Cinderellion (bxb)

Chapter 9: Insane

I was supposed to do this with Henri, and tomorrow night at that, but I was getting impatient, and I didn't want him to end up hurt. Henri may be a prince, but it was clear that Lord Tremaine knew how to cover himself. He would find a way to get away with hurting him. And I couldn't let that happen.

By the time I got back to the estate, it was early morning. I guessed around three o'clock. It was perfect; not only would everyone be asleep, but they would be in deep in it. I would still have to be quiet, though. I hobbled to the side of the manor, looking up at the stones and the evenly dispersed windows. The second story window above me was Lord Tremaine's office, I just needed to get in there.

I studied the stones. I hadn't climbed since I was a boy. I may not have remembered much but I did remember that. Vines were spread across the walls, which would hopefully make the climb easier.

I started to climb. It was difficult with my broken ankle, and every time I put pressure on that foot a pain would shoot up my leg. It took me a few moments to catch my breath from the pain and find my next hold before I could move. With my foot slowing me down, the climb to the office window was going to take about twenty minutes. I gripped the windowsill and pulled myself up, hooking my elbows on it. I was catching my breath to pull myself up further when my eye caught on a light through the window.

Lord Tremaine was sitting at his desk, his back turned to me, and bent over a book. A singular lamp sat on the desk beside him, the only light in the room.

My heart dropped, my limbs going weak in fear which made my body drop as well. I just caught my fingers on the windowsill, stopping my body from falling two stories. I grunted as all my weight pulled on my hands. My breath shook as I scrambled at the wall for a better grip. I shoved my fingers and toes into the grooves between the stones and pressed myself against the wall as hard as I could.

I was frozen, my breathing the only sound, as I waited for Lord Tremaine to find me. Thirty seconds past, and when I didn't hear anything, I let out a long breath. Curses were running through my head, but when my limbs started to shake from exhaustion, I forced myself to focus and think.

Lord Tremaine was in his office. I could use this time to search his room.

I started moving across, his bedroom was two windows over. It took another twenty minutes to climb over, and when I was finally crouching on the windowsill of his bedroom, my legs and arms were shaking, and my ankle was throbbing in pain. I took a few deep breaths before dragging the window up and slipping inside.

I searched every place I could think of, remembering Henri's advice and putting everything back exactly where it was. I was as quiet as possible as I searched every inch of the bed, the walls, the floors, every piece of furniture. I couldn't find anything.

I was doing a last sweep of the room when I heard a door close down the hall. I heard Lord Tremaine's light footsteps coming down the hall and ran to the window, slipping out and closing it behind me, then climbing off the sill and back onto the wall. I listened as Lord Tremaine walked around his room for a few minutes. When it went quiet, I guessed he had gone to bed and decided it was safe to climb over to the office window.

Once in the room, I began the same search I did in his room. It took longer because I checked each book on the large shelves around the room as well. Nothing. I couldn't find a thing. I stood in the middle of the room, looking over every little detail in case I missed something. It had to be in here, right? There is no other room that he would hide anything in, right?

I looked over the surface of his desk: his quill holder, his two desk clocks, one of which was not working, his ash tray, his stacks of files and books. My eyes squinted.