Page 110 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
“Melly—”
“Shh,” she hushes me, glancing toward the door. “Not ’ere.”
Her fear is contagious. My own pulse picks up as I stare at my bedroom door, listening for any sign of Cassius’s return.
The markings left behind from the ropes weep as I rub my wrists, drawing blood back to my hands. Our movements are silent as I follow Melly back through the passage in my bedroom wall. The initial corridor is short, leading to a steep stairwell that dives several stories down. We reach the bottom, turning down another darkened hallway before Melly stops and pulls me in for a hug.
“Where ’ave ye been all this time?” she asks.
“It is impossible to explain. It seems our new queen and Prince Cassius have been working together to eliminate my family.”
Her eyes narrow. “I never liked ’im. Too pretty. It’s unnatural.”
What a ridiculous thing to say. “A murderer disguised as a noble prince. It is a waste of a pretty face.”
“But he didn’t get ye.” Melly wraps her arms around me again.
“Is it true? My father, is he dead?”
“He is. Poor soul. Right after ye fell ill. I thought ye were gone for good.” Her voice shakes.
“I’m back now.” I squeeze her tightly. It’s so good to see her. Her embrace brings me such comfort, but I need answers. “Melly, what has happened here?”
She takes a deep, steadying breath. “I don’t know where to begin.”
“Tell me everything,” I encourage.
“The castle gates ’ave been shut since ye fell ill.” Melly tells me of how quickly the castle changed after I ate the poison apple. She confirms my father’s death. I send that bit of brokenness deeper inside me. I don’t have time to grieve, not here, not yet. I realize somberly in that moment,a part of me already knew. She tells me of the disappearances of the servants, and the unusual new queen. “She’s a witch, I’m telling ye. A sorceress, mistress to the devil.”
Defensiveness gnashes its teeth within me. Harrow is the closest thing to the devil, and he would never touch someone as foul as Catreena. My chest aches.Where is Harrow?
“Why have you never told me of this passage?”
“Yer mother. God rest ’er soul. She made me swear I would keep it a secret. She knew ye’d use it to sneak out. She told meto only reveal it to ye in case of an emergency.” Tears well in her eyes. “I’m so sorry for yer loss. Yer mother and father. They’ve always been so good to me.”
My chest throbs where I’ve locked away all the pain from too many tragedies too close together. It’s banished now under lock and key. I’ll deal with it another day. Today, I need to be strong.
Resilience burns through my despair. “We need to get out of the castle. If the people learn what Catreena’s been up to?—”
“Wait. There’s something I ’aven’t told ye.” Melly’s face pales further.
“What is it?” I grasp her hands.
“She has a mirror.”
I stare back at her, not understanding why her voice shook when she spoke those words. “There are mirrors all throughout the castle.”
“No.” Melly grips my hands so hard my joints burn. “Ye don’t understand. It’s… There is something…” Her whole body shakes.
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close. My voice is a frightened whisper. “What is it, Melly?”
She speaks just below my ear. “There’s somethinginthe mirror.”
“Something?” What does that mean? I draw back just enough to look her in the eyes. “What kind of thing?”
She shakes her head, shutting her eyes so tightly it pulls the scars on the burned side of her face. “A monster. It’s the reason the servants have vanished. It… it takes them.”
Last week I would have dismissed her ravings.Monsters aren’t real, I would have told her. After what I saw in the in-between, I’ll never doubt anyone’s ludicrous ravings again. Memories of every dark, dangerous, hellish creature I encountered during my slumber flash behind my eyes. A tremor works its way through me.
