Surrendered To The Lord Of Sin

Lucrezia exhaled slowly. Then another thought surfaced but she hesitated. Perhaps she should leave it alone, but curiosity had always been her weakness.

"If I may ask..." Her voice lowered. "What happened that day?"

The commander remained silent. For a moment, he said nothing.

Lucrezia almost wished she could take the question back. She was certain he would ignore it—or perhaps remind her that it was none of her concern. By the time she realized she had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her, the words were already out.

A servant approaching from the opposite end of the corridor bowed deeply before the commander, interrupting them. "Commander."

He turned, the warmth instantly vanishing into something colder. "What is it?"

"The eastern sentries have returned. They were instructed to report directly to you,"

His face immediately hardened. The atmosphere dropped as he said, "Tell them I’ll come shortly."

The servant bowed and hurried away.

Lucrezia watched him, and out of concern, "Something happened?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Milady," he said, and she nodded at the familiar dismissal.

The commander seemed to realize how his words sounded. "You should return to your... chamber," He seemed to be thoughtful for a moment, as though realizing this side of the wing didn’t belong to her. Nonetheless, he didn’t pry further. "The weather is a bit harsh today," he continued.

Lucrezia glanced back toward the corridor behind her, feeling a kind of ick at the air it gave. She’s been in that room for weeks. The last thing she needed was a bunch of unfamiliar faces checking and forcing stuff into her system.

"I’d rather take a stroll,"

His expression softened by the smallest degree. "I understand," Then he stepped aside, allowing her passage.

Lucrezia gave him a small nod. "Thank you," She said, and walked past him. After several steps, however, his voice stopped her.

"Lady Anastasia."

Her body stiffened at the acknowledgment, something she’d never get used to.

Lucrezia turned to meet those brown eyes that remained fixed on her. "Do not wander too far."

A strange chill traveled down her spine. It wasn’t because the words frightened her, but because there was something in his tone that sounded less like an order and more like genuine caution.

She nodded. "I won’t," She said, and continued down the corridor, her escorts trailing a good three steps behind.

Behind her, the commander remained where he stood for several moments, watching until she disappeared around the corner.

Lucrezia, meanwhile, continued down the corridor.

The castle seemed different now that she was seeing it on her own terms. Perhaps it was because she had spent so long confined to one room that every corridor felt like an entirely discovery. Or perhaps it was because she was finally beginning to understand that Blackvale was much larger than the small portion she had been permitted to see.

The servants followed closely behind. Too closely, in her opinion.

She glanced over her shoulder. The brown-skinned maid caught her gaze and offered a small smile.

"Do not worry, my lady. We shall not bother you."

Lucrezia’s lips twitched and she turned forward again. The corridor opened into a wider passage where enormous windows stretched from the floor nearly to the ceiling, and beyond the glass lay Blackvale itself.

She slowed. She had seen the castle from smaller windows, but never like this.

The city stretched beneath the cliffs in layers of dark stone and silver roofs, towers rising between narrow streets like ancient sentinels. Beyond the walls, mountains disappeared beneath a veil of mist, their peaks sharp against the pale sky. Farther still, she could see the faint outline of the Frostviel cliffs. They looked almost beautiful from here.

Almost.

A gust of wind struck the windows hard enough to make the glass tremble. Lucrezia instinctively stepped back.

"Cold," she whispered.

The maid beside her smiled. "Blackvale is rarely kind with its weather."

"I’ve noticed," she said. Unknown to them, however, her real reason for leaving the chamber had been to find Vespera. Yet the farther she wandered through the castle, the more futile her search began to feel.

Lucrezia found herself walking more slowly as they reached a quieter section of the castle. There were fewer servants here, fewer voices, and none of the curious glances she had grown accustomed to.

She wondered where this corridor led.

There were several doors along the walls, each carved differently, some bearing symbols she could not recognize, although a particular door caught her attention.

It was left slightly ajar. Beyond it was darkness, the sort that seemed to swallow the light around it.

Lucrezia stopped.

The maid noticed immediately. "My lady?"

"What is in there?"

The woman followed her gaze. At once, her expression changed. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with,"

Lucrezia frowned. Curious, "Is it another part of the castle?"

"Yes, Milady,"

"Which part?"

The maid hesitated. "An old wing."

Lucrezia glanced at the open door again. There was something strange about it. She could almost feel—

Don’t.

A sudden whisper brushed against her mind.

Lucrezia froze, as her eyes widened. What was that?!

Her breath caught as she instinctively looked around the corridor. The attendants were still behind her, unmoving, as though nothing had happened. None of them appeared to have noticed anything unusual.

It was... strange.

This time, Lucrezia was certain she did not hear it with her ears. It simply appeared, like a thought.

Someone else’s thought.

The sensation vanished almost as quickly as it came. Lucrezia swallowed. Perhaps she was imagining things. Her ability had become increasingly difficult to control over the past few weeks.

Sometimes she caught fragments from passing servants without meaning to. A thought here, an emotion there. Nothing clear enough to make sense of.

She looked at the door once more before forcing herself to continue. By the time they reached the outer gallery, the cold had intensified.

Lucrezia stepped through the enormous archway leading toward the courtyard and immediately regretted leaving the warmth of the castle. The wind rushed against her face. She gasped softly, clutching the edges of her gown.

"Perhaps we should return inside," the maid suggested.

Lucrezia shook her head. "No."

She drew in a deeper breath. The air was freezing but at least, it was clean without herbs or the heavy scent of sickness lingering around her.

Just winter.

She closed her eyes for a moment. It felt good.

For the first time in weeks, she felt like she could breathe without someone reminding her that she was still recovering.

Something stirred beyond the courtyard, and Lucrezia’s eyes opened at once. A group of soldiers crossed the far end of the grounds, their dark uniforms marked with the insignia of Blackvale. They moved quickly, speaking among themselves. Something about their urgency caught her attention.

Lucrezia watched them disappear through an iron gate, and her brows drew together. Something was wrong. She could tell.

A shiver ran through her. However, this time, she couldn’t tell whether it came from the cold. As her eyes ran through every corner of the grounds, they didn’t catch the ones she’d least expected to see.

He wasn’t here.

The realization made something within her twist. She turned back toward the castle. "I think I’ve had enough air for today," At that point, she wished she’d taken her coat.

The maid looked relieved. "As you wish, my lady."