Chapter Nineteen Reeve

T he castle is eerily quiet as we enter. Gilberd side-eyes me, his clothes filthy and I am glad we have already grown used to the stench after crawling through the sewer pipes to reach the inside of the tightly secured castle.

The small room we are in contains nothing more than pipes leading from under the castle and up through the stone ceiling. I quickly pull off my clothing, wedging the soiled material behind one of the massive pipes and draw out new clothing from a bag worn next to my skin. The king does the same thing. Once dressed in clothes stolen from the guards killed yesterday, I pass a rag over my face and hands, trying to remove more of the unthinkable grime. Finally, I douse my hair in a perfumed liquid from a small vial. It will help to mask the stench of the sewer. Dabbing under my arms and behind my knees, I hope it is enough to mask our smell from others.

I'm not sure how this mission will pan out. The king is livid enough that he is game to rush blindly forward in order to take control of the castle and kill the queen. And, I get that, with the small window of opportunity he has. But me? I have other ideas.

Somehow, I need to lose the king as he tries to infiltrate the queen's inner chambers early–before she has a chance to even welcome the peasants into her castle. While it would be perfect to see her downfall in front of all her followers, it will also be harder for the king to kill her with so many surrounding her. It is the only thing Gilberd, and I agree on presently.

Meanwhile, I plan to escape and make my way on another quest. This one may not be initially fraught with as much peril as Gilberd's plan to reach the Queen's quarters, but it will be just as dangerous in the long run. Not only could the king have my head for this but if I manage to snatch Mabel, I will have her monsters to contend with.

Never in a million years did I imagine they would all find each other.

Never did I think she would fall for them much easier than for myself.

I try not to think about the fact that not even once, over all this time, has she considered me as a romantic partner. I planned everything so methodically. Making sure Arthur fell for my guise and the king thinking he controlled Mabel once she was changed. Yet, I had never considered the fact that she would never be interested in me the way I am so thoroughly fascinated by her.

Even now, after all these long and lonely years, the bitterness is still the only thing that feeds me. Not even finding a wife and faking happiness could help to ease the agony of Mabel not loving me.

"Get a move on," Gilberd utters, his conceited attitude breaking through my reverie and making me madder still. Oh, how I have fantasized about killing him over the years. All of them, actually. His father, his grandfather, each ruler just as arrogant as the next.

Without a word, I open the door slowly, peeking out quickly, making sure the long narrow corridor is clear before stepping out into it. Gilberd follows quickly, trusting me completely. It is the one good thing about my relationship with the king, he never doubts me. He believes my only meaning in life is to ensure his safety.

That fact is farthest from the truth.

Somehow, I will slip free from his gaze and to hell with what happens to him after that.

While the attack yesterday was a mission to distract and unsettle those in the castle, the main reason was to kidnap a guard so we could make our way around the vast castle without getting lost. Surprisingly, it hadn't taken long to torture the required information out of him before killing him and now I follow a roughly drawn map of the building. Basically, so long as we keep going upwards, we'll find the queen's quarters. In the meantime, there are a lot of stairs to traverse.

Considering the castle looks well and truly manned from the outside, surprisingly, there are not so many positioned inside. Likely they have been moved either to surround the castle or to keep the queen's floor safe.

We will deal with that when we get there. Hopefully, that will be Gilberd's problem and not mine. I also managed to find out which floor Mabel is on and will head straight there. Let the king find his own feet–or not. Whether he lives or dies is of little consequence to me now. He has served his purpose for so long, but I want Mabel so desperately and can't fix winning her over now she has the other monsters so thoroughly involved in her life. Before, I could imagine it would all come together in the end. Now, I must separate them–and quickly–before it becomes impossible. And, with no heir to replace the king, it just might be the opportunity to also worm my way into his place. And, if not, I don't care. Having Mabel after all this time is reward enough.

I try not to think of her as we continue to climb the many floors of the palace. She is a distraction I don't need right now but the vision of her keeps floating before my face. Her smooth skin, her long hair, the way she can handle herself with a weapon. I should be worried about how to control her after I have her but that is also of little consequence. I'll chain her to me if the calling of the curse isn't enough. She won't be able to kill me, so she can do as she pleases until she calms down enough to see that being with me is in her best interest.

A nervous thrum of energy pulses through me at the prospect of finally having her after all these years. But I must contain it. I need to concentrate on surpassing any stray guards. The lack of them is a little concerning. Not that it's a bad thing if it means we can reach the upper levels but, if I were the queen, I would be worried about the fact that her army was not as grand as it should be. Perhaps she assumes no one will make it through the mists surrounding the island. Or maybe she relies too much on the fact the castle is secure for most of the year. Either way, I will use it to my advantage here.

The quiet pad of feet coming towards us has me pulling the king to the wall, quickly concealing us in the dark curve of an arch, my finger to my lips to silence the man. We may be dressed as guards, but I am determined to be as discreet as possible. And, honestly, Gilberd has no idea when it comes to actual groundwork. He has sat far too pretty on his throne for far too long. In all honesty, I am surprised he decided to come in person. He must really want this kingdom. And, for what? It's nothing more than a giant swamp at the edge of the world.

The steps get closer and I hold my breath. Not a hard feat for me but I can see the king's chest rising and falling in quick succession and can smell the sickly sweat on his brow. The man is in a panic, and I am tempted to push him out in front of the person approaching. It would mean I could get where I am going much quicker. They are all expecting the king, not me.

As the steps get closer, I seriously consider the action. It would be so easy. If I am quick, and dart out of the way, they might not even realize there is another person here.

I hear the breath of the person now, shallow, easy, they are not expecting to find anyone down here. It might just give me enough time to retreat in the confusion.

Except the king would just as quickly betray me to save his own sorry ass.

Even as my fingers are curling close to the king's back, ready to thrust him forward, I bite down firmly, my jaw set as I relax my fingers. I need to save the reveal of my presence for as long as possible. It's the only way I can get to Mabel. Once she knows I'm within the walls, she will be aware I am here for her. And, more importantly, once the monsters know this, they will protect her and make sure she won't come when I call. Who knew that they would be able to do that, I certainly never anticipated it when I laid down the curse on them all.

I am still surprised that she finally worked out I was the one behind it, that I was manipulating the king. Or so I assume. If she knows it's me now–and I can feel that knowledge bleeding down our connection–she's smart enough to work out I am controlling the king's belief in his tie to her.

The rush of air as the person approaches has me sinking further into the wall behind me. All they have to do is turn their head and our hiding place will be revealed. I am ready, my hand on my dagger. All they have to do is breathe the wrong way and I will end them. But, once again, I am hesitant to cause a ruckus because it means there will be a body to be found. The longer we can continue with our stealth, the easier it will be. Once they know we are here, we will have to be quick and hope to the gods above that we can evade them. And I am not a big chance taker. Relying on luck is much too risky for my liking. Especially when the endgame is right in front of me. Now that Mabel knows I am coming for her, there is no reason to give her any more time to react. She is mine and I am taking her before she can find a way to escape yet again.

Gilberd's eyes are round, and his chest is erratic with his breathing as he tries in vain to contain it. I have known that sort of fear, of feeling consumed and terrified. It makes it even harder to breathe in silence, but I commend him for trying at least.

The person is upon us, a thin, lanky man, not more than four fists of years to his age. He's not wearing armor, his clothing simple but clean. Likely a servant of some sort. Or maybe, a gongfermor, considering this corridor leads down to the sewer. His hands are empty, though, and he has them tucked into his pockets. Beside me, Gilberd's chest is still fluttering away, and I see the moment the guy realizes he's not alone.

My eyes lock with his, the fright registers even as I swing my blade and arc towards his throat. The shock becomes even more apparent, his eyes widened comically as he reaches for his neck, but the damage is already done. His artery spews his life force, and it takes only moments for him to crumple. I catch him as best I can and drag him into our alcove. It won't hide him for long, but it is better than leaving him directly in the middle of the corridor. A long stream of blood follows but there is nothing I can do about that.

"Hurry," I hiss at Gilberd, and he only pauses for a moment before stepping over the body.

We take flight, hurrying along the wide hall and I hope no one else is on their way. As soon as we reach a fork, I guide the king to the left. It is a longer route to the queen's quarters, but it will be safer now we have left behind a dead man.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Gilberd asks as we take another turn.

"Of course," I mutter. Although, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure now that we have rushed so quickly. I glance at the map, hoping I haven't made a mistake that will cost us our location. Once we round another corner and come face to face with a room that is definitely not what I was expecting, I finally stop.

"You've gotten us lost!" the king declares, and I glare at him.

"You take the lead then," I reply, holding out my hand and bowing as though we are back at his own castle, and I am giving him polite courtesy as he enters the throne room. He notes the fact that I am taunting him but keeps his lips firmly closed. Smart man, for once.

While he is silent, I check the map again, noting my wrong turn and realizing we are actually not that far from the stairs leading to the next floor.

"This way," I hiss, leading us both out of the room again. Doubling back, I take a secondary corridor, much smaller than the first and partially hidden behind a large curtain.

Then, we are back to climbing upwards. The castle has two sets of main stairs. Those for the queen and her guests and this, much smaller one, for the servants. It will mean we will encounter people but, so long as we act calm, they shouldn't raise any suspicions. Or so I hope. With a castle of this size, surely the staff don't know each other that well. Even still, I keep my head tucked downwards as we pass a serving woman with a large platter. She gives us a single glance before returning to the task at hand and we move past her quickly.

"How much further?" Gilberd asks once we have gone up several flights of stairs.

"Nearly there," I reply as we approach the floor I need.

Of course, I want to remove myself from the king's presence on the next floor and I am running out of time to slip away.

Then, a large group of women carrying huge piles of linens approach as we reach the next floor. Gilberd steps quickly in front of them to rudely clear them so I hang back, letting the tangle of women and clothing get in the way of the king's view of me. Ducking down low, as though to pass under the arms of a woman, I then dart through the door leading away from Gilberd.

Without looking back, I hurry as quickly as possible without, hopefully, raising suspicion, and head down a corridor that will take me in the direction of Mabel's room. It feels like an eternity of time passes before I dare to glance back at the way I have come from. Gilberd isn't behind me, and I take a moment just to breathe.

Then, a shout. "Reeve!"

My time is up. Sure, he sounds far away and it's likely he is calling to locate me rather than telling me to stop, but there is only one other way I could have come if I didn't follow Gilberd onto the next flight of stairs.

Darting down the impossibly long corridor, I am tempted to grab at the handles of doors as I pass them, but I know that is a mistake. Any of these rooms could contain guests of the queen and I am not so far from where I need to be anyway, so I need to take my chances that Gilberd is too slow to catch me.

Another shout, further behind, this time, and I wonder why Gilberd continues to draw attention. Maybe he's been found out. I can only hope. Or, worse still, maybe someone has found the body and it's not Gilberd calling at all but others to alert the guards that something is horribly amiss. I turn the corner, trying to curb my thoughts from all the things that could be going wrong now, and I can breathe easier once more. Slowing, I allow my breathing to settle before the people ahead notice my strange behavior.

In passing, I nod briefly, and they don't seem to even register that I am in the wide hallway with them.

Once past, I tense, realizing exactly which door I now stand in front of. Closing my eyes briefly, I use the power of the curse to reach out to Mabel, to draw her to me.

While I can't sense if others are in the room, I can sense Mabel's mind and she appears terrified as soon as we make the connection. The fear is enough to tell me that there is no one nearby who can reach her in time. And, considering how close I am to her, she knows damned well that trying to fight my call is futile.

I watch as the door handle turns.