Chapter 157

Hannah

“Your majesty,” she breathed, bowing her head. She was breathless so I knew she ran here.

I couldn’t help but smile at her titling for me; she knew how I didn’t like when she called me that.

“Hannah,” I said. “It’s Hannah.”

She chuckled and lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“I know,” she breathed. “I’ve come to get you the hell out of here.”

She seemed to be different. She had a face of determination and bravery. I ran to her and hugged her tightly. I couldn’t believe she was standing before me. But then a wave of dread washed over me.

Caroline was here, in the underworld.

“How are you here, Caroline?” I asked, pulling away from her.

“I was killed,” she said, shuddering at the memory.

“I know, but when you die, you don’t automatically come to the underworld unless…”

I didn’t finish the sentence; I didn’t need to. We both looked at one another, already knowing what each other was thinking. Whatever Magnolia used to kill Caroline; it must have been poisoned with the same thing Liam and Liz were poisoned with.

“Whatever happened to me, however, I got here, I’ve noticed is happening a lot. There are a lot of spirits here that don’t wish to be here...” Caroline said in a hushed whisper. She grabbed onto my arms. “He’s capturing souls. We need to get you out.”

“Sebastian is here too, and my brother. I can’t leave them,” I told her.

“I know. Trust me, I know. But you aren’t going to be any good to them if you’re locked in here,” she told me, glancing at the window. She had a point. If I wanted to help them, I needed to get out of this room.

I followed her to my window; she put her hood back on and slid outside, spiraling down to the ground. She moved elegantly like she has done this a thousand times before. She must have had a lot of practice. I’ve never known her to move her body like that. I mimicked her movements and slid out the window, landing on the ground beside her. Thankfully, we weren’t far from the ground, to begin with.

She stayed along the edges of the building and moved quietly through the shadows. I tried my best to keep up with her, but I wasn’t as swift with my movements. We finally reached the other side of the palace where she glanced up at a window. It was on the top floor; definitely, a long way to climb. But she grabbed onto the edges of a window and began climbing up. I wasn’t sure I would be able to climb it too.

She didn’t ask me to come with her though; I watched as she reached the top floor in record timing. She reached the window and peered inside. After a few moments, I saw her knocking on the window. My heart violently thudded against my chest.

What was she doing?

Soon, the window was opening, and I saw Sebastian’s head poking out from the inside. I gasped, staggering backward in disbelief. He didn’t look surprised to see Caroline; his eyes found mine instantly and he gave me a reassuring smile. At that point, I wanted to climb up and kiss him, but I knew it was probably better if I stayed on the ground.

I heard light voices coming from around the corner and I ducked into the shadows so nobody would see me, holding my breath. I just hoped Liz’s potion was still working. The voices went away after a few moments, and I felt like I could breathe again. I glanced up at Sebastian again and he was gone as was Caroline. She must have gone inside whatever room he was in.

He must have sent her to me.

…

Sebastian

Sebastian and Liam managed to get to the second floor undetected. It wasn’t until they went to the third floor that they ran into a problem. Or at least he thought he did. He heard a voice of a female; she almost sounded familiar to him. She sounded angry but the man she was speaking to sounded even angrier.

“You need to leave this palace now,” the man hissed. “You know what he’ll do if he finds you here. I can’t keep protecting you.”

“I’m not asking you to protect me, Scott,” the woman hissed. “I’m asking you to pretend you didn’t see me. He has something of mine and I’m going to get it back.”

“Whatever he has, isn’t worth your life.”

“It’s worth everything. It’s the only thing I have left of my old life. The only thing that came here with me. I don’t know how it got here, but it did. It’s mine. I want it back.”

“You need to let it go.”

“You need to let me go,” she hissed in return. “I’m not the same frightened little servant girl I was when I first came to the underworld. I’ve advanced. I’m different.”

“You’re a danger,” he growled. “You are a danger to yourself and everyone in this palace.”

“Then it’s better you stayed out of my way.”

“The only reason you’re alive is because he hasn’t found you.”

“That just shows how good I am,” she said cockily.

“Or stupid.”

“Whatever,” she scoffed. “You’re either with me or against me, Scott. But you can’t be both.”

He was quiet for a moment as he processed her words.

“I can’t watch you get killed.”

“Then, I guess I have my answer,” she said; she sounded a bit hurt, but her tone was stern and warriorlike.

“I’m sorry,” he said in return.

Sebastian heard the man walking away, shutting a door behind him. The woman stayed behind for a moment longer. Whoever she was, she wasn’t supposed to be in the palace, just like Sebastian. She was also looking for something that belonged to her. He could probably use her as an ally. Liam stayed behind Sebastian, and he looked worried.

“Who is she?” Sebastian asked in a hushed whisper. Liam just shrugged.

Sebastian inched closer to the door and peered around the corner and into the room. He saw a figure standing amid the darkness. She wore a dark cloak like everyone else and she was just placing the hood on her head so he couldn’t see her face. He made his way into the room, cautiously, because he didn’t want to startle her.

But it was too late. The next thing he knew she was shoving him against the wall and putting a knife to his throat. Typically, he would have been able to take her, but he didn’t feel as if she wanted to hurt him. She was keeping herself protected and he respected that. They were in the shadows still so he knew she couldn’t see his face and vice versa.

“What the hell do you want?” She hissed.

“I think we can help each other,” Sebastian said quickly. “I overheard you and…”

“You were spying on me?”

“No,” he answered. “We were just walking by and…”

“We?” She asked quickly. “Who is with you?”

Sebastian bit his tongue, not wanting to give Liam away if this girl really was dangerous.

“Show yourself,” she growled toward the doorway.

Sebastian hoped that Liam wouldn’t reveal himself, but then his shadow appeared, and he made himself known by standing in the lighting. The girl assessed his face for a moment and then she gasped.

“Liam?” She asked, her voice quivering. She glanced at Sebastian and tightened her hold on him. “Who are you?”

She knew Liam? Liam expressed that he didn’t know who she was. He wouldn’t have lied; would he?

“Release me, and I will answer your questions.”

She was hesitant, but soon, she retracted, closing her pocketknife and allowing him some space to come to the light. As soon as she saw his face, she gasped.

“Your majesty?” She said in a whisper.

He narrowed his eyes; who was this woman?

She reached for her hood and pulled it off her face. He recognized her as the maid that used to work in the palace. Hannah’s first friend since their marriage. Magnolia had killed her.

“Caroline…” he said to her.

“How are you here?” She asked in awe, staring between both him and Liam.

“It’s a long story,” he told her.

“Don’t tell me Hannah’s here too…” she breathed.

Sebastian’s non-answer was the answer she needed, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“It’s not too late for us, Caroline. We can still get out. But we need your help. We understand that you’re looking for something too. So are we. The thing we need is hidden inside his vault we need to…”

“Get in the vault,” Caroline finished for him. “I know the passcode. I can get you in that vault.”