A Kingdom of Wrath and Ruin

chapter seven

Solana's path took her along a network of corridors and hallways. Each one was identical to the last. It meant that she was barely able to memorise the route that she was taking. Luckily, she had been through this process before, and it had become second nature to her.

She came to an abrupt halt as she ran into a set of double doors blocking her path. Intricate detailing curled across the wood, deep indentations that Solana ran her finger along in admiration. It was too fancy to be for nothing, she briefly reflected as she stepped away from it. Surely it must lead to something of importance.

Weaving the silk of her skirts around her hand to avoid leaving fingerprints on the polished metal, Solana tried the door handle.

Locked.

"Damn," she murmured faintly, though she was already drawing a pin from her elaborate hairstyle and prying it apart. Her dress pooled on the carpet as she crouched down and poked one end of the hairpin into the lock. The tension in her muscles only drained away when she heard the familiar click that meant it had been unlocked.

Solana hesitated with a glance over her shoulder. This was probably a bad idea, but if she knew the layout of her surroundings, she reflected silently, her gaze travelling over the gleaming silver lock. She would have a greater chance of success. Besides, it would most likely be empty, as everyone would be attending the social gathering downstairs.

Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she smoothly opened the door, wincing as it creaked, slipping inside and continuing on her way.

Her surroundings were the same as before. An endless set of corridors that branched out in a variety of directions. She picked a path at random, her mind working as she let her eyes skim over the portraits on the walls. They depicted past monarchs, from kings wielding bloody swords to queens who stared into the hallway with icy gazes. Even Solana felt herself shivering as she passed them, struck by the detail in each painting; each visible stroke of the paintbrush adding to the beauty of them. The intricate gold frames gleamed, and she could see her distorted reflection passing by. They were very well looked after, and she assumed that they had been polished recently.

As she turned yet another corner, the corridor widened out, diverging around railings that surrounded a square where the floor fell away. Solana approached it warily, her fingers curling around the wood, which was the same colour as the desk in her room. Her grip tightened as she glanced past the barrier, a chill running down her spine at what she saw.

A library stretched out below her, rows upon rows of bookshelves standing next to each other. The books were lined up along them, a variety of colours creating a striking contrast to the dark shelves. They were in a range of conditions, from books that looked like they had never been opened to old volumes that were falling apart.

It was, in Solana's opinion, the best thing she had ever seen.

Her jaw dropped open, and she leaned further over the railing to get a better look at the room below. She stood on her tiptoes, precariously balanced against the wood.

"Careful, there, darling. You wouldn't want to fall and hurt yourself before the celebrations have even started."

Solana's nails dug into the railing as she whipped around to stare at whoever had spoken. A boy stood in front of her, his arms folded as he watched her. She guessed that he was a similar age to her. A glint of amusement shone in his gaze, but Solana could see a calculating depth in his sparkling green eyes.

"There is no need to be so alarmed," he chuckled softly, raising his eyebrows. He shook his head, soft curls of hair rustling as he moved, a few strands falling in front of his eyes. "I wasn't going to report you. Not yet, anyway."