//song: Venus in Furs - Velvet Underground
Mehnit.
In danger.
I couldn't leave the Underworld without her.
I wouldn't.
"I'm not leaving her," I whispered. I squeezed Asmo's hand as I held it to make my point. "We rescue her. Tonight."
I watched him for a moment. I could see the gears turning in his mind. He was going over the options we had.
He nodded once and gently guided me into the other room again.
He went first, his coat billowing as he stepped inside the dim room again. His voice was deep and dark when he spoke. "Get out."
As I entered, I noticed two men conversing in the corner. I suspected they were weighing their options to Mal's proposition like the others were.
When they didn't move as as he would have liked, Asmo's hands balled into fists at his sides. As soon as he did, a pulse of power moved through the room. The men fell forward and were pushed out of the room. One the toes of their boots cleared the threshold the doors slammed shut behind them.
Asmo turned to me. "We don't have time. Any of them will be taking her up on her offer any moment now." He took his mask off as he looked down at me. Distant cousins or not, Asmo was almost as tall as Damien was. And Damien was well over six and a half feet tall. "Can you tell if Mehnit is here or not?" When he saw my confusion, he elaborated. "She might have brought her to show her off rather than taking any of her new followers back to the Keep."
I nodded and closed my eyes. I concentrated, leaning against the wall behind me.
I pictured her in my mind. I imagined running my fingers through her soft coat while I studied in the old days. I held on to the memory of her purring and pressing her nose against my fingers. Slowly, I felt her energy but she wasn't close by.
I tried to see where she was and could suddenly see the walls of the Keep around me. I could feel the immense protective power of the Keep's ebony walls. There was something else and it made my blood run cold.
"She's at the Keep." I shut my eyes forcefully, fighting back the sadness I suddenly felt. "She's so scared." I shut my eyes tightly, fighting the tears that flooded me unsuccessfully. I wiped the back of my hand against my eyes. I realized I failed miserably when I opened my tear-filled eyes again and looked up at him. "We can't leave her there, Asmo."
I saw his eyes linger on the tears that fell on my cheeks. "You're certain she's at the Keep?"
I nodded fiercely. "Yes." I wiped my cheeks again. "It's somewhere with a lot of security--I felt like I was being bound up. But definitely the Keep."
His hand pulled me by my middle and against him. Suddenly, I was in in his arms, my face tucked against his shoulder. My feet swayed and when I looked around the room, it transformed from the dark lounge room we were in and into a bedroom I didn't recognize.
He let me go and walked to a door directly behind him.
The room looked ancient. Almost everything in it was untouched. It didn't look lived in except for just the bed that had a blanket hanging off its side. The large four-post bed was exquisite with carvings in the dark wood.
The room was dark at first but the longer we stood in it, the brighter the lights grew.
He stood close to the door with his hand flat against it.
I watched him in silence as he tilted his head. "There's no one in the hallway," he whispered. He looked at me. "You should take off your shoes. We need to make the least amount of noise as possible."
I frowned but followed his instruction. I leaned against one of the posts of the bed as I pulled my shoes off. I whispered as quietly as he did before. "Where are we?"
"At the Keep. My room." He rolled his eyes. "The only place we can safely specter to without inciting any suspicion or bumping into a guard. I'm barred from spectering anywhere else. New rules since she took over."
I frowned. He definitely wasn't trying anything but just the thought of being in Asmo's room with Asmo gave me the creeps.
I placed the shoes quietly on the ground next to the bed. "Is that normal?"
He gave me a look.
If looks could kill...
"Nothing about this is normal, Alteaza." He turned back to the door, pressing himself against it as if listening to the hall again.
I moved to where he stood, standing beside him trying to listen to what he listened to.
He looked down at me with a stern look. "I don't feel any dark magic beyond these doors. I don't think there are any guards outside." He paused. "Listen very carefully. We're going to go rescue Mehnit."
My heart beat wildly in my chest.
"This is the only time we'll be able to do it," he said quietly. "We have one shot. Don't try to use your magic. It might alert guards. When I spectered, I was able to shield your entrance but I won't be able to do it again while we're here. No one can do magic here, not even me."
I frowned again. "Why wouldn't you be able to use your magic? This is your home, isn't it?"
He sighed frustrated. "Yes, and I have to sneak. It should show you how under lock and key we have been in the Keep while you and Damien were...wherever it is you went."
Inwardly I breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know where we went.
"The Guard has been instructed to stop everyone, even myself when I use magic inside the walls of the Keep. I can specter to my room but that's the only special privilege I've been granted." He rolled his eyes again. "And even that was negotiated." He paused as if in thought. He looked away. "We can do this but you must listen to me."
We were so close to each other. As much as I felt my stomach flip at the idea, I grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
Dark queen, I reminded myself. He wanted a dark queen. His equal wouldn't be afraid of him.
Startled, he looked at our intertwined hands.
"Your plan earlier worked." I gave him a small smile.
I watched a smirk tweak at the corner of his lips.
Resolution steeled my core. I made a point to bite my bottom lip as he watched before I spoke again. "I will follow your lead," I breathed.
He quietly sighed and pulling on my hand, he tucked my arm beneath his. "Stay close," he whispered.
I followed him closely as we exited and shut the door quietly behind us.
The hallway was one I didn't recognize and not guarded as mine had been one. It seemed that no one was concerned about Asmo's safety or they didn't think enough of him to sneak the true queen of the Underworld into the Keep again. A large stained glass window stood at the end of the hallway and cast an eery glow along what I imagined was the moonlight.
Asmo kept quiet as we moved through the unfamiliar corridors and rooms of the Keep. We moved silently through empty corridors. Everything was different from how it was before. The rooms would overflow with light and laughter. Things were returning to "normal" as Damien had put it.
Now the rooms were shut, the sconces barely providing as much light as needed.
I watched him throughout with my heart in my throat.
He seemed calmer than I felt. My heart hammered in my chest. My hands were sweating and my breathing erratic but at least he stayed calm enough for the two of us. His hand was steady as it held mine and I could have sworn I felt some comfort from him as he held on to my hand.
Briefly, I wondered if it was magic or if it was something else. I reminded myself how awful he'd been--the bargains he'd trapped me in, how he had acted before--
A sudden noise made me turn and before I could focus on the source of the noise in the darkness, I was pulled by my arm. I almost fell on Asmo as he shut the door behind me quietly. I looked up at him as he pushed me against the closed door.
I squinted against the unexpected darkness of the room. Moonlight filled the room from a window near the ceiling. The room looked unused. It looked like it was used mostly for storage. Furniture was stacked against the walls with blankets draped over them.
Musty, stale air assaulted my nose and I did everything I could to hold on to the sneeze. I reached for my nose and pinched my nostrils.
Asmo glared at me. "Don't," he mouthed silently.
I shook my head fiercely.
I closed my eyes and leaned against the door behind me, willing the sneeze to subside. I let out a long breath as soon as the urge to sneeze stopped.
A moment later, I heard him chuckle.
I glared at him when he wouldn't stop laughing and pushed him away.
"We should wait here for a couple of minutes," he whispered. "Just to be sure they don't come back."
"Shouldn't we leave just in case they saw us?"
He shook his head. "I felt his magic-- he walked right by us. He would have stopped and checked the room if he was suspicious. There's no reason for him to suspect anyone would be here. He would have checked the room out, trust me."
"All right," I whispered back looking around the room. "Where are we?"
He leaned against the wall throwing his head back and looking to the ceiling. It looked like he was settling his own adrenaline from sneaking through the halls of the Keep. "Storage," he whispered. "Near the dungeons. Temporary quarters for traitors until they are moved to the Tower. You said she was guarded. Other than the queen, it would be the most heavily guarded part of the Keep."
I hugged my arms against the chill of the room. "Okay. We'll wait."
I looked at the covered furniture closely, lifting their covers to see what they were hiding.
Something heavy draped over my shoulders and when I looked to what it was, I hugged it close, welcoming its warmth. "Thank you," I whispered.
Asmo nodded slightly as he adjusted his coat over my shoulders. "My pleasure, Alteaza."
I watched him as he moved back to where he had been close to the door. He closed his eyes as he leaned against the door. It looked like maybe he was concentrating on something.
I tugged on the sleeves of the coat. It was too big, dwarfing my small hands. "Does Damien know?"
Asmo opened one of his eyes to look at me.
"About what you told me earlier?"
He closed his eyes again. "No one knows. Just my father, may he rest eternally in Tyrna, myself and now, you."
"Why did you tell me?"
"Trust has to start somewhere. Especially if we are to build a life together."
That. Again. It just made my blood run cold. I swallowed my nervousness. "Why me?"
He let out a long breath. "I told you before. You're my equal, Alteaza. You looked past my demons. You showed me you don't care about them. You told me so earlier that what I told you didn't change anything between us." He shrugged still not looking at me. "Maybe I am unwittingly attracted to your Light magic like everyone else." He scoffed lightly. "Frankly, I don't care. I'm too old to care." He sighed. "I'll be happier once this girl and the Lord of Skryen are finally out of my hair." He groaned. "I miss the peace outside of the Keep."
I scoffed. "You'll be happier," I mumbled, rolling my eyes.
I sighed softly and leaned against a wall where I could see him. I crossed my arms. "You said your mother-"
"My mother was the demon, yes. She took advantage of my father. He was related to the royal family and powerful but vulnerable since he was near the Seals. She had the opportunity and she took it. She carried me and when she gave birth, my father killed her and took me from her. The speculation was that she would raise me and I would overtake the throne for her."
"Would you?" I asked quietly. "Overtake the throne?"
He scoffed. "I don't care for the throne. Never have. The thought of being king makes me cringe." He moved away from the wall. "All right. Time to keep moving. Mehnit should be around here."
I nodded and stayed close as he moved through the door.
A soft noise made me look up to the window and frown. A large black bird watched me from above.
"Come, Emylin," Asmo whispered. "We don't have time."
I shrugged off its appearance and blended into the shadows as I followed Asmo into the bleak hallway.