The doors to the great hall opened, and a Crow entered, speaking briefly with the guards before coming toward the front of the room.
Rixxis tracked his movements, wondering what could be so important that he had to come and interrupt their dinner.
The Crow messenger approached the table and bowed. “Forgive my interruption, Your Grace, m’lords and ladies, but I need to borrow one of my commanders.”
Ieduin sighed. “What is it now?”
“You said you wanted to know when the scouts returned,” reported the Crow.
“And?” Ieduin pressed, annoyed.
The messenger blinked. “Well, they’ve returned.”
Rixxis started to rise, but Ieduin stood faster and said, “I’ve got this. No need for both of us to go.”
She frowned. “Are you sure? I can go with you.”
“If there’s anything of interest, I’ll let you know, but there probably isn’t.” Ieduin chugged the last of his drink before excusing himself and following the Crow out of the great hall.
After another twenty minutes, people left their seats and congregated in groups that slowly trickled out the doors. The crowd thinned, and the hall quieted. Even Ewan got up and went to talk with a group of men, but Ieduin didn’t return. Rowan got pulled into a heated conversation concerning the merits of one planting method over another, a boring topic as far as Rixxis was concerned, so she excused herself and decided to explore the castle.
As she walked, she noted pinch points and defensible places where they could barricade themselves should the worst happen, and the castle fell under direct attack. Trinta would have a difficult time getting to the castle, and the rocky terrain meant they’d be unable to move siege equipment into range. However, Greymark was vulnerable to infiltration with so many people coming and going all the time.
Eventually, she stood at the mouth of a wide set of stone stairs that wound into darkness. She turned her head, looking up and down the hallway. No guards. What was down there?
Rixxis lifted a lantern from the wall, quickly lit it, and descended. With every step down, the tension in her chest grew. She came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs before a pair of large wooden doors with ornate brass knobs.
For no reason, her heart jumped into her throat.I shouldn’t be here. I should go back. But she couldn’t, not without at least trying the doorknob to see if it was unlocked. Her throat dry, she wrapped her fingers around the knob and turned it.
Locked. Why was that such a relief?
Rixxis sighed and slumped against the door. She turned, only to gasp in surprise when she found Rowan on the stairs behind her. Silhouetted by the dim light from above, he looked almost otherworldly in the shadows.
“Rowan!” she said, letting out a breath. “You scared the life out of me! I was just…”
“Exploring?” He came down off the stairs, his footsteps echoing as he closed on her.
Rixxis swallowed. “What’s in there?”
“Another side of me.” Rowan considered her, eyes sliding over her from head to toe with something like predatory intent.
He wouldn’t hurt her. They were allies, friends. She had absolutely no reason to fear him, so why was her pulse racing? Why did she feel as if he was staring at where it fluttered in her neck?
“Would you like to see it?” Rowan tugged a brass key from his pocket and held it up in the lamplight.
She swallowed, but her mouth was still so dry. She still couldn’t stop herself from nodding.
He stepped past her, sliding the key into the lock. It turned with an audible click, but he didn’t immediately push the doors open. “It’s important that you know I don’t open this room for just anyone. What you see may shock you at first. But I invite you to ask questions and encourage you to handle anything that sparks your interest. I will, of course, gladly explain anything you’d like, and you can leave at any time.”
“Just open the door,” she said with a hint of irritation.
Whatever she’d thought waited behind those doors, she was utterly unprepared when Rowan pushed them open. The room was massive, nearly the size of the great hall above, but there were no tables, no space for feasts. The shadows of large pieces of equipment, shelves, and cabinets loomed in the dark.
Rowan took the lantern from her and used it to light a candle that he held to a small recess in the wall. The flame quickly spread through a trench that ran around the perimeter of the room, casting light on everything.
“Oh…” Rixxis’s arms fell to her sides and her eyes widened, taking it all in.
Against the far wall stood a giant four-poster bed, but instead of curtains, it had chains and bits of leather suspended from the ceiling. Metal cuffs were attached to the headboard and the footboard was done up like stocks, with holes wide enough for a head and two hands. Nearby sat a wooden throne and next to that were mannequin busts displaying jewelry that seemed to attach at the chest, or collars made of chains and leather. There were shelves full of artificial phalluses of every shape, size, and color, and some other smaller bits that Rixxis had no idea what they might be used for.