Page 81 of The Shadow Orc's Bride

The guards drank the tea, and at first, nothing happened. They leaned against the stone archway outside her chamber, laughing softly as Brenna poured a second round, the steam curling between them like a secret. Then one of them—Taren, the younger—blinked hard and frowned, words slurring mid-sentence. Rorrick chuckled, reached to steady him, and swayed instead. His mug hit the floor with a dull clang. Within moments, both men sagged where they stood, the torches behind them flickering low.

Brenna checked for breath with shaking fingers. "They're only sleeping," she whispered. Her voice trembled. "Only sleeping."

Eliza nodded, the tightness in her chest easing slightly. "Good." She pressed a hand to Brenna's arm. "It's time."

She drew up the hood of her cloak, dark wool that swallowed the dim light. She bound her hair tightly beneath it, tucked the loose ends away. Brenna fetched her spare boots—sturdy, plain, a servant's pair—and gloves patched at the fingers. Eliza pulled them on, flexing her hands once to test their fit. The transformation was simple but absolute: the queen vanished; a shadow took her place.

Her dagger was a comforting weight against her thigh, hidden beneath the cloak. She had checked it twice before they left—sharp, silent, faithful. It would have to do.

They stepped over Rorrick's slumped body and into the corridor beyond. Cold air settled in the corridor, wrapped in heavy silence. The torches burned with small, weary flames, throwing long, swaying shadows across the floor.

"Not the main stair," Eliza murmured. "This way."

She led Brenna down the hall to a corner half-concealed by an old tapestry, its fabric faded to a ghost of its former crimson. She pulled it aside, revealing a narrow stone arch that most would mistake for an architectural flaw. Behind it, darkness yawned—cool, stale, familiar.

"This is one of the old routes," she said quietly. "For servants and... others."

Brenna hesitated. "Others?"

"Royalty," Eliza answered. "We were taught the hidden paths in case of siege. My brother and I—" Her throat caught. "We used to race through them. Pretend we were ghosts of the old kings."

She ducked through the arch, her fingers brushing the cold stone. The scent of dust and old wax met her instantly. She saw her childhood self darting ahead with a candle stub, laughing, the sound of her brother's footsteps close behind. The memory ached.

Now, there was no laughter—only the faint, slow whisper of air shifting through the narrow shafts. The corridors that had once been her kingdom of games now felt like catacombs.

Brenna followed close, carrying a small lantern. Its light barely reached the walls, leaving the edges of the tunnel in shadow. The air grew colder as they descended, the steps slick with centuries of damp. Dust motes drifted through the light like ash.

The tunnels forked, turned, narrowed. Eliza took each junction without pause, memory guiding her feet. "The castle was built in layers," she murmured, half to herself. "Walls within walls. We're moving behind the living spaces now, down toward the old foundations."

The deeper they went, the stranger it became. The stone itself seemed to hum, a faint vibration beneath their palms, like the echo of a distant heartbeat. The air sharpened with the scent of metal and something taut and dangerous.

Brenna's breath came in quick, shallow gasps. "My lady, it feels—wrong down here."

"I know." Eliza reached back, catching her hand. "Stay close."

The lantern flickered. Its flame bent sideways, then righted itself. The shadows shifted unnaturally, shapes moving where there was nothing to move. Every few steps, Eliza glanced behind them, certain she'd see a figure following in the dark. There was never anyone there.

The protective spells of Maidan had weakened, flickering like dying embers. She could feel it in the air, the way it pulsed, faltered, and recovered like a heartbeat too slow.

They reached another landing, the steps spiraling deeper into the earth. Brenna wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "My brothers used to talk about the undercity," she whispered. "They said it was cursed. That the old kings buried their dead here."

Eliza gave a small nod. "Some truths hide inside the lies."

The stone underfoot vibrated faintly, a living thing. She felt the pull again—the same thread that had tugged at her every night in dreams, the awareness that hummed just beneath her skin.We're close.

Her pulse quickened.I can feel him.

It wasn't thought—it was recognition, deep and sure. Somewhere below, in the dark heart of the castle, Rakhal was waiting. The awareness thrummed through her body likeanother heartbeat. Even the walls seemed to respond, their hum rising, lowering, a breath matching hers.

They passed a section where the tunnel walls sweated with moisture, the lantern's flame reflecting in silver rivulets. The air smelled of iron and cold ash. Brenna began to cry softly without sound, her tears catching the lantern light.

Eliza stopped, turning to face her. "Look at me."

Brenna lifted her head, eyes wide.

"You've done enough. When we reach the lower hall, you'll turn back. Do you understand?"

"No, my lady, I can't?—"