#Chapter 116: A Walk In The Dark

The wait for midnight was nearly unbearable, but when it finally arrived, I left Elva sleeping in the bed, and sneaked out into the hallway. Mark was standing there with two other guards. He typically wore a serious expression, but today he seemed especially grim. He must have shared Nicholas’s frustration with the plan. “Be careful tonight. If anything happened to you…” He let the words hang. I was confused. Surely the safety of his prince was more important than me. But he didn’t say anything more. Instead, he just stared at me expectantly. “I’ll be careful,” I said. He nodded. Turning from him, I started down the hallway. Nicholas met me halfway. He didn’t say anything, just offered his arm. I slid my arms in his and together we walked down toward the kitchens and into the cellar. Brian was guarding the door to one of the rooms there, the one containing the passage. He stepped aside when we came close. Inside, Julian had already discovered the trigger for the passageway, and