Serpent in Shackles

Chapter Three

I left Leila to her painting and took a walk in the garden on the far side of the courtyard, away from everyone to clear my mind. Of course I had no idea where the King and Prince Roan were for the day or who they were with. But their absence was good for me. It was much easier to sneak away because the staff were too focused on making sure everything was perfect for when they returned that they wouldn't notice if I was gone.

Despite the anger burning its way through my chest, I pushed the thought of Prince Roan's lies away once I reached an isolated spot in the garden, far from the watching eyes.

But as I traipsed through the lush greenery, nearing the edge of the forest, I stumbled upon something unexpected.

D'Angelo, the King's emissary, glanced over his shoulder repeatedly before ducking behind the overgrown bushes bordering the forest. He opted for dark, casual clothes opposed to his usual tailored suit like the rest of the King's inner circle. The wool hood of his sweater covered his head, attempting to conceal his identity.

So I followed him.

I gripped the sides of my dress and pulled it tight to my body to keep the bottom edge from shuffling across the grass and alerting them to my presence. Luckily the leaves and branches had grown long and wide enough that it was easy to hide in the forest.

Sharp edges dragged across the full sleeves as I pushed my way through the branches. Keeping my head low, I maintained a suitable amount of distance between me and the emissary as I followed his path of footsteps in the dirt.

D'Angelo was lucky he had the job of emissary, he would have been a terrible spy. Without even checking behind him, he strode right to where Myron waited underneath an alcove covered in moss and dead bark. The alcove blended into the surrounding forest so well it was almost undetectable, which made me question exactly how many times Myron and D'Angelo had met there.

A twig cracked beneath my feet, sound shuddering against the bark as it echoed through the area. Shit.

Myron's wicked voice struck through the fading echo, "who's there?"

I pulled my dress tighter as I leapt behind a few crowded trees, disappearing into the darkness. Leaves and branches scraped against my hair, pulling wisps from my bun, but I stayed low and silent.

Myron echoed his earlier question, to no avail.

"Maybe it's just an animal," D'Angelo said.

"Maybe." Myron cleared his throat. His voice was barely a whisper. "The King will be back tomorrow so I need you to deliver this to my son and make sure you're back by the end of the day."

"No problem."

Son? Myron didn't have any children. Or at least none that anyone, that I, knew of.

I stayed hidden in the shadows and listened to the steps vanishing from the forest. I needed to get back as soon as possible to tell Leila what happened. It was no surprise that Myron was up to something suspicious. But I would have to find the right time to tell Prince Roan. Chances were, he wouldn't believe me anyway.

The ruffling of branches and leaves faded away until the forest was left in absolute silence. I waited another long minute to ensure they were gone before I stepped back out from the trees, eyes scanning the dirt for any remaining marks from D'Angelo's path to follow-

A hand closed over my mouth. My nostrils flared, dragging a long breath deep into my lungs. Fingers wrapped firmly against the column of my throat, hauling me back.

"Don't scream," the deep voice ordered.

The strong grip hauled me back even further.

I wanted to fight back, but I couldn't. It wouldn't matter if I survived the attack, because as soon as the King found out I was spying on his inner circle, I'd be as good as dead.