The Archshade

Thirty-Five

"Mistress, what are you doing here?!"

"I need you to take me to Prince Darcron's chambers."

The servant who dumped food on me during the banquet just blinks at me, standing still in the crowded kitchens. Though the ovens and stoves have been put out, thralls and servants are still rushing about, responding to the beckoning calls of the fearful nobles.

Impatient with the servant's blank expression, I yell, "Please!"

The servant jumps, cringing at my tone. "But the corridors are cordoned off by the guards, m'lady. We'll never get through."

"What about the servants' tunnels?" I demand. "This palace has hidden service halls, doesn't it?"

The servant raises his eyebrows then stammers, "B-but nobles can't go in there!"

"I'm not a noble." My eyes flash with indignation.

"Um... yes, well..." The servant looks me up and down as if seeing me for the first time. With a disheveled gown and loose strands of hair falling from my headscarf, I'm sure I look more like a Northern wild woman than an Arcadian noble. The servant relents with a sigh.

"Very well. Follow me, m'lady."

He leads me to a door set into the panels of the wall, and we slip through, leaving behind no trace of ourselves. The passage is warm but pitch dark. I hesitate, not taking another step until the strike of a flint ignites the stub of a flickering candle. The tiny orange flame casts jagged shadows across the passage walls as the servant glances back at me.

I straighten my shoulders. "There isn't much time. Lead on."

The servant nods and begins heading down the passageway between the walls. We wind through narrow twists and broad turns while listening to the muffled sounds of clanking mental on the other side of the wood and stone. Every so often, the clanking is accompanied by angry voices.

The servant leads me up a set of steep and unforgiving steps. We keep climbing and climbing until I lose count of how many steps we've taken, and then we climb up a few more. The servant finally stops at a slab of stone which harbors a small indent for a handle. I watch as he places his hand against it and pushes, moving the slab of stone silently across the floor. He crosses over the threshold, scans the room, then motions for me to follow him.

Slipping out of the passageway, I find us standing in a circular bed chamber lit with flickering torches. The room is enormous with arched windows set into the walls, providing every angle of view from the top of the tower. The window beside the bed overlooks the flickering lights of Jannah far below.

"It would seem the prince is away at the moment," the servant says. "Would your ladyship like me to summon—"

"No." I wave a frantic hand. "I need to hurry before the prince gets back."

Sweeping my gaze across the room, I examine the finely woven rugs covering parts of the flawless floorboards and study the robust furniture of dark, hardened wood polished to perfection—it seems even dust motes are afraid to linger too long in Prince Darcron's presence. The bed itself is wide enough for several people to sleep comfortably. Red silk draperies hang from its canopy and exotic furs of dangerous beasts decorate the bedcovers. In the corner, there's a large desk littered with parchments, and beside it, a massive table covered entirely with maps, books, and documents.

With a mixture of horror and interest, the servant watches me survey the room. "M'lady," he squeaks, "what are you searching for?"

Distractedly, I answer, "Something that's hidden."