Page 12 of Hidden in Plain Sight (Rocky Mountain Wolves #3)
~Evalina~
First thing in the morning, I returned to the kitchen of the royal residence, ready to start another long day. Before long, the aroma of baking bread filled the small space as I moved from one task to the next in an orderly, methodical rhythm. On the surface, it seemed like any other day, but though I might have appeared calm on the outside, my mind whirred with everything I’d learned and the potential opportunities and pitfalls ahead of me.
So far, Tarron didn’t seem to realize the items I stole were missing from his locked box. Since I couldn’t count on that being the case forever, I had to make my next move quickly.
What that move should be, I still hadn’t completely decided.
The way I saw it, there were two potential avenues to locating the silver I needed. First, Tarron must have more of it somewhere. He told me he knew how to cure my mother, and assuming he read the same directions I did, he would know how much the treatment required. There were other places besides the locked box beneath his bed where he could hide it, and I’d never met a lock that could keep me out. All I needed was the time and opportunity to explore his room more thoroughly.
The other option would be to return to the terrestrial realm and look for it there myself. That seemed less risky on the surface, but it still posed some danger. I could be caught using the portal or I could run into Felix, the man on the other side who seemed to sense my presence even though he shouldn’t have been able to.
Both options would have to wait until the royal family had their breakfast, and no sooner had I sent up the dishes than Keerla came rushing into the kitchen.
“New orders from Tarron,” she said in a hushed whisper. “There’s a prisoner in the pens. He wants food taken to him.”
The mere mention of the prison sent a shiver down my spine, knowing how easily I could end up there myself if I chose the wrong path. “A prisoner? Who is it?”
“No idea. He only said to be sure that the prisoner ate something. He said to make it irresistible.”
Why would Tarron care whether a prisoner ate or not? It wasn’t like him to show concern for anyone, least of all someone locked in the pens. Prisoners usually ate scraps if they ate at all.
“Fine,” I agreed reluctantly. “If you can help me with lunch, I’ll put something together.”
Working together, we managed to prepare the royal family’s lunch and make one of my best dishes for the prisoner at the same time. My mouth watered at the smell of it, so I didn’t imagine someone locked up would be able to resist, though I still had no idea why getting this person to eat something mattered so much.
When the last dish had been taken upstairs for lunch and Keerla had begun to clean up, I took off my apron. “I’ll take this over to the pens before I head home to see my mother on my break.”
Keerla’s expression softened in sympathy. “How is she?”
“No change, or at least not a good one. I have a lead now, though. I just need to figure out how to make use of it.”
“Just stay out of Tarron’s way today,” she advised. “Pavla told me the prince is even grumpier than usual.”
“Are you and Pavla a team now?” I half-teased. “Did something happen after I left you last night?”
Keerla rolled her eyes. “He wishes.”
Despite her answer, I thought I detected a hint of a blush in her cheeks before I slipped out through the servant’s entrance with the plate of food for the prisoner balanced in one hand, covered by a thin layer of gauze to keep it fresh. The warm orange sun shone down on the velvety forest floor, my slippers sinking into the ground with each step. The pens, as everyone called the royal prison, sat a short distance into the forest in the opposite direction from the staff quarters. A round, domed, circular structure with doors only on the outside, it required no guards since the holding cells were magically sealed. Food and drink were sent through a long, narrow passage in the wall, much too small for a person to get through. I’d been asked to feed prisoners before but never to ensure that they ate. Curiosity quickened my steps as I drew nearer.
A small flag post outside each cell announced its occupancy status, and at the moment, only one showed a green flag. That must be the hungry prisoner, so I headed to the small opening I would need to use to send the food through, rapping sharply before raising the barrier. My chin barely reached the bottom of the window.
“Hello? I brought you some lunch.”
A deep growling sound came from inside, making me take several steps back, the plate teetering dangerously in my hand as my heart thumped heavily in surprise. What in the world made a sound like that? It didn’t sound like any fairy I’d ever heard. A dragon, maybe? Or one of the strange creatures that lived in the elven lands?
A moment later, the growling stopped and a male voice spoke instead. “Come closer.”
The voice sounded vaguely familiar, and I stepped forward in spite of my concerns to repeat my earlier greeting. “Hello?”
When I peered into the darkness, I could just make out a face at the end of the passage, shrouded in shadow. No distinct features were visible other than two wide eyes which stared at me as if I were not quite real. Honestly, I kind of felt the same. What kind of man could make a noise like the one I just heard? What was he?
“What’s your name?” His voice came out softer than before, almost reverent, and a blush started to heat my cheeks, completely against my will. Why was he staring at me like that and speaking to me that way?
I could only think of one reason, so I tried to let him down gently. “If you think I can get you out of here, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I just came to bring you some lunch.”
I placed the plate into the small passage and removed the gauze covering it. Immediately, the rich scent filled the small space and I heard another growl from inside, but this one, I recognized. It came from the stomach of a very hungry man.
I used the small stick left near the opening to push the plate towards him, close enough that he could reach out and take it. “Please, eat. I made it for you.”
“ You made it?” His voice still held that same reverent tone, and despite the gurgling of his stomach, he never once looked at the plate. His eyes remained locked on me. “Please tell me your name.”
“What’s your name?” I shot back, trying to get the focus off me while I waited for him to eat. Tarron would want to know if he had.
“It’s Felix. I told you that last night.”
Cold shock slid through my veins as I realized exactly why his voice sounded familiar. Felix. The man who chased after me in the terrestrial realm, the one who knew I was there even though he shouldn’t have.
How did he end up in Etta? Did he follow me? Did Tarron capture him? How? Why?
A dozen questions sprang up, leaping over each other to get to the tip of my tongue to be asked first, but Felix spoke again before I could ask any of them.
“Now, it’s your turn. What’s your name?”
“I think you have bigger things to worry about than me,” I pointed out gently. “You’re imprisoned and you’re starving. Please eat.”
Finally, his eyes dropped to the food, and he let out a regretful groan. “It smells fantastic, and knowing that you made it only makes me want it more, but I can’t eat anything here.” He hesitated a moment, his voice softening as he added, “If I do, I won’t be able to go back.”
“Back?” For some reason, the thought of him leaving pulled at something inside me, something that didn’t make any sense when I didn’t even know this man.
“To my world. My home. I’ll tell you all about it, if you like, but first, will you please tell me your name?”
My mind raced again, just like it had that morning, but suddenly, the possibilities seemed new. This man came from the other realm. He might know where I could get silver, and maybe if I helped him to escape, he would help me in return.
How I would manage to free him, or how I could avoid Tarron finding out about it, I didn’t know yet, but it seemed worthwhile to at least tell him my name and try to find out a little more. For reasons I couldn’t fully understand, I wanted to trust him.
After glancing over my shoulder to ensure we were still alone, I leaned forward with my hands on the ledge in front of me, my chin resting on top of my fingers, and offered him a smile down the passage between us. “I’m Evalina.”