Page 61 of A Castle of Broken Memories

“Down you go,” the one holding my arm grunted.

A cool breeze wafted up the stone staircase, greeting us with the scent of fresh earth and moss. It grew heavier the deeper we descended, ever-burning torches lighting our way down into the castle’s bowels. A heavy, metal gate waited at the bottom, and I heard the trickle of running water before I saw it—a wide canal splitting the room below in half before passing through an arched tunnel and leading to who-knew-where. Three barred-off cells lay on the other side of the canal, lit by a stream of sunlight let in from above and with clean-looking hay scattered about the floor. Each cell had a bucket tucked into one of its corners, with a cot set up on the opposite wall.

A rowboat floated in the canal, bridging the two sides, and the pug-faced guard pushed us down into it, with the lead guard positioning herself in the back. Danny huddled on the floor by her feet while the other two sandwiched Mariana and me between them. “We keep the troublemakers farther in,” she said, pushing the boat off and using a long pole to guide us into the darkened tunnel.

The air grew colder, and I repressed a shiver. “What troublemakers? The boy may have made a grave mistake, but you did turn his sister into a harp. And Mariana and I have done nothing but try to help you all.”

“Bold words from the person who snuck into our home in hopes of stealing our treasure. Your imprisonment here was the only justifiable event to occur in this entire duration. I only regret your little friend made it out before the castle could claim him, too.”

I started, shock undermining my efforts to appear unaffected. “You—how do you know that?”

“Same way we know you’ve fed off our tigers,” grunted the female giant sitting on Mariana’s other side. “Filthy, thieving leech.”

“And defiled our pools with your half-breed lover,” the male added. “Before destroying our sacred altar.”

White, hot rage seared my chest, and I yanked ruthlessly at the bindings holding me back from wiping the disgusted look off the giant’s face as I growled, “You were watching us?”

“Not by choice.” The leader’s voice dripped with resentment. “Trust me.” She stopped the boat beside a barred door set into the tunnel wall, and opened it with a key she produced from her vest pocket. “In you go,” she ordered, shoving the three of us through the door and into a dingy little square of a room. There was no sunlight, no cot. Not even a scattering of hay, although I was relieved to at least see an empty slop bucket in the corner. A torch mounted on the opposite wall cast the only bit of light. “We’ll be back to collect you when the queen is ready for an audience.”

“I don’t suppose you know when that will be?” Mariana asked, looking around our cramped quarters.

The guard smiled thinly. “We haunted these halls for sixty years as invisible wraiths, only taking corporeal form at night when the curse warped us into bats and snakes and the like with a taste for human flesh. We’ve watched and we’ve waited for longer than you’ve been alive.”

Mariana arched a brow, looking wholly unimpressed. “And that’s our fault, how?”

The door slammed shut, the lock clicking into place. The giant glared at us from the other side of the bars. “I hope you rot.”

Mariana and I exchanged looks while the giants rowed back down the tunnel and out of sight. “Well, they seem grateful,” Mariana deadpanned.

“Probably arranging a celebration in our honor as we speak,” I added, looking around the dank cell. How the hell are we going to get out of this?

“This is all my fault.” Danny crumpled onto the hard floor, knees tucked tight against his body. “I never should have trusted that old man. He swore the curse would only affect the prince.”

I squatted down and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it, kid. Sixty years as a frog is punishment enough.”

He sniffled. “But now Annabelle’s gonna be stuck as a harp forever, and they’re going to chop us up for meat pies and grind our bones to make their bread. It’s what they do.”

Mariana blanched. “Do they really? I always thought those were just tall tales. Gross.”

“I’m sure they’re just rumors.” I shot her a look over the boy’s shoulder. “Those guards had just been freed from their curse. They were justifiably grumpy. Once the queen’s had time to cool her head, I’m sure she’ll listen to reason and let us go.”

Danny peeked up at me, his watery eyes gleaming with hope. “You think she’ll let me go? And turn Annabelle back into a human?”

No, but I’ll find a way to get you both out if it kills me. From the grim set of Mariana’s jaw, I could tell she was thinking the same thing. “I do.”

Danny wiped a grubby hand over his eyes. “Okay. So, what do we do now?”

“For now, we get some sleep,” Mariana stated, meeting my gaze. Rest up for what’s to come.

“Agreed.” I moved to the back of the cell and slumped down against the wall.

Mariana settled beside me. “Come on, then,” she said, calling Danny over with a smile that made my heart do funny things in my chest. “You can snuggle with us until we get your sister back. We don’t bite.” She paused, her gaze flicking toward my mouth. “Well, technically he does, but you’re safe.” She looked up to meet my eyes, her amber orbs glowing subtly in the dark. “He’s only going to be biting me from now on.”

I grinned, filling it with promises. “Damn right.”

And as impossible as it seemed, huddled there in that dark cell with no foreseeable way out, I was happier than I’d been in years.

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