I felt my way along the rough sandstone wall, inching towards the light, trying to remember if I’d seen a passageway this close to the back entry of the Academy. Surely the servants had some quarters nearby. I was in the constable’s corridor after all.
The voices were drawing nearer, as was the light, and I knew I had only a minute or so left before I was spotted. I continued my blind fumbling, ignoring the pain in my hand as I shoved it against the wall’s uncut surface, desperately seeking a handle or crevice that would indicate a room behind.
My hand caught on a smooth, hard panel, and I knew I had found a door. I felt around for the knob and had only just opened it a crack when an arm shot out and yanked me inside. The door slammed the door shut just as a hand covered my mouth to muffle my cry.
It took a second for my fear to subside as I realized who had pulled me back. There was the slightest bit of light coming through the cracks in the wooden frame, and it was enough for me to recognize the face of my so-called captor. Darren quickly let go and motioned for me to stay still.
I could hear the two servants just outside our door.
“—Know I heard something this time,” the first was saying. “I’m sure of it.”
“Well, come on then. Help me open this door,” the second drawled, “I bet you there’s a first-year hiding on the other side. The constable will have a field day when we show him!”
I swallowed and looked wildly to Darren who stood closest to the door. The two of us were crammed in some sort of storage closet. Giant sacks of flour and wheat lined the shelves, and there was nowhere to hide. We barely had enough room to stand, let alone disappear.
Darren didn’t look too worried, however. Instead, he put a finger to his lips and then shut his eyes, leaning against the nearest shelf.
Meditation isn’t going to do much good when they catch us, I thought crossly.
The knob rattled. I held my breath and prepared for the inevitable result.
Nothing happened. The rattling continued, but the door stayed shut.
“That’s strange… This door doesn’t even have a lock.”
“Let me have a go at it.”
The metal knob continued to shake, but it was no closer to opening.
I looked to Darren in the shadows, suspicious and relieved. The door had opened easily enough for me. It was clear he was doing more than just meditating.
“It’s not letting up.”
“Well, let’s check the gardens, maybe whoever we heard made it outside.”
“Must have,” the second agreed. “Nobody could have opened this door.”
The rattling stopped, and the servants’ steps retreated. After a couple of minutes I willed myself to breathe more easily, taking slow gulps of air.
“They’re gone now. Come on.” Darren seemed impatient as he held the door, stealing nervous glances down the hall.
I stared at him. “How did you do that with the door?”
Darren ignored my question. “Are you coming or not?”
I sighed and joined him in the hall.
Darren shut the door behind us, softly, and turned to face me.
“Don’t make any sudden noises,” he instructed. “There’s still bound to be a few more servants up at this hour.”
He started off, heading towards the west corridor, and I called out after him, “Where are you going?”
The non-heir turned and gave me an odd look, or what I was convinced was one. I couldn’t be too sure since it was dark again without the servant’s light in the passage.
“The library. Where else?”
I felt like a fool.
“That’s where you’re headed, right?”
“Yes.” I raced after Darren as he started down the hall.
“Try not to get us caught this time,” he said.
I didn’t reply, deciding silence was better than the retort I had half a mind to say. He had saved us after all, even if he was being conceited about it.
We made it the rest of the way without any trouble. It seemed the two we had first encountered were the only servants concerned with patrolling the east wing of the castle, and we didn’t run into anyone in the west passage leading up to the library either.
Entering the giant study, I watched as Darren shut the doors behind us and conjured a bit of light in hand. There was just enough to clear up the shadows between us and cast a dim glow on our surroundings.
I cleared my throat. “Thank you…for helping me back there.” The words were hard to say.
The prince scoffed. “I didn’t do it for you.”
“Just take my thanks,” I told him exasperatedly. Whatever his motives were, they had helped me twice now.
Darren looked amused. “Your thanks?” His expression seemed to imply that they didn’t amount to much.
I balked. “Well, don’t read too much into it. You’ve been nasty enough that I guess fate was bound to have you do one decent thing for me.”
The prince recoiled. “And I suppose you think you’ve done nothing wrong?” he demanded. “In case you failed to remember, you and that girl you always go around with tried to get me thrown out of here.”
“Well, you are a prince,” I shot back. “You have to admit it isn’t exactly fair.”