Fabien. Ugh. Speaking of monsters, Fabien was a real one. He was also a braggart and a bully. In fact, Fabien would probably get along famously with those princes. When he wasn't pushing his weight around, Fabien could be found admiring himself in any reflective surface. And when he wasn't doing either of those things, he was annoying me.
“Where are you going, Sylvie?” Fabien followed me out of Theo's shop.
“Home,” I said succinctly. “And don't call me 'Sylvie'.”
“Aren't we close enough for me to call you 'Sylvie', Sylvie?” Fabien wedged his way in front of me, forcing me to slide between him and a wall.
“No, we're not,” I growled.
“Fabien!” Bianca, my older sister, shouted.
Fabien sighed deeply and ignored her.
“Fabien!” Bianca called again as she hastened after us.
“I'm busy, Bianca!” Fabien turned to snap at her.
I used his distraction to make my escape, ducking down a back alley and then racing out to another street. By the time I made it home, I was giggling like a girl. My giggling stopped when I saw Bertrand, the horse who pulled my father's cart.
“Bertrand?” I went over to the horse, who was grazing peacefully in the patch of grass before our home.
Bertrand lifted his head, looking at me with somber, dark eyes.
“Where's father, Bertrand?”
The horse looked guilty. And yes, I could communicate with our horse; with most animals, actually. It was a talent my entire family possessed. Our ancestors had been very in tune with nature. My name even meant “from the forest.” So, I knew immediately that Bertrand had left my father somewhere that he shouldn't have.
“You're taking me to him, Bertrand,” I said as I climbed onto his back.
The horse tensed and pranced anxiously.
“You left Father somewhere alone. Now, the least you can do is show me where,” I chided him.
Bertrand took off into the woods.
Over an hour later, I realized that we were on a road that I had never traveled before. It was overgrown, but not to the point of being inaccessible, just enough to make it clear that this was not a path often chosen. Then Bertrand stopped.
There was a break in the trees, and through it, I could see a magnificent castle.
“Oh dear god,” I whispered. “It's just as Theo said; a hidden castle. Is that where father is, Bertrand?”
The horse whinnied.
“Then let's go.”
Bertrand stamped and turned in a circle, refusing to go any further. Finally, I gave up, and left him there, making my way up a stone path toward the massive castle. As soon as I was out of the forest, the land opened up into sweeping lawns and manicured gardens. A whole team of gardeners would be needed to maintain these grounds, but there wasn't a soul in sight. I looked down at my arms and saw the hair on them standing on end. Something wasn't natural here.
Even though the sun shone down brightly, and the castle gleamed as if it were freshly polished, I felt a heavy pall in the air; a sadness hanging over it all. I shivered and rubbed my arms as I hurried up the stone steps of the castle to a curved set of wood doors. I knocked because that's the polite thing to do, but no one answered. Instead, the door swung open all on its own, and I stood within the arch of it, staring at a grand staircase. Doors to either side of the entry were open to reveal vast rooms, but there was no one in them.
“Hello?” I called out. “I'm sorry to intrude, but I'm looking for my father, and I think he may be here. Hello? Is anyone here?”
A clink sounded down a hallway to the right of the stairs. I followed the sound and came to a kitchen. No one was there. Another clatter led me to an open door near the pantry. I peered in and saw a set of stairs leading down into the dark.
“Too dark for anyone to be down there,” I muttered to myself.
Torches burst into flame, illuminating a stone stairwell which curved downward out of sight.
“Well, that wasn't at all creepy,” I huffed.
