Page 46 of Black Hearted
“We should make camp,” Captain Lace called from behind me.
I ignored him, spurring Biscuit toward the jagged rock cropping in the distance.
As I neared, my stomach clenched. What I’d thought was a rock cropping wasn’t that at all. It was a large stone manor house.
“I see a house,” I yelled back to Captain Lace, then pushed Biscuit harder than ever. Her muscles shook as she pounded the ground, no doubt picking up on the urgency in my voice. Horses were intuitive like that.
“Good girl.” I stroked her neck as we neared the stone manor, the night continuing to darken.
The moment we arrived in front of the manor entrance, I leaped off Biscuit, not bothering to tie her up. I risked a glance behind me to see if Captain Lace and the others were close, but in the darkness, I couldn’t see or hear them.
They might still be on their way, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to waste time waiting for them. Each heartbeat banged against my ribs like a clock counting down. I had to get to Lorelei now.
Pulling the sword Glori had given me, I raced up the front steps and tried the door handle. It pushed open without resistance, which made me wary.
Where were the guards?
I slipped inside the manor, pausing when I was met with complete silence.
Allowing my hearing to sharpen, I picked up faint clanking noises—like pots and pans—coming from the right. Perhaps someone was in the kitchen?
Whatever operation Queen Liliana was running here, it appeared to be lightly staffed. Probably because most fae wouldn’t agree with kidnapping the Spring Court princess. At least, I hoped that was the reason—and not because they’d already left or this wasn’t the right place.
Moving quietly through the manor, I checked a few bedrooms, but they were empty. If Lorelei was being held prisoner here, Queen Liliana was probably keeping her somewhere more secure, like a cellar or dungeon. I just needed to find the—
A door to my left opened, and someone stepped out directly in front of me.
We both startled.
It was a guard—a large fae with a sword on his hip.
Before he could reach for it, I cracked the handle of my sword against the side of his head. He crumpled to the ground.
I had no qualms about killing someone who had helped abduct Lorelei, but I still wasn’t entirely certain this was the right house. Some innocent lord or lady could live here, and I didn’t want to kill anyone until I knew for sure.
Peering into the open door the guard had just come through, I sagged in relief when I saw a set of stairs leading down. If Queen Liliana was holding Lorelei here, she was most likely below.
I started down the stairs, sword aloft, taking the steps two at a time. When I reached the bottom, I was horrified that some of my fears had been correct. In front of me were barred cells—not a larder or wine cellar, as most estates might have. No, this was clearly a dungeon.
I began running past each cell, looking inside, only to find them all empty. My chest felt like it was caving in.
Where was she?
“Lorelei?” I yelled, not caring if my voice drew every one of Queen Liliana’s guards. Let whoever was here come for me—I’d cut them down.
At the end of the row of cells, I spotted a door ajar.
Slipping inside, I scanned the messy space. Books, maps, papers, a huge mirror …
Lorelei.
I sheathed my sword and ran to her. She was crumpled on the ground in front of a full-length mirror, and as I reached for her, movement caught my eye. I glanced up and froze.
In the mirror’s reflection, I saw not only myself but a gash in its surface, revealing another realm.
Myrealm.
I recognized it instantly. The town with the clock tower in the distance—it was my home. Westeria in the Western Kingdom of Ethereum.
