“I don’t see any sort of mechanism here to get through," Gerwyn finally says, sounding defeated.
“If it was a fail-safe for breaking into the castle, it wouldn’t be right next to it, or too obvious. It seems more mechanical than magical, so I’m looking for some sort of switch. They wouldn’t want it easily accessible in case of an attack," I point out without glancing up, too busy with my search. Desperation has me checking every book, knick-knack, and crevice, but keep coming up empty handed.
Gerwyn follows my lead and starts checking behind the canvases on the walls. I move on to the last piece of furniture, which is an ornate cabinet that matches the desk. Nothing can ever be easy, I internally rage when I realize it’s locked. I’m too far past subtlety, so I use my magic and send a jolt of ice through the lock. When that fails, I use the jewelry box I found earlier to smash into the lock mechanism, finally crushing it in enough to let me open the door. The inside is lined with intricate silver swords and daggers. A few bows and quivers of plumed arrows are tucked into an indention in the doors. Clearly these are not weapons of war.
Ripping them out one by one, I throw them unceremoniously on the floor. When nothing pops out at me, I run my hands slowly over the black lined interior. I’m not usually willing to stick my han
ds in dark corners of abandoned furniture, but desperate times and all that.
Elation and relief flood me when I feel a tiny notch hidden behind the lining just under the top shelf. As my fingers brush it, it seems to move slightly, so I give it a push until it lets out a click. The clink of metal tells me I’ve found our mark. I look over to the door in time to see the spikes receding back into their hiding spots and my Jacob grinning on the other side.
Gerwyn grabs my hand and rushes me through the doorway. “Just in case it doesn’t last,” he points out. As soon as we step through, Jacob pulls me into a hug, and I squeeze back harder when I realize he’s shaking.
“Bella," his voice sounds hushed and fearful, and I immediately know somethings wrong. My heart pounds as I glance around, expecting to find the fae who cursed our men. Instead, I spot a glowing, shadowy fae walking towards us. The specter would be so much less terrifying if it weren’t for the lack of facial features, just a void in its place.
“Fear not, that is not an angry spirit. It won’t be able to communicate with you, just let him pass," Gerwyn’s soothing voice eases some of my worry, but I can’t stop my heart from practically beating out of my chest as the spirit comes closer. It glides by and I hold my breath as it passes, half expecting it to turn toward us and attack. Can spirits even attack? I shudder at the thought and push it away, not wanting to think about it any longer.
“That was the scariest freaking thing I have ever seen. I think I just peed my pants," Jacob whispers, unable to be serious even after seeing a ghost face to face. I give a weak chuckle, but that’s all I can muster, my heart is still working overtime. That spirit was terrifying and I pray to the Gods that we don’t meet an angry one.
“Well, we survived, didn’t we? Let’s move on to finding a way to unfreeze our guys," I say in a shaky, false confident voice. “Wait, how did Jacob see it?”
“Jacob’s fae side is a product of your magic and determination. I’m assuming he’ll have a slight affinity to all of your abilities, though much weaker. Only time will tell the extent of his abilities, though. Faerie works in mysterious ways.”
We continue down the barren, stone hallway, our heads pivoting like owls as we pass each open doorway. I’m not sure if I think I’ll see another ghost or a trap, but we’re all remaining vigilant. The Winter King wasn’t only sadistic, but also cunning, and I have a feeling we haven’t seen anything yet.
Chapter 6
“We should probably just find a suite for the night. I fully suggest we stay together," I announce after we turned down what feels like the millionth corridor. My feet are aching and my eyes have that gritty tired feeling. The tension from walking among the spirits and the long day are finally taking a toll… I’m beyond exhausted.
We haven’t found any new signs of life or noise, but the castle is so big that I doubt we will unless we close in on it. The search might take us days. My chest aches at the thought of my lovers and friend frozen for that long, but there’s nothing else we can do.
“Agreed," Jacob says in answer to my previous suggestion, using his whiny voice he only gets when he’s completely exhausted. I link arms with him and we stumble down the hallway behind Wyn. After the third room, he finds a library with an attached restroom.
“This could work?” he asks tentatively, as he looks to us for approval. Jacob doesn’t bother to answer, instead he stalks towards one of the fluffy couches and face plants onto it, softly snoring within seconds.
“He’ll be out for the night now,” I reassure Gerwyn.
Shaking my head at Jacob’s ability to fall asleep so quickly, I grab the remaining cushions from the other couches and chairs until I have a big enough bed for Gerwyn and I to share. There’s no way I’m sleeping alone while those creepy spirits stalk the halls. I’ll be lucky if I don’t have nightmares of them watching us sleep.
“I need a minute,” I tell him before slipping into the restroom. Once inside I lean against the sink, taking a moment to just breathe. The intensity of the day is finally hitting me and I can’t shake the insane amount of guilt weighing me down. Especially now that we’re about to crash for the night, indoors and warm. But Gerwyn reassured me that the spell would keep them alive and I trust him, he’d never risk his brothers.
After using the restroom and splashing water on my face, I finally return to the room. Gerwyn is already snoring softly on our makeshift bed so I don’t hesitate to crawl in next to him.
As soon as I snuggle into Gerwyn’s side, I fall asleep within minutes, not even having time to overthink.
We wake the next morning to sunshine streaming through the windows. None of us waste time on small talk, instead we take turns getting ready and putting the cushions back where we found them.
Needing to eat something, for energy if nothing else, we sit at the small table nearby. Dormy drinks from a bottle cap and nibbles on crumbs while we eat a bit of our supplies. We never eat much, unsure when we’ll be able to get back home.
We continue to sit in silence as we eat, the mood somber and anxious. I contemplate the best plan for the day… I’m leaning toward running through the halls shouting and making noise to see if anyone steps forward to investigate. It would save a lot of time at least, even if it’s not very wise. I don’t think Gerwyn will agree to that particular plan and I have to hold back a giggle as I imagine the look on his face if I tried it.
“We could run around the castle and yell. I bet someone will come out and talk then," Jacob says with a smirk, glancing at Gerwyn.
“I thought the same thing in my head," I manage to get my words out, despite my laughter. Gerwyn is smiling but giving us a look that tells us just how crazy he thinks we are, and he’s just too polite to say it.
“We will…uh...keep that in mind. Until then I think we should check the kitchens, throne room, and tower greenhouse," Gerwyn suggests with a small laugh.
“Fine," Jacob says dramatically. He’s attempting to lighten our mood and I appreciate him for it. “Mine would be quicker, even if we wouldn’t survive.”