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I couldn’t stop a smile. It was clever. So very clever. At first glance, all you saw was three, bare stone walls—nothing special. Only by getting close did you see that two corners didn’t quite meet, leaving space for a secret.
I pulled back and darted into an empty storeroom. Moving quickly, I upended my pockets, removed all the stolen trinkets, and hid them away behind an old, battered tin bucket. That done, I returned to the secret entrance.
Wedging my shoulder through, I squeezed in—coming out into darkness.
I felt around blindly.Stone. Stone. Stone. Air.
My hand fell through the air, finding a break in the wall. Shuffling forward, my foot hit the bottom step. Maybe this was it? This was where Alisdair hid the boy.
Thump-thump.
Or something else.
A heady mix of nerves, surprise, and excitement sped my pulse and quickened my breath. I didn’t dare to believe I’d ever find Shadowsoul’s cursed heart. Such a thing never entered a mind consumed with finding a way home. But what if I had stumbled upon it?
Our lands have been at war for over a century. My father died on a battlefield fighting to see the heart found and destroyed before it wiped out our home. Now the army had its sight set on my sweet, dreamy little brother, Jaclan. Tomorrow I would run away and leave this land of winter and ice behind, and with the heart in my pocket, tomorrow could also be the day the war between Elva and the kingdom of Wind and Wild ended.
I pressed tight to the wall, climbing higher—climbing faster.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
A faint glow filtered down the winding passage—signaling a torch ahead, and something that needed lighting.
I was running then. Bursting to the top of the stairs, I came to challenge with a large, oak door with brass panels, a brass knob, and a small keyhole.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
The beating heart was deafening. It called to me. Demanded me. Needed me.
I reached for the knob. “Dare I hope...” I grasped and turned.
The door swung open to my cry of delight.
Pushing it open, I took a step.
THUMP-THUMP.
The world spun on its head.
I barely got a scream before I was shoved against the wall, and the door slammed shut—snuffing out my glee like the light blown out behind Alisdair’s eyes.
“Tsk, tsk. Naughty, naughty.” Alisdair molded to my body, slipping his legs between mine. He snapped his apart which tore my feet off the floor and pressed both my thighs to the barrier blocking my escape. “A lost little bird will find the most interesting places to land, but I confess, I don’t much care for where your curiosity has taken you tonight.” His eyes flashed. “How did you get in here?”
“I walked,” I lofted, smirking despite the fact I had not a single advantage over him. “Now it’s my turn to ask a question. What’s in that room?”
“None of your concern.”
“I’ve made it my concern.” I shoved against his chest. “Get off! I’m going in.”
“I think not.” Alisdair waved a hand, and the door dissolved.
“No!” I cried, but it was already too late. It melted into stone, leaving no entrance, no room, no mark. “Argh! Tell me the truth, Alisdair. Is he in there!”
“He?” His brows smoothed out. “Aww. I see. This is about your pointless, irritating quest to be that fox boy’s champion and borrowed mother. How very stupid.”
My face heated. Kicking and wiggling, I strained to get my feet between me and his body so I couldkick the bastard through the wall!“It isn’t stupid to fight for the protection and safety of those with none! A kingdom isn’t measured by how it caters to its strong, wealthy, and privileged. It’s measured by how it gives voice to the voiceless, stands up for the vulnerable, and does what’s right for all people, instead of what’s convenient for some.”
I scoffed. “But I wouldn’t expect you, Lord Beast, King of Blood and Torn Throats, to grasp such a simple concept. You’re too stupid.”
