Page 72 of Death of a Mortal

But more than who the voice belonged to, the topic of their discussion filled me with dread. Fellendral had been purged of mortals years ago in a bloody massacre. It was now an all-fae continent, and its ruler was just as wicked as Caedryn.

And according to this lord, they were going to do the same in Ashenholt and Vydran…

We had to find my mom and get to Elyndor. It was life or death now.

The second male laughed and voiced his appreciation for the actions of the Fellendral ruler just before their voices faded out completely. I assumed they had gone through the door to the dungeons.

I wanted so badly to follow them, to see if we could slip in, but every instinct screamed that it was a horrible plan.

“That’s definitely a horrible plan. You’ve already had a close call. Get out of there, and we’ll come up with something else,”Noxie said.

“I know, I know…”

Noxie was, of course, right. So we waited another couple of minutes to ensure their enhanced hearing wouldn’t be able to pick up our racing hearts or footsteps before leaving the storage room and heading quickly back to the exit behind the fireplace.

It wasn’t until we both slipped into our beds that my heart slowed and I felt safe.

That had really been close.

What we had learned about the plans for our continent kept me awake nearly the rest of the night. I guessed we weren’t actually safe… Not in the long run, not in Ashenholt as mortals.

* * *

How in thehell were we going to find the key to that door?

At least one male we heard last night must have had a key if that was where they had gone, but I had no way of knowing who they were. I didn’t even know where to begin the search.

I was feeling desperate and helpless again.

Nella, Noxie, and I discussed plans in circles, ideas ranging from hiding in the do-not-enter room to spy who went down there (What if they didn’t enter the tunnels from there?) to sending Noxiedown there to peck open the lock (“My beak will not be used like that.”).

Each idea seemed feebler than the last, none of them truly being viable.

The only option that had any merit, and that I kept coming back to, was trying to pick the lock. I understood in principle how to do it but had never tried before.

So we all agreed that I would try it out on the lock of the door to our bathing chamber and then reassess if it was worth attempting.

But all thoughts of dungeons and keys left my brain when Varyn stepped into my path while we were walking back from lunch.

“Hello, Naci.” He smiled that smile that melted my heart. Maybe this was a good sign that I hadn’t completely ruined the end of our last night together. I was cautiously optimistic.

“Highness,” I said with a slight curtsy and a wry grin.

He laughed. Gods, it was good to hear him laugh.

“Would you walk with me for a minute? I promise not to keep you too long.”

“I presume it’s punishable by death to say no to the crown prince. So yes, I will.”

He chuckled and offered me his arm, and I took it, walking past the door to the laundry room.

“I hope you’re in my company for a better reason than just the fear of death,” he said, the teasing and arrogant tone to his voice feeling normal and easy.

Like nothing had changed.

I smiled to myself. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Prince Varyn?”

He nodded to a guard we passed, who gave me a scathing look once Varyn looked away.