Something Peculiar

2.7

It's not as if I had a plan or even knew where I was going. Suzy had brought me clothes - yoga pants and a tank top, both in black. I changed because sneaking around in dress didn't sound like much fun, and then I crept out into the hall.

I tried to remember the way Rosé had led me up here, but they had dimmed the lights, making it even harder for me to recognize my unfamiliar surroundings. As I recalled, we didn't take that many turns. It should be fairly simple.

The hardest part would be figuring out what to do once I found the dungeon. Maybe I could use persuasion on the guard. Or if it was another hobgoblin. I could overpower him and get him to open the door.

I found the winding staircase. It only led down to the main floor, so I still had to find the rest of the route to the dungeon. When I reached the bottom of the steps, I heard voices. I froze, debating whether I should run or hide, before deciding that staying in the shadows would be the way to go. I hurried behind the staircase and crouched down, making myself as small as possible. The voices get louder as they came closer, and they appeared to be arguing about how to make the best squash. My heart pounded so loudly I was certain they could hear it, and i held my breath. Moments later, I saw the feet of two hobgoblins walking past. One of them appeared to be female, with long ratty hair in a braid down her back. They really were unattractive creatures but based on the way they talked, they seemed harmless. They sounded more human and normal than some of the Trylle I'd encountered in Förening.

I waited a few minutes until I was sure that the hobgoblins had disappeared down the hall before I started breathing again. I figured I could take them, but I didn't want to beat up random strangers. Besides that, they could make noise and alert everyone else in the palace, including Oren.

I stepped out from underneath the staircase and almost ran into Rosé. She leaned casually against the stairs, her elbow resting on the railing and her legs crossed at the ankles. I nearly screamed, but I caught myself, knowing that drawing further attention would only make things worse.

"Hello, Princess." Rosé grinned at me. "Couldn't sleep?" She and Ludlow had been calling me "Princess" from the beginning, and I thought they were taunting me about my stading with the Trylle. But I realized I was their Princess too, and she was actually giving me some form of reverence.

Unfortunately, I knew that my title pulled no weight with her. Right now I was a prisoner too.

"Yeah, I just . . . I needed someting to eat," I fumbled.

"A likely story," she said, and her expression became skeptical. "If only I could believe you."

"I haven't had anything to eat all day." While that was actually the truth, my nerves had my stomach too racked to even think about eating.

"What do you plan to do?" Rosé asked, ignoring my feeble excuse. "Even if you find the dungeon, how will you get them out?"

"I won't, now. You're gonna run and tell on me, aren't you?" I studied her eyes, trying to get a read on her, but she looked amused as she always did.

"maybe." She shrugged as if hadn't decided yet. "Let me hear your plan. It's probably not even worth bothering anyone with."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"You seem like a self-saboteur," she said. I opened my mouth to protest, and she laughed at my obvious indignation. "Don't take it personally, Princess. It happens to the best of us."

"I'm not going to stop until I get my friends out of here."

"Now that I believe." She leaned in toward me. "This all goes so much easier when you're honest."