The Elven King's Consort

Chapter 59: Conflict

I couldn't believe what I was doing right now, walking behind a man who was supposed to be dead, abandoned, and forgotten in that valley. What made matters worse was that I agreed to his diabolical, ridiculous plan. However, no matter how much I willed myself, nothing I came up with was close to succeeding as his. Glaring daggers at his back, he glanced over his shoulder slightly, looking at me with one dark obsidian eye, saying nothing. He returned his gaze, straightening. What was that look for?

We didn't take the same route as Cesteil and I had previously. Instead, he forced himself through tightly knitted narrow hallways with no end in sight. Both sides were constructed of brick, and the hallway was over ten feet tall, capped by a ceiling of the same material.

"What is this place?" I asked palms against the wall in front of me, steadying myself. It was starting to feel narrower now, and my heart rate was rising. It felt suffocating like the walls were closing in.

"It's an old pathway that used to be utilized by servants and maids aiding the royals. Before the building was expanded, this was their way in and out of the castle. It connects to all the buildings."

"I'm assuming we are headed to the tower?"

"No, not yet."

"What do you mean?!" I raised my voice in shock and tugged at the loose end of his shirt, forcing him to halt.

It was suffocating for my frame to endure this, let alone his, which resembled that of a squashed insect under a foot, its legs exposed and quivering. With immense struggle, he looked at me and glared.

"What?!" He snapped, peeved.

"You need to answer my question. Where are we headed? This was not what we agreed to."

"Must I spell everything out?"

"Yes!"

"Fine," he sighed loudly, angrily shifting. He truly looked uncomfortable and compressed between the two closely knitted walls. Clearing his throat, he continued more calmly:" We are headed to the dungeon."

"Why?"

"Silas is being kept there."

"But he's a traitor!"

"No, he was under a spell placed by a woman who I thought was trustworthy but proved to be a fraud. She tried to manipulate me, and had I been more of a trusting person, I would have fallen for her trap."

"Wait...was it the same woman you met in the forest during our travel together?"

"I had sensed you under that canopy of vines," he smirked. A slight amusement touched his dark eyes, bringing them to life.

"I nearly lost an eye because of you! If you suspected it was me, why did you allow that arrow to almost blind me!"

"Don't be so offended. You still have your eye, so it wasn't difficult for you to dodge it. Seems the rumors of the Vampire Kingdom's renowned princess speed weren't lies."

I narrowed my eyes at his choice of words, being reminded of my stale anger when I initially met the first and second high elves in the Vampire Kingdom.

"You said just now, 'renowned princess.' When we first met, you had said something similar as well. It's like you've been spying on me for years."

His smirk died, and he stared at me like I'd turned into a corpse.

"Well? Out with it?" I snapped, the impatient feeling nagging at my insides.

I watched his Adam's apple lift and fall as he swallowed hard.