Page 132 of Somber Prince

I’d left the goblet in the fountain.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled mechanically.

I had to find a way out of here. But I couldn’t tell that to Lucia. If I got caught, I didn’t want her to get in trouble as my accomplice. It was best if she knew nothing.

Plopping on the bench next to her, I picked up my plate again and poked at the remaining food, but my appetite was gone.

Inside, I felt like a glass filled to the brim with horror. I was afraid to move, lest it spill over and explode with panic.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lucia prodded. “You don’t look so good.”

“Just tired. I should go to bed early today.”

“Yeah, I should too.” She finished her food. “I didn’t sleep much, either. With everything that happened, my sleep has been all over the place. Let’s just hope the loud fucking will stop for a while. Not sure how much more moaning I can take.”

Giving up on finishing my dinner. I handed my plate back to a Keeper, then said goodbye to Lucia and retreated to my room. Here, I sat on the floor of the balcony, watching through the balusters as the Keepers cleaned up after the dinner.

The fae visitors eventually left one by one, but humans mingled around the courtyard for a while longer.

The sky was still pitch dark outside as I waited for the Keepers to climb up the dome to close the skylight. I hoped they’d show me the best path to do so. Unfortunately, they let the guards do it instead.

The guards dissolved into shadows that floated up to the ceiling, turned to people again to shutter and lock the skylight, then dropped back down to the ground as shadows again.

No one climbed anything. Yet the beams running along the ceiling toward the skylight had horizontal pegs that looked like they were meant for climbing. Maybe that was the backup way for the Keepers to reach the skylight when needed, since the iron clips on their tendrils prevented them from dissolving into shadows.

Shortly after, the Keepers ushered the remaining humans into their rooms for the day's rest. The courtyard was cleared. The guards returned to their posts outside the gate, and the Keepers left, probably to attend the execution as per the queen’s order.

Was she really going to execute her own son?

I never met the woman, but it seemed too extreme to do for a mother, even if an estranged one. Maybe I’d misunderstood the conversation I’d overheard? I hoped that was the case. Yet my heart pounded frantically with worry and fear.

Sleep was out of the question. Rha never came for me. And I feared if I went to sleep, I might never see him again. I needed to get out of here to find out what was going on.

I waited for a little while longer to make sure the Keepers were really gone and the humans were hopefully in their beds, recharging for another night of pleasure and debauchery.

The golden glow of the pillars around the courtyard illuminated the space under the dome as bright as ever. But everyone seemed to have left at last. I got up from my spot on the floor and tied my long skirt up, threading the fabric between my legs to get it out of the way.

After that, I came to the wall and climbed onto the railing of the balcony.

My room was right under the ceiling. I easily reached the first rung of the closest beam that ran in an arch between my balcony and the hexagonal skylight. Pushing off the railing, I moved up the beam, using the horizontal rungs like a ladder.

As the beam curved, my body eventually transitioned from a vertical into a nearly horizontal position. I had to hook my legs over the pegs, hanging off them with my knees bent. Keeping the entire weight of my body suspended from the ceiling took a toll on my strength. My hands felt sweaty. I feared they’d slip, sending me plunging to the ground.

I refused to look down. But then, a long, slow whistle came from below. Hugging the beam with all four limbs, I glanced down over my shoulder.

The naked man I’d seen earlier was standing on his balcony again. He wasn’t smoking this time. Instead, he had a large goblet in his hand, probably finishing the last of his wine before going to bed.

Grinning, he lifted his goblet as if in a toast. He tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better look up my skirt. The knot I’d made between my legs had loosened somewhat. And since I wasn’t wearing any underwear, he probably got a good view of my bare ass hanging out while I was clinging to the beam like a monkey.

I didn’t dare yell at him, afraid to bring any extra attention to myself. At least he remained quiet, just grinning at me with glee. Setting his goblet down, he gave me two thumbs up.

Rolling my eyes, I ignored him and continued to climb. My muscles started to cramp, making my arms shake. I couldn’t waste any time. Every second I remained hanging like that drained my strength. Falling from this height would certainly kill me.

I reached the edge of the skylight. Wrapping my legs and one arm tightly around the beam, I used my other hand to open the latch on the shutter. When I pushed against it, the shutter lifted, creating an opening possibly big enough for me to squeeze through. Except that now, I had to climb vertically up and out.

Hugging the beam with all my limbs, I breathed in, then counted to three before grabbing the edge of the skylight with one hand, then the other. Clinging to it, I carefully hooked my right leg around the very last peg that was sticking out from the beam less than a foot away from the opening.

I lifted my left leg to move it next to the right, but it slipped.

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