“You said treason and war crimes. Why would the castle continue to let you live if that’s the case?” Things weren’t adding up.
There was a deep sigh. “I vowed to the last Mage Queen that I would see to the new one and that I would help bring forth a new era. At the time, I thought for sure, the gods would bring someone quickly. I thought I would maybe wait a few years and then someone would come down here to free me. I didn’t think itwould be thousands. I didn’t think I would be down here wasting away and losing everything I loved.”
“A vow is keeping you alive?” Alric snorted. It did seem somewhat far-fetched, but we’d seen and experienced just as crazy.
“A vow done in magic is almost impossible to be broken.”
Alric and I looked at each other at the same time. Who was this person? Could we trust them?
“Do you expect us to release you?” I finally asked.
“No,” Another hacking cough. “The castle will do it when it’s ready, I assume. The magic here is ancient. Sometimes I wonder if it far surpasses the gods. After all, the gods were mere mortals before they gained their magic. The magic here is as old as time itself.”
We didn’t say anything and the person in the cell didn’t utter another word. What else was there to say to that? Maybe the thing would get released by the magic on its own time. Maybe not. It wasn’t something I could let myself stew over. I had enough on my plate as it was. As we walked away from the darkened cell I barely heard a whisper,Let her save us all.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
JUNIPER
“Well?” Reva leaned against the banister as we finally emerged from the dungeons. I ran my hands down my arms to try to get the chill from my skin but it was no use. The thing in the dungeons chilled me to the bone. Their words echoed in my head more than I ever wanted to admit. I couldn’t believe I was letting it get to me, but it was. What did all of that mean? How was he going to help me? Maybe it was all lies in hopes that we would set it free, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized the thing was right. We probably wouldn’t have been able to set it free even if we wanted to. The castle’s magic was protecting the both of us for whatever reason.
“Well, nothing,” Alric cut eyes at me to keep my mouth shut about the creature in the dungeons. We hadn’t spoken much on our way out of the deep, dark abyss, but we’d promised each other some things were better off not said. The less people that knew about what was down in the dungeons, the better. We didn’t know what the thing was and we weren’t sure if they were an ally either. The best thing to do, for now, was to keep it between us.
Reva blinked. “Nothing at all?”
Alric rolled his lips as he shook his head. “Nope. Dark, damp, and depressing like every other dungeon I’ve been in.”
“You’ve been in a lot of dungeons?”
Alric shrugged. “A couple.”
I fought a smile.
Reva rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we get this drafty, depressing staircase closed off then?”
I didn’t know how I was going to accomplish that, but I pressed my hand to the banister and closed my eyes. This time I imagined the coffers, or rather a random scene of what I thought the coffers to look like. Piles of gold, precious gems, and the crown.
Once again, there was a tingle that shot up my arm and the ground shook beneath our feet and the stairs began to shift. The staircase that led down to the dungeons was closed off immediately the stairs above our heads began to shift. Reva’s mouth dropped open as she watched everything transform around us in the little space. The light in the room dimmed and the stairs came to a halting stop right above us.
Reva puffed her cheeks out. “Am I allowed to come this time?”
“We really need to get some guards,” I muttered as I looked at Alric. They could take turns, but honestly, I was going to the coffers. Did I really need them? Probably not. “I think I’m going to go on my own this time.”
Alric frowned. “No chance.”
“That’s an order.” I didn’t want to pull that card but I knew there wasn’t another choice. They needed to stay here and take me seriously. This was the only way.
“What about your safety?” Reva countered.
I shrugged. “I think I’ll be okay. Give me one of your weapons. I’ve been training relentlessly for a while now. I know my way around a dagger in close quarters of fighting. I think Ican handle this. Plus, if something is up there,” I gazed above our heads. “It isn’t mortal. Good luck fighting a magical battle with a blade.”
Reva crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall. “She has a point.”
Alric rolled his eyes. “You aren’t supposed to tell her that.”
Reva shrugged. “She’s my friend first.”
I waggled my fingers at them and quickly took the stairs. I needed to know what was awaiting me for me at the top of the stairs. I had a feeling there were even more places within this magical fortress that only my magic could access. This thought sent a thrill through me. What else was waiting for me and my magic? I knew for sure the ballroom with the frozen men as statues and the possible prophecy was here, I just needed to uncover it with my magic. I didn’t know how ready I was to open that can of worms again though and I wasn’t going to do it alone either.
