The Cursed Princess of Suryagarh: Book 1

32. Frenzied

The nebulousness inside was much more damned than she could have possibly imagined. Darkness so impenetrable that the faint moonbeams flitting through the windows and open corridors did nothing to quell her fear. On top of it, she was sprinting down the labyrinthine alleys and galleries of the palace with a stranger holding her hand. The touch was warm, and she indeed felt safe, but she was still apprehensive over the entire situation.

Despite her misgivings, she continued following him, gasping for breath once in a while and wiping the beads of sweat trickling down the sides of her temples and dampening her hair. But he didn't pay any attention as he led the way with a purpose in his gait, and the manner in which he was seamlessly meandering through the corridors had her question his sanity and hers.

They went past the foyer with the thick elephantine pillars, strode down the winding corridors interweaving with one another, ambled down the chambers of private audiences and the armoury, hopped beyond the section of commoners and the prince's residential quarters. They jumped up the steep stairs as she huffed and puffed, and they slunk down the tapering and narrow alleys on the second and third floors. She was amazed at the finesse with which he was moving stealthily and flawlessly despite nothing being perceptible at all. Almost as if he knew the map of the palace like the back of his hands.

She wheezed when they passed by a familiar gallery she had seen on her way to Meera's chambers the other day. "Where are you taking me?"

He remained silent and didn't even bother to stop or turn around.

She clicked her tongue and gasped for another breath, trying to keep up with his longer-than-necessary strides. "At least tell me your name. Who are you? How do you know the palace so well?"

He stayed quiet.

Impatience trickled in her brain, and she stomped her foot, resisting going ahead with him, and he was coerced into spinning around when he sensed the opposition. Even in the near-absolute darkness, he could perceive her silhouette due to the feeble rays of the moon flitting through the open balcony on their side.

"What?" he snapped. "Don't you get the urgency? He can be back any moment, and he is a ruthless man. He is not going to stand and wait for me to narrate all about my life to Her Highness. He is going to draw a sword and drive it through your heart."

She shivered at the coarseness of his tone. "But where are you taking me?" She glimpsed around. "I can barely see anything. How are you seeing stuff?"

He let out a groan. "I am a vampire, and I have a sensitive vision. Happy now?"

She clicked her tongue but didn't resist resuming the walk down the corridor once he wheeled and recommenced leading the way. A tapering and unlit passage beyond a pair of wooden panels serving as a door led them to the inner sanctum where royal women used to reside. The portico that she had seen being imbued in sunlight earlier now lay in complete darkness, and she could finally comprehend where she was—the antechamber to Meera's room. Her doubts were further cleared when he halted right in front of the chambers and cursed under his breath. She realized it was because of the gigantic lock hanging from the white-painted wooden door.

He unclasped his palm from hers and backed away. "I need to break the lock," he muttered. Rushing to the platform that encircled an ancient tree, he rummaged for something in the soil beyond the seating area fashioned out of stone. He was finally using the torch of his phone to search, and she heaved a sigh. At least he needed some artificial illumination to do the work. Probably not a blood-sucking vampire.

Crossing her arms across her chest, she said, "Thanks for saving me. Twice."

He grunted in response.

She scowled at his back. "You are just like Aarush." She rolled her eyes, missing the way his posture stiffened, and he froze to his spot. "What is the deal with the men in Suryagarh not responding to questions normally?"