Chapter 158

Sebastian

“If Hannah came here with you, then where is she?” Caroline asked, staring between Sebastian and Liam.

“She went with her mother,” Sebastian answered. “Her mother needed to speak with her.”

Caroline looked uncertain for a moment.

“Her mother?”

“Yes, her mother is here and works for the palace,” Sebastian confirmed.

“Is she trying to convince Hannah to stay?”

“She thinks Hannah and Liam could have a good life here,” Sebastian told her.

Caroline rolled her eyes; this was a new attitude for Caroline. All of this was new for Caroline and Sebastian was impressed with her. The underworld must have done a number on her.

“Nobody here has a good life, regardless of what they tell you,” Caroline muttered. He hoped that wasn’t entirely true or else it would mean Liz had lied to him about having a semi-normal life here. “You let her go alone with someone who works in the palace?”

“It’s her mother,” Sebastian told her.

“Family does not exist here. Especially if you’ve been here for a while. Unless you’re like me and are awake.”

“Awake?”

“He brainwashes everyone here,” she explained. “But a few of us managed to get out before it was too late for them. Me including. I spent a lot of time in this palace, pretending I was under his control. Everyone here is aware of the dangers the underworld holds and they are aware they aren’t truly safe, but they can’t help it. They feel they have no other choice but to obey him. It’s like being awake in a dream.”

“Like a lucid dream?”

“Exactly. A lucid dream,” she confirmed. “One night, I was asleep and when I woke up, there was something on my pillow.” She reached up to her chest and frowned. “It was a locket. I have no idea how it got into my room. I hadn’t seen it since before I died. But it was a locket my mother gave me when I was only a little girl. She told me it was for protection against evil. It still had her picture inside of it. But there was also a small note inside too.”

“What did the note say?” Sebastian asked curiously.

“Leave,” she answered. “It just said leave.”

“Like leave the palace?”

“That’s what I was assuming. I put the necklace on and went about my day, not thinking much of it. I figured it was just some kind of prank. But I was still confused as to how my locket got to the underworld. Apparently, Xander was curious about it too because when he saw it, he knew it didn’t belong there.”

“So, he took it,” Sebastian stated.

She nodded slowly.

“He took it,” she confirmed. “That was also when he realized I was awake. He had me imprisoned. He was going to brainwash me…”

“But you were able to get out?”

She nodded again.

“Yes,” she answered with a faint smile. “I had a friend in the palace who was also awake.”

“Scott?”

She rose her brows.

“You know him?”

“I heard you talking to him a few moments ago,” Sebastian reminded her.

“Oh, right,” she breathed. “Yes, Scott. He was kind to me. Very kind…” she brushed her fingers through her hair. “He was awake and pretending to be under his control, just like I was. When he found out I was locked up, he got me out. He told me that I couldn’t stay here, and I needed to leave the palace for good.”

“So, you left?”

“As much as it pained me to do, I had to. I needed to get out or else Xander would have me killed or brainwashed. But probably killed. I proved to be a threat to him. I knew too much information from all the years I’d spent working under him. I knew most of his secrets because I’d been awake and not under his control the whole time. He couldn’t erase anything in my mind.”

“Didn’t he come to look for you?”

“Of course, he did,” she said, her eyes growing wide. “I met some people around the kingdom. I found there are a lot of people around the kingdom, outside the palace walls, that are awake and not under his control. I made friends who took me in. They taught me stealth and combat. That way when I was ready, I could return to the palace and take back what’s mine.”

Caroline has been dead for less than a year. How was she able to do all that with such little time?

“I don’t understand,” he said. “You’ve only been gone for less than a year…”

“Less than a year?” She said with rising eyebrows. “Your majesty, it’s been 10 years in this time zone. I’ve worked for the vampire king for 7 years. I spent 3 years as a rogue basically and training, all while in hiding.”

10 years. It’s been 10 years for Caroline.

“Now, you’re back?”

“I’m back to get my locket,” she answered. “And now help you. I’m assuming you’re after the moonstone scepter. I believe my locket and your scepter are located in the same area. I know the combination of the vault. I can get into it easily.”

“We should go and find Hannah first though,” Sebastian said. “If her mother really is brainwashed, I don’t trust her with Hannah.”

Caroline nodded in agreement.

“Where did they say they were going?” Caroline asked.

“She didn’t say. She just said she wanted to speak with Hannah in private.”

Caroline shook her head with dismay written all over her face.

“If I know this place as I do, her mother isn’t going to try and talk her into staying; she’s going to take action. If Hannah already expressed her disinterest in staying here, her mother will try to lock her here and force her to stay. Under the orders of Xander of course.”

“You think she locked Hannah somewhere?” Sebastian asked.

Caroline nodded as she thought more about it.

“Was she locked somewhere before when she first got to this underworld?”

“Yes, she said it was a room that looked like her old childhood room. You think that’s where her mother took her?” Sebastian asked.

“I think it’s a good place to look,” Caroline said, looking between the two of them. “I know where those rooms are, I’ll go and search for her using the windows.”

“8 doors down, to the right…” Liam breathed, causing Caroline and Sebastian to look at him.

“What?” Sebastian asked.

Liam met his eyes.

“8 doors down, to the right,” Liam repeated a bit louder. “That’s where our room is.”

Caroline smiled and looked up at Sebastian.

“I know where she is. I can break in through the windows. I’ll meet you in his study in 5 minutes. Stay out of sight until then,” she ordered.

She went toward the already open window in the room they were in and disappeared. Sebastian looked at Liam who still looked uncertain. They finally made it to Xander’s study door; however, it was locked.

“Fuck,” Sebastian muttered. “It’s locked. We need to figure out how to get it open.”

Liam had fixated his gaze on a door down the hallway. It was cracked open. Sebastian watched as Liam went toward the door.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Sebastian asked in a whisper.

Liam went to the door and pushed it open a little. To Sebastian’s relief, nobody was inside the room. Liam disappeared inside but returned moments later. He was holding up a bobby pin. He was a genius.

Sebastian smiled and took the pin from him. He managed to get the lock undone and open the door.

“How did you know that you would find this in there?” Sebastian asked as they entered the study.

Liam was quiet for a moment.

“The girl that lives there is Xander’s daughter,” Liam said softly, gazing at the ground. Sebastian rose his brows at Liam. Obviously, Liam had a thing for this girl; it was probably another reason he wanted to stay. “She has dance lessons around now, so I knew she wouldn’t be there.”

Sebastian didn’t ask any more questions. By the time they got to the vault on the far side of the room, he heard a tapping on the window. He turned to see Caroline’s hooded figure waving at him. As he opened the window, he felt Hannah’s presence. He glanced down and saw her staring back up at him with wonder in her eyes. It was so good to see her, and he felt relieved that she was okay. He needed to get the scepter and get the hell out of there before Xander returned.