Page 86 of Wicked Thieves
As she passed the main entrance and peered over the banister, she caught sight of nobles dressed in velvet robes and fur coats bleeding in through the main entrance. Their laughter full of riches transcended over the marble walls. The music had yet to start by the sound of it as the herald announced the arrival of the nobility from the Great Hall.
Following Adan’s instructions, she made her way toward the servants’ passages, pressing herself against the wall asmaids hurried past her, wide-eyed and flushed, as they prepared to serve the king’s court. There were still a few lower ranked guards she spotted, though they paid her no mind as she emerged into a gallery above the throne room that led straight toward another doorway where she saw more servants coming and going. Through the opened archways, she caught sight of King Amaranth seated upon his throne below. His Watchmen were all gathered throughout the room, keeping watch over the court.
The only one standing beside the king, however, was Aeric. He wore a stoic expression as King Amaranth spoke to him. When he nodded, Aeric began heading down the steps. Suddenly, his eyes met hers when he glanced up, as if he had sensed her nearby. He held her in his stare, and despite being so far from one another, she could understand what he meant by that look alone.
Be careful.
Nodding, she turned away and continued her journey just as she heard the sound of merry music playing in the throne room. It was time.
It didn’t take much longer before she reached the inner bailey. Her footsteps crunching gravel as she heard the laughter of men posted along the walkways of the wall surveying the city beyond. Their duties forgotten as they also partook in the king’s celebration. As she rounded the corner and walked past the stalls where the horses were being kept for the night, she spotted an opened archway a few paces away that led into a smaller courtyard. Peering past it, she noticed a large open space doused in shadows where the torches did not reach. Only to stop when she noticed there were two guards posted on either side of a looming metal door inlaid with intricatepatterns of leaves and flowers that shared the king’s namesake.
The same as the key hanging around her neck.
The guards were talking amongst themselves, too busy laughing about whatever nonsensical topic they’d touched upon to notice Anelize as she quickly tucked herself between the wall and a cart filled with hay.
When they had yet to move from their posts, Anelize wracked her head with what she could possibly do to get rid of them. Wondering what sort of signal Adan had told her to wait for, until she heard screams filling the air before a loud, thunderingboomshook the fortified walls of Castle Rime.
Several guards along the walls began to yell, sending out commands. Loud enough to gain the attention of the two guards posted along the postern gate. Anelize pressed deeper into the shadows as they ran out of the courtyard toward the commotion coming from the main gates, running straight past her.
Taking that as her signal, she ran for the gate. Feeling the cold bite of the winds beyond sink through the layers of her clothes, she quickly unlocked the gate with the key before she pushed it wide open. As the sound of more footsteps came from the bailey, she hurried through and closed it behind her, easing it shut as gently as she could against the howling wind.
A long set of stairs awaited her below the landing, where she spied another gate, the bars allowing her to catch a glimpse of trees beyond. The fog swirled and parted as she reached the next gate which was blocked by a thick blanket of snow that had gathered along the ground. The commotion behind her continued, and she suspected the rebels were doing their best to keep all the Watchmen as busy aspossible to grant her the opportunity to sneak into the tunnels.
Gritting her teeth, she gave the gate a hard push to brush aside the small mountain of snow, and followed the path that led down a hill. As soon as she was able to use the cover of the oak trees around her, she pulled her uniform off, kicking the heavy skirt behind one of the bushes. The thick long-sleeved shirt and leather pants Zara had given her proving useful against the cold as she began her trek through the snow.
The moon lit the way as she journeyed beneath the dense woods, the animals inhabiting them retreating to their hiding places at the sound of her footsteps. Every little sound and snap of a twig made her tense but she pressed forward until she reached a small stream where she could see the flames of two torches up ahead.
Slowing her steps, she used the cover of the darkness to peer through the boxwood where she noticed a single guard was posted in front of a wooden door embedded beneath a low, narrow archway within the face of the earth.
The sleeping guard slumped in his chair, however, was a problem. His snoring was loud enough to scare off any of the fauna within the forest, but attempting to sneak past him would prove unwise should he stir awake and see her.
Retrieving the letter opener that she taken with her from her boot, she cut a line over her thumb, conjuring her power with a single breath as she found his heartbeat. Through her mind, she reached toward that heart, a light green orb much like a firefly that she caught between her hands. Urged it to settle and sleep, watching as the light slowly dimmed, though not enough tostifle entirely.
The Watchman stopped snoring, his hands dropping on either side of his hips as he fell unconscious.
Pushing past the shrubbery, she was mindful of every step as she walked around the Watchman, his breathing still heavy. Once he would wake, he would think nothing of it. When the door didn’t open, she used the key and smiled with relief when it unlocked for her.
She winced when the hinges gave a loud groan as she pulled the door open before quickly stepping inside; glad she’d conjured when the Watchman hadn’t stirred an inch.
As she closed the door, only darkness laid out before her from the gaping mouth of the tunnel ahead. The path descending farther down. The darkness only lasted a few breaths, a few lingering moments of panic in her chest, before a faint glow began to emanate across the walls. Certain rocks on the ground and beyond appeared to become luminescent as vibrant hues of blue streaked the walls. Hundreds of constellations and falling stars painting the night sky.
Anelize had never seen anything like it before.
Now she knew why Aeric said none of them could wander inside the tunnels to use their powers. The only source of light were these strange glowing rocks embedded into the earth. Comforted by their source of light, Anelize journeyed deeper inside. Her footsteps sounded entirely too loud the farther she went. It was a straight path forward, and even with the glimmering light of the rocks, she could only ever see as far as the specks of cobalt and sapphire could reach.
She accidentally kicked at one of the rocks on the ground, sending it skittering forward. A sudden high-pitched squeak made her tense, stopping in her tracks. Multiple glowing eyes in the dark blinked ahead before she approached and the micehuddled together scattered and rushed away down the tunnel. Shaking her head for being frightened by rodents of all things, Anelize forced herself to keep calm.
The darkness felt too consuming. Oppressive around her. At times, the shadows closed in before leaching away, leaving her to wonder if it was her vision being affected by the curse or the lights.
The tunnel was endless and never changing until she reached a chamber that split into three directions. She stopped to weigh her options before closing her eyes and listening. Waiting for the telltale sound of a heart. At least one was to her right, and four were scattered to her left and straight ahead. Her best bet was to go where there were the least number of Watchmen, so she turned to her right.
The sudden sound of a guttural rumble echoed and bounced off the walls, making her still. The sound was difficult to pinpoint as it came again, before a loud, thunderingboommade the ground beneath her shake. The sound of stones falling clattered nearby and wisps of dirt and dust fell around her. Feeling a chill run down her spine, she pressed on.
Relief filled her when she finally saw a pool of pale moonlight pouring in from a large gap in the ceiling, allowing her to finally see a round chamber ahead where more diverting tunnels welcomed her.
She took a single step forward before her boot hit something hard and unmoving. Glancing down, she gasped as she saw a Watchman laying at her feet. His face ripped to shreds, his lifeless eyes wide and petrified as they stared up at her. The blood pooling around him still fresh.
Anelize froze when she heard footsteps echoing from one of the tunnels. And in the shadows, where the light of the wallsand the moon did not reach, a figure stood watching her. It was too dark to see; to tell who it was before they retreated farther away. The sound of running feet slapping against the ground as they retreated into the tunnel sent a chill reverberating through her.
