The monotony kept me busy while awaiting the fateful opportunity. Only when the autumn winds began to roll did that day arrive.
I stared at the letter taped up onto Ayla’s door in beautiful, elegantly scrawled lines.
Went to take some medicine to the Grandulf family. Their babe is sick again. Odd thing it is, all these sick babes. Anywho, I will not be home most of today but stop back in tomorrow!
Shutting the wooden doors of the castle, I was struck by how quiet it was in the middle of the day. Not even the ghosts, which I had become accustomed to darting in and out, were silent as a tomb. I climbed the stairs to the second floor and found myself at a crossroad between the west and the east wing.
It was sudden. A chord struck in my body, and my feet were leading to the west wing’s hallway. I didn’t have time to second guess as I dove into the darkness. The hall wound, shifting with every corner I took. The wing expanded further into the decrepit depths.
The dirty carpet and stained, moth-eaten curtains filtered light through the giant holes of the ornate fabric. Cobweb and dust stretched on in the directionof the winding hallway as door upon door followed me along the way. Not a sound echoed, my footsteps muffled by the softness of the carpet.
The warmth of the fading sun broiled the stench of decay and rot, my hand flying to my face to block the awful scent. The farther I went, the stronger the smell and the knots forming in my stomach became.
Shadows lurked at the edges of my vision, sweeping in curiously close before retreating back into the dark corners. Turn after turn, the light faded away, and the lure of voices crept closer, hooking its claws in me. Darkness skittered past in malice and intrigue. I did not dare to gaze upon it.
Valeria, sweet, damned child. Trapped in endless cycles to taste but not understand. To dream and not know. Follow us, child. Come speak with us. We will show you.
The walls echoed with those voices, crude laughter, hissing riddles, and hushed whispers of a crowded room. Yet not a soul appeared. Living or dead.
I stopped in front of a black oval-point door, and shadows slipped under the threshold as whispers died away behind that door. I placed my ear to the wood, listening to the same tantalizing voices beyond reach.
Valeria.The crowd of voices gathered to a singular voice—a woman. Warm, familiar, and inviting sweetly sang from behind the ominous door,Valeria, help. I’m trapped here. That awful monster locked me in here in the dark. Help me. Please, open the door.
Loud bangs knock against the hard wood.
Help me. Please, open the door. Valeria, open the door.
Skeptical, I responded, “Who are you? How did you get in there.”
The door balked, slamming against the hinges.
“Help me! He’s got me. He’s got me.”
Without hesitating or with thought, I turned the knob and opened the door to the pitch black.
The darkness peered back with hungry eyes. Millions of them stared in cruel glee.
Feet glued to the spot with a hand still on the knob of the door, I froze, watching tendrils of blackness wrap around my limbs, drawing me in slowly. My heart pulsated against my ribs, and I dug my heels into the ground, stumbling back onto the half-eaten rug.
“No,” I howled. “No, no, no, no.”
Don’t be shy. We shall show you the truth of everything. Soon, you will know the game is played. It’s been awfully long since we’ve been let out.
I was slammed with flashing images, fire searing across skin. The smell of death became stronger as the onslaught of my senses turned chaotic. Laughter echoed in my head as the speed of the images intensified. God, the searing, stinging hot became unbearable. Inches of my skin sliced open, only to be seared back together with intensity, only to be renewed again. Body lying bare to the shadows, my legs buckled underneath me, sprawled out onto the hard floor. Nails scraped my throat, the inside rubbed raw. I was screaming but couldn’t hear it. I was left in the dark, in pain, with blood and death pulsating in me. Around me—killing methrumming through my body—head—everywhere.
Make itstop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Make it stop.
Dear gods,make it stop.I can’t take it—I can’t, I can’t.
“Valeria.” Silas shook me fiercely, nails biting deep into my shoulder. The tang of blood brought me too. “Valeria, come back to me.”
I marveled at Silas’s face in fine detail, bite-size features to focus on. The curve of his lips speaking inaudible words. The wide terror in his eyes, flecks of gold shimmering in the faint light. Silver hair twisted back into a braid framed sharp angles hidden behind scars and mask unto the shadows. A shaking hand grasped my cheek.
