by Cheree Alsop
Chapter 10
I finished the first two plates and carried a third with only mild pangs of guilt back to the corner; I sat down, but felt washed out and highly conspicuous in the bright, sunlit room despite the fact that there was no one else in the hall. I took my plate into my room, but light streamed through the windows and I couldn’t relax. I felt a fierce, sudden need for a dark tunnel where I could feel safe. I opened the door to my closet, climbed past the multitude of dresses and fine shirts and pants, and settled in a corner where two wood panels met.
I grinned at my own foolishness, but the tension in my shoulders and heart eased at being in a dark, tight space once more, even though this one smelled of animal fur, strange fabrics, and aged wood that gave the closet a sweet, cloying scent. I ate a roll slowly, enjoying the darkness; then a wisp of stale air tickled past my ear. Curious, I turned on my knees and studied the wall. Another brush of air, as faint as the smallest breath, whispered against my face.
I set down my food and ran a hand over the wooden panel against the back wall. A seam, fit as tightly as the rock under which my leaf had been hidden at the Caves, ran up one side of the panel. I pushed against it and it gave slightly. I followed the seam to the top of the panel just level with my head when I knelt, and put pressure on the top corner. It gave a small click and the corner opened, but the bottom still stuck. I put my fingers in the gap and pulled. A slight crack sounded and the bottom swung free to reveal a small passageway. Cobwebs and dust lined the darkness beyond; it looked as though the tunnel hadn’t been cleaned or walked through in years.
I studied the passage and debated whether it would be proper to explore a bit. I had been left to my own devices and the food, as good as it was, could only keep me occupied for so long. Besides, I had never found a passageway I had left unexplored, even when I had chains attached.
I wrapped a couple of soft, buttery rolls, some slices of juicy, honeyed meat, and a couple of hard fruits from my plate in a napkin and crouched to enter the tunnel. I hesitated and looked around for a way to secure the door behind me. As slim as the chance would be, it wouldn’t do for someone to look in my closet and find the passage open, whether or not they already knew about it.
A small rope had been attached to the inside of the door. I pulled it shut, then found a small piece of wood that tipped to close the door from the inside, shutting the light out and me in the very empty tunnel. I took a breath of musty air and walked slowly along the narrow walkway. Wooden beams lined two solid walls of red rock bricks as tall as I was. The passage wouldn’t have accommodated anyone much wider than I without great difficulty. I guessed it was made for Luminos by Luminos, because Nathos were thicker and would have avoided such narrow passes, thus their fondness for blasting and chipping away at the inside of the Caves.
I stepped gingerly over a few small, decayed mouse bodies of which barely more than bones remained. I could feel the cold stone beneath the dust with my bare feet. The passageway would have been difficult to create. I wondered how long ago they had forgotten about it, or if it was just my small section that was unused.
A few paces down I reached the next room which was Marken’s. Cool air from a tiny board nailed between beams brushed past my face. I leaned close to it and smelled desert sand with a hint of sage. The scent brought a smile to my lips. I twisted the wood and it pivoted on a center nail to reveal a tiny eyehole positioned to give practically a full view of the room. Bothered, I straightened back up and closed the hole. The fact that anyone who knew of the passage could spy on the inhabitants of the rooms made me uncomfortable. I backed away and continued down the tunnel.
The passageway followed the walls, twisting and turning between every room with spy holes covered by small boards nailed to the wall. I ate the rolls and fruit while I walked slowly onward. It was strangely comforting to be in such a tight space again, like I was safe in my element. I could see ash marks on the ceiling beneath the spider webs where Luminos had used torches to make their way along safely. I was grateful for the eyesight of a Duskie which allowed me to see in the dark. Torches and hiding the light must have been a great inconvenience for the Luminos when it came to spying in the holes. One would have to snuff out the torch in order to look through the holes to avoid being seen, then light the torches again when finished spying to get back to the beginning of the passage.
I rounded the next corner and made my way down the tunnel; booming voices met me before I reached the spy hole. I turned the wood and saw a massive room, far bigger than our great hall, which had been set with tables and food the likes of which made my feast for breakfast look like a paltry morsel for an ant. All of the chairs were occupied by Luminos men and women wearing clothes finer than anything I had ever seen. Jewels, furs, and intricately worked lace and leather covered every inch of their bodies. Some even wore masks of feathers and fur inlaid with sparkling stones. Each person seemed to be trying to talk louder than their neighbors, creating a booming uproar that made me stumble back and almost trip over the wooden beam behind me.
I peered through the hole and searched for Axon’s party. Axon was the easiest to find. He sat on a raised dais along the front wall on the right hand side of a laughing, overweight man in green with a jewel encrusted crown tipped to one side of his head. The King sat next to a woman with flowing white curls woven with beads and dyed feathers underneath a hat bejeweled with green and red gems. I would have laughed at her crown if she didn’t stare down every person who looked her way.
The girl sitting next to her looked to be a few years older than me with her mother’s fine white curls and piercing green eyes. She kept leaning forward on the table to look around her mother at Axon, and would have tipped over her glass of wine on more than one occasion if not for the timeliness of the servant who stood behind her and snatched it out of the way, replacing it the moment the area was clear.
Axon was all smiles, though it surprised me to see that the smiles were more for show than they were real. After our journey together, it was hard to forget the way a real smile lit up his light blue eyes and brought out a dimple in his right cheek. He glanced down to the tables below them and I followed his gaze to Dathien, Marken, Jatha, Staden, Dyloth, and Rasa. They joked and talked to the nobility around them, but still managed to keep an aloofness that said even if they didn’t wear their weapons, they were not to be trifled with.
I turned my gaze back to the Princess who contrived to drop her napkin behind her father, two seats down, so that Axon would rise and retrieve it for her even though she had servants waiting to do just that. Axon returned the napkin with a look that was all charm, but eyes that studied her intensely.
The Princess simpered and batted her eyelashes which had been darkened to accentuate her green eyes. She wore a deep golden dress with white lace at the sleeves and neck, though not high enough to hide the line of her bosoms. I studied her dress, aware of how it accentuated her figure in a way that my shirt and pants never could. The rouge on her cheeks was a touch too red for my liking, and I frowned at the way she took her napkin back so that their fingers touched, then laughed lightly as though it had been an accident. Axon bowed and returned to his seat. I twisted the wood back to its original position and leaned against the wall.
Why did I care who he chose to marry? It should be his decision and if he wanted to marry a twisted, conniving girl who would end up exactly like her mother, staring down any who dared even look up at their dais, then good for him. I pushed off the wall and made my way back down the passage to our rooms. I was less careful and stubbed my toe three times before I stopped at the hidden door in my closet. I ran my hands through my short hair to brush off any spider webs and dust, and couldn’t help comparing my mismatched strands to the Princess’ long, beautiful white curls. I shook the image from my mind and twisted the catch to open the door.
I crawled into the closet and rose, then made my way to the empty great hall. I noted with a sigh that someone had cleared away the tables and
food. I still had some cheese and meat left in my napkin, so I carried it back to my room and went to the bowl to clean off with the scented water.
It took me two splashes to stop and laugh at myself. I had never before cared about cleanliness. Wash water wasn’t readily available for Duskies, though the Luminos and Nathos often complained of how we smelled. I had become used to making due with what cleanliness I could contrive from the remains of my ration of drinking water in the morning, and occasionally sneaking into the pools at the bottom of the Caves when no one was looking. I had been whipped for swimming in the pools before, even though that’s what they were for; but no one wanted to share dirt with a Duskie.
I used my sleeve to dry my face, then studied the bed. The blankets looked soft, comfortable, and beckoning. I glanced sheepishly around the room to make sure no one was watching, then flung myself with wild abandon onto the bed. The blankets sank in like a cave bear’s thick fur, and the mattress held me as though I was a mouse in a tiny burrow.
I hesitated a moment, uneasy though I couldn't figure out why. I glanced around the room, then rose and searched for the small peep holes craftily hidden among the swirling flower scroll work. It took me a second, but I finally located them and took a picture down from another wall and hung it over the holes. Satisfied, I curled into a ball on the mattress and made myself promise to get up in a few heartbeats; then I was wandering Firen Caves in my dreams.
Chapter 11
“Be glad you missed such a boring breakfast.” Axon’s voice jolted me from sleep and I sat up quickly.
Axon stared at me from the door and a touch of color brushed his cheeks. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“No, no,” I protested, moving to sit on the side of the bed in order to get my wits about me. “Come in, please.”
He smiled and let the door shut behind him before he made his way to the bed and leaned against the frame. Though he looked rested, weariness touched his eyes and made him look older than the days on the desert. He hesitated, then sat on the edge of the bed as far from me as he could get. “I’m sorry for the informality. I’m just afraid if I don’t sit down, I’ll fall down at this point.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his honesty. “Sounds like you had a marvelous time.”
Axon shot me a withering look softened by the smile that played about his lips. “It was marvelous. What a perfect word to describe it.” He studied his hands for a minute, then fell backward on the bed with sigh that was loud and self-deprecating. “I don’t know what to do, Nexa.” He turned his head to look at me and the icy blue of his eyes caught in the light of the sun that streamed through the windows.
I met his gaze and tried to pretend that my heart didn't beat louder at his nearness. “What do you need to do?”
He frowned and his eyes took on a distant look. “Marry Princess Tiseria, I suppose.”
“Is that a problem?” I asked, though I definitely felt like it was.
He frowned, his eyes still distant, and gave a small nod. “For the empire, no, but for me, yes.”
“Is there a difference?”
This time, Axon focused on me. He gave a small smile. “You’re a shrewd one, aren’t you?” He pushed himself to a sitting position and leaned with his back against one of the posters. He smoothed the blanket under his left hand. “I should marry her then, for the empire.”
“If that’s what you must do,” I answered, but my heart slowed. I rushed on, “Is there a reason not to?”
He looked back at me and a jolt passed between our gazes. “Love.”
“What-what do you mean?” My voice was light, breathless.
Axon tore his gaze away and rose to stalk the length of the room. He held his hands behind his back and toyed with the royal ring on his first finger. A dark purple gem winked in the light. “I don’t love her.”
I felt like I could breathe again and rose to stand next to the bed. “Is love so important?”
He shook his head as he paced, the ring now in his hand, closed in a fist. “It shouldn’t be,” he admitted. He reached the wall and put a hand against the red stone. He turned back after a minute and looked at me. “I just don’t want to end up like her parents, barely tolerating each other for the power they hold.”
I watched him. “What about your parents?”
He shrugged. “My dad married for love, but it was hard on our lands when a marriage like mine could have given our people peace.” He walked back to the bed and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do people marry for love at the Caves?”
I shrugged. “The Luminos and Nathos, probably, though you wouldn’t know it by hearing them argue. But Duskies aren’t allowed to marry.”
He glanced at me. “You don’t plan to marry?”
I shook my head, hesitated, then frowned. “I’m not sure anymore. At the Caves it was a given. Duskies were forbidden marriage and even forbidden from making friendships for fear it would turn into a conspiracy against the Luminos and Nathos. Marriage was never a consideration. Now, I don’t know what I think, but I doubt I’ll marry.”
“Why is that?” Axon pressed.
I turned away from his searching gaze and breathed through the sudden heaviness in my chest. I couldn’t tell him that I didn’t think anyone would ever love me enough to marry me, or that after all I had been through, I wouldn't make a suitable partner for anyone. I didn’t tell him that the distrust I saw in others’ eyes, even the Duskies when they saw my strange markings so stark and contrasting compared to their gentle swirls and Luminos or Nathos hair, made it impossible to trust anyone.
When I didn’t answer, Axon let out his breath in a rush. “I suppose I should marry her and end this war once and for all.”
“Don’t marry her,” I blurted out.
Axon stared at me. “Why not?”
“She’s pompous and conniving, and underneath all her simpering and batting eyelashes, there’s a power-hungry woman like her mother who can’t wait to get her hands on your empire. Your people would be better off without her as a ruler, even if it didn’t mean peace.” I stared back at him, surprised at the rush of words that had escaped me.
“Well, I-“ Axon frowned. “Wait a minute, when did you see her?”
I hesitated, afraid I had crossed some unspoken boundary by exploring the passageways. But it was too late now. I swallowed and told him about the passage, what I had seen of their lunch, and the depth of the tunnels I had traveled.
“So they could be listening to us right now?” he asked, his face a shade whiter.
I shook my head. “The passages I traveled haven't been used for a very long time. Besides, I covered up the holes in here.” I gestured toward the misplaced picture.
He sat quietly for a moment, then excused himself and went to the great hall.
I took a moment to collect myself, then followed him out in time to see Dyloth rise from the couch, his hands wringing together as he glanced at the walls. “How do we know they're not listening to every word we say?”
“Nexa said the passages looked like they hadn't been traveled in a long while,” Axon replied, though he followed Dyloth's worried gaze around the hall.
“To think they could have been spying on us every time we came here,” Marken growled, his eyes stormy.
“That would be a good idea for the palace at Lumini,” Jatha said speculatively.
Staden shook his head. “It's an invasion of privacy, and entirely outside of courteous royal conduct. They should have boarded up the passage long ago.”
Dathien ran his thumb thoughtfully along his chin. “It might be nice to know what goes on behind closed doors,” he mused pointedly.
Axon shook his head. “Absolutely not. We wouldn't want them using the passage against us, so we shouldn't do the same to them.”
Rasa walked to the closest wall and began to follow it slowly. “You know,” he said over his shoulder. “It might not be a bad idea to find out how they really feel abo
ut our negotiations.”
Axon watched the Luminos' back, and I wondered if he was serious. I had made of hobby of spying at the Caves because there wasn’t anything else to do there, but I knew by the others’ reactions that eavesdropping on royalty would meet a punishment far greater than I ever experienced.
Rasa continued to search for the holes and Axon's brow lowered like he was about to protest when Dathien cleared his throat. “You know, it wouldn't be a bad idea. If we find out all of this is in vain, we could go home instead of waiting around through politics and protocol to end up back where we started.”
Staden didn't look happy, but also didn't argue with Dathien's suggestion.
Axon sighed. It was obvious he relished the thought of leaving as much as Dathien, but he still didn't feel right about spying on anyone.
“No one will know,” Dathien reassured him. “If we find out they aren't interested in the marriage arrangements, we'll come up with another reason to leave.”
“And what if they are?” Axon said soft enough that I doubted the others heard. He glanced at me, his eyes unreadable, then nodded. “Fine. Let's get this over with.”
Rasa stopped walking, his fingers on the wall. “Well aren't they clever?” he said.
We went over and found a spy hole hidden discretely amid pebbles painted in a giant mural. The painting showed two crowned Luminos gazing into a pond that reflected back the city of Lysus complete with flags billowing from each house and streets lined with merchants bartering their goods. What was starkly obvious was the lack of Nathos along the streets. I wondered briefly if the same painting, but opposite, hung in the Nathos castle next door.
“Sneaky,” Jatha said dryly.
Axon's lips pushed into a tight line. Staden glanced at him, then at me. “Let's get this over with.”
I led them through my room and opened the door to the closet, then blushed under Dathien’s curious gaze. “I was feeling a little overwhelmed in all the light,” I explained, embarrassed.
