The Death Kingdom

Chapter Six

I'm lounging in my small quarters waiting for the rest of the servants to fall asleep when I hear a knock on my door.

Strange. Who would be knocking on my door at this hour?

If they somehow already know I'm a spy that would probably make me the worst spy in history.

I open the door to reveal Nena standing there with two apples in her hands.

"Hi," she says brightly. "I come bearing food."

I take her in for a split second, utterly shocked at her presence. I stare at her ragged brown servant's uniform, then at the apples, and finally back to her calm face. "Hi. Oh—uh come in."

I step aside and let her into my dimly lit room. She enters and settles right onto the bottom of my cot, not afraid to let herself right at home. From what I can gather she's someone who is extremely comfortable in her own skin and isn't afraid to be her true self with others.

"I'll be honest," I tell her, sitting down on the cot next to her, "I'm surprised to see you again."

She lets out a long sigh. "I apologize for that. Things around the castle have been terribly busy. Prince Auden is expected to return any day now and Zaya has us all running ragged." She pauses for a moment and then hands me an apple. "I was hoping this would be a pleasant peace offering, after all, I did tell you I would help you out."

I make a mental note about the Prince's presence. That's something I'll need to divulge to the rebellion, but I'll have to wait a whole week to do it. We should've thought of a better way to convey information to each other more frequently.

A small smile spreads across my lips. "It's a wonderful peace offering, thank you. The three meals we get haven't been nearly enough and I find myself starving on most occasions." I bite into the apple as soon as it reaches my fingers, the juice spilling down the side of my mouth.

"My first week here I fainted and terrified a bunch of other servants. Since then I've been sneaking food to help me make it through the day. I'm surprised to find you haven't been doing the same." She gazes at me thoughtfully, her head tilted to the side.

"I just completed my first week here and I really need this job." I downcast my eyes to the floor and lightly shrug my shoulders. "But this has definitely made up for the challenging week."

Nena offers me a small smile, but I can tell by her look she sympathizes with me. Or at least my story. In some ways it's true, I do need this position in the castle to work out. I can't draw too much attention to myself. What I told her isn't exactly a lie, just a bit of omission.

"Is Prince Auden truly coming back from the war front?" I ask her.

She nods her head excitedly. "Yes, after two years away he's finally coming back."

"I didn't realize he's been gone for so long."

"It'll be interesting to see how he's changed. He was quite handsome when he left and I'm betting age has only been kinder to him." Nena looks at me with a mischievous glint in her eye.

I smirk conspiratorially at her. "What are the chances of being able to see him in person though?"

"Pretty high if you know the right people," she muses. "I think I can work something out for us."

I fight the urge to let out the sounds my body is begging me to make and mask my face in a cool grin. "I'm very glad to have met you, Nena."