A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(6)

I did it, I thought to myself as I turned the knob and opened the door. Add that to your skillset, Vita. You’ll be a secret intelligence asset in no time.

I grabbed the bedcover on my way out, a thin black sheet of fabric with which I covered myself. It would keep me obscured in shaded areas of the castle, and keep my face hidden from any green flames along the way.

I took the service stairs that Damion had shown me, as I’d only seen normal torches lining the narrow spiral staircase. I rushed down through the levels until I reached the ground floor. I waited in a corner, hidden behind a large and grotesque obsidian statue depicting something akin to a gargoyle, while several incubi passed through the large hallway linking the kitchen to their living quarters.

A couple of Destroyers patrolled that section of the castle, but I easily eluded them, as they were enticed by the smell of raw meat coming from the mess hall adjacent to the kitchen.

“Someone brought fresh game in,” one of them said as they slithered away from my hiding place.

My heart beat frantically as I made my way into another service corridor, which lead me farther down into the basement. I recognized this part of Luceria, as I’d only just seen it a few hours earlier. I retraced the path I’d taken with Damion until I found Kyana in her cage in one of the dungeon halls.

The air was cool and damp, while darkness reigned over the black iron prison.

She was asleep, lying on one side with her knees brought up to her chest. I reached into the cage and gently nudged her leg. Her eyes opened wide and yellow as she sat up and stared at me with sheer amazement.

“You actually came back,” she gasped, eyebrows raised.

“I do my best to keep my word.” I gave her a confident smirk, even though my whole body trembled. “What now?”

“Heggel’s around here somewhere,” she said slowly, pointing somewhere to my right. “There’s another chamber next door. It’s where he usually dozes off during his shift, after he makes sure we’re all quiet and miserable.”

I looked over my shoulder, then took a deep breath.

“Okay, what am I looking for?” I asked.

“There’s a bunch of keys on a ring. He wears them on his belt. We need those. The only key that can open these cuffs is there. It’s small and made of gold, very different from the others. You can’t miss it,” she replied, her eyes darting around behind me. “Be quiet and move quickly. His sleep is heavy, but others might be around.”

I nodded decisively, then went back into the wide, darkened hallway, my makeshift hood covering my head as I entered the chamber Kyana had mentioned. It was a small space, the size of a pantry, and, as expected, a large Destroyer had fallen asleep on the cold, wet, black limestone floor. His serpent tail was curled up against the wall, while his head rested on a leather bag.

His snoring was loud and thunderous, echoing through the chamber as I lowered myself to my knees, moving slowly but quietly toward him. His mouth was wide open. He took a deep breath and gurgled in the process, then licked his lips and most likely slipped deeper into his dream. Whatever it was, it was a good one—the corners of his mouth were pulled up to his ears in an open and slightly goofy grin.

I looked around and saw the keys mounted on a thick, metallic ring attached to his leather belt. The one Kyana had mentioned was indeed small and cast in pure gold, with delicate filigree adorning its classic bow. It looked like a snazzy lever lock key, and had symbols engraved on its stem. I analyzed the ring’s setting carefully before I reached out to get them. One wrong move, a single noise made, and the Destroyer might wake up.

The large ring was set on one of the belt loops made of leather, slim enough for me to cut with a blade. My eyes darted across the Destroyer’s large body and observed a sheath tied to the other side of his belt. With trembling fingers, I undid the little strap holding the knife in the sheath, then slowly removed it. I held my breath as I put the knife’s sharp tip against the leather loop the keys hung on, gently pushing out to cut the loop. My gaze remained fixed on Heggel, who was still comfortably snoring.

I put one finger inside the key ring, holding it completely still as the knife snapped through the belt loop. I then rose to my feet, taking the knife and key ring with me, and moved away, careful of each step until I was out of the chamber and back by Kyana’s cage.

I gave her the keys, nervously looking over my shoulder as she used the golden key to unlock her obsidian shackles, her fingers trembling.

“Need me to help?” I whispered, watching her struggle to get the golden key into the tiny hole on her left cuff.

“No, I’ve got this. You keep an eye out, please,” she mumbled, then stilled when we both heard a click and saw the symbols engraved in the black surface glimmer green. Her left wrist was released. A grin crossed her face as she repeated the process on her right hand until we heard another click.

She looked up and gave me a warm smile, setting the keys in front of me in the cage.

“I cannot express just how thankful I am for this,” she said. “I will never forget this, Vita. And I will repay the favor. I promise.”

“Just get yourself out of here safely,” I whispered.

She nodded as her skin began to ripple. I heard bones crackle as she morphed into a large cobra-like snake with glistening scales in dark green and small patches of yellow on her belly. She slipped out of the cage and slithered away, taking the weight on my heart with her.