Page 106 of The Reign of Blood

Its jagged peaks, the long and thin windows, and the stained glass that decorates each window are spectacular.

I feel breathless as we approach the large, arched, black, wrought-iron doors of the castle, and it’s not from the incline to get up here. No. It’s the fear of what lies inside.

Will I remember any of it?

Do I want to remember any of it?

I won’t know until I step through those doors, but I can’t deny the panic that threatens to make me run in the opposite direction.

“I’m glad you’re all still with me,” the professor states, turning to face us. “When we step inside, I will offer a guided tour through a few parts of the ground floor and take you to see the royal suite upstairs. After that, you’ll have some time to explore the halls yourselves, but I swear to you, if anything is damaged by any of you, I’ll wipe the mess up with your damn head. Do you understand?”

Agreement parts everyone’s lips as we nod in understanding before he takes a step back and opens the doors with a flourish.

Following the crowd inside, my heart thunders in my ears as I step over the threshold of the castle with a silent Cassian at my side. My gaze darts around the open entryway, trying to recognize anything, but I come up empty. Our footsteps echo off the floor as we follow the professor through the wide hallway until he moves into a room on the right.

My gut twists and a sense of disappointment washes over me as I try with everything that I am to remember something… anything.

“This is the kitchen. It looks like any kitchen really, likely on a much grander scale, of course, but otherwise, it services the castle just as any kitchen does,” the professor explains, waving his arms around the dated space. Dark wood cabinets line the walls, with a matching small table tucked away in a small nook. Chrome fittings have started to rust since it has sat here unattended for so many years, and the windows along the far wall are so dusty you can barely see through them. “What sets this kitchen apart are the secret passageways that lead from this room. The entire castle is riddled with them. Can anyone spot an access point?”

Everyone’s gazes dart around the room, looking for something. Everyone except the man beside me. “Show me.”

I blink at Cassian, who raises a questioning brow at me, and I shake my head.

“I can’t remember anything,” I breathe, shuffling around the gathered students to try and get a better look as a few others do, but still, nothing stands out.

“Princess Adrianna?” the professor calls out, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end at the formal address, and I turn to face him with a forced smile.

“Just Addi is fine,” I reply as calmly as I can. A few students curse slurs under their breath, but I try my best to ignore them.

“Can you show us one?”

Fuck.

How hadn’t I considered that he would do that? Pressing my lips together, my eyes dance around the room. I can’t come up empty-handed, I can’t look weak right now, and I already feel vulnerable enough being inside these walls without any recollection.

Silently pleading with the castle before me, I beg for something to reveal itself.

My feet carry me toward the small table and chairs set up in the nook. My fingers run over the side panel of the wall instinctively, and it almost feels as if I’ve done that before. Inching closer, I feel a little wiggle room behind the board and press my palm firmly against it in the bottom right corner.

At my touch, the panel swings open on hinges, revealing a small passageway you would have to crawl through. Relief seeps from my shoulders as the professor claps, making me cringe.

I might not know where it leads, but I seem to be more in tune with the castle than I initially thought.

“Excellent, Addi. Let’s continue to the ballroom, shall we?” The professor exclaims, pointing for everyone to step back out into the hallway.

“I thought you couldn’t remember?” Cassian murmurs, appearing at my side, and I shrug.

“I couldn’t.”

“You’re telling me that was a lucky guess.”

“I’m not telling you anything because you wouldn’t believe me anyway,” I grumble, rolling my eyes at him as I follow the crowd.

The ballroom is very similar to the one at the academy, large, grand, and luxurious, but it needs some tending to in order to restore it to its former glory.

From there, we swiftly move into the meeting room. Parchments are still stacked on the huge table in the center of the room. Chairs are scattered, not tucked in, with a few overturned. Crimson stains mark the wood at the head of the table where the king would sit, and my blood runs cold.

Nothing has been moved since it was last in use, which would mean it hasn’t been touched since my father was here. My chest aches, it’s clenched so tight. I instinctively take a step toward the blood stain, but a hand on my arm halts my movement. Peering over my shoulder, I frown at Cassian, who shakes his head.

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