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.
