I could hardly believe the level of bustle in the castle kitchens. A huge hearth and several fireplaces surrounding six wooden worktables dominated the cavernous, vaulted room. These led out into a maze of smaller rooms joined together by huge stone archways. Broad wooden beams the size of tree trunks held up the structure. Kitchen helpers chopped, and kneaded, and stirred steaming hot pots of stewing vegetables and bubbling soups, dropping herbs and spices into them. Whole pigs and other meats roasted on spits in massive fireplaces, dripping hot fat into the fire that crackled and hissed as I stood by the warm hearth and rubbed my hands.
The cook gave Tristan and me instructions on our role for the next few days. As far as he knew, we were just some of the many slum children Danica had taken under her wing and helped get jobs. We were only temporary helpers and would have to leave as soon as the coronation was completed. We had to get to the dungeons and get the children out before then, or we would lose our chance.
The cook was still speaking. “Just because Danica got you this job doesn’t mean you get paid if you don’t work. Your main responsibility will be to help clear the dining room after the guests have left. For now, there are dishes to wash and utensils to scrub, so get to it.” He pointed to a big stone basin piled high with cooking utensils.
I scrubbed and washed until my hands were red and raw. I healed them slowly so I would not draw attention. Tristan, as stoic as ever, finished his work as if it were just another mission he’d been ordered to do. Seeing the powerful High Fae prince reduced to scrubbing dishes in a kitchen made me smile. He looked so much more approachable when he didn’t have swords of silver fire blazing in his hands. It also helped that the glamour I put on him dulled his strikingly handsome features, although it could do nothing about his height. The main problem had been regarding his swords. He had refused to give them up, of course, so I’d finally relented and glamoured the swords and let him keep them.
Once we had helped scrub the kitchens, we were given a simple warm meal of meat stew and crusty bread and sent to our quarters. I had to share with three girls who insisted on giggling and chatting, when I needed them to fall asleep so I could explore the palace to get my bearings. Tomorrow was the coronation and the wedding feast to celebrate the now not-so-secret marriage of Brandon and Calisto.
Once the coronation parade started, Tristan and I could sneak away into the dungeons. There would be a few guards, but Penelope’s potion should take care of them. Getting into the dungeons would be the easy part—getting out, not so much. The main thing was to find the children and portal them out.
I hoped Rafe knew what he was doing. His plan seemed adequate, but there were so many things that could go wrong. What if Brandon decided he didn’t need him and executed him on sight? I had seen what Brandon was capable of, and it was hard to imagine a friend doing all these terrible things.
“The new archmage is so handsome,” one of the girls said, staring up at the ceiling. “That Calisto Blackwater is one lucky lady. She gets to be queen and gain a handsome husband all in one day.”
“There is no one as handsome as Prince Rafael,” said one of the other girls, sighing deeply. “He’s a real prince. Archmage Delacourt is just an upstart.”
“Shh, Amanda, it’s treason to talk like that,” the first girl said. They glanced hurriedly at me, but I pretended to be asleep.
“Prudence, your father is an archer in Delacourt’s army. There is talk in the kitchens—is it true that he is holding the nobles’ children prisoner in this very castle?”
“We are not supposed to talk about it, but yes,” said Prudence, lowering her voice. “My father says Archmage Delacourt is even more dangerous than the Blackwaters.”
“I don’t believe Prince Rafael will let those children be executed,” whispered Amanda.
“There is nothing he can do,” said Prudence. “He has to surrender or the archmage will kill those poor children.”
As soon as they fell asleep, I slipped out of my bed and snuck out of my room. I hurried through the dark, deserted hallways of the mist-shrouded castle. The passages that connected the fortress were lit sparingly with burning torches held in brackets on the walls at regular intervals.
We would have to go past the main corridors of the castle to get to the dungeons, which were situated deep under the great hall. I turned a corner to a brighter-lit corridor. The royal residence was huge and opulently designed, with stone paneling, intricately carved statues, and extravagant tapestries lining the passageways. I glanced into an open doorway where a massive ornate fireplace completed a luxuriously decorated chamber. I wished I were back in my warm bed at Silverthorne Castle, the only place I would call home. Instead I was sneaking around the castle of my enemy at night, hoping I didn’t get caught. Tristan was scouring all the routes to exit the castle, and I had to make sure I knew the whole layout as well. Rafe had shown us the map, but we would only get one chance to do this. If we failed or were caught, those children could die.
A door opened behind me, and I froze in my tracks.
“You,” said a female voice I recognized instantly. “Get me a glass of warm snowberry milk. I can’t sleep.”
I turned slowly to face the voice. I knew who it was, and I knew she couldn’t recognize me, but my heart had started galloping in my chest. If I were caught, this would be the end.
I prayed my glamour was
