Silver and Evergreen

Chapter 17

As I head to my room there are faint whispers echoing around me. I turn around to see no one in the hallway. All doors and windows are closed but there are people chattering to themselves quietly from somewhere. I can't make it out... But there are more than two voices echoing in the dimly lit halls. No footsteps or anything to indicate that there is anyone walking nearby.

My feet carry me quietly down the hall and as I continue on, the whispers stay with me. They hold a constant volume, soft and quiet. I tilt my head to the side, still unable to hear what exactly they are saying. What is that? How can the sound be so low yet far away at the same time? I look around me to find any possible place where people could be but there's nothing. Not a room or window here. A shiver runs up my spine as I remember the similarity between these voices and the ones I heard when I was in that cave.

Feeling uneasy, I enter my room and lock the door behind me and ready myself for bed. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day if I am going to help out in setting up for the ball. By the time I push the covers away and crawl into bed, the voices have gone. Whoever was talking is going to sleep too. With that thought, I close my eyes holding Elyse's pendant in my hand and drift off... Until I hear the voices again.

Restless sleep is the worst. Tossing and turning all through the night, too many thoughts now. Too much has happened within this last week. Seb and I almost kissing, him buying me a dress for the ball. Finnding out Lord Hearthgrim's lineage and Sebastian's birthday tomorrow. Sebastian must have a lot planned for me and his kingdom. Mine and his role in bringing the humans and the Fae together is a huge thing. Which is terrifying to think about. I wonder if he is sleeping right now, or like me, has too much on his mind. No, he was sound asleep when I left him.

I wonder what will happen at the ball. Maybe I'll confess how I feel for him, if I can put into words... It's all confusing to me, how he acts when we are alone then so differently in front of others. He can be cold and short with anyone else then flip to warm and welcoming around me... Maude's warning rings in the back of my mind but I can't stop how I feel.

The clock chimes, brining in the new hour. Three in the morning. With a sigh I role over to my side so I'm facing the skinny window. This is absolutely frustrating, those people won't shut up, whoever they are. How could anyone be awake at this hour. They've begun to talk again, louder than before. I sit up in bed and rub my face. I don't feel tired at all... Maybe if I shifted and went for a little walk that would tire me out. Maybe I can find the source of the talking, as well and tell whoever they are to be quiet. They haven't stopped since I've been in my room.

When I crawl out of my bed, I neatly make it then step off to the side and shift into a cat before leaving the room. Felines are quiet and agile animals. I've seen the strays on the streets running around and some others here at the castle as well. Walking through the corridors in the dark without being spotted will be easy.

I pad through the empty halls, making my way up to the southern towers. Everything seems different at night. The way the windows cast shadows onto the walls. How you can hear every sound echo from people walking that you wouldn't normally hear in the daytime. Unbeknownst by them I pass by some guards as they patrol the main entrance. It is lit enough for me to hide in said shadows without being spotted. Left down the corridor, I take the servants' stairs leading to the royal chambers. That's where the whispers are coming from. Odd how the voices are coming from this far away that I was able to hear it... Another soldier is stationed at the top of these stairs, holding guard while the King sleeps. Was he talking?

He's standing under the archway to the entrance of the stairs facing away from Seb's chambers. There's only one torch lighting the hallway and the door to his room is slightly open. I made it all this way, it wouldn't hurt to visit. He is most likely asleep so I can pop in to check up on him then leave. As I take a step those whispers ring in my ears again a little louder this time. I stop to tilt my head to try and follow where the sound is coming from but it's like it's coming in all directions. These voices aren't because people are talking, it's some other voices like the ones I heard when I was at the Heart. I shake my head, impossible and yet... Stop talking, I can't understand what you are saying!