Chapter 5
Fran led me out of the bedroom and down a dimly lit hallway. The stone walls and floors made the space feel colder than it was, making me shiver involuntarily.
While the room I had woken up in had been beautifully well-kept, the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the place.
Moth-eaten rugs covered the floors, and the few pictures on the wall were faded or barely hanging to their posts.
Ragged curtains covered the few windows, and I hurried to one of them.
Grasping the edge of the sill, I swiped a hand over the dusty glass. A small gasp left my throat as I took in the sprawling castle laid out before me.
From what I could see of the castle, it had to be as big as the palace in Candiopolis, if not more so. Past the castle walls, the Candy Forest loomed, its colorful treetops in deep contrast to the dark gray stone of the castle walls.
How had I never known there was a castle out here?
The sight of the familiar forest caused the incessant tug at my stomach to roar back to life. Was this some part of Rumple’s spell? Was it trying to get me to go back to the factory?
My fingers tightened on the windowsill. I couldn’t go out the window. It had to be at least a thirty-foot drop. I’d be dead on impact and then there’d be no way for me to return to Rumple. I’d have to find a different way out.
Seemingly agreeable with my thoughts, the tugging lessened.
A deep sigh sounded behind me. “It’s just so sad how much the castle has been neglected.”
My face turned to Fran. “What do you mean?”
Fran stepped up next to me. “Well, there’s only a handful of us left to maintain it for our master, and that’s hardly enough to keep this place looking like its former glory. We spent all day yesterday cleaning up your room, or else you’d have nowhere decent to sleep!”
With a shake of her head, she spun on her heel. “Come along, mistress. Mustn’t keep the master waiting.”
Reluctantly moving away from the window, I trailed after Fran once more. My eyes scanned around me as we moved through the castle, taking note of all the doors and becoming increasingly more aware of the lack of human life in the expansive place.
We moved down a set of stairs, my hand trailing along the railing as my eyes ate up everything I saw.
A large chandelier hung from the middle of a glass ceiling.
The glass might at one time have been beautiful, but years of neglect had caused the colorful paint to chip and crack.
The sun shone through and left a broken rainbow across the walls and floor.
The entranceway had recently been cleaned, and the scent of ammonia burned my nostrils the closer we came to it. Two large wood and metal double doors blocked the way out of the castle. The tug at my stomach came back, urging me to the doors.
A quick glance at Fran’s back gave me the courage to step up to the doors and give them a testing tug. It didn’t move. I tried again using both hands on the ornate golden handles.
“You won’t be able to leave that way.”
My hands dropped as I spun around, guilt filling my face. “I — I wasn’t...”
Fran didn’t seem upset. “If you want to go outside, you’ll have to get permission from master,” she stated matter-of-factly. “It’s spelled to his touch.”
Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.
Begrudgingly, I let Fran lead me away from the door. We walked down another hallway that was just as unkept as the other one, and still we didn’t come across a single soul. When we finally stopped in front of a large wooden door, Fran turned to me with a deep curtsey.
“Here we are, mistress. Master is waiting for you inside.”
I grabbed her arm before she could leave.
“You’re not staying?” My voice quivered with repressed fear.
The thought of facing my kidnapper sent a chill down my spine.
I still didn’t know why they took me or what they planned to do with me.
Fran’s treatment of me should have put me partially at ease, but something still didn’t feel right.
Fran gave me a soft smile before removing my hand from her arm, clasping it in her own cool grip. “You will be fine. The master wouldn’t have brought you home to us if he meant to harm you in any way.”
With those words, she released me, leaving me standing before the door alone.
Wringing my hands in front of me, I stared at the door.
A part of me said to go blazing in, demanding answers. Why did you take me? What do you want? When can I go back to the factory?
The other part feared meeting the master of the castle. Clearly, they weren’t in their right mind if the place was this broken down. Fran was the only living soul I’d come across and, for all I knew, it was just me and her here along with this mysterious master.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice in the matter. The tug at my center threw me forward, my hands bracing against the surface of the door. Clearly, Rumple wanted me to meet this master since he was the only one who could open the door and let me leave.
Scowling, I pushed away from the door and took a moment to get a grip on my fear.
Come on, Mara. You can’t just stand here forever. You can do this.
I sucked in a deep breath, my fingers curling around the brass door handle before I pulled it open with a whoosh of air.
My feet hesitated at the deep darkness before me. A fire in the fireplace was the only light in the dark. The tug in my stomach forced my feet forward, refusing to let me quiver in the doorway for long.
Each step was stilted and forced. My boots scuffed against the carpet that made a path toward the light in the fireplace. A single high-backed chair sat to one side. Someone moved in the seat, and I sucked in a shuddering breath.
My head darted from left to right as I frantically searched the room. The darkness of the room hid whatever might be hiding in the shadows. I had no way of knowing if we were alone or if something was waiting in the wings for me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to breathe slowly in and out. Nothing good would happen if I passed out right now. I had to get back to the factory. Not only for myself, but for the others that relied on me to keep Rumple at bay.
The faces of the children flashed through my mind, giving me the courage to keep moving forward.
When my feet reached where the fireplace light touched the carpet, I paused.
“Hello?” My voice came out a tiny squeak.
That wouldn’t do. Clearing my throat, I tried again, this time sounding like myself.
“Fran said you were the one who took me. I don’t know why, and I honestly don’t care.
But you must return me to the factory now. ”
There was no answer to my demands, only the chair creaking as the figure shifted in place.
My feet felt like they were full of lead as I moved the few feet forward, standing just behind the high-backed chair.
“Please. You don’t know what will happen to me if you don’t return me now.” The last words trembled out of me as the figure stood from his chair.
I stumbled a step back, the tall looming figure unrecognizable in the shadow of the fireplace. Still wearing the cloak from last night, he stepped forward with purpose, a hand reached out to me.
I flinched away, and he dropped his hand.
His head canted to the side for a brief moment before his hands lifted to pull the hood down. He turned slightly so the fireplace light reflected off his face. “I won’t harm you.”
I blinked into the dim fire light, my eyes settling on the lounging figure. Recognition flared through me.
“It’s you!”