Free Web NovelChapter 23: Chapter 23
Casilo guided her through halls that were now somewhat familiar, stopping when they reached the room she shared with Rowen.
He must have known how much she abhorred the mere thought of returning to Ragnar’s Palace chambers that was just a few doors down, the same place she had been attacked. He must have seen the way she dragged her feet when they turned down the hall, the way she bunched the fabric of her dress in tight fists until her knuckles turned white.
He unlocked the door and pushed it open wide, gesturing for her to step inside. He followed after her. He came to a stop at the center of the room, his keen gaze roaming over every surface. When he was done with his perusal, he turned and found Circe watching him with furrowed brows.
" I’m going to get you something to eat. Lock the doors while I’m gone."
She turned the lock behind him, then crossed the room and settled on the edge of the bed.
Casilo took a while before returning. There was no way of truly gauging how much time had passed while she stuck in the bedroom. Outside had gone dark when she heard the knock on the door, then Casilo’s muffled voice.
" Your highness."
She stood and unlocked the door for him. He stepped inside, both hands leaden with a flask and a wrapped package. Circe’s eyes fell on the items he held, drawn in by the delicious smell wafting off it.
" Have you heard from Ragnar?" She turned around to keep him in her line of sight and saw him walking towards the vanity.
There was a short pause before he spoke.
" No. I haven’t heard anything."
He was lying. His words, the lie, was a slippery, oily feeling in her chest, a bitter taste in the back of her throat.
" You’re lying." Circe said bluntly. She could always tell when she was being lied to.
Casilo’s hands stilled for a second before resuming his task. He didn’t reply.
" What do you know?" She was close to him now, closer than she had ever allowed herself to be. Why did the queen summon her here?
Something was wrong and she hated not knowing. She hated that she was intentionally being kept oblivious about an issue that affected her.
One by one he began setting down the items in his hands, arranging them on top of the dresser. One of the items was a plate of stewed meats and vegetables and a flask full of water since he had never seen her take a sip of ale.
There was something in the way the food was made that told her that it wasn’t from the palace cooks. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
" Where did you get this?"
His hand was already bracing the door knob, one foot at the other side of the threshold when he finally answered. " Got it from one of the taverns in town." And with that he was gone and Circe was somehow left with less information than she started with.
She waited all through the night for a knock on the door from either Ragnar or Casilo, anyone at all that could explain what was going on but the night remained quiet. No one came. Soon her eyelids grew heavy and staying awake became a struggle. Circe didn’t know when she fell asleep but by the time she woke, the sun was already high in the sky, spilling warm light into the room through the open curtains.
Moments after waking, there was knocking on the door, sharp and insistent. Circe had a vague idea of who stood at the other side of the threshold before she even unlocked the door.
She flipped the latch and the door swung open. Irah stood at the other side in a satin pink dress, her hair pinned into a neat bun. Gone was the venomous look she always had on in Circe’s presence, replaced with a smile so sharp it could cut through glass. It made Circe go on high alert.
She watched Irah wearily.
" The queen wishes to see you."
No greetings or shared pleasantries, just another one of the queen’s summons.
Circe didn’t move. " Why?"
Irritation momentarily flashed in Irah’s dark eyes. The woman was in a good mood, and Circe knew it would be against her best interest to do anything that would change it. She was just so tired of being pulled in multiple directions without being given a proper explanation.
Irah fixed her expression, masking the hatred that had just been there and clear for everyone to see.
" The queen has permitted you to attend a very important event that is taking place this afternoon and you are to sit beside her as her special guest. Refusing is not an option." Irah explained before turning to leave, expecting Circe to follow behind her.
Circe gripped the door frame tighter instead. It would be difficult to even pry her hands away with how deep her fingernails were digging into the wood.
Irah stopped after taking a couple of steps, noticing Circe wasn’t trailing behind as she ought to. She looked back to find Circe still lingering by the doorway.
" Well?" Her voice was the cracking of a whip. She tilted her head. " Or would you prefer to be dragged instead?" Her lips parted and sharp fangs peaked out. " Come now, don’t waste my time."
Circe pressed herself against the cold wood. She had to remind herself that any defiance, any sign of resistance and her brother could pay the price. If she was to endure their presence, she would need to tread carefully and pick her battles wisely. She inhaled a deep breath to soothe the unease that bloomed in her chest at the sight of Irah’s fangs, before leaving the doorway completely and falling into step with her.
Irah led her deeper into the palace, further away from the lit common area into a sectioned off portion. They went through what looked like a tunnel, wide and stretching for miles. The air was thick and oppressive and the longer Circe walked, the tighter her chest became until she felt like she could no longer draw in breath.
Her anxiety grew and grew until it became a living, breathing thing. Irah barely looked at her, choosing to pretend Circe didn’t exist.
The exit loomed ahead. Circe quickened her strides when she saw it. Not too far now.
She was only a few feet away when she noticed the person drawing closer from the path ahead. She studied his face , one she had seen on two separate occasions.
Irah slowed when the man drew even closer and Circe did so as well.
" Your highness," Irah curtseyed before the man. It was like a switch was flipped and gone was the sneering, hateful woman, her barbed tongue replaced with gentle, softly spoken words.
Prince Hairan hardly paid attention to irah. His eyes were fixed on Circe, who was pinned under the unwavering intensity of his gaze.
" You may leave now." His words were meant for Irah but his focus was still on Circe.
Irah’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, searching for a response she didn’t have.
Hairan glanced at Irah briefly when she still lingered, refusing to move. " Why are you still here?"
The words made her take a step back but the look on Hairan’s face was what pushed her to leave without looking back.
With no one else around, he stepped towards Circe at a languid pace.
" Princess Circe Valdris," He drawled, slow and unhurried as though tasting each syllable with his tongue. " You were supposed to be dead by now."
Dread, thick and potent, pooled deep in her gut. She took steps back to put distance between them but the farther she walked the closer he came. He had the king’s eyes. Ragnar’s eyes, with hair the same shade, only Hairan kept his much shorter.
" Sheltered princess. Fragile, little human. You should have been an easy target but here you are, alive and well." His words went on. " You cost me a huge bet." freewebnσvel.cøm
Her feet froze and for a second, her vision blurred. Rage trickled into her veins, the type that started with a low simmer, burning hotter and brighter until it became a ravenous inferno. It hardened the dread she felt, turning it into something completely unrecognizable. He was one of them, one of the nobles who were betting on how long she was going to live. Her survival was a game to them, a piece of cheap entertainment for their addled minds.
She stopped retreating and even when he was finally closing the distance, she didn’t move.
" Gambling is clearly not your strong suit. Maybe aim for better odds next time." She said and he halted, giving her enough time to weave past him and dart straight for the exit, bursting into an amphitheater
Irah was standing not too far from the tunnel’s exit, her arms folded over her chest in distaste. The sneer returned to her face when she spotted Circe.
A lump had formed in Circe’s throat. She looked back to see if Hairan had followed her and she sighed in relief when he was nowhere to be found.
