The Hour of the Crow

Chapter 32: Creeping around Corridors

Inna wiped her handkerchief across her moist forehead. It was early morning, the sun had not fully risen yet, but the streets of the Copper District had shed the night's cool veil already, coating her skin in a sheen of sweat. The spoiled noble inside her missed the colored fans made of palm leaves that the women in her father's harem used to cool themselves. Now, as a disgraced member of the royal family, she only had her hood and shawl to protect her from the glaring sun, yet it did not do much good against the heat.

After ten minutes, she finally spotted the domes of the Stone District's bathhouses and blew out a slow breath. She darted in and out of shadows to avoid the frequent patrols, which had been significantly fewer in number in the Copper District. Sometimes they were ordinary guards in the traditional black uniforms of the city watch, yet occasionally, they were accompanied by a sorcerer in a swirling, dark cloak which hid their face from view. The curfew was still in effect, so she would be arrested without question if they caught her. She'd have preferred to take the underground route through the tunnels to avoid recognition, but without Arran's assistance, she didn't know the way.

She wouldn't have risked this tricky operation if it hadn't been an emergency. One she had to deal with alone.

The only other person who knew about the tunnel leading to the palace was Arran, and she'd rather keep it that way. Under normal circumstances, she would have taken him with her, if only to cover her back with his light-bending magic. Yet, in the course of the night, he had developed a fever and she'd insisted he stay at Zohra's house and wait this out. Zazi had offered to stay behind and watch over him; the snake was too big not to draw unwanted attention, since she didn't fit beneath the maroon jacket Inna had borrowed from Adira as a disguise. It barely fit Inna herself, the sleeves too short and the fabric too tight, but her own blue jacket with embroidered golden flowers would have stood out in the streets of the Copper District.

As she descended into the secret chamber at the back of the Izmeni bathhouse and wriggled the heavy stone slab out of place, her mind drifted off to the previous night. A dull ache between her legs reminded her of what she and Arran had done. Inna had slept both with a man and a woman in the past, but neither of them had ever managed to evoke the same passionate feelings within her as Arran did by simply looking at her. And last night ... Last night had left her even more ravenous for his touch, his stares, his mischievous grin.

She shook her head. How had she let it come this far? When had it happened? She couldn't lose her heart to someone who, in spite of their best efforts, might be dead in a week. Her throat constricted at the thought of Arran's beautiful turquoise eyes staring up at the sky unseeing, his perfect brown skin ashen and cold. No, she had sworn to keep him alive. She would compel him to make that last wish if it came to that.

She banned the thought of Arran out of her head and focused on the task at hand. She welcomed the tunnel's coolness on her heated face. It was tempting to linger for a while longer, but she forced herself to keep up a steady pace. The sooner she had gotten this over with, the better.

The door at the end led into a corridor used exclusively by the royal staff. Since it bordered on the wine cellar, servants rarely ventured this deep into the palace at this hour, so the corridor was deserted. Instead of taking the shortcut that ended at a false wall panel in one of the regular corridors, she took a detour, creeping up several flights of stairs before the smell of cooked breakfast wafted toward her. Her stomach growled in response.

Whereas the palace's noble residents were still snoring in their beds, cooks and servants scampered around the kitchen in a lively bustle. They shoved dough for bread into the ovens, fried eggs in copper pans and sliced fruit into star-shaped pieces. Inna's mouth watered.

Caught up in their activities, the kitchen staff didn't notice her at first when she slipped inside the room. She leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms, a nostalgious smile on her face. A careless kitchen help bumped against her as he backed away from one of the stoves, and a silver tray with clean plates clattered onto the ground.