Silver Curse

Chapter 7

The second I left the castle I broke into a run. All of the feelings I had suppressed in the courtroom came rushing over me. Fear. Fear that I would not succeed. Fear of the dangerous man I was about to face. Doubt. Doubt in myself and my skills. Excitement. Excitement to be out of the castle and on to a new adventure. Excitement to put all of my training to good use.

As this rush of feelings came over me, I became increasingly aware of my surroundings. Almost without thinking it, I had run to the back of the castle. I stopped in front of the servants entrance and stepped into the heat from dozens of rows of ovens. I instantly felt sweat break out on my forehead, and wondered how the kitchen workers did it every day. Whatever brought food home to their families was good enough for them I supposed. I looked around and quickly spied Kess in the back, carrying a pan overflowing with a dark brown bread dough.

He walked over to the oven and carefully pushed the pan inside, his back stooped and his face helt away from the intense heat. He must have felt my eyes on him because he turned around and locked eyes with me, still standing in the doorway. He motioned for me to wait a moment, and so I sat down on one of the wooden crates by the door. I closed my eyes and breathed in the warm and sweet smell of the baking bread and pastries. I smelled the yeast and the sweet fruits that were boiling into jelly, and the warm haze that was the flour covering everything. The smell was enough to make my stomach grumble, and I realized that the only thing I had eaten that day was an apple that morning.

I opened my eyes as I heard Kess' footsteps approach. I rose to my feet, but even when I was standing, my eyes weren't even level with his shoulders. He took my hand and pulled me out of the kitchens. We moved along the side of the castle until we reached the steps that led down into the storeroom. As soon as we descended down into the dimly lit room, I was relieved by the cool air that was tinged with the smell of old dirt and preserved food.

The room was big, with shelves that led up and down the middle of the room, separating it into hallways. This was a common meeting place for me and Kess, as it was largely avoided by most castle workers. It had a creepy air about it, and servants passed around stories of ghosts that haunt the storeroom.

We walked to the farthest corner of the storeroom, and sat down on some old wooden crates that were no longer being used to hold food. I hurriedly told everything to Kess, my words tumbling out in my enthusiasm. While I was excited to be leaving on my mission, Kess face grew increasingly worried as I explained what I was supposed to do.

"Onyx! This man, this assassin, has been sent to kill our king! He is not safe! You cannot go out on your own. You might be killed," Kess exclaimed when I had finished.

"I wont be killed Kess!" I exclaimed. "I am strong and fast; Cassiopeia would never give me a task unless she was sure I could complete it! I will be fine, I am sure," I tried to make my voice sound strong, but my mouth betrayed me.

Hearing the quiver in my voice, Kess stood up and paced back and forth in the corner of the storeroom. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands and looked at me. His face was awash with emotion, his brows furrowed. He came back and sat down next to me and took my hands.

"I know. I know you will be okay. I am just worried for you is all," he murmured.

His large hands closed over my small ones, and his thumb traced a pattern over the back of my palms, the only skin on my hands that wasn't rough with callouses and scrapes.

The room was silent save for the distant sound of castle life, and only then, looking at the strong and beautiful boy before me, did I feel the fear. The fear that I might never return. That I might never see Kess again. I felt this fear and squeezed my fists together until the semicircles of my fingernails were imbedded into the skin of my palms. My eyes squeezed shut and when i opened them after what seemed like forever, I looked into his face and saw more fea etched into it than I had ever seen on anybody. The dim light from the sparse torches cast shadows that played across his cheeks and nose. I unfolded one hand from inside his and put it gently on the side of his face.