Beyond the Glow

Chapter 9

I hover in the doorway, nervously hoping that a stray move won't send the knife flying towards me. The woman had a hooked nose, and was painfully skinny, her eyes were trained on the blade she was cleaning with a cloth in her lap. Mousy brown hair hung in bangs over her bony face, the rest pulled in a severe bun without a strand out of place. Even her castle maid's outfit was spotless, not a bit of fabric out of place. 

"Ah, Briar, how nice of you to... appear." The woman says quietly. "May I ask where you have been all this time? I sent you into town yesterday to pick up the silks for the queens new dress." She looks up, her piercing gray eyes staring at me; I shiver. 

I begin to sweat, unable to think of a good excuse. I suppose I should've on the way up here, but I didn't. I need to think fast. "I was, uh, well, I-"

"Forget it, I don't want to hear it." Says the woman, cutting me off completely.  "Let me guess;" She takes a deep breath, speaking slowly. "you met some cute boy and he took the silks from your hands, saying how pretty you were, he would carry them for you. Then he ran off and left you in the dust, too ashamed to just come to the castle and apologize to me for losing the silks." She rubs her face with a hand, her disapproval clear. 

"Yes," I say, perfect excuse. I turn my gaze to the floor, I need to act ashamed, or she'll never buy it. "That's exactly what happened, I didn't know how to face you, how did you know?"

The slap came across my cheek unexpectedly fast, and I fall to the floor, unprepared for the blow. I look up, shocked tears welling up in my eyes. Did she see through me? 

"Stupid girl." She mutters, wiping the hand that had hit me with a handkerchief. "Do you know how much those silks cost? More than you will earn in a lifetime for sure." My stomach relaxes, but she's already turned away again; letting out a sigh. "Only because the castle needs more help will I choose to keep you. Those stupid Underground people keep frightening away our castle staff." She shot me a glare, "If not for that, you would be fired right now. Remember that Briar."

Carefully, I stand, the ache in my cheek subsiding slightly. The woman turned back to me, holding the knife she'd been cleaning before. It looked plain enough, the only decoration being a aquamarine stone. "Take this to the prince, and don't lose it this time. You are walking a thin rope as it is." With a quick nod, I took the knife from her, holding it in the folds of my apron to keep from cutting myself on the sharp blade.

I hold my head down, not looking her in the eyes. With a quick nod I am dismissed, and I exit to the hall. The girl stands outside, her eyes wide, silently we walk a ways down the hall before she can't hold in her excitement anymore.

"I can't believe you get to see the prince! And on your second day too! I'm so jealous Briar!" I hold back from wrinkling my nose, that's what she's focusing on? Not the fact that the woman hit and threatened her friend? 

I smile, "Calm down, I bet he's a stuck up snob. I'm just going to drop this in his rooms, and hopefully not cross paths with him."

"Don't waste a perfectly good opportunity!" Cries the girl. "I thought you got this job so that you could 'rub elbows with royalty' as you put it." She's practically bouncing out of her shoes she's so excited. 

"Well maybe this job isn't all it's cracked up to be." I say quietly, and stride down the hall, leaving her confused and frozen behind me. 

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When I exit the servants halls, it occurs to me that I have no idea where the princes rooms are. I turn to the girl who found me; who had been trailing a fair distance behind me in the tunnels. "Don't look at me for help." She says crossly. "If you don't remember the tour of the castle from when we got here, then that's your problem. Not mine." 

I frown at her sudden change of attitude; although I was a bit rude, she's acting strangely. It doesn't really connect with the happy persona I had labeled her as. Grumpy, she stomps down the hall, leaving me to find the rooms on my own. "Fine then." I mumble, and heading in the opposite direction. I'll just find my own way then. 

I stumble the halls, trying to look as if I know what I'm doing, before tucking into an alcove begind a tapestry. Pulling out my lamp, I think desperately. I can't seem as if I don't know the place, I Briar has already been here, and although I'm new, it sounds like she had a tour of some sort that let her know where everything was.  

The lamp, reacting to my nerves, begins to glow. Quietly, I shush it, trying to calm the light that shines on the stone walls and will be a definite indicator to anyone walking by that I'm not normal. As soon as I stops, I can hear voices on the other side of the tapestry passing by. 

"Sire, I think it's a bad idea. You can't be on both sides, if your parents find out-" 

"Cruise, I can't. You know that, the underground is planning something. I- I can't stand here and do nothing like they can. It only makes the people worse. The kingdom is deteriorating. I can tell it's getting bad, despite what they say."

The voices begin to fade, turning a corner. I stay for a few more seconds, before slowly stepping out of the alcove. What was that about? I don't see anyone in the hall, so I just shake it off. I need to take this knife to the Prince's room, and maybe do some snooping for the Underground while I'm there. Come to think of it, he mentioned the underground didn't he? Why-

I round the corner, still lost in thought and run into someone with a yelp, dropping the knife. Whoever it is turns around, and I look up at their face, an apology on the tip of my tongue dying as soon as I see their face. Green eyes.

Gregor's assassin.

He looks older up close, and his eyes are narrowed at me.

I look at his clothes, each bit of his outfit is perfectly fitted, and a royal navy blue. He must be an important man. Suddenly remembering my place; I bow slightly, "S-sorry sir." I stammer, and he smiles reassuringly. 

"No worries, entirely my fault for lurking around corners I'm afraid." He says, picking up the knife. "I see you found my decorative knives, I sent them to be cleaned earlier today; thank you for returning this one." He grins again, "I will eagerly await the rest as well." 

I nod, suppressing a gulp. So this is the prince then? Gregor's assassin? I give him a second look, memorizing his face. So he does the dirty work for the kingdom then? There's a cough, and I look behind him; noticing a clearly disgruntled man standing behind the Prince with his arms crossed impatiently. 

"As I was saying Tran, you-" 

"Where did you get that?" Asks the Prince, eyeing my lamp; it had slipped out of the top of my dress when I ran into him, and i tuck it back hurriedly. 

"It was a gift from my mother," I say, daring him to day otherwise. He straightens up, still giving me a strange look. 

"It's very beautiful." He says, "Can I ask where she got it?" 

I shake my head. "I don't know where, it was a birthday present." He frowns, but it's quickly covered up with a sigh and a shake of his head. 

"I apologize. I love rare jewelry, and I've never seen that piece before. It's very nice." He says, finally turning back to the other man. Gray hair framed a weathered and strained face, he tapped his foot, a frown seemingly fixed on his face. "Sorry Cruise," Says the Prince. "I apologize for interrupting our conversation like that. Please continue." They start off down the hall, and I duck back around the corner, my heart beating fast. I nearly break into a run to be away from the suspicious eyes; but that would be more suspicious than not. 

If the prince himself was able to infiltrate the underground, and kill their leader from right under their noses, -to say the least, it was pretty bad.

My mission just got a whole lot harder.