Chapter 11
I didn’t sleep much. My exhaustion from the wedding ceremony was cured after about an hour of sleep.
From then on, I was either wide awake or tossing and turning.
Half the night was plagued by nightmares of the Wraith King’s shadow form with his red-skinned arm extending toward me, while the other half was spent in sheer terror that he would come to my rooms to consummate our union.
I was fidgeting constantly in my bed, my sheets tangled and half the pillows on the floor. Every few seconds, I whirled to look toward the door, thinking I had heard a creak or a scuffle.
After hours of trying and failing to sleep, I finally gave up, shoving off the blankets and sitting up.
My hair clung to my sweaty neck in sticky chunks, and I peeled it off my body and tied it into a loose braid.
The sky was still pitch black outside, reminding me of the darkness of the Wraith King’s shadows.
Suppressing a shudder, I slid off the bed and wrapped a shawl around myself, then ran my fingers over the amber stone at my throat.
“Azure? Are you there?” My voice was soft, but it still seemed to echo around me, and I feared it would draw someone’s attention. After all, my door was left open.
But now that I knew the doors were portals, I was more keen on experimenting with them .
“I am here, Sybelle,” came Azure’s warm voice. “How was the wedding?”
Amusement laced her tone, but I refused to be baited.
“Fine,” I said in a clipped voice. “Well, rather unusual, to be honest. Are you close?”
“Yes. I have found your window, and I’m resting on the balcony adjacent to yours.”
Alarm jolted through me, and my heart lodged in my throat. “Stones, Az! Are you crazy? What if you’re caught?”
“It’s just another guest wing. I checked, and all the rooms are unoccupied. Don’t worry, human. My dragon senses are far superior to yours, and I will hear if anyone approaches.”
I flinched at her usage of the word human . For her, it was a shared joke between us. But for me, it served as a reminder of Tislora and the powerful spells she could wield.
“I want to try to explore the castle,” I whispered. “Maybe I can find the enchanted rose.”
“Now?” Azure sounded uncertain.
I frowned. “Do you have something better to do?”
I could almost hear her rolling her eyes at me.
“Are you sure wandering a bewitched castle in the middle of the night is wise? It might be better to wait until the daytime, when there are staff members about who can assist you. You are to be their queen, after all. It would not be suspicious if they saw you acquainting yourself with your new home.”
The idea of thrashing around in my bed for a few more hours was about as appealing as eating rocks. I couldn’t possibly sit here and do nothing all night. “Look, if you’re afraid of the dark, I can just go on my own.” I strode for the open door.
“You are impossible,” Azure said with a sigh. “I will be right there.”
Fighting back a smile at my small victory, I moved to the balcony doors and eased them open.
The cool midnight air nipped at my arms, and I tugged my shawl more tightly around myself.
After a moment, the beating of wings reached my ears, and a dark shape loomed closer.
Azure blended in so well with the midnight sky that I couldn’t fully see her until she was right in front of me.
Her blue scales could lighten or darken depending on her surroundings, allowing her the benefit of camouflaging her appearance.
However, she could not change color; if she was surrounded by desert sand, even if she appeared the palest of blues, she would still be visible.
Azure gracefully landed on the concrete balcony before me, her icy blue eyes appraising me. She looked me up and down, as if assessing for injuries.
“I’m fine,” I assured her.
“You look paler than normal,” she observed. Her tone was sincere, as if she were genuinely concerned instead of poking fun at me.
“I’m fine ,” I insisted. “Have you uncovered anything useful about the magic here?”
“Only that it’s inconsistent. It feels like the rules of the magic are fluctuating. It’s hard to keep up.”
“How so?”
“The Umbra Mist keeps changing. Sometimes it is thick and powerful; other times it is thin and feeble. I have been watching the guardsmen and how they react to it. When it is thin, they arm themselves and draw closer to the keep. The outer shadows are poisonous, from what I can gather. That’s what they are afraid of.
The Umbra Mist keeps those shadows at bay, but not all the time. ”
My brow furrowed. “Why are they afraid of their own shadows?”
“Perhaps they are not immune to them.”
“But they come from their king!” I argued. “Do you think he is intentionally trying to frighten his people? Or has his magic become so volatile that he has no control over it?”
“ I don’t know. ”
I turned toward the balcony doors. “Well, come on, then. Let’s see how much of this castle we can uncover.”
“I hardly think a creature of my size will be able to sneak around this place easily.”
I glanced at her over my shoulder, arching an eyebrow. “Have you seen this place? It’s enormous. They are clearly catering to the largest of unseelie beasts. Besides, it’s very poorly lit. Just darken your scales a bit, and you’ll be fine.”
Azure huffed loudly. “You humans are so impatient.” But she lumbered forward, her talons clicking along the stone floor.
I had to push open both doors to let her into my room.
She was right; she was rather large, easily taking up half the space of my bedchamber.
However, because she had just flown in, her wings were half out.
With them folded against her back, I was confident she would be able to fit in the hall.
I once poked fun at her rather serpentine shape when her wings were completely tucked in; her body appeared much longer and narrower that way, like a snake’s.
I hastily belted the jeweled dagger on my waist. It felt silly to wear it over my loose nightgown, but I didn’t care. My fingers itched to wrap around the hilt, just to feel the effects of the diamonds once again. Already, I felt more secure. More comfortable.
Azure’s eyes roved over me, and she made a low, throaty sound.
When I touched the amber stone, she said, “You look ridiculous.”
“I don’t care. I’m armed, so I already feel safer.”
I inched closer to my bedroom door, which was slightly ajar, and pressed my ear to the gap to determine if anyone was in the hall.
Nothing but silence.
I looked back at Azure. “Follow me,” I whispered. “And tell me if you sense any fae magic nearby. ”
“You mean besides your own?” Azure asked jokingly.
“Very funny,” I muttered. With a deep breath, I inched the door open all the way and crept into the hall.
Silence blared against my ears, making each step and thump of my heart sound like an avalanche. The cold stone floor bit at my bare feet, and I deeply regretted not grabbing a pair of slippers from my room. Behind me, the clicking of Azure’s talons rang out in the hall, making me wince.
I knew it was foolish, creeping around the castle in the middle of the night with a rare and unique dragon accompanying me. What if we encountered someone?
But the terror seeping into me was too intense, and I couldn’t do this alone. I needed my friend with me.
Besides, if we came across any fae who gave us trouble, I knew Azure wouldn’t hesitate to rip them to pieces.
My steps were slow and steady, and it seemed to take an eternity to reach the end of the hallway. But when we did, nothing but a dead end awaited us.
Frowning, I glanced behind me. Azure blinked slowly at me, her blue eyes seeming to glow in the darkness.
Touching my amber necklace, I whispered, “I definitely remember there being a staircase at the end of the hall.”
A moment passed. Then, Azure replied, “Well, clearly, you were mistaken.”
Biting back a growl, I turned and walked toward the other end of the hallway. We passed my room and Ramia’s, then continued onward.
This, too, led to a dead end.
I curled my hands into fists in frustration. Azure nudged my leg with her snout to get my attention, and I clutched the amber stone again.
“I smell magic.”
My heart stilled, and I looked around, sweat beading along my brow. “Who’s there?” I whispered .
“It’s not a who. But a what.”
I shook my head. “Explain, please.”
“It’s the castle.”
My throat went dry as I recalled Enzira telling me the castle was enchanted. But I had believed this only applied to the opening and closing of doors.
How foolish of me to assume that magic worked according to a strict set of rules. If the castle was enchanted, there was no reason why that enchantment shouldn’t affect everything and anything contained within these walls.
Which meant I was trapped inside a prison that could deter me from my mission over and over again.
I chewed on my lower lip, wracking my brain for a way around this. Could the castle sense my intentions? Did it know I planned to kill the king? Or did it only know I was a stranger who had just arrived here only yesterday?
“Okay,” I muttered, thinking fast. “We have to try opening a door.”
“We do?” Azure sounded uneasy.
“Yes. We won’t know what we’re up against unless we take the first step and see where the castle wants us to go.” My voice sounded more sure than I felt.
“If you say so.”
I glanced at Azure, arching an eyebrow. “Do you disagree? Can you sense any… foul magic afoot?”
Azure inhaled deeply, then angled her head slightly. “ It’s magic I’ve never encountered before. But I don’t sense any ill intent with this enchantment. Only… curiosity.”
Interesting. So the castle was… curious about me?
I sighed. “Okay then. Let’s give this a try.” I turned and faced the door in front of me. It looked like all the others, its brass handle gleaming in the low bobbing lights along the walls.
Steeling myself, I turned the handle and swung it open.
On the other side was a low burning fire that cast an amber glow on a thick, black fur rug that looked like it had come straight off the hide of a bear. The room was dark, lit only by the dying embers of the flames. On either side of the walls were shelves of what looked like old books.
Immediately, my body hummed with anticipation as I itched to run my fingers along the spines of those tomes. What secrets did they hold?
But fear stayed my hand, making me pause on the threshold of the door.
From within the room, something creaked loudly, and soft footsteps approached. My heart jolted painfully in my chest, and, on instinct, I abruptly slammed the door shut. My pulse roared in my ears, my heart seizing with unease.
Azure bumped the back of my leg with her snout, and I jumped, yelping as I turned to face her. She stared at me with concern in her bright eyes.
I clutched my amber necklace, struggling to steady my breathing. “I’m fine. It’s all right. I just… heard something. Come on, let’s try a different door.” I was eager to put space between myself and this door in case whoever was on the other side was curious enough to try to find me.
It’s likely just a member of the staff, I told myself. That’s all.
I stepped farther down the hallway and turned the handle of the next door.
The same fireplace greeted me, the smell of charcoal and burning wood tickling my nose. My eyes flared wide, and I slammed the door shut again.
Azure huffed, but I couldn’t tell if it was out of amusement or frustration.
The next door yielded the same results. And the next. And the next. I tried every single door in the hallway, save for my own and Ramia’s, which both remained open. Each door only showed me that same room with the fireplace and the black fur rug .
I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. There was no way out of this hall, and the enchanted castle clearly wanted me to go into that room.
But why? Who or what was waiting for me in there? If this castle wanted me to go in there, then I had to assume danger lurked on the other side.
My head was reeling, and I staggered back a few steps.
My back met the wall, and I leaned my head against it, breathing heavily.
I felt Azure draw closer to me, pressing her nose into my side and humming gently, trying to soothe me.
Absently, I stroked her snout, already comforted by the warmth her body offered.
My fingers pressed into the amber stone. Before I could speak, Azure’s voice was in my head.
“I could go into the room with you and face whatever is there,” Azure offered.
“No,” I said quickly. “What if it’s something dangerous?
You aren’t even supposed to be here. If they find out, they might…
” I couldn’t finish that sentence. I had no idea what these unseelie fae would do if they encountered a dragon.
I hadn’t been bold enough to tell my father or even Gerard about Azure.
“Leave the door slightly ajar. Just in case.”
I shot her a stern look. “Don’t you dare come after me.”
“If your life is in danger, I certainly will. You cannot stop me, human.”
I rolled my eyes, knowing it was useless arguing with her. I wouldn’t deny it, but her insistence filled me with a modicum of comfort. At least some being in this world would mourn if I met my demise at the hands of a bloodthirsty unseelie fae.
“All right, castle, I’m trusting you,” I muttered before turning the handle and opening the door once more.
Just as before, the fireplace greeted me. The flames were even weaker than before, providing hardly any light at all. A few stray embers floated from the ashes within .
I paused at the threshold, running my fingers along the leather strap at my hip, reminding myself the weapon was there. Then, I strode inside. My foot caught the door before it snapped shut, leaving it open just a fraction, as Azure requested.
When I stepped fully into the room, I squinted into the darkness, hardly able to make out any details around me. With the fire nearly gone, the room, or whatever it was, was nearly swallowed in darkness.
A soft ticking noise echoed. The reverberations of the sound led me to believe the room was quite large. Frowning, I turned my head, trying to figure out where it was coming from.
Another loud creak sounded from behind me, and I whirled, heart thundering in my chest. My hand immediately went to the dagger at my hip, fingers brushing the hilt. A surge of strength and power flooded me. Emboldened, I said loudly, “Who’s there?”
Two silhouettes sat before me. It took a moment for me to realize they were a pair of matching wing-backed chairs.
One of them was occupied.
Slowly, the figure sitting in the chair stood. I could only make out a large pair of horns and a tall, muscular frame before a mass of shadows swarmed him like a cloud, blocking him from my scrutiny.
My heart sank with dread as I realized who it was even before he spoke.
“What are you doing here, human?” asked the Wraith King.