ArcKnight (The ArcKnight Chronicles #1)

Chapter Fourteen

"Okay, fine. Look. She has to be staying somewhere in the palace, right? Any royal harem is usually kept near them for entertainment purposes, if I recall right. Gil had something like that, but none of his concubines were up for the throne. Rafaela hated that he had a harem and immediately got rid of the girls when they were engaged, much to his dismay. There were special hallways the girls used so as to not be seen entering and leaving Gil's room. Do you have that here? Where do you think he would've set her up?"

Ephrem scowled at the suggestion, but it disintegrated a moment later as his face brightened with a new idea.

"You're on to something there. That's exactly what we're going to do. Come on."

"Wait! Where are we going?"

He grinned wickedly at me and winked. "You'll see."

***

From inside the tunnels, which ran along the walls of the palace and underneath, I felt sure we'd never discover where Etan was keeping Elise. I bet she was living in the lap of luxury while I was out here busting my ass and walking through dusty passageways that hadn't seen a good thorough cleaning since they'd been secretly inserted into the building plans. The amount of cobwebs alone made me want to squeal in horror. It made my blood boil at the thought, and I couldn't wait to pay her a visit to show her just how much pain she'd caused me.

First, we had to find the place. Luckily, Ephrem had been a curious child and knew these passages by heart. Now he led us to the part of the royal stronghold he believed would've been given to my ex-best friend. Though it could house a harem if need be, the practice was now frowned upon. Etan would probably have Elise there all by herself.

How quaint.

"Are we there yet?" I hissed out into the darkness. The sole light came from a lonely lamp Ephrem carried in his hand. In the other he held out a short sword, a Casinlan. It was a sword he'd pulled out right before leaving his apartment in the Outlands of Temple. I'd seen one before. Gil had one just like it. Only royalty had these kinds of swords because the metal to make them was exceedingly rare and the process used to create a single blade was an extremely specialized technique. Few blacksmiths knew how to duplicate them. I didn't even know if there were any more alive who knew how to make one of those swords.

I had one with a slightly different design back home. I wished I could have grabbed it before being unceremoniously tossed out into the Outlands. Rafaela hadn't even been there when they'd led me out the doors and slammed them shut behind me. It was a special sword given to me by my mother, and the metal had a luminescent quality. I'd forgotten about it until now.

It was bittersweet to think about how much hell Rafaela had probably given Gil for not letting her say goodbye to me. I hoped she gave him and the Elders an earful of contempt.

The thought of my sister comforted me as we walked along the damp, rank halls. These had been made for the royals to escape through in case of emergency, but I bet that Etan didn't even remember they were there. Ephrem hadn't spoken much about his brother since he'd told me what he did to save him. I didn't ask. It was probably a sore subject.

"Here." Ephrem tugged me toward the right and into a small inlet where an old rusty door stood, the same color as the stone. He felt around the top of the doorframe and produced a dusty key. As he turned it in the keyhole, the old lock screamed through the silence. In the darkness, it sounded like a battleship landing in the middle of the city.

I gulped as he paused and listened hard for anyone who might've heard us. After a few moments, he turned the key once more. The lock gave a resonating click, and the door swung open toward us.