Page 69 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

I leave through the back alleyways I’ve never taken, but it doesn’t matter. The entrance to the Kingdom of Storm is visible, so I run towards it. However, I face a dilemma when I arrive. The ship I booked will leave within half an hour. I suspect they will know where to go if Maya breaks down and provides them with information. Therefore, I need to change direction.

At least I should travel somewhere else.

I can visit another free city until I figure out how to reach the Fountain of Silver and get a new passport.

Shit.

The guards on duty don’t bat an eyelid when I leave, and I head towards the ships. It’s high tide, so I don’t have to travel down thousands of stairs. That, on top of everything else, would’ve ruined my day.

As I step onto the pier, the ship I aimed to take boards up.

“Please, let me in,” I say.

“Sorry,” the water elemny apologises, “We stopped taking anyone ten minutes ago. The next one will come this evening.”

“Okay,” I say.

Fuck!

There are two other ships when I scan the pier. The one I need to get on will leave in thirty minutes, but that’s too late. The other leaves in an hour, which isn’t any better. So, what the fuck should I do?

I drag my hand down my drenched face and groan. Through parted fingers, my focus fixes on a ship nearby with no one standing guard. I tilt my head to the side and eye it until I suddenly realise it’s Prince Reen’s—oh…

I eye the harbour, but the ship I wanted to get on left, and it’s empty—aside from the other two ships. So, my feet take me down a dangerous path. My breath hitches, and my heart breaks through my ribs as I move up the stairs and stand on an empty ship.

There are no workers. It’s a fucking ghost ship.

My hands tighten on the bag as I walk across the deck and around to the other side. I notice stairs leading up and head up to the second floor, where rows of doors come into view. I grab each handle, jiggling them until one finally opens. Slipping inside, I turn my attention to a relatively unused room.

After I lock the door, I creep through and open the bathroom door. After wringing out the excess water, I peel off my drenched clothes, flop them into the bathtub, and change into something dry. Then, I wrap my backpack in a dry towel before dragging the other towel across the tiles and floorboards until no footprints remain.

“What do I do now?” I say. “I’m literally across enemy lines and dancing with fire on this one, Pandora.”

There’s a door to a closet that looks directly at the bed. My focus settles on the shelf above, stacked with boxes. I throw the bag up first, step onto the dresser inside the closet, and then push myself until I’m on the shelves. I crawl behind the boxes, wiggle through the space, and push the boxes forward once more. Then I eye the open fucking wardrobe door and mutter my complaints.

I move the boxes to the side, lean forward, hook my finger on the panel, and close the closet before pushing them back into their rightful place. But I leave enough of a gap to see through the boxes and out of the wooden panels overlooking the bed.

This is the stupidest fucking plan of my life. But no one said I was fucking bright. If anything, the enemy wouldn’t think of searching their territory, right? They might think I boarded the departing ship.

All I need to do is wait until they dock somewhere else, give it half an hour, and then flee to another ship. But if they dock at the Fountain of Silver, I must weigh my other options.

Until then, I should focus all my attention on this room. I take a deep breath, ease my tight muscles, and glare at the door leading into the room. My hand clutches the dagger, ready for anything.

Chapter 31

Reen Kyong, July 14th

I confirmed with the service woman on the ship that Pandora stayed in that room during her travels. While Alad speaks to her in more depth, and Astin moves down the hallway and scans the other rooms, I enter alone—the way I enjoy a hunt.

I’m confused about why I’m here instead of searching for Pandora Hart in the Kingdom of Storm. Since the maids cleaned the room after everyone left, I shouldn’t expect to find anything in the room she stayed in. I should head to the Sweethearts Orphanage instead of fucking frolicking around, desperate to know if my prey thinks as I do and finds this as entertaining as I do.

While inside the room, I first notice the mirror covered by a fitted sheet.

Strange. Interesting.

I open the kitchen drawers and eye the cutlery in its marked places. My eyes narrow when I notice a knife missing after I've counted them all. It is not a sharp, could slice someone open type of knife. Pandora took a fucking butter knife. For what? Does she require it for something? Or perhaps it’s not that, and the maids misplaced a utensil?

I tap my fingers on the stainless steel benchtop and eye the wooden furnishings until my focus settles on the bathroom door. My grimace deepens, and I enter the room while glancing at the light bulb above. When nothing looks suspicious—a trait from Nancy—I open the cabinets, but there’s nothing inside that raises my suspicion.