I grunted with effort and then gasped when the plank flew right off. Rusty nails clattered to the floor behind me.
"I did it!" I said, surprised.
Castor beamed. "Keep going. If you tear down all the planks, we should be able to open the window together."
I nodded. I was too eager to see Castor again to worry about getting splinters. Thankfully the moisture in the room rotted most of the planks enough to rip them down with ease. I felt stupid for not thinking about this earlier. I'd been too busy stewing in my own misery to try and save myself. But I was different now.
With the last plank gone, Castor and I both gripped the sliding frame and pushed hard. I could have cried tears of joy when the window flew open and there were no more barriers between us.
"Wait," I said, suddenly delirious from the chance at freedom. "Maybe I can squeeze through."
"The window might be too narrow," Castor said, eyeing it. "But you're slender. Try it."
He was right about the window, but I was too stubborn to quit when the world outside was right there in front of me. My head slipped through just fine, but I got stuck when I got to my shoulders. I swore and flailed, trying to force myself through the gap, but my swimmer’s shoulders were too broad.
"Fuck!" I cried in frustration.
"It's okay, River," Castor said gently. "Go back inside, and I'll shift and come in with you."
"Stupid window," I muttered. "Who built this piece of shit? Why do my shoulders have to be so damn wide?"
Castor slipped his head in, then shifted into his beaver form. I was ready to catch him. Even as a small animal, he had trouble slipping through the gap with his thick body. It was clear the window wasn't a possible escape route for either of us. That left the front door as the only option.
"Are the poachers gone?" Castor asked, shifting back to human form.
"I think so. I heard them run out when that weird fog started."
Castor ran to the bathroom door and found it locked. He swore under his breath. "I'll have to chew through it."
"Wait," I said. "They pushed something heavy against it. It sounded like metal."
Castor's face fell. "Gods, these humans just don't quit."
"Castor, do you know about the fog?" I asked.
"Yes. Animus must be causing it."
I sputtered. "Animus?"
"You know him?" Castor asked, his brows rising.
I slapped my hand to my forehead in shock. "I've never met him, but I know about him. My whole family—" I groaned. "Nevermind, it's a long story."
Castor scratched his head. "Okay, now what he said makes a little more sense. I had no idea I was so out of the loop." He grinned. "Maybe when we’re out of this mess, you can catch me up to speed?"
There were so many thoughts running through my head that I felt dizzy. "Yes, I will. But you actually talked to him?"
"Yeah. He promised to help us in exchange for magic. I don't quite know what he meant by that, though."
I shut my eyes and rubbed my temples. Animus must have caused the dark fog, likely as a distraction for Castor to sneak back in.
"Should I not have trusted him?" Castor asked, looking worried.
"I honestly don't know," I admitted. "I don't know why, but he seems obsessed with my family."
Castor frowned. "In a bad way?"
"Sometimes," I said, thinking about his altercation with Zak. "But lately, he seems to be more helpful than harmful. So I don't know what he's up to. All I know for sure is that there was major drama between him and my grandfather Nautilus." I paused, realizing Castor might not know who he was. "Nautilus is the—"
