Shortly after, Elara was out of her room and away from the safety of her bed. She had mustered enough courage to climb out of the window, and once again, she landed on her feet.
With steady steps, she made her way toward the dungeons, carefully checking each corner for anyone who might be nearby. She couldn't afford to be caught.
Peeking her head around the corner, she noticed that the two guards who had previously been frozen in place were no longer standing motionless. Something had changed. What spell had been cast earlier that night to allow her such freedom ?
Above, the owl observed intently, watching as Elara assessed her next move. It was clear to both of them—she couldn't sneak in any other way. The dungeons had only one entrance, the very door she had ordered to be built.
But luck—or perhaps the deities and her mother perhaps—seemed to be on her side. Another guard appeared, carrying a bottle of alcohol and a pack of cigars, offering them to the two standing guards. They gladly accepted, and for a moment, Elara had the chance she needed as they walked to the side for a smoke .
She rushed toward the entrance to the dungeons, slipping past the gate and coming to stand infront of the metal black door that led to the corridor ahead . Her heart pounded in her chest as she realised that the prisoners ahead couldn't be frozen too since the guards arent but she needed to keep moving . The thought of them shouting or drawing attention to her crossed her mind, but before doubt could stop her, a plan took form—albeit a foolish one. A very foolish one .
She pushed open the door, closed it behind her as quietly but quickly as possible, and ran through the prisoner's corridor without glancing at the cells. She didn't stop until she reached the staircase at the end. She stopped there to catch her breath, thankful that no one had raised an alarm.
What she didn't know was that, as she sprinted through, the prisoners had frozen in place. Only a flash of silver passed through their eyes.
But her success was short-lived. When she arrived at Darius's cell, her heart sank. The door was wide open, and the cell was empty.
Where could he be?
---
"What happened now?" Theron's voice rang out as he strode into the room, flanked by the dungeon guards, Evelyn, the Queen and the Queen Mother. His eyes darted from his mother, who was clearly roused from her sleep, to Elara .
"Your Majesty, the Queen was found back in the dungeons," one of the prison guards explained, stepping forward with his head bowed .
Elara, despite the chaos unfolding around her, appeared unfazed. She stood calmly, almost too composed for someone who had been caught in such a situation again . But beneath the surface, only she knew how she would extricate herself from this mess.
Before Theron could turn his ire toward Elara, ready to shout or escalate the situation, the Queen Mother took a step forward. Her cane tapped sharply against the floor as she spoke, her voice initially sluggish but quickly rising in pitch and intensity.
"Theron, how much can a woman do to get your attention? She is your dear wife, for heaven's sake. Give her some attention! She's just gone through hell this afternoon with those werewolves, and now, you can't even spend the night with her? She has to go and raise alarms in the dungeons just because she knows you'll come rushing. Stop acting like a little girl and spend the night with your wife."
The room fell into stunned silence, each person processing the words differently. Theron, clearly caught off guard, stared at his mother, his brow furrowed. Even Evelyn seemed taken aback, struggling to understand the dynamic unfolding before her.
All of this… just to get my father's attention?
As the King and Queen left the room together, their departure left a heavy silence in their wake. Evelyn stood motionless, her thoughts swirling. What was really going on in this castle ?
Her grandmother's behavior had grown increasingly erratic, her actions becoming harder to predict each passing day. It was as if something unseen was slowly unraveling the threads of order in their world.
Everyone who entered the gates of the castle was given a strange tea, a tea that made them forget, even momentarily, who their Queen was. And then there was Lyric and Given, both growing closer. A white owl now soared over the castle even at daytime. The lycan Alpha was missing from his cell.
And Morgana? She had vanished without a trace. And Given and Lyric are spending more time together than usual .
The questions piled on top of one another, but none of them seemed to make any sense. Was this some sick game they were all being forced to play? What were the people in this castle really after?
As the weight of the situation settled in her mind, Evelyn couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that there was more going on than anyone could see. And with every passing day, the threads of deception seemed to weave tighter around them all.