The leaf-strewn path of the old Northern forest was as quiet as the fog that licked her ankles, yet Evangeline quickened her pace, boots crunching too loudly against the frosty ground. She would have probably been safer if she’d asked Chaos to accompany her, but she’d feared he might not like the idea of her paying a visit to the young man who’d tried to kill her. So she hadn’t said a word of her plans, sneaking out as the vampires slept away the day.
There was an old path to the Tower, where Tiberius was being held. But she didn’t really need a road. The structure was tall enough that Evangeline could easily see it from the cemetery above Chaos’s castle.
The Tower rose out of an old forest that was just past the cemetery. According to the stories, the Tower wasn’t built until after the Age of the Valors. Their reign was supposedly so wonderful they didn’t need to worry about locking people up, for dangerous crimes did not happen while they were in power.
It was difficult to believe that was all true, especially looking at the Tower now. Its stones were so old and worn it was impossible to tell what color they had once been. There were no windows. No doors. No way to look out at the forest that surrounded it.
Evangeline felt a measure of pity for Tiberius. She told herself it was silly to feel bad for the person who’d tried to kill her, but the last time she’d seen Tiberius, he hadn’t been murderous, he’d been in despair.
He’d sobbed when he’d confessed to accidentally killing his brother, which was part of why she hoped he’d be willing to help her today.
And although she truly did feel bad about the dreary conditions of the prison, she imagined they might also aid her in gaining information. She just needed to find a way inside. In addition to possessing no clear door, there also appeared to be no guards who might give her entry.
Fortunately, Evangeline had ways to work around the lack of a visible doorway.
She dug into the basket of bread she’d brought for Tiberius and pulled out a dagger. Vampires were surprisingly careless with their weapons, so it had been easy enough to find a replacement for the knife Jacks had taken back. The dagger she’d chosen was gold, with pretty pink gems on the hilt and a tip that sparkled.
One touch and blood spilled freely from her finger.
After a silent apology to Apollo, who was now bleeding as well, she quickly started marking the stones as she repeated the words:
Please open.
Please open.
Please open.
She didn’t know how many stones she asked. It felt as if she’d tried to talk to the entire base of the Tower before one helpful stone finally cracked and a hidden door swung wide.
She took a deep breath and immediately coughed. The air on the other side of the door tasted like bones.
Two guards, who appeared to have been playing cards, immediately stood. One looked so startled, he knocked over his wooden stool, which thunked loudly against the damp stone floor.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said as the other guard gaped, clearly recognizing her rose-gold hair.
“I’ll tell you what,” Evangeline said brightly. “I won’t tell anyone that the door to this place was so poorly guarded that I was able to simply saunter in if you just let me have a little chat with Tiberius.” She finished with a shake of her pink hair for the guard who didn’t seem to know who she was.
He still looked as if he wanted to argue, or possibly put her in a cell, until the second guard kicked him in the leg and said, “We’re sorry, Your Highness, but Tiberius isn’t allowed any visitors.”
“Then just don’t tell anyone I’ve stopped by,” Evangeline said. And before either guard could argue, she started up the cold stone stairs.
As soon as her boots touched the first step, she could hear Jacks’s voice. This is your worst idea yet, Little Fox.
The voice was so clear, she paused to look behind her, but there were only the guards closing the door she’d just entered through.
She waited another second in case Jacks knocked or slipped through the crack before the door shut. But Jacks didn’t appear, and she didn’t hear his voice again.
Evangeline shook her head and started back up the steps, determined not to think about Jacks. As long as Tiberius was still locked in a cell, he could not hurt her. She’d offer him some bread. They’d chat. She’d tell him he could help save his brother. He’d tell her where the three missing stones were hidden. And all would be right in the Magnificent North.
She climbed another set of stairs. She was on the third level now, and there was still no sign of Tiberius. There was no sign of anyone. Every cell she passed was empty, save for the occasional gust of wind slipping through the cracks.