“Go ahead.” I waved her away. “I’m going to stay here a while.”
“But—”
“Look, it’s daylight. Whatever haunts the castle does so at night, and I will return to my room before then. I know you have other responsibilities.”
With a sigh, Samara excused herself, leaving me alone to continue. There were so few books, I finished a shelf and moved to the next one. As I worked, the statues watched me as if silently judging. I couldn’t shake the sensation. My skin prickled and my breath quickened.
There’s nothing to be afraid of, I reminded myself.I am in Count Zorik’s castle, and monsters don’t come out in daylight.
A large hardcover was next on the shelf and it stuck when I pulled at it, as though it did not want to be seen. Well fine, I’d done enough research for the day. It was clear nothing of note was kept in the library. But suddenly the book came free and I stumbled back, the heavy book in my hands.
At first it appeared like the others with a faded title and words I did not understand. With a huff, I flipped the page. It opened to a picture richly done in vibrant colors, so bright it seemed real. A creature was depicted, and a numbness washed over me. It was a monster, skeletal-like with white bones, covered in a dark shroud. A yawning mouth opened to blackness and socket-less eyes stared as it lifted a bony finger.
Mouth dry I turned the page to another creature, slender and death-like, embracing a woman who lay in slumber while it kissed her neck. A bead of sweat trickled down my neck as I turned to yet another horror. A creature standing on two legs like a man, except that was where the resemblance ended. Instead of hands it had claws and the head of a wolf.
Swallowing hard, I slammed the book shut and a folded piece of paper dropped to the ground. I scooped it up and unfolded it. Words were written with a shaky hand, but at last words I could read…
I write this in haste, for it is too late for me now.
I pray the gods forgive my blindness. What I thought was love has turned to a monstrous betrayal of the worst kind.
He promised me the world, promised me my voice, the theater, everything, yet kept his secret from me.
I should have listened to my conscience that warned me against High Tower, for there’s a reason it’s cursed, gloomy, hidden away. Nothing can live here, except sin and those drawn by the ever-present darkness. But his love blinded me, as did his gifts and my fame. He’s not even human, not really, I’ve seen his true form, the teeth, the claws. The devil on earth. He knows now, and he will come for me.
Oh, I hear the footsteps at the door. Forgive me!
- Lucia
The last words were scribbled, and splotches of ink marred the page. With trembling fingers, I folded the note and forced myself to open the book again, studying the sketch of a wolf man. Was Uriah a beast? A monster?
No sooner had I opened the book the doors to the library swung open. I cried out and pressed my hand to my heart. “Madame Blu, you gave me such a fright.”
Madame Blu crossed her arms, lips tight, eyeing me with a seriousness I’d never seen before. “Aria, sweet, Samara told me she was worried about you.”
I closed the book, wondering what else Samara had said.
“I was curious, is all,” I admitted, placing the book back on the shelf but keeping the paper in my hands, hidden in the fold of my cloak so Madame Blu could not see it.
“This is unwise.” She wagged her head. “You’re the star of our show and I could never forgive myself for letting you run, unguarded, through the castle. Come along to the dressing room. I’ll provide some tea and perhaps you can tell me why you’re curious, all of a sudden.”
I went with her, grateful to leave the dusty library behind in favor of the warm dressing room and tea. Still, the letter burned in my hand, and questions rose.
No one else was in the dressing room at that hour, and I took a seat while Madame Blu went for tea, and, no doubt, cakes too.
Unfolding the paper, I read it again, my hands clammy. I gulped in deep breaths as my hands shook and pain radiated from my chest, breaking down my confidence. I’d been so hopeful and now, if the words to this sordid tale were true, I should saddle Beauty and run for my life. I was certain no one named Lucia lived in High Tower Castle… Not anymore at least.
Madame Blu returned and took the seat opposite from me. “Well then, what led to this curiosity?”
She poured the tea and passed me a cup. A hint of chamomile and honey rose, steadying my nerves.
“Was there once a singer here named Lucia?” I plunged right in, studying Madame Blu’s face for a reaction. There, her expression changed so swiftly, alarm, fear and then sorrow.
Leaning back, she frowned. “Aria, what makes you ask about such a horrific affair? It was twenty years ago, but all the same I don’t like to think of it. She used to be our star singer, before she went raving mad, got it in her head that there were monsters and threw herself in the lake.” Madame Blu wiped a tear away. “She was so full of life and vibrance and her voice, magnificent!”
The story sounded plausible and yet, twenty years ago? “You said twenty years?”
“Aye, or so. I was much younger myself, thinner you know.”
