Within a heartbeat, the keys were in my palm.
The soldier’s eyes widened as he noted the crusted blood on my skin.
Forcing myself not to roll my eyes at him, I tossed Valenia the keys without looking her way. When I heard her catch them and unlock the door, I gazed upon the four males before me.
“Let nobody else inside,ever, besides myself and my Right Hand. Make sure everybody that takes this shift knows it,” I instructed, then followed Valenia into the dark.
Shutting myself and Valenia inside, my eyes adjusted quickly to the near pitch-black interior. Valenia stood on the bottom steps of the stairs—whichseemed to bethe only thing inside.
I followed the stairs with my eyes, looking up, and up, andup, until Icouldn’tsee anymore—even with Northern sight. It was one giant staircase within the tower that led up,likely hundredsof feet in the air. But what it would lead to, Iwasn’tsure.
Therewasn’tenough room to fly up—the tower itself was narrow. The entire thingseemed to bemade of the samematerialthe dungeons had been made of—stone inlaid withalychite. I also noted how there were no windows, only small holes every so often to allow for a bit of airflow.
After pushing past Valenia, it took what felt like ages to make it up the spiral staircase, but it gave my body something manual to focus on. And Valeniadidn’tcomplain once, to my surprise.She walked silently behind me, her steps light and her breathing as steady as could be.
Yes, there was definitely more to her than I’d originally thought.Sheappeared to bewell trained.
When we finally made it to the top, we came to a small landing before an ornate metal door, which I could feel the presence ofalychiteradiating from.
I almost went to knock before Valenia handed me back the keyswe’dgotten from the guard.
“Right,” I breathed quietly, selecting the key that seemed the fanciest. Its weight was slightly heavier than the others, and it felt as though its metal had been engraved with swirling patterns, while all the others were plain and smooth.
Sliding the key into the door—a perfect fit—I looked back at Val and instructed her to stay here and beon her guard.
With a simple nod, she took a step back and tilted her head toward the stairs watchfully.
With a deep breath, my heart pounding, I cracked open the door and stepped in to the threshold.
The first thing I noticed was how cold it was inside. Then I noted how the small heels of my boots seemed to click against a type of metal—as though the floor was made of it. Oddly enough, though, it seemed like the room was empty. There were no windows within, either, but therewerea small series of holes in the ceiling that showed just a few stars through them. I imagined if it stormed, not much would come through. Not enough to bother anybody, anyway.
I gasped as a form Ihadn’tnoticed on the far side of the space shifted, the distinct sound ofalychitechains rattling as they moved.
Not empty, after all.
“Who goes there?”I asked, reaching for one of the many blades I kept on me at all times.
Theprisonercontinued moving until they stood just under the holes in the ceiling, so the dim light of the rising sun shone down on theirface.
And at the sight, I stumbled back a step.
I yielded, just for a moment.
The shade of her brown hair was dullerthan I remembered, and her skin was much paler—even her freckles seemed faded. Her face was gaunt, but it was her eyes that solidified my understanding of why Father had hidden thisfaeaway so thoroughly.
I had seen that exact shade of green before.
Specifically, in my twin’s right eye.
The one thing she’d inherited physically from our…
“Mother?”
Chapter Nineteen
My mother blinked a few times, as though she was processing, or simply couldn’t see well. But within seconds, recognition flashed across her face.
“Dimitri,” she said, though it barely came out as a whisper, hervoice hoarse from what I imagined was disuse. “My boy.”
