Page 86 of Crown of Slumber

Oh gods.Oh gods.

“Who’s there?” called a voice. A servant, no doubt.

I was stunned. Frozen. Unable to move. Terror had me gripped in its vise, and I could do nothing but stare, wide-eyed, as a light drew closer. My mind screamed at my body to move, to hide, todo something, but my limbs refused to move.

A warm hand closed on mine. I uttered a soft yelp, but someone was already tugging me forward. A scream built up in my throat,and I waved my dagger, prepared to stab whoever was trying to grab me…

But it was Fenn. His emerald eyes gleamed in the dim light, flaring with intensity.

“Run,” he urged.

He tugged on my arm more forcefully, and at long last, I found strength in my limbs. Just as footsteps drew nearer, Fenn and I took off, our steps echoing in the hallway.

Aurelia’s handwas shaking in mine as we sprinted down the hallway. Our feet were bare, our clothes sparse; we hadn’t had time to pack our belongings because Aurelia had been a bloody idiot chasing after a dying king.

Luckily, it seemed most of the castle was still asleep. But it wouldn’t take long for the staff to discover Tyrone’s body and sound the warning bells.

We had to leave this court.Now.

We flew down the staircase, our feet padding on the carpet. Inside, my heart beat a roaring rhythm in my chest, panic flooding my veins.

Gods, my kingdom was already in enough trouble. Now, the Autumn Court would be after me…

Shit, shit,shit.

Aurelia panted behind me, her breathing ragged. She let out a small cry, and when I glanced over my shoulder at her, I found her face was smeared with blood and tears.

“Are you crying for that bastard?” I hissed.

She only hiccuped, shaking her head, her face crumpling. Stars above, I would never understand this woman.

We flew down the corridor, ducking behind a suit of armor as a servant bustled past.

Instead of heading for the massive double doors that led to the courtyard below, I followed the servant through a door, descending down a narrower staircase.

“Where are we going?” Aurelia whispered.

I didn’t answer, making sure to keep a safe distance from the woman who made her way down the stairs. The faint light of her candle cast an eerie amber glow on the stone walls surrounding us, but I was grateful for the light to illuminate the way. I didn’t fancy taking a tumble down the stairs when I was running for my life.

We reached the bottom and lingered for a moment as the maid strode down the hall to the servants’ quarters. When the door snapped shut behind her, we were plunged in darkness, and silence filled the air. Aurelia’s fingernails dug into my palm. Not a single sconce was lit. It was nothing but total and complete blackness.

Aurelia trembled beside me, but I found myself smiling. It was just like home. She likely couldn’t see too clearly, but I had the blood of the Night Fae in my veins. Even in the dark corridor, I could make out the lengthy narrow hallway and each door that led to a servant’s room.

I squeezed Aurelia’s hand to reassure her. “Come on.”

We inched down the hall, and for the first time, I was grateful we wore no shoes. Our steps were completely silent.

I paused a few doors down, pressing my ear to the door and listening. The first one had snores coming from the other side. But the second was utterly silent.

Carefully, I inched open the door and peered inside. My gaze swept over the empty bed before I surged inside, dragging Aurelia with me. I softly closed the door before digging through the belongings of whoever once lived here.

“What the hell are you doing?” Aurelia breathed. She stumbled, running into a night table, and swore loudly. “Don’t you need a candle or something?”

“Night Fae, remember? Aha!” I grinned as I found a pair of boots and a cloak that looked close to Aurelia’s size. Whoever stayed in this room was clearly a woman. I tossed them over to her, then whispered, “Put these on. I’ll be right back.”

“Fenn—” she objected, but I had already left, gently easing the door shut behind me.

It took me a few more doors before I found an empty manservant’s room. The boots were a bit small on me, but they would have to do. As I made my way back to Aurelia, I heard shouts from upstairs.

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