Page 79 of Gilded Curses

“I did.”

“The stones could be in there.”

“So could a flesh-eating monster, knowing the dagadon,” Loth retorted.

As was his way, Fath didn’t speak; his head tilted back and forth while he examined the closet.

“So could a flesh-eating monster,” Sahira agreed. “But I have to go, and we all know it.”

“Then I’m coming with you,” Pip said.

“You have to stay here for when Orin returns. He has to know where I went and what’s back there. We could try propping the door open, but I’m not sure that will keep it open, and if it doesn’t, someone has to stay here to let me out again.”

She didn’t think about the fact she might not be able to make it back this way. That she could become trapped in there or eaten by something. She had to go, and they all knew it.

“We can’t all go, but one of us can, and the other two can stay as lookouts,” Pip said.

“Or we can escape into this place if the guards decide to storm our rooms,” Loth said.

“It’s always good to have options,” Fath murmured sarcastically. “I will go too.”

“No. It’s best if two stay here to keep watch; I’m going,” Pip insisted as the closet door closed again.

While the brownies fought over who would join her, Sahira returned to the bathroom and pushed the button again. She’d already shown the brownies where to locate it, and the nimble creatures scrambled up the doorframe and across the top to press the button.

They could open the door for her again if necessary. She hit the button once more before removing the chair from the bathroom.

The brownies didn’t require it, and she couldn’t have it there if the guards decided to storm the room. There weren’t many in this castle who knew about that button; she wouldn’t let them in on the secret. Orin could always bring the chair back later.

She carried the chair back to Orin’s room and returned it to the corner before bending to set her hand on the ground. When Pip scrambled onto it, she learned who had won the fight as the brownie settled onto her shoulder near her ear.

“I’d feel a lot better if we had weapons,” Pip said.

“I’ll cast another protective spell over us like I did with the spiders,” Sahira assured her. “It will at least keep things off us until we can either retreat or move forward.”

When the brownie gave a brisk nod, the tips of her whiskers tickled Sahira’s face. “Are you sure about this?” Sahira asked.

“Of course I am. Brownies never shy away from a fight.”

A smile tugged at Sahira’s lips, but it would devastate her if she were the cause of the death of this small creature with a giant’s heart. She wouldn’t argue with Pip either. She was a six-inch-tall grown woman who knew exactly what she did and didn’t want to do.

“Let’s go then,” Sahira said.

She pushed the door open and didn’t hesitate before stepping into the dim hall beyond. She and Pip entered a hallway that stretched about twenty feet before vanishing into the shadows cloaking it.

Sahira inched past the small lights flickering on the white walls. These lights weren’t in any sconces but were a part of the walls as they glowed from inside tiny holes.

The hall ended in stone stairs that spiraled downward toward a yellowish glow. Sahira wove her fingers in front of her as she cast a protective spell around them. When she finished, she and Pip glanced back at where Loth and Fath stood with their heads poked around the door.

They both gave a little wave before Sahira started down the steps. She kept her hand on the thin metal rail as the stairs twisted round and round while going lower and lower.

CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

Her soft leather boots were silent on the steps, and while she felt a little naked without a weapon, the protective air bubble would keep them safe from an immediate attack. Hopefully, they could retreat quickly if necessary.

At the bottom of the steps, the hallway stretched onward. Here, small golden sconces lined the hall; they were far enough apart that their circles of light barely touched each other.

The humidity and dampness enshrouding the place made the air thick and her clothes stick to her. Instead of the boring white she’d grown accustomed to, dark stone walls surrounded them.