Chapter 77 - SEVENTY SEVEN: Ghosts Don’t Scare Me

"What are you doing wandering around so late?!" 

An angry hiss cut through the air as Kel tiptoed through the vacant halls of the palace.

"Me?" She exclaimed, turning around to face the source of the hiss.

A middle-aged woman wearing a maid uniform identical to the one Kel had on was charging toward her.

"And why is your hair done in a top knot like some kind of knight?" the woman berated.

"Oh.. um.." Kel trailed off. "This is just how I sleep, and I was going to get some cleaning supplies."

"Fine, I'll let the hair go since it's already late into the night, but why are you up then if you should be sleeping?" the woman huffed, placing one hand on her hip. 

She held her candle up a little higher, squinting her eyes at Kel. Kel knew it was only a matter of time before the woman realized the girl in front of her wasn't a maid at all.

"Someone threw up!" Kel blurted. "I'm going to clean it up."

"Was it Regina again?" the woman rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. Go ahead and get what you need."

"Right, Regina," Kel nodded. "Anyway, I'll be going… ma'am."

Sorry, Regina! Whoever you are! she winced internally. By the sound of it, the poor girl was already having a difficult time, but Kel couldn't pass up a perfect scapegoat.

"See to it that you clean it up well this time!" the woman called behind her as she sped away. "And don't let me catch you with your hair like that ever again!"

"Hmmph," Kel stroked the tight bun on top of her head as she walked. 

Did it really look that bad? This was the only way to keep her hair hidden and still pass for a maid. The Serin palace workers, or palace workers in any country, didn't exactly go around in hooded cloaks.

"I do have to admit," Kel grunted, wriggling her shoulders, "this thing is a bit tight."

Much to her delight, Lucy had indeed left a uniform in the wardrobe. It took Kel some time to finally get the coarse dress pulled over her frame, but at least it hadn't torn.

New mission: fatten Lucy up, Kel noted.

As she walked carefreely through the completely desolate palace, she couldn't help but congratulate herself. Choosing to enter the passage through the cleaning closet in the public wing of the palace had been a wise choice. 

She'd debated about tracking down the mirror again, or possibly sneaking to the dungeon through the main halls, but that would've taken her directly through the servants' wing. Since several people lived there and still worked during the night, there was a greater chance she'd get caught.

"Here it is!" Kel chirped, approaching the closet. 

She thanked her past self for memorizing the area in case she should ever need to come back. 

Now that she had found it, and was a couple hours behind her original schedule, the hard part was just starting.

"EEK!" Kel tried to bite back a shriek as she shimmied between brooms through the door to the passage.

The glow from her candle had illuminated a woman's face, pale and ghastly, hanging against the wall.

She'd all but forgotten about the mysterious portrait.

"H-hello, Your.. Highness?" she bowed, holding a hand over her chest to slow her racing heart. "You frightened me to death."

After a few deep breaths, Kel nodded awkwardly to the portrait and continued down the dark passage. She didn't believe in ghosts or any kind of other-worldly beings, but if they actually existed, there were probably several in the pitch black tunnel.

"Ghosts don't scare me; people do," she resolved, clenching a fist.

Kel moved slowly at first, every now and then, her light still wavered as she flinched at a shadow or faint noise, but gradually, she started moving more quickly. With the large, floppy map as her guide, she traversed the tunnel and made her way ever closer to the dungeon.

The most difficult part was that the branches off the main tunnel were all concealed behind stone walls. When she suspected it was time to turn, she had to run her hands along the walls until one of the stones gave way and an opening appeared.

She mentally traced her route on the map as she went, estimating how far she'd gone after each turn. When she finally reached the wall she believed to be adjacent with the private holding rooms, her candle was barely more than a puddle of wax in its holder.

"If I'm correct," she mumbled, looking between the wall and the map, "the first room should be… here."

She walked forward and began pressing against the wall. After testing nearly every stone, she moved down a little to try again.

"There's no reason to assume the entrance would be in the first room," she chuckled sorely. 

She repeated her actions again and then a third time, but her efforts were in vain. 

"Don't tell me there's no entrance at all!" 

With a sigh, she flopped to the ground. In only a few minutes, her candle would burn out and she'd be trapped in darkness. 

"I should've brought a spare," she mumbled. "Was I thinking this would be like a simple stroll through the gardens?"

Shaking her head, she stood back up. She had to find at least some way out of here. If she'd followed the map properly, then she should be near the dungeon. If she could even get close to the rooms, she might have a chance to sneak in.

As luck would have it, the next stone she pressed sunk and a doorway rumbled open. 

Warily, Kel inspected the revealed area. The doorway led to a space behind a type of wooden barrier, completely full of hay. It was dim, but there were enough lit torches around to see fairly clearly. 

When she was sure it was safe, she crept out of the tunnel, just in time to beat the door rumbling shut again. Sinking in straw up to her knees, she clumsily stumbled her way out of the pile. She cautiously peeked around the barrier once she reached the end.

"I did it," she whispered excitedly.

She was definitely inside the dungeon. From the wooden beams standing in the middle of the floor to the chains on the wall, it was unmistakable. 

"That means… "she trailed off, leaning forward to get a better view. 

She was right. Three steel doors with small barred windows protruded out into the space.

After double checking to make sure nobody was around, Kel bolted to the first door. A quick look through the window revealed a definite male, sprawled out on the floor with his hands clasped over his stomach as if he were enjoying an afternoon nap.

"That's not Lila," Kel clicked her tongue, turning to the next door. There wasn't even a lock on it, so she didn't need to waste her time looking.

She had started slithering past, to reach the final door, when she heard voices approaching quickly.

Rapidly, Kel glanced between the unlocked door she was standing in front of and the third door she'd yet to check out. Should she have a look and then go hide in the pile of hay? Did she have enough time?

With the voices looming dangerously close and her indecision leaving her paralyzed, Kel finally yanked the door in front of her open and dived into the room. 

"I should be safe here," she mumbled, softly guiding the door closed to prevent the sound from alerting the approaching people.

Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard a shuffling noise behind her in the room. 

"Well, it sure took you long enough."