Chapter 76

Days passed with them gathering information in secret and plotting a path out of the castle. She couldn't find a map of the continent as a whole in the library. The other two women were growing more and more anxious and Daphne was at a loss. She understood them wanting to escape, but there was no attempt in trying to escape when they had no idea of where they were going.

She huffed, sitting on the couch in the queen's library before frowning, noticing a door on the other side of the room. Hadn't Kayley mentioned an office? She jumped to her feet. Why hadn't she thought of it before? If there was anywhere in the castle that might have had some answers, it had to be the queen's office! She approached the door, tentatively and turned the silver handle. The gems around the frame of the office filled with light as she entered.

There was a door inside that led into a dark corridor behind a bookcase.

She gasped. Was this how Rose escaped? If it was true that no one else could enter the room, it wasn't a viable path of escape for them all. She tried to push the bookcase back into place, but she couldn't get it to budge. She looked around hoping to find a lever that would help move it but gave up when her eyes fell on a large map on the far wall. She approached it and took the map from the wall, revealing another map behind it. It seemed to be a floor plan of the castle. The secret passage from the queen's office was highlighted in red as were several other paths through the castle.

She grinned, setting the map aside and taking the secret passage map down.

She grabbed another piece of parchment and jotted down directions. If she and the others took the secret passage on the first floor near the servants' quarters in the middle of the night during the shift change and headed south, they'd reach the werewolf lands within a day or two walking.

If Daphne could take a horse and they transformed, they might be able to reach Sharp Armor within that same time.

She took her notes and a rough sketch of the map before returning the maps to the wall. It would have been nice to take them, but she didn't want them to fall into the wrong hands and if Nicole ever came into the office she would notice they were missing.

Daphne scribbled a quick note to Nicole and returned to her quarters where Mamie and the other two women seemed to be talking about what they'd learned.

"How does that help us? We still don't have a clue of how far we are."

"Well, I say we should go!"

"Ladies," Daphne said, holding the parchment in her hand, "I have a plan."

Mamie frowned and looked up at Daphne as she kneeled and rolled out the parchment with her notes and the rough sketch of the continent's map.

One of them frowned, "What is this?"

"A map of the continent," Daphne said and pointed to the canyon. "This is the canyon we came through. Based on the map in the office, the path we took here isn't that far from the neutral zone where Owen had been living."

She pointed to where she had estimated the old outpost to be, "It's not even a day's run from Sharp Armor."

"How can we trust this?"

"No one but the August line can enter the office," Daphne said. "It hasn't been opened since my mother escaped. I found the passage she used."

She didn't know where it led, but the passage Daphne had chosen led under the city and let out on the south side at the edge of the city. There was a small outpost there that was equipped with provisions and a few vampires.

"You're saying we have to fight?" One of them asked.

"Would you rather fight two or three vampires on this path or every vampire in the castle trying to leave through the front door?" Daphne asked the woman. She looked anxious. "We can always just wait out the rest of the week."

"Why haven't you just asked to leave now?" The other one asked. "Aren't you supposed to be the queen?"

Daphne huffed, "I promised to stay two weeks before leaving, this is a bit of a breach of that promise, but at least you all can get back to Arthur to warn them about the plot."

"There's no way I'm going back without you," Mamie said, looking at her. "We escape together or not at all."

The other two didn't seem to agree, but Daphne didn't say anything.

"We can at least get the two of you out," Daphne said looking at the two of them, "So they can at least be ready to face a battle if it comes to that."

The two of them eyed her skeptically but nodded. They had dinner in her and Mamie's shared parlor before waiting out the time between dinner and the change in guard. Daphne left the note on her table before meeting Mamie in her quarters.

Daphne and Mamie met with the other two in the hallway before heading down the stairs through the most unused corridors. It was near silent as they reached the opening of the passageway. Daphne tried pulling each sconce before one finally yielded. The wall trembled and opened. The other two darted forward into the passageway. Mamie followed them, going ahead of Daphne as the torches inside lit and the door slid closed behind them.

The pathway seemed to go for a long time, twisting left then right before ending at a set of stairs. One of them hurried up the stairs to test the hatch above them.

Daphne watched her lift the hatch slowly before closing it and holding up three fingers. Three vampires would be a bit difficult to deal with, but maybe they wouldn't have to. Daphne pushed past them and up the stairs to lift the door and get a better look.

There were three of them, but she recognized them as guards Nicole had introduced her to. They were walking away towards the side of the castle. She waited until they were far enough away dark before lifting the hatch and sliding out as quietly as possible. Her lips twitched as she finally understood why everyone wore pants in the vampire kingdom: it allowed them to minimize the sounds they made as they moved. She crept forward, mirroring their movement and gait.

She peered into the dark watching them disappear into the distance before gesturing behind her that the coast was clear. She turned back and looked at the three women. The two stared at her in shock.

"What?"

"... you move like them."

Daphne's eyes widened and she turned away before gesturing forward. There were no horses nearby, but they headed south, opposite of the way the three soldiers were headed. She heard something and stilled, casting her gaze around and searching for the source of the sound.

Mamie inched closer to her as Daphne felt someone watching them. Another rustle came from her left and a voice spoke from the dark.

"What are you doing out here?" Her heart lurched, recognizing the voice as he emerged from the darkness. His eyes glowing red in the shadow of his hood. He seemed healthier than the last time she'd seen him, and the end of his hand was bound up with a cloth.

"Owen..." Daphne breathed, her heart racing. Arthur had been right about Owen.

"Who are you?"

Daphne turned to look at the three guards who had returned. They gasped.

"Your Majesty--"

Owen growled, shifting and leaping on the three.

"Run!" Daphne cried.

They shifted and took off into the underbrush. Daphne followed them away from the sounds of the fight, hoping to put some distance between her and Owen. What was he doing here? He couldn't have been the vampire's strength. He'd been alone the entire time, so there was someone else.

Something wrapped around her, snatching her off her feet and throwing her to the ground. She shifted, trying to get free, but someone fumbled shackles around her wrists. She heard Mamie and the other two struggling as they were dragged back towards her.

"Daphne--"Mamie's voice broke off in a sharp yelp. Fear struck Daphne.

"No! Don't hurt them! They were just--"

Owen returned, shifting back into his human form and crouching in front of her, "Come quietly."

Daphne swallowed looking up at her, "P-Promise me they won't be hurt."

Owen smirked, "Are you really in a position to make requests, Your Highness?"

Daphne said nothing as he helped her to her feet and led her further into the forest until they reached a carriage. Owen helped her inside as two other vampires hauled Mamie and the other two women inside with her and closed the door. She closed her eyes, trying to reach out to Arthur, and huffed as she got no response. Whatever this carriage was or whatever the shackles were made of had to be blocking it. She eyes the shackles on Mamie and the other two women's paws and bet it was the shackles. Where were they taking them? How had Owen survived? Was he still planning to kill Arthur?

She worried her lip and hoped that Nicole got the note and started looking for her sooner rather than later.