Page 89 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
For the first time since we’d stepped into the castle, Caldrius laughed. It was short and low, but real. And as the golden thread faded into nothingness, I realized that, for now at least, we were both in this together.
Chapter Twenty Five
Iwoke with a gasp, bolting upright, heart hammering in my chest. For one disorienting moment, I wasn’t quite sure where I was. I saw the familiar drapes of my bed looming like shadowed specters, but my mind was still tangled between the Mortal Realm and the Underworld.
Then it all came rushing back to me.
My hands flew to the sheets, fingers scrambling, searching for something—anything—as I tore through the tangled fabric with frantic urgency. A tremor of panic licked at my spine until my fingertips brushed under the pillow, closing around the cool, solid shape of the bangle.
I froze. My pulse seemed to halt entirely as I held it up, the metal glinting faintly in the silver glow of moonlight that streamed through the window. My breath stuck somewhere between disbelief and triumph.
It had worked.It had actually worked.
A weapon from the Underworld now sat in my hands… in the Mortal Realm. An object that should have been bound by the Veil, a boundary so absolute that not even the Gods could breach it, now existedhere. This single act, this impossibility, shattered every rule I thought I understood.
My thoughts tumbled, cascading with the weight of it. But now wasn’t the time to linger on the implications. There would be time yet to worry about all the lingering questions in my mind. For now, I had to focus.
I had to move. I had to save Camilla.
The silence of the palace was heavier at night, like it carried the secrets of a thousand slumbering souls. My bare feet met the cold stone of the hallway, grounding me, forcing me to focus. I crept like a shadow through the corridors, keeping my grip tight around the bangle in my pocket. Some irrational part of me feared it might dissolve back into the Veil if I let go, as though the rules of reality could reclaim it.
Gertrand still stood guard at the palace dungeon. His red hair was even more disheveled than before, dark shadows under his eyes betraying his exhaustion. He slumped lazily in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling, his foot tapping a dull rhythm that echoed faintly off the stone.
I hesitated only long enough to pull in a deep breath, shaking out my shoulders as though I could shrug on a sense of urgency. Then I stumbled forward, exaggerating my panic as I rushed toward him. “Oh, thank the Gods!” My voice broke just the right way, high and breathless.
“Lady Moore!” Gertrand jerked upright, fumbling to steady me as I nearly collapsed into his arms. His hands gripped my wrists, his face alarmed. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s dreadful!” I wailed, twisting my hands in his grip as though too distraught to focus. “My necklace—it’s missing! My betrothed gave it to me in Tenebris; I must have dropped it somewhere. I’ve searchedeverywhere—the banquet hall, the library, even the gardens. This is the only place left! Iknowit must be here.”
The guard relaxed slightly, though his hands still hovered awkwardly, unsure whether to comfort or restrain me. He sighed, clearly relieved to be dealing with a frantic noblewoman rather than the cold threat I’d been hours before. “My Lady, I’ll help you look for it. You don’t need to—”
“Are you sure?” I widened my eyes, my voice a mixture of pleading and surprise. “Wouldn’t that mean abandoning your post?”
His brow furrowed as the words registered. I watched his hesitation take root and grow.
“Well, I suppose that would be a breach of protocols...”
I sidestepped around him with practiced ease, pressing myself to the dungeon door.
“I’ll only be a moment!” I insisted. “Back before you even realize it. It’ll be our little secret!”
Before he could protest and further, I pushed into the dungeon and the heavy door clicked shut. Immediately, I summoned my magic, forming an invisible tether between Gertrand and I. I felt as he took a tentative step forward, hand reaching for the door to follow me in, and I focused my energy on that connection between us, slowly tightening it until his breathing hitched. The faintest sounds of choking carried down the hall before silence fell.
The pull of unconsciousness hit him quickly, slumping him back against the chair.
“Sorry, Gertrand,” I muttered under my breath, pulling the dungeon door open again to look at him.
A faint noise echoed down the corridor—a door creaking somewhere far away, or maybe footsteps. My heart slammed against my ribs. Gertrand twitched slightly, his brow furrowing as his unconscious body leaned forward in the chair. I tightened the thread of magic, holding my breath as he stilled again. As quietly as I could, I wrapped my power around him and dragged him into the dungeons. His body floated limply beside me as I hurried down the corridor toward Camilla’s cell. She was in the same position as earlier and I pressed Gertrand’s hand to the barrier, flinching as the glass rippled and vanished, and the stench hit me like aphysical blow.
Rot. Blood. Sweat. The kind of smell that clung to the back of your throat, refusing to let go.
“I cannot believe I’m doing this,”I whispered, gagging as I stepped into the cell and made my way towards her.
Camilla looked no better than before—crumpled and fragile, like a hollowed-out version of herself. Her labored breaths rattled unevenly as I crouched beside her. Kneeling, I lifted her trembling hand and carefully slid the invisibility bangle onto her wrist. The second it touched her skin, her body flickered and vanished, leaving only the faint pull of my magic to guide me.
I wrapped my power around her like a cacoon, enveloping her and pulling her up, only for my hold on Gertrand to slip. His unconscious form fell, and I barely had time to catch onto him before he slammed into the ground.
“Gods,” I groaned, struggling to support both of them in the air. I had underestimated the effort it would take to carry them both. My energy wavered under the strain, black dots floating on the edges of my vision, but I gritted my teeth and pressed on. The guard’s body floated back to his post, settling into his chair where he would wake later, none the wiser.
