Book 1: Youth of Delarn

Chapter 33: The King

She moved to the library door, expecting she would need to unlock it, but it surprised her to find it already unlocked. She had a bad feeling about it. She could hear guards moving around, if not right outside the door. She was used to there being none in this part of the castle at this time of night. She listened intently to make sure they weren't just around the corner before slowly easing the door open. It was dark, so she doubted they would spot her assuming she was quiet and didn't make sudden movements or ran right into them. She was glad they were likely to carry torches as it would make it easier to spot and smell them, though if she spent too much time in their proximity, it would ruin her sense of smell altogether.

She got out of the library, already gently easing the door closed. It felt much like the night she navigated the city with Solene, except this time, she knew where everything was. She couldn't help but feel uncertain about that. She didn't believe a map would ever be enough. She would have to be careful or lose track of where she was altogether.

She had little time to consider the finer details of where she was going. She could hear the guards just around the corner by the time she had the door closed. She moved away, and around the next corner. They were moving in pairs, and she knew that would make her task even harder. She didn't want to kill any of them, but it wouldn't be easy to incapacitate them without doing that if there were two of them ready to raise the alarm, kill, or capture her. She also hoped it would give her an advantage if they didn't spread out. She imagined they were understaffed with the fear of becoming a guard growing.

She felt unnerved in the next hall because it was long and there were few places she could viably hide if a guard came around the corner. She tried to transverse it quickly and quietly. She felt as if each step echoed and she heard guards behind and beyond that could turn into the hall at any moment and see her. She felt along the wall and realized there were doors. She felt a guard was about to appear, so she opened the nearest door as quietly as possible and slipped in.

Inside, there was a young man, barely older than a boy, asleep. She went towards a candle that smelled as if it had been recently put out. She hoped the young man was actually asleep and didn't notice her entry, or that nothing was on the floor between her and his desk. She ducked under it and stayed there, making sure if anyone had spotted her, they wouldn't see her here if they checked in the room.

It felt like an eternity, but the door opened. The guard opened it abruptly, and it crashed against the wall and startled the young man awake. He sat up, trembling as his fingers fished for something in his bag by his bed before the guard said, "Sorry for waking you. We thought we may have seen someone come in here."

He stopped searching, appearing bothered as he said, "That was likely me. I came in and lied down."

"I understand," the guard said, "but would you mind if we searched your room, anyway? It will only take a moment."

"I would mind, actually," he replied. "There's no way anyone could be in here. I fell asleep just a few moments ago, and I would have heard if anyone was here, especially if they came in like you did."

The guard raised his hand, sweeping his torch back and forth as if to defy him—Delarn did her best not to move, but it was hard not to flinch or squirm back when she thought the light was on her—and then said, "I hope I didn't disturb your sleep. It would be a shame if you were all tuckered out and couldn't make it to your knightly training on time."

"Morningly training," he corrected, hardly guessing at what the guard thought he was getting at.

"Right, of course," the guard replied, derision in his tone before slipping back out.

Delarn didn't intend to move until she was absolutely sure she would be out of sight of the guard and the boy who still watched the door.

She heard him say, "A bunch of overly nervous nancies. No wonder they brought us over if that's how they act. Sure will be good when they have this all settled, and we can go back home."