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As soon as the door was closed, humid steam rose from the center of the chamber, filling my lungs. Through the thick layers of vapor, warm honey marble encased the room from floor to ceiling. The hardware from the faucet to the knobs was cast in gleaming gold. Candlelight flickered across the surface from counters to the floor in the far corners, lighting the room in warm yellows.
Setting the towel on the floor, far from the candles, I waded toward the tub in the middle. The water wasn’t clear. It was a murky purple swirling with flakes of gold and silver. It looked like stars kissing the night sky. And the scent that rose from it was a mixture of things earthy and musky. Beneath the raw aroma was something magical and ancient that I couldn’t place.
I undressed and eased into warmth. Nervous but willing, I took a steady breath—and let myself sink beneath the surface. It was a struggle at first to stay under; my mind kept panicking that I shouldn’t have been able to stay under. The first thirty minutes were spent breaching the surface, then going back in every five minutes, thinking surely this was it. It wasn’t until the first full thirty minutes underneath the murky depths I trusted to finish the stretch of the hour.
When I got out of the tub, pajamas were placed on the bed for me. I dried quickly, so I could wear the silk shirt that was laid out. It was lined with thick wool with a matching set of pants. Just when I was about to lie down for the night to rest my mind, a knock sounded at my door.
Not knowing who it could have been, a million things raced through my thoughts. But no other knock persisted; it was just one. Curiosity got the best of me as I slipped out of bed, gliding toward the door. I didn’t want to alert anyone if they weren’t supposed to know of me, so I didn’t call out. I just cracked it open.
An empty hall greeted me, but a familiar scent said hello. She wasn’t there as I peered my head around the door, but when I looked down, there it was. One slice of cake that was beautifully decorated in sapphire blue and ivory, and a worn leather pad that sat on top of it.
TAINTED| CHAPTER 14
Depth
Head Maiden Elaine returned an hour after I devoured the cake with a blood bag in one hand and an outfit in the other. She set the garment down next to me and placed the pouch directly in my palms. She moved with such precision I didn’t bother interrupting her. Picking the plate up from the side table, she turned with effortless precision back where she came. Before exiting the room, she threw over her shoulder, “Get dressed before we return.” There was no room for questions before she hurried out of the heavy frame.
The door clicked behind her, and my eyes drifted to the pile of shadow-colored fabric. The only glimpse of color was the golden buttons that gleamed against the shallow candlelight. It didn’t take long for me to replace the silken fabric of the sleepwear with the structured cotton of slacks and a tunic. I saved the fitted vest and cloak for later.
Before Head Maiden had arrived, I had been lost in the world of sketching. The worn chocolate leather book held blank sheets of loose paper It wasn’t just any paper. It was the kind my mother had special-ordered for me in high school. Each page was thick and smooth and made a crisp snap when it was pulled. Tucked in the spine of the soft leather was a black cloth wrapped around a bundle. I set the notebook on my lap to unwrap the gift. Just beneath the cotton, three long pieces of charcoal were spread across the material, almost blending into it. They weren’t brittle like ash from a firepit, but dense and smoothly cut.
The pigment was deep within the first stick, a true midnight as I tested the consistency against the parchment. The other two were lighter gradients of the first, but all three marked the whites of my fingertips all the same. It was trouble at first playing with the new medium, but as I focused, the sticks became easier to work with. They guided along the page until the shadow of a woman hunched over a crib. I couldn’t see her face, but the way I captured her shoulders and back arching over it wrenched my heart.
Eliza's body had been ingrained in my mind, and the pain in her cries was ever etched in my soul. There was nowhere to place it other than the parchment. Even then, it refused to leave my fibers. So I continued my measure, switching from the stick itself to my fingers, smudging the two dead women at the base of the image. They had to be included, they were a silent witness to the madness, and I refused to not honor them. I had no blood on my hands. But in the end, it didn’t matter who did it. It just mattered they weren’t forgotten.
Hours could have passed, but I wouldn’t have known. It felt like I was recording something that had always been there, just waiting to be seen. My hands, and even my sleeves, were coated in dust. I was grateful the color had been so dark it had blended with the shadowy fabric. When I finished, I found myself in the bathroom washing the tint from my fingers.
I’d nearly forgotten the bath with the potion from earlier. When the air touched the fresh, wet skin, a small violet mist curled through the air. It was subtle, but I could see the smoke. My skin stung until it dried, and the mist faded. The scent shifted into a deep musk, clean and earthy, with the edge of cold stone. It masked the natural sweetness of my floral spice. Any villager in the kingdom would have a hard time detecting me.
Heading back into the bedroom, I slipped on the fitted vest that Head Maiden had provided me. It was tight against the flowy tunic, and more intricate in its design. A fitted leather button-up with a pocket on its breast. The buttons themselves felt of solid gold in its material. Just as I had fastened the last one, two familiar scents floated through the crack of the door before they burst open.
Valentina moved in a blur; her white hair the only thing the eye could track. Head Maiden by her side, they both approached with determination in their gazes. Their sudden appearance sent a jolt through my veins.
The door still stood open, the oak frame resting easily against the wall. “What—” I started, but Valentina glided in front of me, pressing a palm to my mouth. Her touch sent a wave of calm through me, but her eyes told another story.
“Shh,” She whispered, leaning into me. “The house is stirring. My father sent us to come get you,” she continued as her breath fanned against the bottom of my chin. Her gaze shifted toward Elaine as she nodded toward the robe. Head Maiden Elaine silently obliged, grabbing the garment from the mattress and handing it to Valentina. With her free hand, she took it from Elaine, and her gaze found mine.
Looking down at her, I couldn’t help but feel amused, and completely out of my depth. Valentina didn’t do anything simply. Even something as small as delivering a message turned into a scene. She couldn’t just walk in and call for me, no, it had to be theatrical.
Her thumb brushed the side of my cheek as she whispered, “Put this on, your hood has to stay up. Do not speak until we’re there.” Her brown eyes glistened through the shadow of her veil with sternness. Behind all her theatrics, I knew there was real worry beneath it. And how was I supposed to fight the way the light caught in her gaze? I wasn’t. With a nod, I silently agreed to her request, and she removed her hand from my mouth. When it was gone, it was almost too soon.
Valentina pressed the silky cloak into my palm. The weight of it was heavy from the wool sewn into its interior. With a flick of my wrist, I shrugged the heavy garment over my shoulders and pulled the hood over my eyes. It wasn’t like the delicate lace veil Val wore, but it hid me just the same.
Silence fell between the three of us as they flanked each of my sides. Head Maiden Elaine took my right, lacing her arm through mine. She smiled, warmth unguarded behind her ivory veil. I couldn’t blame her; she had no idea who I was If she did, she would know the risk that came with helping me. Either way, it was a shit deal for her. I’d remember her for it too Val took my left, her warmth enveloping me completely. With her by my side, whatever anxiety that crept in simmered away.
The halls were silent as we left my chambers, no one in sight. But beneath the illusion of discretion, heartbeats pounded around us like a ticking clock. It was a subtle reminder that no matter how covered I was, someone could find out. One wrong person that noticed me could be the end of me. The end of this palace as they knew it. The thought lingered as we made our way toward her father’s office.
Valentina and Head Maiden kept close as we passed through unfamiliar corridors. We were heading deeper into the home than I expected. I should have known when we angled downstairs instead of the second floor, we weren’t heading to the office I first seen.
The farther we moved through the halls, the more invisible I felt. We passed a lone servant on the stairwell. Valentina and Elaine closed in, pressing to my front and back, shielding me from view. The servant didn’t even spare a glance at the earthy musk masking my scent before continuing on.
We slipped through a narrow wooden door into a cold, empty stone room lined with others. Valentina continued us through one of the many passageways beyond. Each step stretched time; seconds ticked by like hours as the passage stretched to one final door.
Valentina and Head Maiden parted as we entered the room. It wasn’t the office I remembered. This one lay deeper, walled in blackened brick, no windows. It sealed every scent inside its humid walls, coating my throat with each breath. Lord Draco stood cloaked in a robe nearly identical to mine, his hood lowered. His face was stone and unreadable. Beside him stood a tower of a figure—completely still, completely covered. Their hood remained up.
Whoever they were, their scent slipped through my senses like a spell. Familiar. Myrrh, laced with something deeper, muskier. I couldn’t name it. It called to me. Not like Val’s did… but just as deep. Something stirred between us, something that didn’t belong to the room. I fixed my eyes on a handful of candles burning on the walls, their flames flickering just enough to keep me from staring.. The silence pressed between us. The slow drip from the candle was the loudest thing in the room.
When the door finally shut and my hood was lowered, Lord Draco cleared his throat. His gaze moved to Elaine, then Valentina. “You may go, thank you.” There was no need for him to continue on; his words were final. And without a word, the two stepped from my side and slipped out without a word. There was no time to even question it, because they were gone.
