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Chapter 7
Ishoved a piece of smoked jerky into my mouth, chewing the salty deliciousness after finding a bucket load of the stuff in the pantry. They wouldn’t miss a few, so I pocketed three more strips for later. With no herbs at my disposal, my bobby pin and a meat skewer I found in a drawer would have to do. I fell to my knees in front of the kitchen door and jammed the tools into the keyhole, then shook them. I’d done this a few times before to break into the locks of boxes Dad would buy on the market. Jiggling the two metal objects, I couldn’t get my head around why such a huge castle was nearly empty. What had happenedhere?
The moment the lock clicked open, I punched the air. “Yes. Gotyou.”
Dumping the tools on the table, I ripped open the door and entered the darkened corridor. A rush of cool air greeted me. Time to discover what in the world was going on here. Most kitchens were built at the back of a home, so I swung left. I followed the rug to an enormous ballroom drowning in darkness. Only the silvery moonlight sprinkling in from the windows lit the marble flooring, along with a dozen chandeliers dripping with crystals. Against one wall stood an oversized shield divided into quarters, two diagonal parts in white, while red colored the other two. In the center lay two crossed swords and a blossoming red rose on top, its thorny stem curling around the weapons. The familycrest.
I made my way across the ballroom, my footsteps echoing behind me. Suspended between the chandeliers, more cobwebs filled the corners. And where in the world were theservants?
Regardless, I pictured grand balls, music filling the castle, food served on silver trays, women in glittery gowns, and men in suits asking ladies for a dance. I did a small spin, imagining myself doing just that. Except who was I kidding? The royals and their lavish lifestyle were in a world of their own, and unless one was born into the family, normal townsfolk were nothing more than potentialservants.
I had a job to complete and money to collect. Attending a ball was my foolish fantasy; the reality was I had to ensure my dad and I didn’t lose ourhome.
Next, I entered a waiting area with velvet-covered chairs lining the walls, perhaps where men courted women under the watchful eyes of their chaperones. Boring. Me, I’d drag a prince I eyed out into the garden and jump him behind the bushes. I smirked to myself and visited more rooms. All had the same thing in common. Dark and empty of people. The place was desolate. Plus, somehow I’d missed a rear exit to take me out to the yard and find the stables so I could collect my bag. Instead, I ended up in the front hallway again, facing thestairs.
If someone in the castle was sick from a curse, wouldn’t it make more sense to let me start treating them right away? And they would be up in a bedroom, not downstairs. Then I’d leave the house faster and put this whole experience to anend.
And I might as well get started before Beast came back, though I prayed he’d tracked down Raze alive andwell.
Up on the second level, I found more stairs, one heading left, the other right. I’d need a week to explore this house before I could make my way around without getting lostfirst.
A creak sounded behind me, and I jerked around, my heart pounding. But no one there. Had to be the castlesettling.
So I turned left because it appeared brighter. Dust coated the banisters. On the next level, I discovered nothing but empty areas, a few bedrooms that hadn’t seen action in too long. But on the third floor, a light flickered, so I followed the circular stairs, walls dotted with portraits of old people. Perhaps old kings andqueens?
At the landing, my gaze swept to the door with light dancing out fromunderneath.
My gut tightened, and sure, I was exploring a castle without consent, but I wouldn’t remain locked up. Dad always brought me up saying that only I had a right to make decisions that affected mylife.
I collected the blade from my boot and tucked it into my belt for easy access as I approached. “Hello?” I knocked. “My name is Bee and I’m here to help with a curse problem.” I didn’t plan to bust in on someone in their homeunannounced.
A guttural sound came from within. Was that acough?
The wooden floorboards creaked from inside, as if a person paced back and forth. Okay, I wasn’t alone after all. My stomach pinched, and my hands shook. I glanced down the hallway for any sign of life.Nothing.
I bit my lip. I’d come this far, so there was no turningback.
“Do you mind if I come in? I have a few questions.” I leaned an ear against the door, listening. More footfalls and a weird scraping sounded. A shiver zipped up my spine like it always did when the goddess sentwarnings.
But what was I suppose to do? Sit in the kitchen until the princes returned? What if they didn’t come back until tomorrow? Besides, I’d already announced I was here, so wouldn’t it be rude of me to leave? My brain churned, trying to work out the best solution. If it weren’t for the nerves dancing beneath my skin, I’d already be in the room. Yet my imagination conjured up a bloodbath, the servants butchered, a bear watching over them. Igrimaced.
Goddess, give me strength.My priority was getting home and that meant discovering what curse I was dealing with. Then I’d track down the carriage, use the kitchen knife to cut it loose, and get started on my spell. By the time the smug Beast returned, I’d have the hex cured and then in the morning, I could leave with my big, fatpayment.
Before I convinced myself to run away, I grasped the handle. “I’m coming in, okay?” I called out and pushed it open. At first, only the fluttering of candlelight washed across the walls, revealing shredded wallpaper and a wardrobe on its side, the doors off their hinges and laying in the corner. White feathers plastered everything in sight. Goddess, my first thought flew to a chicken butchery house. Please don’t let me stumble across a bear tearing into abird.
A copper and musty stink accosted me, smothering mysenses.
I held my breath and stepped deeper inside to view the rest of the room. “I’m here—” My words vanished and a jolted spark ran through me as I faced a gigantic metal cage taking up half the room. Shredded fabric lay strewn on the floor. Inside, a man crouched in the corner with his back to me and made a strange huffing sound like an animal unable to get enough air into hislungs.
My heartbeat banged in myears.
Why was this person imprisoned? Was this what they did to people they pretended to hire for supposed help, and Goddess, what if that was what had happened to all the servants? “Are you okay?” Fear tangled in mychest.
He gave no response, and while the whole situation creeped me the hell out, I couldn’t walk away. Not if this man faced danger. He might have been cursed. Curiosity drove me closer, but I still kept mydistance.
“Who’s in there?” Nervousness burrowed through me. The situation reminded me of the time I’d found an injured bear cub in Terra, his leg caught in a trap. Worried he’d end up as someone’s rug, I’d released him and taken him home to heal him with Dad’s help. Then we’d freed him in the wilderness of WhitePeak.
Yet staring at the figure with torn pants and brown fur sticking out, as if only his legs had transformed into a bear’s, pity flooded me. How was this different from anyone else needinghelp?
