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Christian’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “On a hike in the Magura Forest?”
Mihai threw him a curt nod. “I know these woods well.”
Is it just me,Christian wondered,or is this whole thing getting weirder by the day?He turned to Olivia and raised an eyebrow. Olivia gave a hesitant smiled. “That’s nice of Elena. A little hike would be fun.”
The keeper grinned, stretching his wrinkled face and exposing his yellow teeth.
Christian faked a smile. “Do you mind if I join?” he asked, curiously watching the keeper’s grin vanish.
“Not at all,” Olivia said, her smile turning genuine.
Mihai stepped forward, shaking his head slowly, almost disapprovingly. “Don’t you have to go and check on your mother?”
“I’ll just call from the newly discovered landline. She’ll be fine.” He kept his gaze on Mihai, who stared back before letting out a short grunt and walking off.
“Meet me in front of the gate at two,” he instructed as he left, his cloak flapping with every step of his long legs.
I hope she doesn’t think I’m creepy,Christian thought. He remembered the previous night, when he’d opened his eyes and saw her standing above him. It had felt like a dream; he’d almost reached out and pulled her into his arms.Thank God I didn’t.He sighed with relief, bringing his cup of coffee to his lips. He stole a glance at Olivia. She smiled as she ate. She looked so innocent. The way her lips moved as she chewed, and how she occasionally tucked a loose strand of her soft hair behind her ear.She’s really pretty.
He was glad he hadn’t left her alone with Mihai. But why didn’t he? Why did he care so much? Sure, the whole thing was weird, but it’s not like she was in real danger. So, “Why?” The word slipped out of his mouth and he stiffened. Olivia looked up. She caught his gaze and stopped chewing.
“Did you say something?”
It was his turn to look away, letting his gaze fall on his steaming coffee cup.
“Sorry. Nothing important. Was just thinking out loud. Do you want to explore the castle some more before the hike? We still have to investigate the spooky attic.”
She grinned. “I can live with that . . . if we skip the haunted dungeon today.”
***
The gravel and dried yellow and orange fall leaves crunched under their feet as they walked through the walled-in courtyard of the castle. The air was thin and a bit cold, the sky still grey and grim. Olivia wore a black wool coat over blue pants and a pair of hiking boots she’d luckily brought from home. A crow was cawing from somewhere in the leafless sea of trees rising over the grey stone walls. Christian stopped next to her, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt.
“You’re not cold?” she asked.
“Yeah, I get hot quickly when I hike. Besides, this isn’t Siberia,” he replied and shoved her playfully with his shoulder. She giggled.
They reached the rusty iron gate and Christian looked around. “He told us to meet him here at two, didn’t he?”
Olivia opened her mouth, but out of nowhere—as always—Mihai approached them from behind, dressed in a dark wool outfit, a rifle in his left hand. Olivia stared at the gun as Christian rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Mihai patted the rifle. “It is for our safety . . . against the bears.”
Remembering the words of the couple the night the van had broken down, they both nodded, although Olivia more enthusiastically than Christian.
Mihai rested the rifle against his shoulder. “This way,” he said and led them through a small wooden door in the wall and onto a trail.
Despite the gloomy feel, the woods and mountains were quite pretty. The fog had returned, but not as thick as before, and now, somehow, it gave the place a nice dramatic effect. The air around the woods smelled of fresh dirt and leaves.
Mihai was leading the way, and Olivia walked beside Christian, her arm occasionally brushing up against his. Olivia couldn’t help but smile as she surveyed the peaceful forest, even stretching out a hand to touch the stiff branches of the trees.
“Someone seems to be enjoying this,” Christian said in a hushed tone.
“I admit it was a bit creepy last night, but now it’s almost like being in a Tim Burton movie. I love it!”
After about two hours, they came upon a large, round clearing filled with small stone houses whose walls and roofs looked crumbled and old. Most of the houses had fallen apart and were overridden by high grasses. A brown rabbit hopped past one of them.
“Looks like an abandoned village,” Christian said.
