Frey Saga Book II: Pieces of Eight (19 page)

"Frey?" Ruby
questioned again.

"Yeah," I said,
forcing a smile, "I think I overdid it. I'm going to go to my
room."

"Okay," she said,
moving to come with me.

"No," I assured
her, "I'm okay to go on my own." She didn't look like she agreed,
so I faked humor. "Ruby, I just defeated my
guard
." She was
piqued, which made Grey laugh, but, when I realized that it
was
true
, my stomach turned and I hurried out before they could
see me go pale.

As I wandered
down the corridors, I'd forgotten where I was going. When it
finally hit me that I was lost again, I heaved a sigh and began to
pay attention to my surroundings. I made a few lefts and then some
rights until, eventually, I recognized a hallway. I wasn't sure
exactly where I was, but I knew I'd seen it before. I went further
down to the small, plain-looking door but when I tried it, it was
stuck. I glanced left and right but had no idea where else to go so
I pushed against it with magic until it finally gave, opening into
damp darkness. I flicked a flame over my palm and directed the fire
forward to light the cellar.

I couldn't figure
how I'd been so certain a storage cellar was the right door, but as
soon as I'd decided to give up and keep walking through the maze of
corridors, I spotted a large metal plate leaning against the back
wall. I stepped closer to examine the embossed design and, when I
reached out to run my fingers over the snake that seemed to writhe
in the beak of the hawk, I found myself grabbing the entire sheet
instead, pulling it loose from the gear that lay at its
base.

I tossed it aside
and stared directly into a tunnel.

Chapter
Ten

Findings

Before I could
stop myself, I stepped into the passageway and hurried down the
steps. I'd brought the flame with me, though I couldn't see more
than a few feet ahead. Somehow, it didn't slow my feet. They were
confident, as if they knew the way, and I followed them without
doubt, stepping faster and faster as I approached...
what
?
Where was I
going?

My question
slowed me just before I broke through to sunlight. As I stepped
from the passageway and around the large gray stones, I became
cautious. I cleared the rocks and surveyed the land below. No one
was in sight so I glanced up behind me to be sure I couldn't be
viewed from there. I couldn't even see the entry to the tunnel now,
the stones masking it perfectly, but I
knew
where it
was.

I spun and leaped
down to the flat rocks, running low toward the path. It wasn't long
before I'd found it and was able to pick up speed on the smoother
surface. I sensed that I was close just before I heard the barely
perceptible pad of paws hitting stone, matching my pace.

I stopped
instantly and turned to find a massive silver wolf, watching me as
he ran, leaping from stone to stone. Only a few strong strides and
he was to me, his massive paws landing with a muffled thump on the
tall rock that hovered beside the trail. He stared down at me and,
though I wasn't precisely afraid, I knew I'd been caught. And I
didn't even know where I was going.

I just stood,
looking back at him, both of us as
unmoving as the stone surrounding us for a long moment. And
then I heard them.

Great
. I smirked up at the
wolf as Chevelle, faster than I would have believed possible,
closed the distance first and grabbed my arm from behind, spinning
me to face him.

His agitated
interrogation began with a few choice expletives and ended in a
gravelly, "
What were you
thinking
?"

I had no idea how
to answer, because I
hadn't
been thinking. But as
I looked into his eyes, I didn't even attempt an explanation
because just below the anger, I could see something else, relief.
Rhys, Rider, and Grey were watching us and I couldn't help but
glance at them, which caused Chevelle to ease his grasp, though he
didn't let go, and turn to escort me back up the path.

I hadn't the
slightest notion of how far I'd gone until the walk back to the
castle. I was exhausted, though I was unsure whether it was the
intense practice session, or getting caught. Chevelle still had a
hold of my arm when we accessed the castle through a concealed
entryway and, while this one wasn't a tunnel, I wondered how many
of them there were.

Ruby was waiting
on us at the door. "Well no wonder she's uneasy around us," she
chided as she spotted his grip on me. His gaze narrowed on her and
I could see that he was still genuinely angry. I didn't know if it
was compounded by her reminder of Grey's comment or if it was
merely that he'd left me alone with my guard and they hadn't
guarded me.

I was
disappointed when they led me to the dining area, because I really
only wanted to go to bed, but I didn't complain. I sat quietly as a
servant brought out trays full of meat and when I realized it was
one I'd never seen before, my stomach twisted. What
had
I
been thinking?

"What is it?"
Ruby asked and I became aware that I was shaking my head in
disbelief. At myself.

"I don't know
what I was thinking. I'm sorry." I swallowed hard. They stared back
at me, mystified. I kept talking. "I was just walking and I got
lost and then I was outside and... I'm sorry." No one spoke. "I
won't do it again," I promised.

Steed snickered
and Grey shook his head and then they both went back to eating.
Ruby stared at me blankly for a minute and then grabbed an apple
from the tray in front of her and disregarded everything else. I
turned to Chevelle, my gaze restating the apology.

He stared back at
me.

I had that
feeling again, like he was about to reach out to me, or confess
something, but he didn't. And when he didn't take his eyes off me,
I flushed and had to turn away. Rhys was pouring wine and I
snatched up a glass and downed it before I could think better of
it.

It wasn't long
before the flow of spirits and food loosened up the atmosphere and
everyone began private conversations. I still felt ill at all that
had happened so I didn't eat much and I was so drained that I
didn't know how much longer I could hang on, but I wasn't about to
ask to go to my room, considering that was how it had started. So,
I just sat quietly beside Chevelle and sipped my wine.

Ruby had moved to
converse with Grey and Steed and the others had started to mill
around the room when Chevelle finally stood. Relief washed through
me when I thought I'd finally be able to sleep but, when I followed
him from the table, he stopped just a few yards away. I ran into
him.

"Oh," I said, and
realized my tongue was thick.

He steadied me.
"Don't you learn?"

I thought he may
have been teasing but I flushed at the memory of my last episode
with too much wine. "Sorry."

He put his hand
under my chin and tilted my face up to meet his gaze. "So you
said." I smiled at him and he winced. "I've missed you, Freya." His
voice was low and husky and I found myself leaning into him, brazen
with drink.

I stepped
forward, wanting to push him toward the door, but I was off balance
and when he tried to secure me, we simply ended up turning enough
that I could see the others in the room. I'd forgotten we weren't
alone so I reached up on my toes to whisper to him
instead.

That was all it
took. With a compulsion so strong it might have been addiction, he
found my lips and drew me against him without regard for anything
else. It was so fierce that my legs gave way and, though he didn't
free his grip in the slightest, he pulled back from the kiss to
check my wellbeing. It sobered me. "Why would I have ever denied
you?" I gushed. And then I realized I'd spoken aloud. And that I
hadn't sobered at all.

His face went
colorless, expressionless, as he dropped me from the embrace. When
my feet hit the floor, I kept a hand on his chest to stabilize
myself. "Who told you that?" His words were acidic.

My eyes
inadvertently flicked across the room to Steed before I'd even
realized I'd done it. The only thing that tipped me off was
Chevelle's hand flying out behind him. I followed it with my eyes
and stared in disbelief as Steed was lifted from the ground and
hurled into the far wall, his body not simply making the dull thud
that I'd expected, but a stifled crunch as well.

I stood, looking
past him at Steed's body on the floor, when, without even glancing
behind him, Chevelle pushed straight past me and out of the room. I
could see that Steed was stunned, but judging by everyone else's
reaction, not going to die, and I spun before good sense could
prevent it.

He was halfway
down the corridor but I caught him easily, seizing his arm when he
didn't automatically acknowledge me. He didn't turn to me, only
looking down at me as he waited for me to speak. His face was the
stern mask, calm as always, but I could see his chest rise and fall
as if it were an effort to breathe.

"Why?" I
pleaded.
He didn't answer,
clearly confident in his actions. "How do you even know someone
told me, that it wasn't just something I remembered?" I
snapped.

He leaned toward
me then, his face excruciatingly close to mine as he answered,
"Because that is a memory you would never have."

My grip went limp
at the intensity of his response and the moment I'd released him he
resumed walking. I stared after him as he reached the end of the
corridor and disappeared from view.

When I finally
turned to go back to the dining area, Ruby was watching me from the
doorway. I sighed.

"It wasn't
intentional, Freya," Ruby explained as we walked back into the
room.

Though Chevelle
had never actually looked away from me, I was pretty sure he'd hit
his mark. "It looked like it to me," I said.

She laughed. "Not
that. That was intentional. And a very nice strike, if I do say
so-" she broke off when she saw me staring at her wide eyed. She
shook her head. "Anyway, what I meant was
Steed
didn't
intentionally mislead you. He simply did not know."

I
moaned.

Even though I was
certain I'd heard bones breaking, everyone, including Steed,
assured me he would be fine. And he didn't seem terribly irritated
by my triggering the incident. However, finding out that everyone
had heard the comment that caused it was about all the humiliation
I could stand. "Ruby, will you conduct me to my room,
please?"

She laughed. "But
you are so much fun when you're cracked, Freya."

I let her have
that one, but only because she agreed to let me go.

As we made our
way to my room, Ruby asked, "So, where, exactly,
were
you going today?"

"I don't know," I
answered honestly. "I just started walking and the next thing I
knew..."

"But why did you
go outside?" she persisted.

"I'm not sure," I
hedged.

"You mean you
were standing in a doorway and didn't think, hmm, maybe I shouldn't
be doing this, maybe I shouldn't walk out this sealed
door-"

I cut her off.
"Sealed?"

"Yeah, and that's
the other thing, how did you break-" She stopped short. "You didn't
know the doors were sealed?"

Uh
oh
.

She came to a
standstill and narrowed her gaze on me. "How did you get out,
Frey?"

"I really don't
know. There was just this passage and-"

"Passage?"
Her pitch rose as she interrupted me.
"Where?"

I considered the
network of corridors and shrugged. "I really can't say." For a
moment she looked as if she were contemplating violence, so I
continued. "I was lost when I found it." She huffed. "I was
searching for the way back to my room or anything I recognized when
I saw it."

"What do you mean
'it'?" she asked.

"The door." She
waited. "To the storage room." She leaned toward me. It freaked me
out. "There was a storage room in the hallway and I felt like it
was right and I looked under the plate with the bird and the snake
and I just went in. I won't do it again."

"A bird and a
snake?"

I was relieved
when her intensity came down a few notches. "Yeah, a big metal
plate with a hawk on it, the snake in its mouth. You've seen
it?"

"Yes, I've seen
it, it's your crest, Elfreda," she answered caustically. "Damn it,
did you not think this was important?"

I took up her
tone. "How was I supposed to know? You don't tell me
anything."

"Because you go
out like a lame duck every time I try."

I wanted to be
offended but she wasn't wrong, so I just glared at her, my jaw
tight. She bit down on her words as well, but still shook her head
as she whirled around and continued toward my room. I stomped
behind her until my head started to throb, which was only about
three steps, and then I felt my shoulders droop and I was suddenly
too heavy to carry myself.