Page 22 of Turret

His shoulders relaxed. “Then it should be only a few more doors ahead on the left.”

Still holding my hand, he gently tugged me forward while extending his other to feel each door as we passed until he reached the fifth one, which opened to a set of stairs. Staircases were common in a tower of this size, but this one looked entirely unfamiliar, the air cool and musty, as if the stairwell was usually abandoned.

I peered at him curiously but didn’t question him as we began our ascent. My breaths come out sharply even as my legs began to burn from the climb, making the exhaustion I’d tried to hide from Quinn more difficult to mask.

“This better be worth it,” I panted midst a teasing smile.

He immediately swiveled to face me, expression concerned. “Are you tired?”

I considered lying but knew his observation was too astute for him to fall for it. “Not tired enough. My curiosity is far stronger. I’m eager to discover what mysterious location requires so arduous a journey.”

He bit his lip as his gaze drifted up the twisting stairs. “I can only hope that the next time the tower shifts its rooms it’ll make this one more accessible.”

My eyebrows rose. “You anticipate this not being our only journey to this secret destination of yours?”

His grin returned, softening the worry lining his expression “That’s my greatest hope.”

I’d been intrigued by the purpose of this unexpected adventure before, but now my curiosity was almost overpowering. He noticed the emotion and his grin grew.

After several more exhausting minutes that required another brief rest, we finally reached the top, where a single door awaited us on the landing. The nearby window offered a breathtaking view. The invisible barrier that normally surrounded the tower had faded, another sign of its weakening magic, which allowed me to take a moment to rest and lean out. A wave of dizziness immediately overcame me from the towering height, so instead of looking down I tipped my head back to peer up at the turret just above me, close enough for me to realize we were on the top floor.

“I’ve never been so high.” Though it was a little frightening, it was also exhilarating, giving me hope that I was braver than I’d initially believed. I leaned my elbows against the windowsill and took a moment to enjoy the fresh autumn air against my face, damp after the exertion from our strenuous climb.

Heat seeped over me as Quinn stepped up behind me, dispelling my shivers. Together we admired the view. I strained my gaze to peer as far into the distance as I could, searching for my home even though I doubted it was within viewing distance.

I didn’t remain at the window for long before my curiosity drew my attention to the door, desperate to discover what possibly lay beyond. What room would the tower keep so high, separate from the rest of the world?

Sensing my desires, Quinn reached around me to open the door. I stepped inside…only to stop short. The room was a replica of the apothecary from the Malvagarian palace, a place I was intimately familiar with considering the long hours I’d spent there being treated for my various ailments over the years.

Memories from my life before the tower stirred to within me, but instead of the usual dark ones that frequently haunted me, these were pleasant—the kindness of the healer who often tended me, Quinn’s steady presence and support during every visit, the times Drake had tried to make me smile whenever I was nervous about a treatment, the frequent occasions Briar or my father had accompanied me, Reve’s stories she’d told to distract me…my family.

An ache enveloped me. Being apart from them had been the most difficult aspect of my imprisonment, but I’d eventually learned to suppress that longing, alongside the other emotions that were too painful to feel. But I was tired of hiding the weaker parts of myself behind the fears I used as a shield.

I tentatively lowered it…and a wave of homesickness I hadn’t allowed myself to experience in years washed over me, aching yet almost relieving. Overwhelmed, I sank onto a chair.

Quinn crouched in front of me, eyes concerned. “Are you alright?”

“It’s just…so much.” And unexpected. To have a replica of a place from home only reminded me of the life I’d left behind, one that was continuing…without me. “What is such a place doing here?”

“I found it during my search for an escape. I’m unsurprised such a room was included within the tower. What I don’t understand is why it’s tucked so far away when you’ve spent much of our imprisonment needing it.”

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked in a tentative whisper, hoping it was for the reason I myself yearned for.

“To fuel your passion. I keep recalling the way you light up whenever you work with herbs, the reverence that fills your voice whenever you discuss them…it’s similar to the passion that filled me when I was training to become a knight.”

Passion…several months ago I’d never have imagined such a word could be applied to me, but it was the perfect one to describe the emotion that enveloped me whenever I worked with herbs. He’d voiced my silent desires, ones I’d been unable to fully understand. My heart lifted in hope as I took the room in again, seeing it in a new light.

“What future could I possibly create with such a passion?” There was only one I could think of, an explanation for why he’d brought me to the apothecary rather than the herb garden.

His smile was soft. “Becoming a healer.”

My breath caught. “A…healer?” I’d never imagined I might ever be able to do something so useful. “But…I’m a sickly princess.”

“No,” he said gently. “You’re simply a princess who’sbeen ill, but your illnesses don’t define you. There’s so much more to you, Gemma. Can’t you see how strong you’ve become? You are so much more than the limits you put on yourself.”

My heart pounded wildly, not in fear but in hope. I ached to believe him, to see myself as he saw me.

With great difficulty, I tore my gaze away from his in order to take in the apothecary. I’d anticipated spending my entire life being forever defined by what occurred within these walls. For the first time I wondered if my future with this room would be different than the one I’d always expected.

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