Chapter 8
Of all the questions that could have been bouncing around in my head, the only one that kept coming out was: Why the heck would a prince, let alone one with magical powers, have been in small town, middle of nowhere, Minnesota?
Though I imagined the sunlight and warmth was a nice change from this dreadful, dark and frigid place, I couldn’t imagine any reason why he, a so-called Dark Fae, would bother spending any time in my world.
And the fact that he had just happened to talk to me in the grocery store and then minutes later saved my life…
It all seemed like too much of a coincidence.
Why would he take me after going through the trouble of saving me from the other kidnapper?
It felt like a box of puzzle pieces that I needed to put together, but half of them were missing.
I just couldn’t figure it out. Couldn’t figure him out.
The questions halted in my brain as I walked through the front doors of the castle and froze.
The winter air abated as the entrance was shut, and a blessed warmth attacked my skin, causing it to feel tingly.
As I took it all in, my mind struggled to make sense of the interior.
Everything was somehow simultaneously dark and light at the same time.
The floor was made of pristine white marble.
The sweeping staircases to my right and left were some sort of light wood, with white velvet covering it all the way to the top.
Despite the white, there wasn’t a single spot of dirt on it.
The chandelier and sconces on the walls, and even the decorations, were all white.
But despite it all, darkness settled on every inch, in the night outside the windows, and in the shadows in the corners, as though the evil of this world sucked the light out of everything.
What should have felt bright and open instead felt constricting, suffocating.
The room itself was so vast that it looked like a giant ballroom with huge windows lining the back wall, briefly separated by the balcony that connected the two staircases.
The scent of something burning met my nose, and I wondered if the lava had made it to the castle doors and was burning through the wood in an attempt to devour me.
“Nico!” Rhydian shouted at the base of the stairs, and I flinched, instinctively raising my arms. When nothing happened, I slowly lowered them, my heart thudding in my throat.
Hesitantly, I met Rhydian’s eyes, and he studied me for a moment, probably trying to figure out why I was such a mess, why I flinched at every sudden movement or loud noise.
Before he could tell me how ridiculous I was being, a door to the left of the staircase swung open, a barrage of white smoke billowing out.
A young boy, maybe twelve years old if I had to guess, stumbled out. His hurried footsteps scuffed against the floor. As he arrived in front of us, I fully expected to find fear in his crystal blue eyes. But instead, he looked up at Rhydian as if he were his own personal savior.
How odd. How could this killer be anyone’s savior?
Nico had blond hair cut short, accentuating the pointed ears on the sides of his head. His face was the perfect picture of innocence, despite the smears of dirt on his forehead and nose, and he wore a simple black tunic and pants, with a green belt around his hips.
“Yes, Rhydian?” he replied, coming to a stop in front of us, eyeing me curiously. I couldn’t help but wonder at the familiarity between them and the fact that he didn’t call him by a title like “Prince” or “Master.”
“Everything okay in there?” Rhydian asked, nodding at the door that had sealed off the smoke.
Nico’s cheeks reddened. “A little trouble with the food. Nothing I can’t handle.
” His attempt at a reassuring smile was more of a grimace, and it reminded me so much of my brother, Joey, that I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back a chuckle.
Rhydian’s lip twitched, but like I expected, no smile graced his face.
Did the Dark Fae even know how to smile?
He nodded as if Nico’s embarrassment were explanation enough.
“Have one of the rooms cleaned and prepared for our…”—he glanced at me, considering—“guest.” His eyes roved down my body from head to toe and my cheeks inexplicably burned.
“And perhaps some new clothes too. We don’t need her dying from the cold before she even has a chance to be… useful.”
Nico looked at me, and I expected him to ask who I was or why I was there, but he simply nodded as if this were an everyday request. My stomach sank at the thought.
“Of course.” He scurried up the stairs, and I had a sinking feeling in my gut that this wasn’t the first time Rhydian had brought a strange person to the castle, nor was this the first time he’d “prepared a room” for one.
How many others had there been? How many girls had he brought here?
I internally scolded myself. I didn’t care if he brought other girls to Eroth. Why would I? This man was clearly a monster who stole people away from their homes and brought them to a place that was inescapable. I couldn’t dwell on the others—not when I needed to focus on finding a way home.
And what did Rhydian mean by useful? Useful how?
I was just about to ask him when I realized I was alone. Nico had disappeared up the stairs, and Rhydian was no longer standing next to me. I glanced around, taking in all the white once again, but I didn’t find that smug face and gold-ringed eyes anywhere.
Had he purposely left me alone to see if I would run and try to escape? Or was I so unremarkable that he simply walked away, forgetting that he kidnapped me in the first place?
My inner curiosity begged me to snoop around, to explore this gigantic castle, and see if I could find someone—anyone—who might be willing to help me get home.
Based on the way Nico responded to Rhydian, I doubted that he’d be willing to help me escape, but in a place this big, there had to be someone besides the two of them.
I considered following Nico up the staircase and seeing if I could locate him, and ask for more information. I needed to know exactly who I was dealing with here, and if Rhydian had been lying when he said I’d have to die if I wanted to escape this place.
A shudder wracked through me at the reminder of his words.
I’d survived nineteen years of fear and abuse. I wasn’t about to give up now.
There was a way out of Eroth—there had to be.
My family needed me, and I was going to get home if it was the last thing I did.
With new resolve settling into my bones, I decided Nico was my best bet—at least until I found someone else. I stalked toward the stairs, noticing how my steps echoed in the cavernous room, like a discordant song in a quiet place where noise was forbidden. Everything felt so wrong.
I carefully stepped on the white velvet-covered stairs, praying I didn’t leave any footprints behind, even though my boots were caked in the ash and dirt from outside.
Much to my dismay when I looked behind me, there were dark, ashy prints in my wake.
Panic had my stomach twisting into knots—at least until one by one, stair by stair, they disappeared.
What?
What kind of magic was in these stairs? I supposed if Rhydian had golden death rays, he could handle making a dirtless staircase. Right?
Turning my back on the magic that made me uneasy, I quickly climbed to the top and headed in the direction I saw Nico go.
The hallway was endless with countless doors on each side.
How would I ever find him? Just as I was beginning to lose hope, finding door after door locked, a voice spoke behind me.
“I can take you to your room now.”
I turned to find Nico standing ramrod straight, looking up at me with those bright blue eyes.
“Nico, right?” I asked, and he gave a single nod, apparently uninterested in talking much further. That didn’t bode well. He turned on his heel and led me down the opposite hallway.
“What is this place?” I dared to ask after a few seconds of silence that made my skin crawl.
This place was too quiet. With it being so large, I expected there to be plenty of servants rushing around, or the sound of people talking, or even the noise of bugs or birds outside.
But there was nothing. Just the slow, low rumble of the lava moving across the earth.
“Shadow Ire Castle.” The words were bland, as if I should already know that information.
I reined in my annoyance. “Where is this place?” I tried instead.
“Eroth.”
I scowled at his back. Clearly this boy was going to be about as helpful as Rhydian. My heart sank in a pool of defeat at the thought. I tried not to sigh in exasperation, but the boy’s ears twitched, and he looked at me over his shoulder.
He studied me for a moment, and I wished that I could tell what he was thinking.
Did he feel sorry for me? Or was he in on whatever Rhydian had planned for me?
Would they both stand there and watch me die, smiles on their faces the entire time?
The Dark Fae must have been monstrous creatures if they repeatedly brought humans to Eroth to die, but I had a hard time believing such a young boy would be capable of cruelty.
“Eroth is one of the four kingdoms of Avalea,” he explained.
“It’s dark, and dreary, and cold, and you’re safest in the castle.
” Nico stopped in front of a door at the end of the long hall.
“This is your room. In the past, there would have been someone to assist you while you’re here, but I’m the only one left. ”
“The only one left?”
“Yes.”
How was that possible? Weren’t castles supposed to have hundreds of servants to take care of everything? How could Nico be the only one? I waited, hoping he’d elaborate further, but he avoided my gaze.
“If you need anything, let me know. I put a few items of clothing in the closet, but I guessed at your size. If they don’t fit, I’ll have to search for new ones since they’re all that was left behind.”
“Left behind?”
Nico’s eyes widened, as if he hadn’t meant to speak those words. “Never mind,” he rushed to say. “Everything else you should need is inside. If you can, I’d stay in your room as much as possible. It’ll make this easier on everyone—including you.”
Make what easier?
The more I talked to Nico, the more questions I had, and the more confused I became. I opened my mouth, about to lower myself to begging, but he interrupted.
“Goodnight...” he trailed off, waiting for me to give my name.
“Maren.”
Nico gave a single nod. “Goodnight, Maren.”
He hurried away, disappearing around the corner before I could even reply. So much for asking him to help me find a way out of here. Was everyone in this world rude and cold?
Left with no other choice, my fingers grasped the frigid metal doorknob and twisted, the door creaking quietly as it opened.
The light was dim inside, illuminated by a few candles on various surfaces.
Apparently this Eroth place hadn’t discovered electricity yet.
The thought should have bothered me, but somehow I felt relief.
There was something almost comforting about the warm flickering light chasing away the shadows.
A traitorous thought flitted through my mind.
Despite the danger my family was now in with me gone, a part of me felt such immense relief that my father couldn’t find me.
Eroth came with its own dangers, but at least one of them wasn’t my father and his fists.
A piece of me settled a little bit at the thought.
On the left side of the room sat the bed, covered in dark linens that matched the gloomy nature of this world. On the right side rested a fireplace with a low fire burning, and several candles perched on the mantle above. A door was to the right of the bed, which I guessed was the bathroom.
Did they even have indoor plumbing in the castle? Or would I be peeing in a chamber pot? I suppressed a shiver at the thought.
Not what you should be worrying about right now, Maren.
On the far wall was a set of French doors that led onto a small balcony illuminated by the moonlight, framed on either side by floor-to-ceiling drapes. On tip-toes, I crept across the floor to look out the doors. Those same two moons were perched in the sky.
When I noticed the landscape beneath my balcony, I couldn’t hold back a gasp.
My room was situated on the far east end of the castle, facing a line of terrifying volcanoes.
From this vantage point, it looked like the lava was pooling right beneath me, though I assumed that Rhydian’s magic somehow kept this place sheltered.
Everything in the distance had a dim, red glow to it.
It appeared that we were situated in some sort of valley between the volcanoes that stretched in a U shape, but it was too dark to tell what sat beyond the end of the valley.
I couldn’t understand how everything was so silent. No birds chirping, no wind rustling trees—heck, there were no trees—no animals, and no people to be seen anywhere. There wasn’t even a road. Just endless rocks and lava as far as the eye could see.
If there was one thing I knew based on a single glance out the window, it was that this place screamed death.
How was I ever going to survive?
I backed up quietly, as though the lava might hear my footsteps and come to devour me. I locked the door for good measure, struggling to pull the curtains closed. Not that it would have done much against liquid fire—or a man with golden death rays.
I internally smacked myself. Fae—not a man.
What was a Fae anyway? He certainly looked human enough. He had two arms and two legs like a human. Just another of the quickly lengthening list of questions I had.
Would I ever get answers?
Nico basically said I should stay in this room indefinitely. But why? Why was this the safest place? I would have thought that staying close to Rhydian would be the safest place—with his magic and all.
I glanced around the room once more. It really wasn’t that bad, nicer than I expected, especially when I had half-expected to be thrown into a dungeon or prison cell.
Adrenaline was slowly seeping from my limbs, exhaustion filling the holes it left. My muscles trembled, forcing me to sit on the edge of the bed. Against my will, my traitorous body laid back onto the soft mattress.
No, get up! We need to get answers! We need to get home!
I tried to listen to my inner self, to move and go find Rhydian, or Nico, and demand answers.
But my eyes slipped shut as my body melted into the soft fabric beneath it, and I tumbled into sleep before I could so much as protest.