Page 106 of A Lord of Snow and Greed

I had no destination in mind, no goal. And yet, I found myself going the same way as last time: to Queen Revna’s rooms.

Perhaps I’d read more of her diary. Even gazing upon her jewels again would be fun. I had yet to learn if the brooch was, in fact, a phoenix opal.

I should ask Vale to take me to the library tomorrow. He wouldn’t min—what in the stars!

At the intersection in the distance, where I would have gone left, a short, hunched figure crossed in front of me. She didn’t notice me, preoccupied as she was with carrying, and likely trying not to drop, a heaping plate of food.

A human.

She had to be. Although I was far away and she wore her long gray hair down, covering what I suspected were rounded ears, she didn’t walk like a fae of any race. She lacked the grace the fae exuded. Not to mention her clothing was of poor quality, which fit what a human in the castle would wear. Here, they were slaves, like in the Blood Court.

Was that the person who had been cleaning back here? And what was she doing with the food?

I cocked my head, trying to puzzle out the curiosity. Did I dare follow her? The question persisted for only a moment before my feet decided for me.

I trailed at a distance, careful to keep her in my sight but not alert her to my presence. In truth, it was all too easy. Compared to fae, humans had weak senses.

Plus, this one was old. Her hearing had probably worsened with age, something that didn’t happen to my kind unless they were ancient.

The woman walked with purpose, down one corridor, then another, and another. I tiptoed after her, dipping into alcoves now and then just to be safe. My precautions proved unnecessary. She didn’t look back once, hinting that she felt sheltered here.

I cringed. This might be the only place she felt that way. Was I about to shatter that belief? What would she say if I revealed myself?

She couldn’t be loyal to the king or House Aaberg, otherwise the castle wouldn’t let her back here. For that reason alone, I didn’t think she’d turn me in.

The woman stopped. I ducked into hiding again,behind a large vase that held nothing but had once probably been filled with giant flowers. Or something else beautiful and showy.

A creaking met my ears. She’d opened a door. I peered around the vase in time to see the human disappear through a door, not even bothering to shut it behind her.

I exhaled and followed. When I reached the doorway she’d passed through, I frowned. It led to a downward staircase.

Beyond the first ten or so steps, only darkness stared back at me. How did the old woman see in there?

Perhaps she didn’t need to. If she’d taken the steps many times, she might do it by feel.

Stars, what is she up to?

There was only one way to find out. I descended the steps slowly and carefully. After only a few, I learned that they twisted, and trying to remain unseen and unheard, I eased to the far wall and ran my hand along it to help me navigate. As it was pitch-black in the stairwell, I had no idea how far it descended. And though I couldn’t see the woman, I was certain I was still following her. No air flowed in and out of the stairwell, and the scent of roasted meat and bread lingered in the air.

I followed my nose, halting only when I heard another creak. Air rushed up at me, and my nose wrinkled. Not too far ahead, the human was leaving the stairwell. Wherever she was going smelled musty. Moldy. Gross.

Did the slave quarters smell like that? No slave would live in filth. Not if they could help it.

Taking a few more turns around the staircase, Istepped down lightly, my gaze catching on another door. This one, too, she’d left open, though only a hairsbreadth.

The one at the top of the stairs had been wide open. Here, she’d been more careful. As though someone else might see it but also kept it available to her if she needed to flee?

Hand trembling, I reached out and eased the door open.

The dank stench hit me, and I gagged. Burning moon, it was far worse than I’d anticipated. Like feces and piss and rot. It took a moment to gather myself and scan the area.

Cells lined the wall on my right side, stone on the other. Rocks littered the hallway, and when I peered up, holes in the stone ceiling stared back at me.

The human turned, rounded a corner, and disappeared from sight. However, only seconds later, a faint light flared. She’d lit a candle or a torch.

Whispers, or perhaps they were talking at a normal level, but they were so far away they sounded like whispers, met my ears. She’d stopped to speak with someone.

From the looks of it, I stood in the castle dungeons. The cells faced me, cold and empty. Overall, this area seemed to be unstable and falling apart. Why would they keep anyone down here?

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