Sofia turned for the door and closed it behind her, leaving Mina alone.
Now, she only needed to wait for nightfall.
***
As her pocket watch neared nine o’clock, Mina pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, her heart pounding thunderously in her chest. She walked over to the window and stared out into the night, finding no sign of anyone in the courtyard below.
At last, the hour struck.
There was no turning back now. She would find the truth this evening.
She moved to the door and eased it open, pausing to listen. All was silent beyond her chambers. When she stepped into the pitch-black hallway, her pulse thudded in her ears. She held her candle out before her and began down the corridor, eyes fixedon the floor as she searched for the trail of bread she had left behind.
Mercifully, the crumbs were still there—uneaten, undisturbed. Mina moved swiftly, following the fragile path she’d laid for herself, the only assurance she had of finding her way back once the meeting was over.
She walked into the cold passage, stopping every so often, convinced she’d heard movement just beyond the reach of the candlelight.
By the time she reached the staircase, her nerves were alight, but she had come this far already.
She descended quickly, but at the bottom, she paused once more, listening.
She waited there for several moments, but no sound met her ears, and at last she carried on. She had no reason to fear—or at least, she hoped she did not. When she reached the door, she saw that each of the locks had already been flipped open, as though whoever had left the note had taken this same path.
Mina’s stomach turned.
She pushed the door open, the deep groan of its hinges cutting through the silence.
Icy wind surged inside at once, and she realized her candle would be useless in the blizzard beyond. She set it carefully on a stone ledge, then pulled the door wider.
A fresh layer of snow dusted the cobblestones as she stepped into the night. The courtyard seemed to be empty of anyone buther. Keeping close to the wall, wary of the windows above, Mina moved toward the watchtower, snow clinging to her lashes and blurring her vision. Her heart thrummed as she wondered who might be waiting for her—but before she reached the door, something caught her eye.
The gates—ones she had seen opened only once, when she and Jonathan first arrived—now stood raised, as if in anticipation of a visitor.
A chill crept through her at the sight, at the realization that whoever had summoned her had come from beyond the castle walls. And yet they had found their way inside, navigating the halls unseen. Her thoughts returned to the night she had been made to feel could only be a dream—men beating down the front door, making their way through the corridors.
But then, another thought emerged.
Escape.
The wind howled, pushing her hair across her face, and she considered, for a moment, what it might be like if she went through that open gate.
The Count was not here to stop her—nor was Sofia. She could leave now and be hours into her journey before they realized she was gone.
But then she thought of Aunt Emily, who had sacrificed years of her life to raise her sister’s child, only to bear the consequences of Mina’s flight. And she thought ofthe Count—of the betrayal he would feel when he discovered his wife had vanished.
Yet beneath the guilt bubbling within her, Mina found it was not that which weighed most heavily on her chest. It was the knowledge that beyond the castle walls lay brutal weather, treacherous mountains, and wild animals. If she passed through that archway on foot, it was unlikely she would make it down the mountain alive.
The wind bit at her cheeks, and as she looked up at the watchtower, she knew she could not flee. At least, not until she understood what was happening within the castle, what was happening with the Count, and with whoever had left her the note.
She continued across the cobblestone, her steps cautious, when movement stirred in the shadows beneath the archway. She retreated at once, pressing herself against the stone wall, willing the darkness to conceal her. But as the shapes emerged, she saw it was no person entering the courtyard—it was three wolves.
They were large—far larger than she could have imagined a wolf to be—and their breath came out in great puffs, clouds rising through the air before their sharp teeth.
Despite her stillness, Mina saw the instant the first wolf caught sight of her. His great head lowered, and even through the darkness, she felt his gaze lock onto her. To the right, anotherlifted his nose to the air, sniffed once, then turned toward her, his body going rigid.
Mina’s heart thrummed as her eyes flicked to the watchtower door just beyond them. It was too far—she would never make it past them. Slowly, she glanced back toward the door she had come through, only to realize it offered no better hope. She stood, caught between the two, neither escape within reach.
When she looked again, the wolves had crept closer. The pair at the rear fanned outward, moving in opposite directions, their intent unmistakable. They were working together, surrounding her.
