Page 104 of This Prince Is Not Charming

“Why not?”

“Because it’s creepy,” she said. “There’s also a steep set of stairs that leads underground, and I don’t feel like falling to my death. I already almost did that in our first challenge.”

My gaze landed on the lantern. “But we won’t fall to our deaths. Because we have that everlasting light.”

“Oh my godwitches.” Siobhan’s hand floated to her mouth. “I think Ceri is right. We have to go down those stairs.”

Liadan pointed the axe toward the brotherhood members. “What do we do with them in the meantime? We can’t just leave them here unattended.”

CHAPTER 45

Cillian

We walked single file down the steep steps while Meera held the lantern, the everlasting light filling the space with its glow. The ceiling skimmed my head, and I had to stoop to walk. With each step we took, the ceiling lowered, the walls so narrow I couldn’t spread out my arms.

“Just keep walking,” Liadan said, her sword pointed toward the three brotherhood members, all of them in front of us.

Lor’s dark hair fell to his shoulders, and as much as I tried to not look at him, my gaze kept flicking up from the steps. I couldn’t believe he’d come back here and brought the brotherhood with him.

I’d always believed in Lor, despite what everyone else thought. I’d truly believed there was no way the older brother I’d always admired would betray us. But now there was no doubt. He had come here with the intention of conquering. Of taking our castle and its magic and using it for the brotherhood’s twisted purposes.

I hadn’t even wanted to look at him in that cavern, and now my mind spun with thoughts of what was going to happen to him. I hated that I even cared. But once we got these damned trials over with and figured out what Castle wanted, we’d have to take Lor and the other brotherhood members to the royal guard.

The council would decide what to do with them, and it wouldn’t surprise me if their sentence was death. Lor would die, and despite everything, the thought twisted my heart.

A hand squeezed my shoulder, and I didn’t have to look behind me to know it was Ceri.

“Are we almost there?” Siobhan called from somewhere behind us. “This board game is getting heavy.”

“Almost,” Liadan called over her shoulder. “I can see the bottom of the stairs.”

“What does it look like down there?” Meera asked.

“It’s dark and the ground is covered in dirt.”

“Perfect, so glad we decided to do this,” Marsten said.

“Will everyone just shut up?” I asked, needing quiet to think.

Ceri truly believed this wasn’t about finding my queen, but I wasn’t so sure. What if there was something dangerous down there, something the women had to defeat? What if none of them were meant to survive except one, and that was who I would marry? But then the trials would have been pointless. Why eliminate someone each week if they’d all come back to fight a monster? I shook my head, knowing that speculating was futile. I would just have to wait until we got to the bottom of the stairs like everyone else, and hopefully, we’d find some answers.

“Um, Ceri, I think we’re going to need your help,” Liadan said.

“Why?” I asked, my entire body growing tense.

I made it to the bottom of the stairs where Liadan was standing, frowning at a door with a lock.

Ceri gasped and looked down at the key hanging around her neck.

By now, everyone had made it down the stairs, and the space had opened up, the ceiling rising to give us more room. I straightened and stretched.

“Are we sure we want to open that?” Marsten asked as one of the brotherhood members charged Liadan. She spun to react but was too late.

His body barreled into hers, and the axe flew into the air. I leapt forward to catch it, grabbing the hilt and spinning in one smooth move as I held the blade at Lor’s throat.

“Get off her, or he dies,” I said, voice steady.

The man’s shoulders slumped, the fight draining from him as Liadan shoved his body off hers.