Tell No One

Chapter 37

If there was one thing Kiera missed, it was her powers. In the back of her mind, she knew they were from him, but that did not stop her persistent longing for them to come back. Walking down the corridor, she was paranoid that Ramatee would come out after her. And if he chose to hurt her...

Kiera pushed that thought to the recesses of her mind. She didn't know what she wanted to do out here other than walk, but it beat sharing an uncomfortable silence with Ramatee.

Kiera passed several people on her travels. They were servants, helping with the maintenance of the Keep. They all looked human for the most part, and as she passed, they stopped to look at her, their eyes briefly flitting to her face before staring at her neck. She found them rude, but more importantly, they were unnerving. Few and far between, not one of them gave her a smile, or even a simple nod in acknowledgement as she passed. One girl, as she dusted turned around at the sound of Kiera's footsteps, and literally recoiled at the bandages around Kiera's neck.

Kiera surmised that her neck branding must be a status thing. All the servants and maids had Ankh's clearly burnt onto their hands. She had yet to come across anyone with a different placement- hers must be a blaring siren to them that she's the king's new bride. Why did he even want her anyway?
Kiera found that she was on the top landing of the foyer once again, the room spilling out before her. The room was empty as she walked down the steps, her footfalls echoing as she came to the marble floor at the bottom. Through the big windows either side of the door, she could see the hazy red sky, the stars staring at her from above. She planned to go outside, but as she got to the door, he stomach made a rather loud growl. Clutching it, Kiera decided to try one of the other doors on the ground floor, and hopefully, find some food. Maybe, if she found Analise, she could point her in the right direction.

Kiera's eyes skipped over the two huge doors that lead to the throne room. Her eyes eventually came to rest on one of the many nondescript doors lining the walls. Each one was identical to the next, and at random, Kiera decided on one. Walking up, and pushing it open, Kiera glanced around the foyer, suddenly worried. She wasn't told explicitly not go anywhere.... but this had to be the first time she truly was left by herself. As she stepped through the door, she couldn't help but feel like she was doing something wrong. She'd gotten used to being alone on Earth, but here, it was unnerving.

The corridor looked much like the many others Kiera had walked through throughout her short stay here. There were doors along one side, the other dotted with windows to the cardinal sky outside. Kiera gave them no mind, and instead, continued to the end of the corridor.

A set of wooden double doors marked the end of the hall, and Kiera found herself again admiring the size of this one building. Pushing it open, Kiera gasped.

She supposed- with the sheer amount of doors and subsequent rooms this place had- that she shouldn't have been surprised, but she still found herself breathless as she stepped through. All thoughts of food and hunger vanished as she gazed upon a room stocked to the brim with books. With the same high ceilings of the foyer, the library had rows and rows of books taking up the back wall. A spiralling staircase, tucked away in the corner, lead to a balcony for the higher shelves, but Kiera could see that there were obviously still some she wouldn't be able to reach. To the sides of the room, Kiera could see mazes of bookshelves spread out, maybe only 2 meters high or so. Walking to stand in the centre, Kiera could see the middle had been reserved for seating, plush leather armchairs scattered about. One whole wall of the colossal room was made from glass and gave an impressive view of the manicured garden and the ever-present vermillion sky above. She couldn't see anyone. And listening, the only sound she could hear was her own tentative breathing. Confident she was alone, Kiera decided to browse.