Page 90 of A Shard of Ice

Damon takes a deep breath and then pulls on one of the door handles. The doors swing open slowly, revealing a large room with a vast expanse of ice high above us.

“Are we below the castle?” I whisper.

Damon nods. “Follow me. We need to keep very quiet. And remember to—”

“Yes, I know, I need to memorize how to get back here.”

He smiles at me and nods. “Your ordeal will be over soon.” Damon squeezes my hand.

Only I don’t see my time with him as an ordeal. It’s an adventure. Dangerous…yes, but at least we’re together.

If given time, I would get stronger, braver, and more confident in my abilities. I would learn how to wield a sword. How to fight and protect myself. How to stand on my own two feet and to be of use, but time is not on our side. Right now, I am none of those things. I would hinder him. I could be the one who ends up getting him killed while trying to protect me. I would never forgive myself if that happened.

I shake myself out of my reverie and note that there are several doors all around the room, aside from the one we entered through. I count nine. They all look identical, namely, wood carved with intricate ice patterns like the first door we encountered.

I turn in a circle. “Do you know where they all lead?” I whisper.

“Yes. Only the royal family knows about them. And now you. Thankfully, my brother and Snow hadn’t married yet when they were poisoned, or she would have known about them too.”

“Maybe she found out.”

“I doubt it, but you never know. It’s a chance we will have to take. Ready?” He looks me in the eye.

I nod. “As ready as I will ever be.” Which isn’t very ready at all, but he doesn’t need to know that. I plan on making this as painless as possible for us both.

He goes to one of the doors. “This leads to the staff quarters; it’s the one we’re taking, and that one,” he points, “leads back to the tunnels and the exit. They’re the only two you need to know about – to avoid confusion. The others go to various parts of the castle, including the great hall, the royal chambers, the kitchens, the stables… You get the picture.”

“Yes.” It would be easy to get confused in a room like this. I memorize the layouts and the two doors I need to know about.

“We need to keep very quiet. Let’s go then,” he whispers, opening the door that is going to take us to the staff quarters.

The moment we step through the door into the dark hallway, the temperature goes up a little, which is a welcome relief from the cold.

Damon holds the lantern out in front of us, and we start to walk. It’s just wide enough to go two abreast. It takes a while, but we finally reach another door. Once again, it is exactly the same as the others.

Damon puts his fingers over his lips and then turns off the lantern by turning a knob at the base. He gestures for me to do the same with my lantern. When I do, it goes pitch black. I can’t see a thing.

I hold my breath until Damon opens the door, which allows some light in. He slowly pushes it open, and I blink my eyes while they adjust.

Then we step into a well-lit closet. The light seems to be coming from the walls, which are made from ice. Damon closes the door, which seals as if it wasn’t even there. He takes my lantern from me, placing it on a nearby shelf, putting his next to it.

“Watch carefully,” he whispers. Then he knocks on the wall three times before pushing gently on the same spot, and the door appears and pops open. He pushes it closed. “Your turn,” he says.

I follow the steps he just showed me, and the door opens.

“You turn right, and the path will take you to the room with the doors. Do not go left, Kyrie. It would take you to the rear of the castle, out into the courtyard, and you could get captured. You can’t escape that way, so it’s not worth the risk.”

I nod. “Got it.”

“Good.” Damon closes the hidden door again.

Even though my breath hangs in the air like an icy fog, I am amazed at how warm it is. I take off my oilskin coat. It must be magic warming the place up. There is no other explanation for how a structure made from solid ice could feel warm. I note that the floors are made from ice, and yet they’re not slippery. That must be magic, too. Same with the light in the walls. It’s a little disconcerting.

I look around. There are various tools used for cleaning, including brooms, mops, cloths, and soaps in an assortment of jars. They’re stacked up against a wall on a shelf. The space smells like lavender, eucalyptus, and lemon. It’s pleasant enough.

Damon pulls his hood over his head.

“I took mine off,” I practically mouth, pointing at the coat in my hands.

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