“Long,” he said.
I saw that Isbeth’s features had tightened. “Yes. Remarkable.” Her chin tilted. “Nothing will happen to them. Malik.” She snapped her fingers, and he came forward like a loyal hound. “Show them to their rooms—and I do mean their individual rooms.”
I reached down, gently squeezing Kieran’s hand as several knights joined Malik. “I’ll be fine.” I turned to Reaver and then returned my gaze to Kieran. “Go with him.”
A muscle throbbed in Kieran’s jaw. “I’ll be listening for you to return.”
Meaning he would be in his wolven form, allowing me to communicate with him. I nodded and then stepped forward, stopping at Malik’s side. He looked straight ahead, his body rigid. I could still taste his anguish. That sorrow could have come from many different sources, but I stopped myself from going down a road that would surely end in disappointment. I forced myself to walk past him.
“Ready?” Callum asked in a jovial tone as if he were questioning if I would join them for supper.
Leaving Kieran and Reaver with Malik and the knights was extremely difficult, but I didn’t think Isbeth would attempt something wretched yet.
Millicent and the Blood Queen fell into step beside me as I followed Callum through the winding, crimson-banner-adorned halls, my hands clasped, much like I used to do when walking the halls of Castle Teerman as the Maiden. Except, this time, it wasn’t because I had been instructed to walk as such. I did it to stop myself from doing something reckless.
Like strangling my mother.
“I can remember the last time you walked these halls,” the Blood Queen started. “You were so quiet and quick, always running about—”
“With Ian,” I cut in, noting the thinning of her mouth as we passed the kitchens. “Do you remember the last time he walked these halls?”
“I do,” she replied as Millicent walked beside me, very much in the same manner as I did, hands clasped and alert. “I think about him every day.”
Anger rose, scorching the back of my throat as I saw two Royal Guards ahead, opening heavy, wooden doors. At once, I knew we were headed underground. “I bet you do.”
“You may not believe this,” the Blood Queen said, her crown’s shine dulling as we entered an older part of Wayfair where only gas lamps and candles lit the halls, “but very few things pain me as greatly as his loss.”
“You’re right. I don’t believe you.” My fingers curled inward, pressing against my palms as we descended the wide, stone stairs. “You killed him. You didn’t need to, but you did. That was your choice, and he didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve to be Ascended.”
“He didn’t deserve to be granted a long life where he would not have to worry about sickness or injury?” Isbeth countered.
I choked out a harsh laugh. “A long life? You made sure that didn’t happen.” Feeling Millicent’s gaze on me, I relaxed my fingers. “I don’t want to talk about Ian.”
“It was you who brought him up.”
“That was a mistake.”
The Blood Queen went quiet as we entered the underground hall. Even belowground, the ceilings were high, the openings to other paths rounded and meticulously cleaned. It was eerily silent—not a whisper of sound. My gaze roamed ahead, following the seemingly endless rows of sandstone columns rising to the ceiling to where it wasn’t nearly as well lit, and shadows huddled at the edges of the columns. I could almost see myself now—much younger, veiled, and so very lonely as I crept down the hall.
Callum stopped, facing us. “We cannot allow you to see where we go. You will be blindfolded.”
I didn’t like the idea of being unable to see what any of them were doing around me, but I nodded. “Then do it.”
Millicent stepped behind me as quiet as any spirit. A heartbeat later, I could see nothing but darkness.
The path we took was a silent and confusing journey. Millicent held my arm, steering me along for what seemed like an eternity. It felt as if I were walking straight and then making constant, continuous turns. I had to applaud her skill because I had no hope of ever retracing our steps.
I had the spell, though. And based on the length of time we walked, I knew I couldn’t use it in the chambers under Wayfair. We had to be near or under the Garden District by the time Millicent stopped us, which meant we could possibly enter the tunnels via one of the Temples.
The air had grown colder, damp, and musty, sending a jolt of alarm through me as Millicent untied the blindfold. How could anyone be kept down here and be well? My heart sped up.