Frozen Fear Book. 2

❅Chapter 21❅

Gheimhridh came alive at night.

As soon my foot slipped past the threshold of my room, a slight breeze blew through the corridor, carrying wicked laughter and distant cries. Candles lined the corridors, casting everything in an eerie yellow glow. I stayed close to the walls, my bare feet silent against the polished ice.

A group of redcaps crept by, their attention zeroed in on the drumstick a goblin was hauling in front of them. They snarled and hissed, snapping their needle-like teeth at the cooked, greasy meat.

Confident that they wouldn't notice me, I slipped past them, trying to recall my first escape attempt a week before and the path. Tonight, it seemed, wouldn't be the night that I celebrated my freedom, and my life, for that matter. Clance's face materialized in the eyes of my mind.

I thought she'd kill him by now - he wasn't much use to her. It was obvious he didn't trust her, and it wasn't like he'd betray his family and tell her all of the witch's deepest and darkest secrets.

And I couldn't leave him alone, not with Mab. Not after everything I owed his brother.

So tonight I would wait and watch. I would scour for the best route possible for espace.

And it looked as if I had little under two weeks to do it.

* * * * * * *

My days fell into a routine.

I'd wake up and start my day in the White Gardens, doing my daily work. I'd come to the conclusion that Mab just wanted me tired and worn out so when she came to visit me early in the evening, I wouldn't put up much of a fight. She was wrong, as usual.

After a tiring day snipping flowers and planting shrubs, a barghest, goblin, or some other snarling fae would come retrieve me and escort me back to my cell, careful not to let me stray. I hadn't seen Brood since our little incident, but I heard passing fae whisper his name and laughing as they pointed at me. After that, I'd be thrown into my cell with a sad excuse of a meal tossed in after me.

After eating my supper, I'd pace my cell, watching the light in the hallway dim until it was pitch black.

And then the fun would start.

Over the past week I'd learned a lot. The goblins and redcaps that gathered at the mouth of the corridor normally sat there for an hour, spewing hateful remarks and crude humor. They were almost always drunk. After they'd wander off, however, the castle was free game.

I had scouted some of the other sister hallways, keeping tabs on what fae went where, what time, and with who. The night of my escape, I didn't want any hiccups in my plan.

For a while I wondered why the fae seemed more active at night, but after watching them for a week I realized it was because they were scared of who might see their discretion in the light.

One night, after I'd had a close call with a slinking brownie, I caught a whiff of cinnamon and apples. The night was still young, and I was positive that I'd never smelt that in this part of the castle at this time of night. Instantly, my attention was perked and I followed my nose until soft murmurs met my ears.

"What if your sister catches us?" a soft voice asked.

I stopped, placing my back firmly against the corner of the hall, wishing in that moment that I had my powers back to disappear in shadow all together. For a moment I felt that if I wished hard enough, I would melt into the wall all together.

"She won't," a man's voice answered. "Don't worry about her."

A sigh. "I can't help it, Azkar. You're nothing but a stable boy, and I'm, well.."