The darkness quivered when a blanket of icy breath fell over the land that night. It hung in the air like a wraith, washed out in the moonlit glow and hovering like a malicious spirit.
Asheria could feel the chill in her bones, creeping up her spine like dozens of tiny, feather-like spider legs. She shivered in her bed, squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to shake the feeling of the looming sensation.
Her eyes shot open.
Kyros was fast asleep next to her, curled up on his side in a tight ball. It was how he nearly always slept, she had noticed. She calmed her breathing and sat up in bed.
It was early in the morning and she could not sleep.
But she knew what she had to do.
She got out of bed, looking back, watching Kyros' movements to make sure she hadn't woken him. When he did not stir, she proceeded to silently walk over to her closet and drape a robe over her nightclothes.
Again, she looked over her shoulder. Kyros was still asleep.
She hoped he wouldn't wake while she was absent, but she knew that if he did, he likely wouldn't worry too much. After all, she was a queen that could be called upon at any moment by anyone.
She peeked over her shoulder once more when her hand touched the cold, golden doorknob. Her fingers wrapped around it and she carefully turned it.
And then, she slid out of the room, softly shutting the door behind her.
She had made it.
She gripped the corners of the royal red robe around her and proceeded to walk down the long hallways. Everything around her was dark, covered in nothing but moonlight. Objects that were lucky enough to catch an inkling of the natural lighting twinkled ever so slightly.
But her wolf enhanced her night vision, though, her night vision was not nearly as good as her wolf form. Her wolf could only aid her at night.
Her feet carried her to the far end of the castle. It was darker there due to the lack of windows, but there was a reason why windows did not exist there. Winding stairs to the prison could be found there, and guards were placed on either side of the staircase that dropped down in the form of cold cobblestone.
The guards saw Queen Asheria approaching, and they at once averted their eyes and nodded their heads in acknowledgment. They wondered why she was up at such an ungodly hour but didn't question it.
She knew what she was doing.
She didn't say anything to them, rather, she walked past them and journeyed down the cold, dark stairs that led her into a world even darker than night itself.
The cells were cold and the air was moist. She lit some torches and mounted them back in their place on the walls so that she could see better. Most of the cells were empty, save for a few prisoners guilty of crimes such as theft or other petty incidents. Criminals not bound for release were executed since they committed atrocious crimes, which is why the prisons were generally more empty than full.
The few prisoners that inhabited their cells were fast asleep, curled up in fresh hay piles or on their old mattresses. Some didn't awake as she passed them by.
But she was seeing someone in particular. Asheria had not visited Candie for quite some time, and she knew she needed to talk to her again, lest she go mad with the emotions she had been feeling.
She stopped in front of the thick, sturdy bars of Candie's cell and found herself looking at the young woman curled up in a thick pile of hay. Her body faced Asheria, and the soft, dim light from the torches scattered the darkness and sent the entity fleeing.
Her hair was matted and oily around her, laying like a wild mane around her skull. Her clothes were plain - a long-sleeved dress. Oddly enough, though, were her eyes.
They were wide open.
And they were looking right at Asheria.
Her eyes didn't even blink. They remained unwavering and blank. Bloodshot and almost...creepy from the expression they bore.
Asheria found it very unsettling.
Nevertheless, though, she opened the cell and even proceeded to sit down in front of Candie. She leaned her back against the bars of the cell so she could appear less threatening and relaxed.
"I can't sleep," Asheria confessed, her voice was quiet but it sounded loud against the dead silence of the prison, "It's been like this for many nights."
Candie didn't move.
She simply stared.
It was unnerving.
"I figured it was...a phase. Something that happens from time to time. But, then I realized. It was stemming from you."
Candie's eye twitched.
"Candie, I know you are hiding something. Something is hidden behind those eyes of yours. I want you to understand that you can talk to me anytime you want. You can talk to the guards anytime you want, with no consequence."
Candie didn't even move, nor did she speak.
"I also want you to know that if something happens as a result of what you are hiding, and I find out, you will regret it. Right now, you can come clean with no consequence."
Asheria tried to picture herself in Candie's position. What would she do if she was locked up for a crime? What would she do if she was hiding information? What would she do if she had the option to be honest, or face severe physical and mental pain later on as a result of hiding information?
She knew what she would do.
It was logical, after all.
She would be upfront and honest.
But Candie was stubborn. Strong, even.
In a way, Asheria admired that. Candie was the type of woman who would've been an outstanding soldier or leader had she had chosen the right path and not have been corrupt. She would've been loyal and brave.
But it was an unfortunate decision Candie had made.
Asheria approached Candie, her face mere inches from Candie's.
"Oh, and Candie, I will find out. Whatever you are hiding will be the shovels to dig your own grave."
Asheria sat in the cell for a few more fleeting moments, looking into the deadening eyes of Candie. She maintained her innocence with strength, despite being barred from her freedoms of the outside world. Asheria decided to give it another day or two and turned to exit the cell.
But a voice stopped her.
"Wait." Candie suddenly called out. Her voice sounded tired and dry.
Asheria froze in her spot, a bit surprised by the event but said nothing and turned around to meet Candie's eyes.
Asheria took a step forward and cocked a brow.
"I...I wish to speak." Candie suddenly sat up in her cell, her matted, oily hair ruffled around her. She looked filthy, but that was expected.
Asheria took a seat in the cell once more and hesitantly looked at Candie. She wasn't sure if Candie was going to actually spill the darkness from her eyes or simply conjure up more lies, more excuses, more emotions.
Candie started to actually look more frightened. Genuinely frightened. It was bizarre to Asheria since Candie normally faked her expressions.
The silence haunted the atmosphere, hanging in the air like a wispy spirit.
"There were others involved. With...with the drug, I mean. I don't really know exactly who they are or where they are from. They have more of the drug, I don't know what they would plan to do with it." She spoke.
This piqued Asheria's interests. Could it be true?
"How did you meet these people?" Asheria questioned.
"I...I" She looked hesitant, her eyes flickered to the floor, "They approached me one day. A long time ago before I had met Kyros. They run an underground business selling the drug for those who engage in dangerous activities. I was barely a teenager at the time, I was fooled into their promises for money. My parents and I grew up with no pack and poor."
"What made you decide to join this clan?" Asheria asked.
"Well, as silly as it sounds, there was a dress I desired. I grew up with nothing, and this dress I saw in a shop was the one item that I longed for. It was the first thing I actually really wanted and...and I thought about my family as well. My mother wanted to make a big dinner for the Moon Holiday and couldn't afford to do so. So, I agreed with the man and sold my soul." Candie said.
Asheria couldn't help but feel a little pity towards her. But she became angry at herself for feeling that way. Candie's poor childhood didn't excuse the fact that she was abusive. That she manipulated and abused someone in every way possible.
Candie was dangerous.
"What did this man look like?"
Her eyes stared off into the distance as if trying to remember. "He wore a black robe. A hood obscured his face completely from his view, but he had a dark beard. I didn't get a good look at the others behind him, as they all wore the same thing. They never once showed their face to me when I worked with them."
That didn't help Asheria much. But indeed, it was something. And it was concerning.
But Asheria didn't take Candie too seriously. She knew she could be feeding her half-truths to make her story look more believable. To add some credibility to her side. If one is trying to hide something, they often sprinkled true bits here and there to make it believable. They often bend the story a bit to cover up what they want to be hidden.
Could Candie be doing the same thing?
Possibly. But what else could she be hiding and why?
Asheria didn't want to push it any further. Candie would likely give up more information with time, but to at least prove Candie's statement, she would be setting up an investigation.
"Where did these figures approach you, and where did you meet?" Asheria asked.
"They approached me in secluded areas. One was near the ocean that can be seen from the town, the other places were sporadic and random. The forests at night, meadows in the morning, the road near the blacksmith in town during the early morning hours. I cannot pinpoint every location to its exact details."
That was enough information for Asheria, though.
She already had a plan in motion and an idea of what to do and how to attempt to prove Candie's claims.
When the pair had finished talking, Asheria excused herself from Candie's cell. She made sure she locked it and took one more glimpse at Candie staring at her from behind the thick bars.
And then she set off towards the stairs leading back into the castle. As she climbed the steps and entered the palace, she again passed the guards at the entrance.
Only, she didn't walk past them.
Instead, she stopped in front of them.
"One of you needs to gather Estavana, Deavana, and their troops. Tell her I'll be waiting in the throne room. She has an invitation to meet me there."
Estavana, Deavana, and their troops were soldiers employed by the queen who specifically aided in undercover work. They were not needed too often, but when they were used, they often were involved in some of the most important missions.
The soldier bowed his head. "Yes, your majesty." He disappeared down the hallway behind him to spread the message. The news was not to escape the castle, lest the perpetrators find out and lay low.
But betrayal was a devious beast.
Asheria proceeded to walk towards her throne room. Her heart thrummed with excited, nervous energy about the upcoming mission.
They were very risky and stressful.
But she knew she needed to find the darkness before the darkness found her.