Chapter 219

Once the men’s footsteps had faded away, Seph risked a peek from behind the barrel. She saw no one to her left, and off to her right, she could see the same soldiers who had been standing there the entire time she was on the roof. No one else seemed to be coming from that direction. Seph needed to move, now.

Gliding around the far side of the barrel, away from the tower so that Lig might not see her, if he was still awake, Seph got to her feet and ran to the back side of the battlement. As far as she could see, no one was coming. Up past the staircase door, she saw the soldiers who had been here a few moments ago fading in the distance. With her head down and her hood up, Seph sprinted for the staircase door and paused next to it, listening.

If she stepped into the long, winding stairwell while soldiers were coming up, she’d have little place to hide. They’d have to meet eventually, unless she ran back up the stairs. Somehow, she’d need to make it down the two story flight without anyone else being in the stairwell. The chances weren’t good, but then, she’d had the fortune of the goddesses with her so far. Still, the thought occurred to her that she had already accomplished her mission, and if she were to die now, it would be in service to the princess. Perhaps the goddesses intended to make a martyr out of her. While that was a noble way to die, Seph wasn’t ready for it yet.

Still not hearing any sounds on the other side of the door, Seph checked to see if it was locked, and the door came open. She assumed the last soldiers to use it had been the ones chasing after her, and they hadn’t taken the time to secure it. Seeing no lights and hearing no footsteps, she ducked inside and locked the door behind her. That way, if anyone followed, it would take them longer to get through.

Seph shot down the stairs like a bolt of lightning, trying not to make any noise but also in a hurry to get out of this situation. She’d almost made it to the landing at the bottom of the first flight when she heard footsteps. Swearing under her breath, she looked around. There was a small alcove on the landing, shrouded behind a statue of the Goddess of War. It was so small, she’d hardly noticed it on her way up the steps. It would have to do. Making herself as tiny as possible, she nestled herself into the spot, covering her face with her cloak and trying not to breathe.

“We may have to take Jas and Aln to the muck later,” one of the soldiers was saying. By Seph’s estimate, he was still many steps below where she was hunched in the near darkness.

“Why is that?” another asked.

“They left their post. Lured away by a sighting of the duke,” the other one replied, a bit of a giggle in his voice.

“You don’t say? Why ever would they think the duke was still in the castle?”

“I haven’t the foggiest, but allegedly one of the Representatives said he saw the duke, and they followed. I’m sure the queen will want to speak to him as well.”

The men were even with her now, and Seph did her best not to react to the statement, assuming they had to be speaking of Cassius.

“Well, with the princess locked up, there’s no need for them anyway.” They seemed to stop on the landing to speak, and Seph prayed they’d continue on up the stairs before she gave herself way.

“I’m not sure Queen Rona intends to punish the princess, only to make sure she doesn’t have a mind to follow her father.”

“I heard the queen feared she might attempt to leave the castle with Eliason Goedwig,” a new voice said before the others broke into laughter. “Why is that humorous?”

“Haven’t you heard, Ory? Eliason Goedwig lives with the fishes now.”

“Yes, he’s out among the toads,” laughed another voice.

“Oh, no, I hadn’t heard. I’ve been in the infirmary.” This guard didn’t seem to find the news as amusing as the others, and Seph wished she could see his face. Perhaps he’d serve as an ally.

“Come along. We don’t want to be late for our shift. Who knows? Maybe we shall spot the duke from the battlements!” They all laughed again and started up the stairs once more. Seph didn’t dare move until she could no longer hear their footsteps. She had to wait until she heard the door open because there was a chance they might not have a key and would have to come back down or someone else would follow them. Once she heard the door open, she let go of a lung full of air. Steeling herself, Seph slid out from behind the statue, careful not to knock into it, and flew down the stairs, doing her best to be discreet.

She reached the door at the bottom of the stairs with no other interactions. Using the keyhole to peek through, Seph did her best to determine if anyone was within view of the door and saw no one. Grabbing for the key from her pocket, she pulled it out and promptly dropped it. Cursing again, she fell to her knees and felt around in the dark for the familiar shape. It took too long for her to find it, but eventually, she did. She checked the door again, and still seeing an empty hall, shoved the key in the lock, fumbling around for several seconds before the door popped open.

Slowly, she pulled open the door. It was silent, unlike the door at the top of the stairs. She poked her head out and looked each way. While she couldn’t see anyone, Seph heard voices and footsteps down the hall. She couldn’t tell if they were coming or going, but since she heard both women’s and men’s voices, she hoped that meant they were servants and not soldiers. Quickly, she ducked outside and decided to leave the door unlocked to save time.

Seph shot off down the hallway, knowing she had to traverse two long halls before she would reach the closest secret passage. She needed to get rid of this cloak as discreetly as possible as well. Taking the key out of the pocket and slipping it into her bodice, she folded the cloak over her arm, not liking the feeling of being exposed but glad to look less like a sneaky traitor.

Halfway down the next hallway, a door opened, and a servant girl stepped out, a pitcher of water in her hands. The girl looked at Seph for a moment before she curtsied and said, “My Lady.”

Seph bowed her head, trying to look as if she belonged in this wing of the castle, which she most certainly did not, and then hurried along her way.

The door to the room where the passage she needed was enclosed had been left unlocked. Seph peeked in first, and seeing the bedroom was unoccupied, she went inside and closed the door behind her. The handle to the secret passage was easy to find. She pulled it, the door opened, and she stepped into the darkness, the passage closing behind her.

Even in the pitch black, she was still afraid she would be found out. “Is anyone here?” She heard nothing and decided she was all right to move forward. She carried the cloak in several feet and then dropped it, thinking it would be safest here. And then, Seph hurried down the dark passage, each step bringing her closer to her own side of the castle, closer to safety.