Unless she somehow remembered the events from the first time around.
Unease roiled in my stomach, lingering with me for the rest of the journey.
Chapter Five: Wilde
Three Days Later
The Kingdom of “Misfortune”
Arriving at the Castle
A sharp elbow in my side jostled me awake. Off-balance, I fumbled in the air, reaching for something—the bed, the nightstand, anything to steady myself—but my hands closed on nothing. I tumbled backwards out of the carriage amid shocked exclamations. People dove out of the way to avoid becoming my sacrificial cushion. Landing on the ground knocked the wind out of me, so for a moment I only stared at the blue sky and wheezed.
Someone’s head blocked the view and cast a shadow over me. “You alright there, Will?” John extended a hand to me and pulled me to my feet.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, rubbing my swollen eyes. “Didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“Happens to the best of us, but we’ve entered enemy territory, so look sharp.”
“Enemy territory?” I accepted the trunk he passed me before I registered the action. I’d gotten a little too comfortable in the role of attendant.
“We’re entering the domain of another staff. They’ll have their own rules, policies, and procedures, and they won’t hesitate to point out yourmistakes. Sometimes I think the staff of other castles are more pompous than the nobs we serve.”
The ‘enemy’ staff helped us unload the carriage. Three attendants weren’t enough to carry the luggage of five people without making multiple trips, so I was grateful for the help. From John’s grumblings, he would have preferred to do three-times the work if it meant working alone.
The Bane Royal Family were staying in the same suite they had last time. I’d only visited Treasure here once, to check on the progress of his mission. Convincing the other champions to embark on a quest had been easy, but they couldn’t embark onanyquest. Trey had to lead them to the Lord of Grimnight without anyone suspecting his motives. Once I knew what roadblocks he’d faced, I’d left him to deal with the champions while I cleared a path for him.
As we carried Trey’s luggage into one of the rooms, I eyed the bed, imagining Trey sleeping in it. His rumpled red curls, long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks, the soft rise and fall of his naked chest.
Not a sight I’d witness again anytime soon. In the past week, our relationship hadn’t progressed past a handful of exchanges. He didn’t necessarily ignore the staff, but he kept a respectful distance. My hopes of using my position to foster a friendship between us dwindled every day.
“Well, that’s done,” John said, clapping his hands together to signal the end of the work. “How about a meal? One good thing about being in enemy territory—the chef always wants to show off. They need to provethey’rethe best cooks we’ll ever experience in our lives, and I am happy to encourage the competition.”
“Later,” I said. “I’m still groggy, so I’d like to rest for a bit.”
“Understandable.” He grabbed my shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. “Don’t worry, from here on out, we’re essentially on vacation. The other staff will see to the royals’ daily needs, and we can relax until we’re needed to pack everything up again.”
I nodded and we walked out of the room together. Once I was shown the staff quarters, I knew it would be difficult to sneak back to my own bed. Four people were assigned to each room, with no need for anyone to sleep in the stables. I’d have three roommates who would expect me to stay through the night.
While I worried about what mischief the minions might cause in my absence, I was also relieved to finally get a good night’s sleep, with no emergencies or screaming interruptions. The week’s work and stressweighed me down until I drooped toward the bed, already picturing myself wrapped in the cotton sheets.A short nap couldn’t hurt …but while the other staff were socializing, this might be my only opportunity to spy on the royal champion’s meeting.
I waited until John left, then slipped back out the door. Assuming everything stayed the same, the champions would meet in Prince Fitzroy Unfortunate’s private residence. Though the winding halls of the castle were unfamiliar, they were easy to navigate, so I quickly found Fitz’s house.
And the guard standing outside.
“Private meeting,” the guard said, glaring down at me.
I now understood John’s ‘enemy territory’ comments. The guard’s hand rested on his sword pommel in a warning he probably wouldn’t give a coworker.
Perhaps I should have prepared a better excuse for my presence. A fake message from Kit or Trey’s fathers.
“Sorry,” I said, “I wanted a breath of fresh air.”
“Breathe somewhere else.”
I bowed in understanding and backed away from the guard. Somewhere around here, there had to be an unguarded door or window I could spy through. Once I’d lost the guard’s attention, I circled the perimeter.
There wasn’t much perimeter to search. The house was a single story and smaller than the guest suites, which had three bedrooms. I struggled to imagine this little house having more than one. I imagined a bare bones kitchen, a washroom, and a leisure area.
