Once I stepped out from the wall, my attention instantly shot to the table Father had carelessly used as a stair step. I swiftly moved across the sumptuous carpets and pressed my hands down onto the top of the firm piece of woodwork. My fingers brushed along the rigid surface, and I felt a multitude of scuff marks embedded into the wood. The table itself was fairly clean, likely from the work of the chamber-maids, but there was no masking the vast amounts of dents that littered the surface.
I raised my boot onto the table. The fixture took my weight with ease, so I climbed atop it just as I had seen Father do. My gaze lingered on the portrait of my beautiful mother before I tenderly removed it from the wall.What was he hiding here...?
I scanned the stone, but it all matched the surrounding wall. An idea flickered into my mind, and I lightly brushed my fingers against the textured rock. Just like the library wall, there was a small catch located directly behind where the portrait had been hung.
A mischievous grin forced itself onto my face as I tugged the concealed, identical door ring from the wall. The stone door pulled away far smoother than the library entrance, which told me it was likely utilized far more often. I peeked inside the opening and was surprised to find a set of well-kept stairs instead of a dusty passage.This must be the king’s private floor, the sixth-floor of the castle.
I bit my lip in anticipation.I bet Conan doesn’t know where to find this floor...This was likely where Father kept his hidden collection of magic artifacts. Surely, his crystal ball must be up there as well. A sudden realization swept over me as I realized what Father had likely been up to.He probably already used the crystal today... Meaning he already knew Conan’s future.
An undignified growl rose in my throat as I slipped into the doorway and marched up the steps. I wasn’t about to lose my crown to a blasted knick-knack. If Father already had his prediction, then I needed to get a new one that would show me how to take Conan down for good. I stomped up the steps, feeling unconcerned about the level of noise. The only person who would be permitted to trespass through here was the king, and he had already visited today.
The steps were surprisingly well-lit and free of dust, which only angered me further since it meant Father likely took this route frequently.How much of the future does he already know? Did he know Killian would betray us? Did he know Mother would die...?A surge of emotions spiraled through my mind as I reached the top of the elusive sixth floor. My whirling thoughts froze, and I took in the bizarre sight before my eyes.
At the top of the hidden steps was a simple hallway with worn stone floors and walls. Oddly, the walls were lined with at least a half dozen doors. The doors themselves didn’t look terribly out of the ordinary, but the locks were enormous and trimmed in gold, platinum, and various gemstones. I approached the first door and inspected the lock with a closer eye. It looked like a standard mechanism resided underneath the ornate cover, so I decided to take a shot at picking it.
I dug a few metal pins out of my pocket that I kept handy for such occasions. Being the youngest of three males meant I always had to be prepared for all snooping opportunities. I meticulously placed two pins into the lock, using one as a tension wrench and the other as the pick. With a steady hand, I maneuvered the pick in search of the locking pins, but I couldn’t seem to come in contact with them. I took the metal pins out and tried again, but I still couldn’t find any resistance. For a frustratingly long time, I fiddled with the lock before tossing my tools onto the floor in irritation. The metal pieces flung to the ground with a decently loud clatter that echoed through the halls.
I huffed angrily in defeat, then paused my breaths altogether.There was another noise just now...My mind replayed the previous moment, and I recognized a small, panicked squeal resonate after the clang of the metal. I pressed my ear to the door but didn’t hear any further noise.
That’s strange... I could have sworn I heard a person.
I glanced down the elongated hallway and briefly considered testing my skills on the other locks. I collected my fallen tools, then stared dejectedly at the identical glittering lock on the next door. With a frustrated groan, I turned back down the hall. I would have to return with more precise tools in order to get into these rooms.Blast it, Father... I should have known it wouldn’t be this easy.
As I walked past the doors, another new sound jolted my senses.Footsteps...I followed the sound and found myself pressing my head to the inner wall of the hidden stairway. With an attentive ear, I followed the sounds back up the steps until it led me back to the first door I had tried to break in. I held my ear to the crack in the frame and heard what was undoubtedly a knock, followed by a muffled, unrecognizable reply.
There are people up here? But who? And how did they get in?
A strange idea pricked at my mind, and I dug back into my pockets for a scrap of paper. If I wanted answers, why not ask? It would be simple enough to slide a note under the door and listen for a reaction. I pulled out a worn pencil I kept in my back pocket and scratched out a quick note. As long as I didn’t leave my name, the message shouldn’t reflect on me and any stir it creates would explain who’s inside if they don’t respond directly. I folded up the paper and positioned it beneath the door’s frame for delivery.
At the same moment, a thought sparked through my brain.If someone else had just entered the room, then there was a second entrance.My energy roused to life, and I ran back down the stairs where I had first heard the foreign footsteps. I knocked softy against the wall, and sure enough, it echoed against the hollow space. While continuously tapping my knuckles, I crept down the steps one stair at a time until the echo diminished, and I was tapping on a solid wall. I pressed a thoughtful hand to my chin as I considered the castle’s layout.
If the passage went straight back, then it should align with the library.
Of course... The walls surrounding the library were mostly hollow, so it seemed fitting that another passage should exist somewhere. Without wasting another moment’s thought, I hurried down the stairs, exited through the hidden door, returned the portrait to the wall, and escaped the scene through the dressing room. Once I had made it back into the library, I skimmed the walls with a much more intensive eye. It was fortunate that no one else was around because I likely looked ridiculous as I pet each individual exposed stone and snooped behind the tapestries. After a full two laps around the library, I was beginning to doubt that my mapping had been correct.
It was then that I heard her...
The sound of the woman’s steps immediately alerted me. I ducked behind a wall of bookshelves and peered slyly between the books. She was older, maybe in her late fifties, with graying hair and soft features. She carried a silver dining tray, which was an odd item to have in a quiet library. I watched her curiously as she calmly walked toward the wall that contained another set of servant stairs. She tucked the tray under one arm and pulled the door open with the other, disappearing down the steps. Perhaps she was a servant tasked with dusting his magical collection.
But then where did she come from?
I retraced the woman’s steps for as far as I had seen. Her trail left me standing in a reading nook, containing three plush quilted armchairs and a narrow sofa surrounding a fireplace. I inspected the furniture first, carefully looking under the cushions and spindles of each piece. After gaining nothing, I turned my attention to the fireplace. It was rather large for a hearth and was made up of alternating black and gray river stones. I leaned down to inspect the ashes and felt gratified when I noticed an undeniable footprint in the soot. Actually, there were a few worn footprints, but they were all the same size and shape.
I ducked inside the mouth of the fireplace and looked up into the chimney. Instead of thick smoke residue and dust, I found myself staring up at an extendable wooden ladder. My malicious side cackled internally as I mentally praised myself for my unmatched perception. I tugged on the ladder and it slid down with complete ease, much like the hidden passage in Father’s room. I climbed up the creaky ladder and when I reached the middle rung, I felt my foot hit a trigger switch that automatically retracted the extension below me.Fascinating...
I continued upward until I found myself in a narrow hallway, lit well with polished lanterns. I followed the passage until it redirected to a set of steps, identical to the ones behind Father’s chambers.
Fresh excitement coursed through my veins as I took the steps two at a time. Even if there was another servant still tucked in that room, I could easily dispose of them before they ever found away to alert the king. A snide laugh peeled from my lips as I reached the top step and darted my gaze around the space. My laugh caught in my throat as I realized that the stairway led to only a single door and a dead end.Do the other rooms on the upper floor not have back entrances?The question prodded at me, but I shoved it aside when my eyes fell on the door’s lock.
It looked like a completely ordinary spring lock without any added details or complications. I pulled my metal picks back out and kneeled to work at the pins. A satisfyingclicksent a proud smile across my lips, and I rose to my full height.
You can’t keep anything from me, Father. You should have known that.
I opened the door and my mind went blank.
chapter six
I did nothing for a long time. After my traumatizing excursion with the king, I spent the rest of the morning rotating between crying and rolling clay between my trembling fingers. The soft molding material provided a much-needed release of painful tension and also allowed me to distract myself from my shattered dreams. I shaped the tip of a beak onto the dove I had just crafted, then began carving small details into the wings with my dainty nails. A warm tear slid down my cheek as I stared at the delicate figure. It would have looked better with its wings spread, but my hands molded what they felt and today, I felt flightless.