The moment she turned into the familiar corridor, Eve slowed down, not wanting to gather unwarranted attention. Slaves or walkers, as they were called, crowded the corridor, busying about as they took instructions from a few servants, prepping for the goddess's feast that was to continue tonight.
She pushed through the crowd, moving in the direction of the kitchen, knowing that she had no way to escape this. Her racing heartbeat slowed down as she got a reality check from the murmurs of the crowd around her, most of who were scared out of their wits to go back into the garden hall.
Right, this was her reality. She was only a slave, a walker in this palace. When she had heard that the regent had never once set foot in the frenzy, her heart had unconsciously fluttered, thinking that maybe he too felt at least a portion of what she was confusedly feeling ever since their meeting.
But she knew that she was no one to hope such things. He was the regent and she was...But even if she ignored that, he was still a man, a creature of the night- one that probably was only curious about her. Men were like that- no matter where they came from. They just want a sip before they move on, she thought, the image of a certain Hugh Tarleton filling her head.
"Eve!" A familiar voice pushed through the buzz of the crowded corridor.
Eve turned around, surprised. The lanterns hanging on the wall helped her see a small brown hand waving at her from a few feet away from where she stood. The girl's small frame pushed through the crowd as Eve rushed to meet her friend.
"Litty!" She exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief as she raised her hand to wave back.
The tailor's daughter laughed, sidestepping a busy man. "I've been looking for you all day!" She said, trying hard not to get carried away by the current of busying slaves.
"Same!" Eve exclaimed, a peal of laughter escaping her chest as she stepped forward, reaching out to grab the girl by her shoulders.
She quickly glanced up and down her body, looking for any signs of struggle or puncture marks. That was her biggest worry all night. Thankfully the girl was still alive. But she still wanted to know if she was fully intact. Eve grabbed her hands, pushing up her long sleeves till her elbows.
Litty laughed, squatting her hand away. "What are you doing?" She asked, shaking her head.
Eve smiled, squeezing her hands tightly. "Thank god you're fine." She said, offering a quick prayer in her mind.
"Of course I am, silly!" The tailor's daughter exclaimed, wrapping her hands around her torso.
Eve stilled, her eyes growing wide at the gesture. In all her years, no one had hugged her other than her mother. She never had a friend to worry about or share affection. Her eyes glistened with moisture as she wrapped her arms around the girl, reciprocating her actions.
Litty felt warm, she thought. It was nice to have someone to care for. It felt nice to have someone to talk to. She was happy that she was not alone in this journey that they were forced into.
"Thank god." Eve whispered, taking a deep breath as she stepped back from the embrace."But what happened?" She asked, raising her brows curiously.
The girl blushed. "The commander was such a gentleman." She said, shyly. "He showed me around the palace grounds and we somehow ended up at the horse stables....." The tailor's daughter trailed off, raising her eyes to meet hers in embarrassment.
"And?" Eve asked, her eyes widening as wild thoughts pushed into her head. "Don't tell me you both-"
Litty laughed, the shrill sound echoing through the busy corridor, earning them both nasty stares from the few passersby. Eve immediately grabbed her friend's hand, ushering her into a corner.
"No! What are you even thinking?!" The girl asked, trying hard to suppress her fit of laughter. "He showed me his steed, Skoros."
"Skoros? He named his horse Skoros?" Eve asked, raising her brows incredulously.
The name seemed like it belonged to a god of some kind. Not a steed, she thought, staring at her friend as she waited for an explanation.
Litty chuckled. "It's Ibitean for speed." She said, her eyes glazing over dreamily. "You should see it. Skoros is such a beautiful animal! And he was so gentle to ride." She said, letting out a pensive sigh.
At that, Eve smirked, grabbing the girl's shoulders as she leaned towards her. "Ahh, I hope we're still talking about the horse here." She teased.
"Stop it!" The girl exclaimed, her face completely red from embarrassment.
"You two." A servant called, motioning them towards the kitchen. "Stop lazying and move along."
The girls nodded, quickly slipping into the moving crowd.
"So everything is fine? He didn't eat you or anything?" Eve whispered, leaning towards the girl as they kept walking.
Litty nodded. "I'm fully whole, am I not?" She asked, smiling from ear to ear.
"That's a relief," Eve replied, returning her smile.
It seemed that she had been worried for nothing. Ivan turned out to be much better than she thought he would be. It was apparent that in their brief moment together, Litty had developed feelings for the man. Maybe not all of them were bad, she thought, the image of a certain silver-haired vampire flashing in her mind.
"So commander Ivan huh, what's he like?" She asked, glancing at the girl.
"Tall, gallant, and kind," Litty replied, smiling to herself. "He's such a great man."
Eve nodded, a flurry of thoughts passing through her mind. She remembered the state of the girl only two days ago, crying her eyes out as they were being brought to Ibitea, mourning the loss of her dead father, killed by one of those creatures whose identity she still couldn't figure out.
But she was sure of one thing- they were not ordinary wolves. They too were shapeshifters- werewolves controlled by the commander of the king's army. She wondered if Litty would feel the same if she too realized that. As someone cleared their throat from behind, the girls stopped, looking back in confusion. Speak of the devil, Eve thought to herself.
"Commander." The girls acknowledged in unison, offering a customary bow.
Ivan nodded as they straightened. Eve glanced at her flustered friend whose eyes never rose from the ground, a smile spreading across her face shyly. He turned towards her, not sparing a glance at the tailor's daughter.
"The Regent asked you to stay in your room for the next two nights. He's informed the matron of the same." He said, wearing his usual poker face. "Don't walk about at night until he calls for you. You will only go to his room during the day for your chores and after that to room." He paused, retrieving an object from the pocket of his thick violet coat. "Here, you will need this." He said, offering it to her.
Eve frowned. "And why would I do that?" She asked, suddenly feeling irritated. She looked at the strange piece of carved stone. "And what is this?" She asked, not bothering to take it from him.
"You'll know when the time comes," Ivan said, pushing the stone into her folded hands. He stepped back, giving her a stern look. "And because that's not a request."
Eve narrowed her eyes at the man irritably. But of course, she was only a walker. The regent's walker. And even if she were not, she wouldn't possibly be in a position to disobey his command. Not that she was keen on attending the frenzy once again. But she was still used to taking orders from a stranger, much less a man.
"Ladies," Ivan said, nodding at them before vanishing into thin air.
"Tch" Litty huffed, shaking her head as she complained, "Lucky you. You don't have to slave away like the rest of us. At least for the next two days,"
But Eve did not hear it. What was Nikolai up to? She wondered. Was this his way of showing his feeling towards her? Was that what all of this was about? Or was he playing with her feelings like he was with that girl that she had met in his library? She couldn't decide between the turbulence and the warmth that fought to take a place in her heart.
"What are you playing at, Nikolai?" She murmured, her gaze fixed on the corridor to her left.