The stable smelt of hay and horse manure and was bitterly cold this time of night. Most of the horses within their pens whinnied at Katryna’s entrance.
The only horse which did not make a sound was Tulip. The Camridian Aurous mare stood tall and proud as she always did, like a regal statue. The beast bowed her head towards Katryna as she reached out, stroking the soft, smooth mane beneath her fingers.
“Hey there, girl,” Katryna whispered, leaning forward over the fence to rest her face upon Tulip’s.
Tulip brushed up to Katryna as if coming in for a warm embrace. Katryna could not help but smile at her warmth, her beauty. Her pure strength.
“Oh, I missed you too,” Katryna chuckled, patting the mare’s muscly neck.
Tulip neighed and gently nibbled on Katryna’s ear.
“Sssh, sssh! You don’t want to wake up your stable mates.”
Katryna lifted Tulip’s leg and checked her injury from their arrival in Ravenrock. Her hoof was almost fully healed, and she was back to putting weight on it again, to Katryna’s relief.
Being by her companion’s side flooded Katryna with comfort. It brought back so many positive memories from her childhood. Her twelfth birthday, when father had presented Tulip to her as a gift to signify becoming an adult and learning how to ride in the grounds of Castle Bower.
How had she ever feared such a perfect animal?
She stared longingly into her dark eyes through the mare’s long eyelashes that she used to adore growing up. Despite the anxiety Katryna still retained when riding, Tulip had always brought her a sense of ease.
Katryna suddenly felt as though she was not alone. She heard the crunch of dirt from behind, like gentle footsteps. Who would be out in the stables at this time of night?
Startled, Katryna spun around. Out of the darkness and into the torchlight came a small figure. It was a boy in a leather apron and tattered clothes. She immediately recognised him.
“Sniff?” Katryna said. “Is that you?”
The stable boy from lowtown crept up to her from the shadows. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes wide.
“Hey, Katryna.”
Katryna smiled in relief, realising she was not in danger after all. “What are you doing here? How did you get inside the castle walls?”
Sniff looked around, making sure no one was there to see or hear. He seemed nervous. “Listen, I don’t ‘ave much time.”
“For what?”
“I’ve come t’warn you.”
“Warn me?” Katryna snickered nervously, thinking it as some sort of joke.
Sniff looked her dead in the eye. His expression told her how serious he was truly was. “You need to leave Castle Bower… now. Tonight. Get out of the castle and leave Ravenrock for good.”
“What are you talking about?” Katryna gulped.
The young boy scratched the back of his head. “You are in danger. Terrible danger.”
Katryna wanted to tell him that she was fine, that all would be okay. But what was Sniff talking about? She needed to hear him out- something deep inside told her he meant her well, that he spoke the truth.
“I think they are gonna come after you next,” Sniff whispered. “Ever since you walked into my shop, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I don’t want your death on my hands. You must leave Ravenrock!”
Katryna put her hands out to calm the boy but he backed off. “Sniff, if you know something, you must tell me at once.”
The words were on the tip of Sniff’s tongue. He tried to let them escape but was too distressed to speak any further. He stuttered gibberish instead.
Katryna grabbed him firmly by the shoulders. “Sniff! What is going on?!”
His eyes became full of fear and his lip quivered.
And then came the booming sound of bells. Katryna spun back towards the open door of the stables from where the noise was coming from.
It was the castle’s bells, it had to be. No others were that loud in the entire city. The deafening ringing was followed by the noise of commotion in the castle grounds as guards ran to their stations and people anxiously awoke from their sleep. There was yelling and marching as a sergeant barked orders to his men.
Katryna looked back at Sniff. She realised she had far too strong of a grip on his shoulders and immediately released him.
“I have to get out of here,” Sniff said, running for the stable doors.
“Sniff, wait!” Katryna called out after him, but to no avail. In a flash the boy had vanished back into the shadows from where he had appeared.
She exited the stables to find out what was happening. The keep of Castle Bower loomed over her like a dark mountain of stone, casting a shadow of blackness over the grounds surrounding it. The bells atop the keep continued ringing.
The noise made Katryna’s heart pound from her chest and sent her mind into a frenzy. She realised the last time she had heard those bells was at Willem’s funeral. All those years ago.
The painful memory squeezed at her chest, but she forced it down, struggling to catch a breath.
An Infinity Guardsman bumped into her in all the commotion so hard that he dropped his shield to the ground with a clang. He promptly excused himself.
It was just what Katryna needed to jolt her back into a clearer state of mind.
“What is going on?” Katryna asked.
“Sorry, my lady. I don’t know!” the guard responded before taking off towards his station.
Katryna made for the main castle doors, stopping the next guard she saw.
“What is happening?”
“It’s the king, my lady!” he gasped, out of
