It doesn’t look like the same castle I see every day from the village at all.
Things aren’t always what they seem,Leelah said.
“That’s an understatement,” I mutter. Instead of more bracken and thorny stalks, I’m lying on a well-trimmed lawn in a lush garden. Whatever the king’s landscaping crew is using to keep the vines at bay, it’s working.
I’m keeping my knife with me, just in case. I’m not happy about the gate suddenly opening and closing like a trap door, but the castle looks like less of a horror show than I expected, and now I’m too curious to do anything but keep moving. I find a path and tiptoe through the moonlit garden, careful to keep my cloak from catching on a stray branch. The air is rich with the cloying perfume of flowers, tempered by the spicy scents of herbs. I come across a patch ofdola. The leaves are so much bigger than the plants that grow in Ma’s garden. If she were here, she’d demand to know what sort of fish heads they’re using as fertilizer.
Ma.I pick up my pace. I need to get this cure, and get back to her in time. There has to be someone around here, someone I can rope into my quest to petition the king.
I cross what feels like acres of garden, the hem of my skirt getting soaked with dew. The path I’m following leads to a large hedge, a maze of some sort. I wind my way through it and end up on a paved patio. From this side, the castle looks more like a palace, with columns gleaming white in the moonlight. The vines are taking over here, too, overgrowing their trellises to twine up the columns. Every time I pass, the flowers blossom, dumping another wave of floral perfume into the air. It's getting kind of annoying.
My footsteps echo on the flagstones. There’s no one around. With the grounds being kept as well as they are, I’m sure I should have come across a gardener—or twelve. Maybe everyone’s asleep—but it’s barely past dusk.
Another scent hits me, cutting through the intense floral aromas. This one is clean and sharp, like cedar wood or pine. I stop, and breathe deep. A rush of warmth suffuses my whole body, melting all my aches and tension away. Finally, the endorphins from my hike have kicked in.
The sharp scent is strong but welcoming, like freshly baked bread or cinnamon rolls. I follow it past the line of white columns towards a door, which drifts open as I approach. It’s clearly not the main entrance, so I’m sneaking in, but maybe inside I’ll find someone to talk to. Leelah said the king shut himself away from the world, but who is doing the gardening and keeping the palace lovely? Someone must be.
A gust of wind rushes past me, stirring the flowers. It whips the fallen petals into a mini tornado and spreads them out in front of me to form a long, black-red carpet leading to the side door.
All righty then.
“Magic isn’t real,” I mutter. The wind stirs the petals at my toes as if in rebuttal. But I catch a bigger whiff of the enticing cedar scent and can’t stop myself from hurrying forward, through the door and into the castle.
“Hello?” I'm in a vast space, a ballroom of some sort. There are gilt-framed portraits and shadowy shapes of furniture lining the walls. The scent here is stronger, more concentrated.
The further I venture into the ballroom, the brighter it gets. The light is emanating from the ceiling, where a thousand tiny points glow like stars. Beneath the cedar scent, the space smells clean. This isn’t a ruin at all.
A huge statue looms in the center of the room. It seems to depict two figures standing side by side, and one has a hand on a third, smaller figure between them. Two parents and their child? The statues’ heads have fallen off, and there's no sign of them.
Something moves in my peripheral vision, but when I turn, there’s nothing there. I grip my knife tighter and swallow past my suddenly parched throat.
“Is anyone there?” The wind picks up, tugging at my skirts.
At the end of the ballroom, what feels like miles away and up the stairs, a door slams.
That's not creepy at all. Goosebumps run up and down my legs and arms.
Why did I think this was a good idea? What did I think I was going to do? March up to the castle and find an information booth? Submit a petition?
“Hello? King?” I call. If I keep talking, I won’t have time to dwell on my fear. “Hey, King, your people need you.” I move past the statue, towards the stairs. Was that just a movement in the shadows on the second floor?
I clench the fist not holding the knife. If there’s someone here, they are damn well going to listen to me. “I don't mean to intrude… Actually, no… Idomean to intrude. If you're the king, you should do something. Your people are dying. They’re saying the curse has returned. The Red Death. It’s time to wake up and help them.” My voice echoes off the walls.Help them help them help them.
I’m gripping my knife so tightly, I can’t feel my fingers. Did it just get colder?
Another statue is lying at the foot of the staircase. This one is even bigger than the first—or it would be if it was upright. Someone must have tipped it over. It’s broken into several pieces, and chunks seem to be missing. Scratches score the sides like a giant beast ripped at the stone with titanium claws.
Well, fuck.I skirt the statue and chew my lip. Should I explore the second floor?
I take the first step, and a growl reverberates down the stairs. The sound should unhinge my spine, but instead, it releases a burst of heat through my body. My tummy flutters and I gasp, swaying. The cedar scent is so potent now, I can taste it. I can’t shake my sense of déjà-vu.
I clock another statue at the top of the stairs. But… it wasn’t there before.
I’m panting like I’ve run a marathon. But not in fear. A rush of liquid heat throbs through my core and my clit gives a languid thump.
What is happening to me?
The statue moves. The figure’s wearing a voluminous cloak and hood and looks humanoid but it’s huge, too big to be a regular person. If this is an Ulfarri Alpha, he’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen.
