Page 66 of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
What terrified him most was knowing that every step Victoria took toward Lenore carried her closer to death.The ritual had never been meant for her—it had been meant for Eleanor Ravenwood, the blood sacrifice required to break Lenore’s captivity.
Now fate had twisted, and it was Victoria who stood in her place.
Now, she was doomed.
Chapter 26
Thehousewaseerilysilent, which seemed odd.Normally, there were creaks and groans and other sounds indicating supernatural life.Victoria wasn’t sure what to make of it.Fear skipped through her like icy tendrils dancing up her spine as she stood in the hallway and peered down at the west wing.
Shadows clung to every corner, every nook, every cranny.A faint mist hovered over the floor.And the cold air pressed against her.Like a threat.
Or a promise.
Determination, though, was stronger than her fear.Inhaling a deep breath, she forced her feet to move into the west wing.
Her first stop was the bedroom she suspected was Lily’s.Her hand wrapped around the knob, and for a moment, she hesitated.She wasn’t sure what she’d find in there.The last time she was in this room a mirror appeared and showed her the ghost girl.
“I am not afraid,” she whispered, hoping to give herself courage.
Finally, she turned the knob and pushed open the door with a creak.
It revealed the room cloaked in shadow.Undisturbed.Dust clung to every surface.Spiderwebs drifted from the corners like elaborate lace.In the middle of the bed, a lilac.As though it had just been plucked from the garden.
She stepped inside, her heart a frantic beat.She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but something had drawn her here.Moving deeper into the room, she looked for signs other than the lilac.Signs that there was something—or someone—still here.
“Are you my mother now?”
The girl’s voice in the quiet startled her.Her heart fluttered into a wild beat as she turned to see the ghost girl standing near the open door.The light from the hallway filtered in, slashing through her opaque form.Victoria moved closer, trying to keep her wits about her as she peered down at the girl with the large, blue eyes so different from her mother’s.
For the first time, she noticed the ghost girl’s skin was pale blue.Her lips, too.Her gown was rumpled and wet.Droplets of water shimmered on the floor at her feet.
Victoria managed a smile.“I’m looking for your mother.Do you know where she is?”
Lily glanced over her shoulder toward the hall, then looked back.“Her room is down the hall.”
The girl must be referring to the suite she’d explored before.When she found both Lenore’s and Gabriel’s portrait.She forced a smile.
“Perhaps take me there,” she suggested.
Lily shook her head, her eyes wide with sudden fear.“I’m not allowed.”
But Victoria was not to be dissuaded.“Then perhaps point to it?”
The girl hesitated there as the minutes ticked by.Her gaze darted back toward the hall, as though unsure.
“Lily, I promise you won’t get into trouble,” Victoria said, sensing her unease.
“You promise?”
She nodded.“You have my word.”
“All right.”
Victoria followed her into the hallway once again, where the light seemed to fade.The girl took a few steps toward the main suite, leaving wet footsteps behind, then halted midway.She pointed.There was a door to the right.One Victoria hadn’t noticed before in her exploration.One that had not been there before.
“Thank you, Lily,” she muttered.
The girl turned and bounced away, her image fading away to nothing.
