14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Calista
T his is where things went to shrivel and die.
Did I want that for myself, though? It was warranted and a well-deserved punishment for all the horrible things that happened to other people through my selfish wishes. Dad dying was my fault. Now Kaiden and Patty had to suffer the consequences of my actions. Gina now knew the truth and would probably be traumatized for life like Kaiden and I were. I wouldn’t wish this shit on my worst enemy, but I was happy they had each other to lean on. I had to suffer alone in the bowels of this freakish hellhole. This place was already taking its toll on me.
Each clang of a nearby bell declared another hour passed as I laid here and wallowed in self-pity. My head hurt, my whole face was swollen and stuffy, and my body ached. The best I could do was turn my head so the snot could drain from one side to the other before clogging up my nose again. Crying exhausted me. Lying here exhausted me. Existing exhausted me.
At the random times I did wake up and move, usually when that damn bell chimed, I would find a new plate of food on the bedside table. Nothing extraordinary. Bread, fruit or veggies, jerky, and what appeared and smelled like cheese. I didn’t trust it and refused to touch it. Like Hades, would he consider it another favor and use it to keep me in this wasteland even longer? After a while, my appetite came roaring back, and my stomach threatened to eat itself if I didn’t feed it. I could never pull off a hunger strike. Not with food staring me in the face, tempting me to eat it.
I pinched a piece of the dense bread, ready to spit it out if it was disgusting, and looked out the window at a deep purple sky. During my rescue mission to save my brother, the sky had remained a lavender hue. This was the second time I’d seen it change while lying here, and it made me curious as to why.
My body screamed joyously when I got out of bed. Lightheaded, I teetered from side to side after stretching my arms high above my head. I always hated that awful feeling. Once the spots cleared my vision, I went to the window and leaned against the sill, taking another nibble of bread. It was surprisingly good. A rumble in my gut demanded more.
Little bursts of warm light glowed around the castle down below. Darkness filled the gaps. A little farther past the castle, within the walls of the labyrinth itself, the lights were few and far between. I couldn’t imagine being out there among the monsters without being able to see them, but that’s exactly what I needed to find a way out of the labyrinth. I would get home to Kaiden and Gina. The darkness would provide me with coverage from Astaroth and his freaky little gremlins while I searched for an exit to take me back home. If that didn’t work, I’d need to find a loophole to make this contract null and void.
Careful. If you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
It was hard lesson learned the first time around and a risk I had to accept.
I grabbed the plate of food and went out onto the balcony to learn as much of the layout as possible. It was hard to do with very little light, so I listened and focused on the guards to learn their patrol as I skeptically inspected the fruit on the plate. My stomach growled again.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m feeding you.”
Replenishing my energy was now my top priority. Food first. I sniffed my pit and cringed. Shower next. Then plan escape. I popped an oversized black grape-like orb into my mouth and prayed before I squished it between my teeth. Flavorful juices gushed from the fruit and rushed over my tastebuds. It was perfectly sweet with a hint of tang that made the sides of my tongue tingle, almost like a sour apple, but with the juiciness of watermelon and the texture of a grape. Weird, but good. I gobbled them down and was sad when I realized there were none left.
Commotion along the wall drew every guard in the area. I took a bite of the jerky as they scrambled into a line, some climbing to the top of the wall. Goblins in the towers pointed into the sky above the castle. Dark blobs darted out in all directions before converging. Light snorts bounced off the surrounding stone walls. I squinted into the darkness to get a look at what made those horrific sounds. When I saw them, I gulped, the dry meat lodging in my throat, and dropped the jerky onto the plate.
Not these damn things, I thought and inched backward toward the safety of my room. I was in no position to fight, yet. The guards could deal with it. When I turned around, I caught movement on the adjacent balcony. Astaroth leaned against the stone wall next to the open archway and watched me. How long had he been there?
He stuck his arm out, hand disappearing into thin air, and when he pulled it back, something rested in his grasp. Was that my plate? I glanced over my shoulder to find my forgotten meal gone from the balustrade. Astaroth picked up the meat stick I’d been eating and took a bite.
“Weirdo,” I mumbled as I rushed back into my room.
I swear I heard him laugh.
“Roth’s taint,” an exasperated voice said from inside my room. “It’s about time you gave up your bullheaded tantrum.”
I looked over my shoulder from my newly appointed perch on the balcony, somewhat happy to hear a familiar voice. The sky had lightened on a new day and made it possible to see the guards and layout clearly.
“Had you laid in that bed any longer, I would have kicked you off it.” Her steps thumped across the floor. A telltale sign that I wasn’t at home. It felt like carpet, but it sounded like cement flooring. Jessandra came out and leaned on the stone wall next to me. “Crying doesn’t solve anything.”
“I know that,” I snapped.
“Yelling at me doesn’t either.”
I wanted to punch her in her smug face.
“Try. You will regret it.”
Shocked that she could read me so well, I returned to studying the openings and pathways into the maze that would hopefully lead me out of here.
“Who was the person you fought in my house?” When she didn’t respond, I asked, “Will you at least tell me if my brother and friend were okay when you left them?”
“They were. What holds your attention?”
Satisfied for the moment, I pointed to the black vines climbing the walls. “Those. What are they? They weren’t here before.”
Jessandra jerked back, nose scrunched up. “Those are the least of your concerns. Have you smelled yourself?”
I chuckled. “Yes. I’d love a shower.” The bathroom may look like mine, but it was all smoke and mirrors.
“Shower?” After I explained what it was, she responded, “We do not have a shower, although that sounds intriguing. I will call for a bath. You will need it. The king requests your presence at dinner tonight.”
Time to acclimate, my ass. He wasn’t joking when he said soon. “Nah, I’ll keep my stench. Consider it perfume.”
She ignored me. “When the bell chimes six times, I will collect you and show you the way. Be ready. There is proper attire in the wardrobe for your nightly dinners.”
“Nightly?” I pushed off the stone and jabbed a thumb at the castle. “He’s living in his own little dream world if he thinks I’ll be attending nightly dinners.”
Jessandra didn’t falter. That same hard gaze remained steadfast. “Do not push him on this. He may overlook one or two in the beginning, Calista, but a request from Astaroth is a demand.”
“More like a command.”
“It will take adjustment.” Her teeth ground together as she looked past me and forced out, “He is a nice king until he is not.”
I wondered if he stood in the same spot as last night, watching us and listening. I refused to turn around and check. “So, you can lie.”
She stalked inside, and I followed, glancing out of the corner of my eye for him only to see nothing but a blur of movement. He had been there. Sneaky, sneaky.
“They will be up shortly with a tub. Be ready by six. I do not want to guide you again.”
“Are you living—” She left before I could finish. The door to my prison closed without the click I was accustomed to hearing. “Here now? Oh, awesome. Good talk, Jess.”
Astaroth missed all the minute details that made my home home . The click of the door, the way carpet muted echoes, the thin layer of dust on my belongings, and the motes floating in the air. The smell was even different. It was too pristine for the lifestyle I led and reminded me of an old movie I watched where a person was taken from their home by the government and planted in a room that mirrored their own. They knew the difference, too. It would eventually drive me crazy, just as it did them.
The bell tolled outside the castle walls. It resonated inside me with every chime. I held my breath as I counted along to twelve. Silence. Air gushed from my lungs, but it didn’t make me feel any better. Astaroth would expect me primped and at his table in six hours. He gave me a whopping two days to adjust to this new life. He could kiss my stinky, jiggly ass.
I went to the door to see if she locked it. The knob turned, and I smiled, but it quickly slipped from my face. Jessandra stood on the other side with her back to me, feet spread apart, and arms crossed. She glanced over her shoulder, a knowing glint in her eyes. I closed the door on my current escape plan.
Deep breath in… I can do this. Deep breath out… I’ve done it before.
Deep breath in… I needed to get my shit together and keep it together. Nice and organized with file tabs and stickers and washi tape like Gina used. Deep breath out… because no one was coming to save me but me.
I choked on an inhale and fought the fear strangling me. Maybe Jess would eventually take pity on me. Yeah, right. She’d be more apt to lock me in here for annoying her or even kill me. The second would happen before the first if I pissed her off enough. That left one option. I had to overcome my fear and make friends and allies who could help me. To do that, I had to play along first. I knew that it might lead to this, but not this soon. Thinking and doing it were two very different things. His very presence, hell, even the thought of him, triggered me. Could I pretend without him knowing? I sure hoped so. How long could I do it before I cracked?
I had to find out.
The closet antagonized me from across the room. What did proper attire mean in a place like this? Hopefully not ruffles and lace. I pepped myself up. I could do this. I had to. I closed my eyes, counted to three, and opened it. The normal squeak from the hinges wasn’t there. Instead of the small space, it opened to the size of a small room with racks and shelves. My normal wardrobe hung on one side and the other contained a single garment: a deep purple ball gown with black embroidered flowers. Beneath it was a pair of flats that matched. I backed away, dreading the nightly dinners if it meant I had to wear that getup.