Page 33 of Crown of Briars
Immediately, my body hummed with anticipation as I itched to run my fingers along the spines of those tomes. What secrets did they hold?
But fear stayed my hand, making me pause on the threshold of the door.
From within the room, something creaked loudly, and soft footsteps approached. My heart jolted painfully in my chest, and, on instinct, I abruptly slammed the door shut. My pulse roared in my ears, my heart seizing with unease.
Azure bumped the back of my leg with her snout, and I jumped, yelping as I turned to face her. She stared at me with concern in her bright eyes.
I clutched my amber necklace, struggling to steady my breathing. “I’m fine. It’s all right. I just… heard something. Come on, let’s try a different door.” I was eager to put space between myself and this door in case whoever was on the other side was curious enough to try to find me.
It’s likely just a member of the staff,I told myself.That’s all.
I stepped farther down the hallway and turned the handle of the next door.
The same fireplace greeted me, the smell of charcoal and burning wood tickling my nose. My eyes flared wide, and I slammed the door shut again.
Azure huffed, but I couldn’t tell if it was out of amusement or frustration.
The next door yielded the same results. And the next. And the next. I tried every single door in the hallway, save for my own and Ramia’s, which both remained open. Each door only showed me that same room with the fireplace and the black fur rug.
I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. There was no way out of this hall, and the enchanted castleclearlywanted me to go into that room.
But why? Who or what was waiting for me in there? If this castle wanted me to go in there, then I had to assume danger lurked on the other side.
My head was reeling, and I staggered back a few steps. My back met the wall, and I leaned my head against it, breathing heavily. I felt Azure draw closer to me, pressing her nose into my side and humming gently, trying to soothe me. Absently, I stroked her snout, already comforted by the warmth her body offered.
My fingers pressed into the amber stone. Before I could speak, Azure’s voice was in my head.
“I could go into the room with you and face whatever is there,”Azure offered.
“No,” I said quickly. “What if it’s something dangerous? You aren’t even supposed to be here. If they find out, they might…” I couldn’t finish that sentence. I had no idea what these unseelie fae would do if they encountered a dragon. I hadn’t been bold enough to tell my father or even Gerard about Azure.
“Leave the door slightly ajar. Just in case.”
I shot her a stern look. “Don’t you dare come after me.”
“If your life is in danger, I certainly will. You cannot stop me, human.”
I rolled my eyes, knowing it was useless arguing with her. I wouldn’t deny it, but her insistence filled me with a modicum of comfort. At least some being in this world would mourn if I met my demise at the hands of a bloodthirsty unseelie fae.
“All right, castle, I’m trusting you,” I muttered before turning the handle and opening the door once more.
Just as before, the fireplace greeted me. The flames were even weaker than before, providing hardly any light at all. A few stray embers floated from the ashes within.
I paused at the threshold, running my fingers along the leather strap at my hip, reminding myself the weapon was there. Then, I strode inside. My foot caught the door before it snapped shut, leaving it open just a fraction, as Azure requested.
When I stepped fully into the room, I squinted into the darkness, hardly able to make out any details around me. With the fire nearly gone, the room, or whatever it was, was nearly swallowed in darkness.
A soft ticking noise echoed. The reverberations of the sound led me to believe the room was quite large. Frowning, I turned my head, trying to figure out where it was coming from.
Another loud creak sounded from behind me, and I whirled, heart thundering in my chest. My hand immediately went to the dagger at my hip, fingers brushing the hilt. A surge of strength and power flooded me. Emboldened, I said loudly, “Who’s there?”
Two silhouettes sat before me. It took a moment for me to realize they were a pair of matching wing-backed chairs.
One of them was occupied.
Slowly, the figure sitting in the chair stood. I could only make out a large pair of horns and a tall, muscular frame before a mass of shadows swarmed him like a cloud, blocking him from my scrutiny.
My heart sank with dread as I realized who it was even before he spoke.
