Kept Secret

Chapter 33

Lucas~

"what do you mean she won't see us now?" I growl at Camille surprising both her and myself. She slightly steps back while eyeing me warily and I can't exactly blame her. I'm a mess, I have been since Lia disappeared and now this queen is refusing to see us. We've been here for a couple of days now each day, weirder than the last and I'm not sure why but it feels as if we're being watched. Whenever I walk down the hallways I feel someone's eyes on me but when I turn around they're gone.

" Exactly what I said Luc, she doesn't want to see us now. She says she might see us tomorrow but for now, we'll have to rest. That fight took a lot out of all of us and we're still recovering." she sinks down onto the plush comforter thrown over the bed. The room we're in is clearly a guest room with an all-white color scheme from the bedding to the plush carpet, wardrobe, dresser, and window seat. Everything is white with the exception of a few blue accents here and there like the pillows and curtains.

Camille's eyes are tired and she's got bandages covering parts of her arm and legs. She's clearly exhausted and I can't imagine that Evangeline is looking any better either. I sigh in defeat and head towards the door, grabbing the handle before walking down the carpeted hallway. The first thing I noticed about this place was how warm it is. The moment we entered the inside of the wall the temperature shot up from freezing cold to mid-summer's day in seconds so there was no need to keep all of our winter clothes on. Everard was rushed to the hospital and Camille, Evangeline, and I were treated for our wounds. The queen disappeared the second we arrived and we haven't seen her since and that obviously won't be changing soon.

The walls are lined with portraits of past queens sitting on the throne with a man standing behind them and a girl on the steps in front of them. In not a single portrait do I see a boy.

I round the corner in a daze when a figure runs right into me. We both fall to the ground, a slight scream leaving both of us as the person falls and my head hits the wall. I groan, grabbing my aching temple, trying to see who I bumped into but my vision blurs when I open my eyes. The person gasps and suddenly disappears into thin air as if she was never there.

Well, as if this place couldn't get any weirder. I get up and dust myself off, heading towards the garden. It reminds me of my mother's garden back home except our garden isn't in full bloom in the middle of winter.

The garden is designed in a spiral. All the flowers and trees are planted so the colors mimic a swirling shape and in the middle is a veranda with a swing underneath it. I take a seat on the swinging bench and my mind instantly goes to a certain blue-eyed beauty, the way her eyes crinkle up when she laughs and the anguish I saw in them when she rejected me. There's no doubt that I still love her and when we find her I'll never let her go again.

I stare into the little stream flowing around the veranda, something about it calming me down when I feel a sharp pain in my ribs. I let out a scream and grab the sides of the swing just to stay upright. As quickly as the pain came it stops. I open my eyes and Camille is standing in front of me panting as if she'd just run a marathon. Sweat runs down her brow and she clutches her side, showing just how hurt she is, "Luc, what's wrong? I heard you screaming."

I'm about to answer her when a splitting headache throbs against my temple. I grab my head but nothing seems to ease the pain. I can hear Camille calling my name but it's as if I'm stuck underwater. Flashes appear behind my closed eyes and I'm suddenly in a different place. It's dark, cold and it doesn't take me long to realize what I'm seeing, or rather who I'm seeing.

"What do you want with me? Why not just kill me? Wouldn't that make your life much easier?" Lia sneers at the person sitting in front of her but the woman's face is hidden by the shadows.