Light Shadows

Chapter 10~Hidden Secrets

When the Prince delivers me back to my rooms, i hurriedly tell him that i am tired and that i am going to bed. But when i close the door in his face, my eyes narrow and the edges of my lips curl upward into a smile that means trouble. I shed my still damp clothes for something that will help me hide.

I had to find out what the queen was doing. She did not want me inside of the castle today so i needed to find a way to spy on her. I snatch up my map of the castle from a chair near my bed. I had asked a guard for a map so that i would not get lost. I had stayed up late memorizing all of the twisting hallways and winding staircases that spanned the length of the castle of Skye. I debate taking the map with me...but no, it would be too obvious if i dropped the map and somebody found it. They would be able to trace the map right back to me and there would be no avoiding it.

I had also already figured out all of the exits. I had specifically marked windows and servant passages that could get me out of the castle of SKye very quickly if i needed to escape in a hurry. There was no telling what would happen. It was not really a matter of if, but when, something would happen and i would need an escape route.

I braid my hair back into a french braid so that my long hair would not get into my face. When i am all ready to go, i spread my shadows out around myself, letting the darkness swallow me up so that the only thing people would see would be a spot of less light since i could use my darkness to reflect light off of. This way, i would be able to sneak through the hallways and no servants or any other person will be able to know that i am there unless they are searching for me. Either way, i must not be seen and i can not take any chances that somebody might not be looking for me because they probably will be searching for me since i am an enemy of the Forelands. What if they were watching me right now?

I shake off the sudden feeling of eyes on me. My magical shields would have discouraged all prying eyes that might have been. I let out a breath of relief, then give the map one last lingering look before setting it back down on the chair where it had just laid. I put my boots on and stand in front of the door, motionless. Do i really want to do this? No, i needed to do this. There was no want involved in this, i just had to get it done. I had to figure out the Forelander's plans of invading the Backlands. I leave my rooms.

Out in the hallway, i go towards the meeting chamber of the queen. I stay along the walls and crouch when servants come near, stilling my movements so that the servants will not hear my footsteps even though they are silent on the light stone floor. I keep my shadows close. Since the passageway was so light, i was a bit of a darker spot in the hallway. Just a dark spot that moved. I reach a servant staircase and went up to the next floor, the third floor. The queen's council meeting room was on this floor. I held the map in my mind, one left, then turn right down the first hallway and go around the corner to find the double doors. I stood before them thinking. How would i get in?

I press the side of my head against the door and hear nothing. I lean against the wall. Was it over? Did i miss it? I could not have missed it. In the Backlands, council meetings take forever. I ground my heels into my eyes. Why? What was wrong? This entire situation felt off. I spread my magic out, trying to find the queen throughout the castle. When my magic feels her light magic, i make sure not to inform her of where i am. She is below me but not on the second floor. Is it...yes, it must be. A secret room in the floors. Now if i could just find the entrance to it. What else was on the third floor of Skye Castle?

I move towards where the queen should technically be on the other side of the wall. I stare at the wall, looking for an entrance. But of course it would not be that easy. Voices sound down the hall and i fling myself beneath a nearby table and use my shadows to hide myself. There are two people. And one of them is the queen. The other is a stranger but he is wearing a uniform which means that he is part of the Forelander army. By the number of medals and how his uniform is blue instead of white means that he is of a high rank in the army of the Forelands. It is the commander of her army, it must be. The queen and the commander speak in low, hoarse whispers. Although not low enough so as i am not able to hear them when they stride by.

"Is everything in place?", the queen of the Forelands asks.

"Yes, my queen. The troops are moving into position and are going to converge in the Middelands."

"Very well. I want a copy of their positions."

"Of course, majesty."

"I do not want to remind you of the last commander that disappointed me in this effort", the queen says with venom.

"I will not disappoint you", the commander says; there is a slight layer of sweat on his forehead. The commander is scared of the queen of the Forelands.

Then they are gone and i ease out from under the table that i had hidden under. I turn the corner of where they had just come from which was near where i had sensed the queen. There is another table next to the wall. I inspect the table, looking for any difference. There is a small hook on the back of one of the legs of the table and i pull it, not knowing what to expect. A panel in the wall slides open and i step inside the secret room. The panel slides closed behind me. There was no turning back now so i move further into the room, pulling my shadows around me like a blanket.

The room is empty and the only furniture is a model on a table in the center of the room. It is of the three realms. There are little figurines placed through the Middlelands. This must be the strategy setup of the Forelands to invade the Backlands. My eyes widen. I had done it. I had successfully found out how the Forelands were planning to invade my realm. I look over the rest of the model of the three realms and memorize every part of it, storing it in my memory for later use. The Backlands were going to fight back.