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Dragging my fingers along the stones once again, I made my way back to the end of the hall.

My fingers were halfway across the stone that looked the most warn—I paused.

Facing the wall, I double-checked the other stones before coming to the same conclusion.

This had to be it. I slowly pressed on the stone and it took less force than I thought before the sound of scraping drew my attention to the opening door appearing out of thin air.

More sconces lined the spiral staircase, creating dancing shadows along the opposite wall.

Stopping at the top stair, I listened for any footsteps or voices, but thankfully only heard silence.

I kept my steps as light as possible, which in the end wasn’t light enough, as the sound of just my breathing created an echo that was impossible to escape.

Turn after turn, I went deeper into the ground and farther into an area that became harder to explain with each second.

The sound of a low growl filled my ears as the bottom of the stairs opened up into a large room of cages, tables, and shelves.

Hiding behind the wall of the stairwell I peered around it to take in the room.

Jars of multicolored fluids with contents—which I forcibly kept my brain from recognizing—filled the shelves that lined most of the walls.

All except for the one in the back which consisted the cages with bars the reached the ceiling.

In the center were several silver tables, the furthest of which still had blood on it.

A shiver ran down my spine—it was like a torture chamber.

With no philosopher in sight, I decided to enter the room. A decision I regretted as soon as I made it. The smells from the cages hit me first—a smell that was all-too-familiar and one that I’d wished to never smell again.

The kepsing that we had captured was in the largest cage and was the source of the growling as it slept.

The animals next to it cowered in the corner furthest away from the adjoining bars, clearly not fans of the beast either.

The room was cold, far beyond the temperature—it was a sort of cold that seeped into my bones at the thought of the experiments that occurred in this room.

Like the ones I was about to do to Katryn.

I shook the thought from my head. It wasn’t like what I was about to do to her. What I was about to do had cause, a reason. She deserved what was coming to her.

With that reminder, I regained my focus. My eyes scanned the shelves, looking through the jars with thousands of labels of barely legible scribbles.

Avinder. No.

Kuta grain. No.

I felt my heart rate picked up with each minute that passed.

Assassins blossom. Almost. That one, I read, will paralyze your victim’s organs so that their body shuts down from the inside out. While it was a wicked way to die, I wanted one that deadens the nerves to the point where Katryn won’t be able to move, but she can feel.

My hand was on the lid of a jar, about to turn it, when a door from down the large hall by the stairs shut—announcing the presence of another person nearby.

I quickened my pace and listened for the sound of footsteps.

Jar after jar, I found nothing. I was about to give up and leave when a name caught my eye.

An alternate name for the plant, Witch’s Mace.

I had just grabbed it when the footsteps started down the hall, leaving me no time to escape.

Stuffing the small jar under my corset between my breasts, I swiftly moved so I was standing in front of the beast's cage.

The footsteps grew louder, marking the entrance of their owner into the room. I knew I was spotted when they shuffled to a sudden stop, followed by a croaking voice saying, “What are you doing, young lady?”

I pretended to be startled, forcing myself to flinch slightly before turning in a rush to face the man who was practically half-dead, and dressed in black robes.

I threw my hand over my chest and gasped for added effect.

Bringing it all together by saying, “Oh! You startled me.” Plastering a sultry smile on my face, I continued, “I was just admiring the creature that the king and I caught.”

His spectacle-covered eyes widened, and he gave me what was meant to be a charming smile that, in the end, looked creepy. “So you’re the mysterious lady who has the castle gossiping.”

I gave him a fake-half smile before notably scanning him only to look at his eyes again through my lashes. Gooseflesh coated my skin at the disgust growing in my stomach. I held his stare for a few moments before looking at my feet shyly and then back at the beast.

“What’s going to happen to it?”

The man clicked his tongue and moved closer, the putrid scent that I’d smelled as I had entered the room growing, “We will most likely need to run more tests on it.”

A part of me wanted to feel bad for it, but at the memory of Aedon, I remembered that these things didn’t belong here. They didn’t belong in cages or in the forests. They were abominations made by the gods as punishment.

Turning to the man, it was an effort not to gag as I touched his arm and said, “I must go, but please let me know if you find anything, Sir.”

He bowed, “Call me Vasil.”

“Vasil,” I said, trying his name and giving another fake smile before turning toward the stairs. His eyes followed my every movement as if he were in a trance.

I reached the bottom of the stairs right as he exclaimed, “Wait!” Pausing, I cast a glance back at him over my shoulder. “I didn’t get your name.”

“You’re a philosopher. Aren’t you supposed to search for the answer?”

He chuckled, and I used that as my sign to leave. Turn after turn, I went up the stairs, and the calm that I had barely managed to maintain during interaction left me with each step.