CHAPTER 1 #2
My nails dug into my palms as I waited. The beast’s snarling breaths rasped close.
A puff of warm air stirred my hair, and I pressed my chest harder against my legs. A damp, coarse texture brushed the back of my hands.
I couldn’t breathe.
Its cold snout pressed harder against my left arm, and I gasped. With the next forceful nudge, my hands fell from my face, and I saw the predator before me.
My body stayed rigid as I stared at its mouth, waiting for the teeth, but its jaw was closed.
The beast slunk back and stopped, watching.
It did not attack.
Instead, it flared its snout and tilted its enormous head in a way I understood, as if beckoning me to follow.
Hesitation and fear rooted my body in place, but I turned my head toward the station.
The animal rumbled, baring its teeth again as though in warning.
“All right,” I gasped, raising my hands in surrender.
I forced myself upright, legs still shaking.
The beast turned, padding back in the opposite direction, deeper into the woods.
With a shuddering breath, I followed.
◆◆◆
The creature prowled farther into the forest, its steps silent over the stony path. The mist was thicker the deeper we reached, and my ankle was still sore from the fall, but the silence was probably the most unnerving part. No animals were in sight, except for the one leading me.
Leading me gods know where. Perhaps to meet its pack. I pushed away the thought that made me want to shudder.
I made a mistake along the way, because this was not the Capital.
The creature before me was something I couldn’t identify, and I didn’t even want to think about the skeletal monster it had killed.
Its ears twitched with every change in my pace, never looking back to check if I was following it. Trying to run would be useless.
A beam of light flashed into my eyes, blinding me for a few seconds. I squinted and looked toward the end of the wooded area, my eyes widening as I saw something else entirely. Straight ahead, a long stone stairway led up to a towering stone wall.
Higher, darker walls loomed until I couldn’t see anything above the clouds.
The castle sprawled across vast grounds, its exterior the colour of charcoal.
Four high turrets rose into view, smoke curling from somewhere behind the walls.
The towers’ spires were a dull grey, contrasted with the warm yellow light shining through glass windows.
We ascended the stone stairs, and it hit me that I’d left my luggage back in the woods with all my belongings. Maybe the last thing I should be worried about.
My thighs burnt after what felt like a hundred steps, and finally, we reached an arched tunnel entrance. The animal disappeared into the darkness without a glance back. I hesitated before forcing myself to follow.
The air inside was cold and damp, a sliver of light appearing as the tunnel opened into a large courtyard with green grass, stone benches, and a tall statue carved from black marble. A woman dressed in a robe that seemed to billow in the wind.
I couldn’t stare for too long. The animal padded ahead toward arched double doors, which swung open as it approached.
I entered what appeared to be a grand foyer, my eyes drawn to the double staircase at its centre, with ornate black railings and a deep navy-blue carpet.
The staircase led to a tall, arched window that allowed soft daylight to pour in, then split symmetrically in two directions to connect with the second floor.
Where the stairs curved, the ceiling rose, arching into a round dome adorned with a striking painting on its concave surface.
A dark grey sky was replicated with such precision that the clouds perfectly mirrored those outside.
The art gave the uncanny impression that its chandelier was suspended mid-air. It was—
The animal stopped. It glanced at my feet, then back at my eyes, as if ordering me to stay put before vanishing through a door on the right and leaving me alone.
There was no telling where I was or who lived in this opulent castle.
High windows bordered the upper walls, beneath which candle sconces cast a warm light.
Upholstered sofas, draped in luxurious fabrics, were arranged along the far end of an antechamber.
The place smelled of weathered stone and polished wood.
There was something else too, a different type of scent I was not used to and could only describe as sweet and metallic.
The rug over the stone floor looked impossibly neat, except for the dirt I had tracked in. Only mine.
I glanced at the door the animal entered through, wondering how come I was still alive, how come I could understand that creature.
My heart raced as I heard two voices coming from one of the hallways. The figures entered my line of sight, both with brooding looks.
“Human. And woman,” the old man said, but not to me. He wore a long black robe closed from neck to feet, his grey-white hair parted in the middle.
“Still sharp, Barracus,” the woman beside him quipped. Yet my focus was on her head, where two horn-like protrusions rose above white hair coiled neatly at the back.
They stopped far away from me, observing with sceptical eyes.
“What is your name?” she asked. Her elegant dark blue jacket was paired with a matching skirt that fell below her knees.
I shifted my gaze between them, noticing Barracus narrowing his eyes, deepening the lines on his face.
“Jane,” I replied, clearing my throat. “Darling.”
“Well, Miss Darling,” the woman continued in a grave tone, “do you know which land you’ve just trespassed? Or perhaps our first question should be, how did you get out at Mountheim?”
My breath faltered. Mountheim. I didn’t recall seeing it on the map, never heard of it.
“We don’t take mercy on invaders,” Barracus spoke, his voice cold, hostile. Enough to make me step back.
“I thought I was in Bickerton Cross. But there were creatures outside that . . .” I hesitated, unsure how to explain what I had seen. My gaze drifted to the door.
They exchanged a calm, untrusting glance and maintained their distance.
“So you’re claiming it was a mistake?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“It was, unless she lied to me on that train.”
I recognised the black-haired woman who had entered the foyer and turned lazily toward the other two. “But I’m not easily fooled. She was scared out of her wits when she was brought in. She’s no invader.”
“You were on my train.” My remark was tinged with reluctant relief. “You could’ve mentioned this wasn’t Bickerton.”
“You shouldn’t have been able to get out here, Jane,” she replied with a shrug.
The relief was short-lived, and I took in the space before me.
“Perhaps we can send her back,” the younger woman said to the others. “A quick influence, and no one needs to know.”
“Too much risk, Gwinifer,” replied Barracus without moving his stare. “For all we know, others have seen the human, too.”
“What did you say?” I asked, certain I’d heard him wrong.
Gwinifer sighed. “Then we might as well tell her.”
The older woman stared at me, her lips tight, her voice calm but stern. “You’re not in the Capital anymore, Miss Darling. You’ve crossed into mage territory.”
I frowned. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Cerridwen Cobweb. This is Barracus Crow, and this is Gwinifer Wicklow. We’re descendants of magekin, commonly known as mages, and you are in our territory.”
I couldn’t bring myself to react.
Before I could make sense of it, the doors to my right burst open. A figure strode toward us with swift, confident steps.
As Gwinifer stepped aside, I flattened my lips, my neck stiffening with a fear I couldn’t name.
He stormed past the others and halted just inches away, his broad shoulders blocking out the rest of the room.
The man’s voice bristled with hostility, his eyes sweeping over me from head to toe. “You’ve made a mistake wandering into our territory uninvited. Now, you can’t leave.”