“Like the underground tunnels?” she asked.
He nodded. “Aye. And a vault of safety here in this very office.”
“Indeed?” Aerity perked with interest as the man began to shuffle toward the bookshelves along the wall behind the desk.
His hands shook with tremors as he grasped the top of three books and pulled them down with a creak—the books appeared to be stuck together, and moved like a lever—then he pushed with a weak grunt. Aerity moved forward to help him. She expected to see a dusty cavern but what she found was a simple elongated space that was extraordinarily clean.
“Why did he never tell me?”
“Children tend to think of secret passageways as playthings, but they are old and dangerous.”
Aye. He likely hadn’t wanted word to trickle down to Donubhan.
The room appeared to have supplies in the far corner. Shewalked to the corner and bent to examine the jugs of water and bag of food. All this time the room was here, ready in wait to keep her family safe. If only they could have used it. A shuffle and click sounded from behind her, and Aerity was suddenly immersed in pitch-darkness. She sucked in a breath and yelled.
“Duke Gulfton?” Aerity’s heart pumped hard as she felt along the wall. There had to be a handle of some sort. “Duke! The door has closed!” She pounded with her fist and pressed her ear to the wood. “Hello? Open the door!”
The man was old and weak, and had moments where his mind seemed absent, but he had to know the door had closed with her inside. Surely if he didn’t have the strength to open it again himself he would get help, right? Aerity pressed her palms against the door. She felt disoriented in the dark as if she might suffocate. Her heart, her breathing, were both ragged with panic. Again she pounded and smacked at the door, kicking it until her toes throbbed.
Seas . . . the vault walls were too thick for her to be heard.
Aerity pressed a hand against her chest, trying to calm herself. Why was this happening? Had Duke Gulfton gone mad? Did he think he was protecting her? But she’d told him she was going to leave. Why would he do this?
Her stomach suddenly turned and Aerity slid to her knees, overcome with nausea. The duke . . . was he the traitor? She shook her head, whispering, “No. No. It can’t be.” He was the wisest in the council. The most trustworthy. Why would he do such a thing?
Paxton would come. Vixie. Wyneth. Harrison. But they didn’t know about the vault. Surely someone in the castle would know. The military? The guards? Someone had to know! Aerity crawled forward to the door. She started feeling from the bottom, slowly running her hands over the door, taking her time to feel every single inch. Her fingernails dug along the crevices where the door sealed itself.
There was nothing. Why would they make a vault where the inhabitants could not get out? Aerity felt short of breath. Perhaps it wasn’t for safety at at all. Perhaps it was a holding place for captives.
She quickly crawled to the corner and fumbled for the supplies, hoping they would have something, anything, that she could use. She found a wooden pail and pushed it aside. Then she grabbed the bag and fiddled with the strings to open it. Cloths. A blanket. A bag of something heavy. She tugged the strings and pushed her hand inside. Oats? Useless! She pushed the bag away.
Aerity crawled until she felt the door, and sat, leaning her head back against it. She listened hard but could hear nothing except her own ragged breaths echoing in the room. And suddenly this was the proper time for that breakdown she’d been holding back.
Chapter
38
The feeling of nervous anticipation never left Paxton as he bathed and shaved. His skin felt rough from his time in Kalor. He grabbed a clean tunic and brought it to his face. The scent was fresh and reminded him of home. Paxton strapped his daggers to his chest, then put the tunic over his head and shook out his damp hair, all the while wondering how his parents were faring.
Seeing Tiern had been like cool rain on his face after trudging through a desert. He’d missed his brother more than he’d let himself admit. He also wouldn’t admit how much he wanted to pack up Aerity and the others and force them to leave. Paxton grasped the sides of the washbasin and leaned forward, closing his eyes.
Deep seas . . . let Aerity make the right decision.He wouldn’t force her, but surely she would see reason. In a matter of hours, five or six at the most, they would be under attack. The time for her to leave was now. Paxton readied his bow and quiver and set out to find his princess.
The halls were busy with staff and guards rushing around, preparing the castle. Tensions were high. Everyone was fully armed. Even maids had bows and quivers across their backs and belts with blades. He was glad to see it.
When he came to the king’s office a single guard was outside.
“I need to speak with her,” Paxton said to him.
The guard shook his head. “She’s not inside.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“No, sir.”
Paxton went to Aerity’s chambers first. The guard at her hall said she wasn’t there either, but Paxton passed him and knocked at her bedroom door anyway. No answer. It was evening now, but he didn’t expect her to be sleeping. He doubted anyone in the castle would sleep that night.
He went next to High Hall, then the dining rooms, which were all empty. Where was she? A flicker of worry began to spark. Paxton saw her maid rush past with a stack of towels.
