Burned to Ashes

Chapter Seven

"You need to trust me." Desmond said, attempting to be reassuring but failing miserably. "Do you trust me?"

"I do, but where are we going?" We rounded a corner going deeper and deeper down into the castle. It was beginning to get cold and damp, and I felt like we weren't supposed to be here. It was hard enough to step away from Lyle without explanation.

"You'll see." He said. I was beginning to get nervous. This part of the castle looked like it hasn't been used in years.

"The king has had this area of the castle guarded off for months, for no reason other than it was pointless. Luckily, we've learned the guards' schedules. They leave their post for around 20 minutes a night, which means we need to make this quick."

We walked down the hall at a fast pace, Desmonds' long strides making it hard to keep up. He rushed me along as I lagged behind. What could be so important? We kept our footsteps light on the marble ground as we snaked through the dark castle basement. I was on the verge of complaining before we rounded a corner and arrived upon an old set of oak doors. Desmond opened them trying his best to dull the creaking. The doors gave way to reveal a dimly lit ball room swirling with dust and decay.

"What is this place?" I asked stepping into the room. I gazed around in awe.

"The old ballroom. It lost its usefulness once the addition was made to the castle many years ago. Now it sits vacant, not many people other than the king, knows it exists." Desmonds footsteps rang through the humongous room.

"That is a good thing for us." A deep voice rings out from the other side of the room, and I spin to see where it is coming from. A young man emerges from the shadows of the ghostly ballroom, dressed in tattered clothing. There seems to be blood on his tunic.

Desmond turns to the man a strange expression in his eyes. "Kalea this is Ansel Vandermark."

Ansel approaches his hair raven black and his facial features stunning, despite the dirt and grime. "Milady," he smirks bowing his head to kiss my hand. He reminded me of someone, but I can't quite put my finger on who.

"Ansel is very crucial to our plan. He is very smart and loyal, despite how he looks." Desmond points out, eyeing Ansel up and down.

"Excuse me, I look immaculate my friend." He says. "It's not my fault I had to crawl from the depths of hell to get here."

I shook my head. "What exactly is his importance to us?"

"He has lived and worked in the village his entire life, he knows his way around and is good at making deals."

"So that's who we're dealing with? A commoner?" I ask not hiding the snide from my voice. We need someone with connections, and a plan.

Ansel laughs. "A commoner? No. A businessman. I know a lot of important people; people who hate the king as much as the rest of us. I can help, and after hiding for so long I've been itching to get my hands dirty."

"Hiding?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"From the Blood Guard." Ansel replies. "They've been after me for a while because the king suspected I was up to something. I decided to lay low for a while. But after you were captured and the marriage was confirmed, I became low on their list of priorities."

Desmond clears his throat at my expression. "You have nothing to worry about princess." He reassures. "I wouldn't have involved Ansel if he was rendered useless."

I squinted at the two men. "The wedding is occurring in one week's time. Tell me exactly what we're supposed to do.'' It was impossible to think that anything could stop the marriage from happening. We couldn't possibly formulate a plan in only a week.