain Greenwood.
“I will try,” I said.
“Thank you, Miss Flora. I wish you luck. Make things right again—for all of us.”
His sorrowful gray eyes disappeared and I was alone once more. Heaving a sigh myself, I replaced the key at Ken’s belt and hurried out.
My muscles were stiff as I half walked and half ran down the unguarded hallway that led to the barred cells. There would be a great many guardsmen at the exit. But I had magic at my fingertips. I felt powerful, like I could get away with anything.
But any semblance of confidence deserted me when I stumbled into an armored figure.
Before I could scream, the guard clamped a gloved hand over my mouth. A metallic smell filled my nostrils. I kicked and twisted, but the arm wrapped around me refused to budge.
“It’s me.”
I stopped struggling and turned to my assailant. He had taken his helmet off. Even in the darkness of the dungeon, I knew those eyes. And that nose. And mouth. And every other part of the face that had haunted me for the past four days.
I slapped him.
Ash stumbled back as my palm met his cheek with a sickening crack.
I glared, my hand stinging. It took all my willpower not to cry. Even then, tears seeped out. “Why are you here?” I demanded, wiping my eyes furiously. “I thought you were finished with me.”
Ash flinched. “I—” He shook his head. “I’m here to rescue you. But it seems you’ve done a decent job yourself.”
I searched his face for any sign of deceit, but he looked earnest—even sorrowful—despite the red mark blooming on his face. I thought back to his passivity at my arrest. The distrust and betrayal in his eyes. Where were they now?
“Amarante—”
“This isn’t the place to talk,” I said coldly, hoping my tears weren’t as noticeable as they felt. There would be time for explanations later. I stuck out my arms. “Get on with it.”
A ghost of a smile graced his lips as he pulled out a length of rope and tied it around my wrists, tight enough to look convincing but loose enough not to hurt. I was immensely glad when he put his helmet back on. I didn’t want to see his face.
The grates overhead let in just enough of the fading daylight for us to navigate the rest of the dungeons. As we passed the endless hallways of open cells, I recalled the first time I had come here with Ash to question Captain Greenwood. It wasn’t long ago, yet so much had changed.
Ash stopped when we drew nearer to the exit. Two armed guards stood watch on either side. He stopped and unfastened his cloak. I was enveloped in his scent when he threw it around me.
“Just in case they won’t let you through,” he said quietly, pulling the hood over my head and fastening the drawstrings. His fingers paused. “Your eyes. They’re purple.”
“Yes, they are,” I snapped, turning my face away.
It seemed like he was going to say something else, but didn’t. He took the rope around my wrists and led me around the corner.
“Where you off to?” a guard asked when we approached the gates. Beyond, the short tunnel opened to the back of the east wing. Even the last bits of daylight were blinding to me.
“This one’s got a hearing,” Ash said in a deep voice, tilting his head to me. I kept my head down, making sure the hood hid my features.
