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Ravi made one more sharp turn to the right, before coming to a halt at the end of the passageway. Before him, was a turquoise and yellow banner with the emblem of a tiger. He looked right and left once more, before pushing the tapestry out of his way and opening a heavy door into a room beyond.

Magda only grew more curious, and she urged herself to continue her pursuit. This time, Odie was a few paces in front of her.

Why was Ravi sneaking off into secret rooms? Was he after something? Was this the real reason that he wanted to come to the ball and why he had been helping her all this time? She had to find out.

As soon as she pushed aside the tapestry, Magda felt stone under her shoes, and heard the faint dropping of water from deeper down the hallway. She realized she was in a tunnel, with slick stones descending slightly downwards. Already, she had lost sight of Ravi, who had disappeared in the darkness. Here, the light was even less prominent, and the door was closing rapidly. As soon as she let the tapestry drop behind her she used her fingers to catch the door before it shut.

Magda exchanged a glance with Odie. Were they really following Ravi into a secret, dark tunnel?

Odie seemed to answer when he pushed his nose against the frame.

Magda gave in and pushed open the door, careful to let it close quietly behind them.

A lock clicked.

Magda’s stomach dropped, and she pushed up against the door, but it didn’t budge. She shoved her shoulder against the wooden frame, but she was no match for the strong bolts. Now, there was no way out but forward.

Reluctantly, Magda stepped deeper into the tunnel, Odie at her side, straining to hear any sound of Ravi’s footsteps in the distance. When she didn’t hear a sound, she walked more briskly, careful not to slip against the stone.

At the bottom of the corridor, Magda was met with another gaping door, which was cracked open. On the ground, in front of it, were two guards slumped on their sides, completely unconscious, and unmoving. A set of keys lay beside them on the ground.

Odie began sniffing the scene, examining the bodies.

Hastily, Magda dove to the ground, reaching to the officers’ necks to feel for a pulse on each one of them, and luckily, it was still there. There was a hint of residue on the floor and Magda’s mouth fell open. Bilans? The potion that knocked people out? Dagmara had tried to teach her all about potions for protection. Leaving behind this much residue was quite a sloppy job. More of the potion was on the floor than was likely on the guards.

“Odie, get back,” she whispered, yanking on his scruff so that he didn’t accidentally lap up the potion.

Magda’s heart only beat more rapidly against her chest as she looked up at the door in front of her, still slightly ajar. What was inside?

She examined Odie’s demeanor before she pressed it open.

Inside were rows of boxes and barrels, and beyond that were a series of jail cells against the wall. The dozen or so cells were lined with sleeping prisoners, their chests barely heaving.

Ravi knelt in front of one of the cells, his arms extending through the bars and clutching desperately onto a girl who was locked inside. He brushed her hair out of face and kissed her on the forehead, before embracing her again as best as he could through the bars.

“Don’t leave me again,” she said in his arms as she knelt beside him.

“I won’t. I love you, Laila.”

CHAPTER 47

Magdalena

Magda felt as if a knife had been plunged through her chest. She left the heavy door cracked open and moved behind a tall stack of crates, hiding herself as a wave of crippling horror shot through her body. She couldn’t bring herself to intervene as she watched the scene unfurl before her eyes. Her fingers found Odie’s fur, clutching onto it to steady herself. Then she gave Odie another command to stay and be silent.

Magda pressed her shoulder to the stacked crates, peeking around the side to get a better view. The jailed girl hadn’t noticed her entrance because she was too busy being comforted by Ravi.

“I love you too,” Laila returned the words. From her voice and demeanor, she appeared to be Ravi’s age, maybe slightly older. “How did you even get down here?”

“Princess Kiran is having a birthday ball. I got an invitation and snuck my way in here just so I could come see you.” He smiled.

“Don’t tell me you’re doing more tasks for the guilds,” she laughed. “By the guardians, I missed you.” She let out a breath of relief, but she didn’t take her hands off him.

Disgust flared through Magda’s entire body, and for a moment she felt the gold magic sparkle at her fingertips. Quickly, she shook out her hands, refocusing on the scene as she suppressed her emotions.

“No, this time I found someone else to help me find my way inside the palace,” he answered.

Her. He was talking about Magda. She was the person that he worked with to get into Queen Sanyal’s palace.