Page 34 of Only Flames Remain

His brow furrowed. He was silent as he stood before me for one long, interminable moment. When he finally did move, he remained silent. He cocked his head to the side and nodded once, ostensibly sending a signal to the soldier standing in the arched entryway.

The soldier was not as tall, though he was more heavily muscled. His dark brown skin shimmered with sweat as if he had come from the training yard. From the way he was dressed, he must be a high-ranking officer in King Mavros’s army.

He nodded once in return.

The prince spun on his heel, exiting the great hall the same way he had come. He did not complete his perusal of the remaining rows of humans that were lined up. The soldier from the entryway followed behind him, disappearing down the winding corridor.

The entire room released a collective exhale in his absence and my lungs flushed with air, the tension releasing from my shoulders. A guard quickly moved to my side, his silver breastplate boasting the dragon crest of House Blackwater. He not-so-delicately grabbed my arm in his grip and tugged me ruthlessly out of line.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he whisked me toward the entrance to the hall, into the torch-lit corridor beyond. This wasn’t the way we had come in—this was another doorway that led deeper into the castle. I cast a furtive glance behind me, but the room was filling with Vireth seeking indentures once more.

I turned back to the guard who still grasped me in confusion. “Where are you taking me?”

He laughed as if he thought I were dim. “To your quarters. To your new indenture.”

“My new indenture,” I mused. “Which is…?” My forehead creased as my brows drew together. Had the crown prince chosen me as his new maidservant? He hadn’t said anything except to mock my dress. “I’m new to all this, you’ll have to explain it to me.”

The guard didn’t stop, but he cast me a disbelieving glance as we turned right and ascended a flight of elegantly curved stairs made of gray stone. Each tread was embossed with a swirling design, the thick banister reaching up toward the second floor in an elegant curve.

I felt as if I were being dragged along like a small child, no idea where I was going or why I was allowing myself to be manhandled this way. I could never retrace my steps back to the great hall if I tried, despite paying attention to where I was being taken. The castle was a maze of corridors, staircases, and obsidian shadowed doorways.

Another flight of stairs and another right-hand turn found us turning down a long, narrow corridor on the third floor. The staircase spilled out onto a landing where arched windows carved into the wall from the floor to the ceiling.

As we descended the hallway, the natural light diminished. The only glow to see by was provided by the lamps and torches that hung against the worn stone walls. This section of the castle was less ornate and well maintained than what I had seen thus far.

We stopped before the seventh door on the left.

“Your living quarters,” the soldier offered. More of a snarl, really.

My eyes widened. “Anything else to add?”

I wasn’t sure my attitude would get me anywhere in Gothryn, but I was certain there had to be an explanation of what my work would include, at the very least. Was I expected to wait until I was called upon?

The soldier scratched his beard in agitation. “You will be the indenture of the Crown Prince, Sorin Blackwater. You will stay here, in your quarters, until you are called upon.” Well, that answered that question. “Is that clear? You are not to travel the castle alone. You are not to leave this room unattended until your assignment has been explained to you.”

Was this not the explanation of my assignment?

If I didn’t know any better…that last part almost sounded as if it were a threat. I swallowed hard, nodding once. “Understood.”

The soldier turned on his heel to walk off, but I reached after him with my hand. He glanced down at it, then back up to meet my gaze once more. The disgust was visible in his expression. I removed my hand, shrinking back.

“I only meant to ask—where would I find a place to refresh myself after such long travel? And will I be provided meals in my room?”

The soldier’s laugh echoed down the corridor, his head falling back.

“Your washroom—if you choose to call it that—is at the end of the hallway. It is shared with the other indentures residing in the dormitory wing. Your meals will be sent to your rooms twice daily.”

“But when—” I started, but the soldier had already taken off down the hall and was not inclined to turn back a second time.

I cringed at the idea of what the ‘washroom’ might consist of given his less than stellar recommendation of it. As long as it had fresh water, I could make do. I thought wistfully of the extravagant claw footed tubs I had been spoiled with in Myros as I reached out to grasp the heavy brass handle to my room. I twisted, unsure what I would find in the room beyond.

The moment I stepped foot inside, I was greeted with the happy yips of Quinnick as he sprung upward from the cot, lovingly wrapping around my legs.

“I’m so happy to see you here!” I told him, leaning down to scratch behind his ear. The moment I did, he flopped onto his back, begging for belly rubs.

“Such a good boy,” I murmured.

I obliged him, scratching him happily until my curiosity got the better of me. I rose to stand, my perusal of the small room rather swift with how tiny it was.