I woke up sore and stiff, but otherwise unscathed. A few whispers of sunlight poured in through the window above me, but moments later the
cloud cover was back, casting the cell in gloom. I tried to imagine the sun on my face.
Yesterday’s events had felt like some kind of sickened fever dream—but awakening to the damp stone around me was as grounding as being slapped across the face. I was going to have to find some way out of here. No more blubbering. No more tears of any kind, actually. I steeled myself for the day ahead.
Unmistakable curiosity getting the best of me, I peered into the cell to my left. My eyes widened and my body went rigid to find it… empty. The man from last night was gone.
How had I not heard him be released? No bars clanking or soldiers escorting him out.
Could the argument I heard last night have been between the stranger and a soldier? I hadn’t heard any footsteps come toward us. I tried to peer further through the bars into the cell on the far side of the stranger’s. Was there anyone in there that he could have been arguing with? I couldn’t tell.
Did he escape? Or—
My blood turned to ice at the new thought. An execution might have been silent. I felt a pang in my heart at the thought of his strong, tall frame hanging by a noose inside the castle gates. Or worse, his severed head on a spike.
The thought of my head next to his followed. If it happened to him, it could very well happen to me… I physically shook the dreadful images
from my head.
I stared up at the grey, cracked stone ceiling, preparing for a day of being trapped in a damp cell, attempting to keep horrific thoughts and crippling panic at bay.
The sound of footsteps making their way down the dungeon hall drew my attention back down. It was the Broad Man, and he was heading toward my cell. I ripped off the fur cloak and shoved it with shaking hands under the bench beside me. By the time I looked up he was standing at my cell door, working the door open. The lock was old and rusted and took an extra pull for him to wrench it free.
“Good morning,” he offered. His face had gained some color back overnight. He looked much more… alive than he had when he brought me down here.
I scrambled back as far into the wall behind me as I could. “What’s going on?”
“You’re needed.”
I prayed to the Stones that I was needed to heal someone, and not by the lieutenant. I tried to stay positive. At least I was leaving the cell.
He handed me a simple black dress and some aromatic dark brown bread. My stomach grumbled at the smell. Surprisingly, Broad Man turned to give me privacy. I crammed a mouthful of bread in before shedding my Amber clothes with lightning speed and slipping on the black dress. It smelled of lilac soap.
“Thank you,” I said, when I was decent. The Broad Man turned, his eyes kind as they appraised me. I swallowed some fear and gestured toward his abdomen. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than I thought was possible, thanks to you.” He smiled awkwardly, “I’m Barney. And I’m sorry about last night. For what it’s worth, I did not want to take you from your home.”
Somehow, It’s fine, don’t worry about it, Barney. These things happen,
didn’t find its way out of my mouth.
“What happened to you anyway?” I asked instead.
He shook his head. “You first. What kind of magic was that?”
If only I knew.
There was something warm in Barney’s eyes though. A hint of a smile pressed at my lips. “I guess we’ll just both keep our secrets.”
The walk out of the dungeon felt much shorter than the one inside last night. I followed Barney into the courtyard and immediately sucked in a wonderful lungful of fresh, morning air tinged with the smell of rain.
It was cloudy and frigid out, and once again I remembered how much chillier the north was. The fox fur cloak, courtesy of the dungeon stranger, was much warmer than my new black wool dress, with its leather corset and puffed antique sleeves. The dark realization that the stranger probably wouldn’t need his fur anymore only made me shiver harder.
It was just after dawn and the castle grounds were quiet. I assumed everyone was still sleeping, save for the sentries that manned the premises. I followed Barney through the large, wrought iron castle doors, and was greeted by the smells and sounds of a keep just waking up. Fresh bread baking somewhere in the kitchens, floors being scrubbed with various lavender and vanilla soaps. For an early morning, the keep’s inhabitants were working overtime to make sure every surface shone and every window gleamed.
The castle was devastating in its haunting beauty. Having never been inside one before, I couldn’t help my wonder. Shadowhold was still terrifying—eerie and haunting like ghosts inhabited every shadowed corner and lurked behind every trap door—but there was no denying the majesty of it. Complex, sweeping stonework contrasted the soft light that billowed through warped windows of colorful glass. Barney must have noticed my awe because he seemed to purposefully walk slower so I could take it all in. Dusty blue and violet tapestries, rich, velvety green curtains, dark wood tables and chairs scarred with years of wear. Dark vases filled with the strangest flowers I had ever seen adorned the great hall as we walked through it. Spindly, sorrowful-looking things. Twisted vines and dark hues
set them apart from what grew in Amber. My mother would love them.
If I ever saw her again to tell her of them.
We trudged up a carved, stone staircase that wound around the keep,
creating several little candle-lit enclaves, and came to a stop in front of a door on the second floor, across from the gallery. A worn, wooden sign read ‘Apothecary & Infirmary’ and hung lopsided against the wood.
Fleeting relief crammed my heart back into my chest.
Not torture, nor instant death. Not the perverse lieutenant.
This, I could do.
“This is where you will work. I’ll be outside all day to keep an eye on you so don’t do anything that would require the lieutenant.” He said it like a warning, but I read a plea in his expression as well. “I’ll take you back to the dungeon when the day is done.”
I nodded, though the thought of the iron bars of the cell closing in on me sent dread skittering down my spine.
I’d have to save that panic for later.
Barney thought for a moment and added, “Our king is a man of justice. If he cannot persecute your brother for what he stole, he will take from you instead. Don’t give him a reason to take more than your trade.”
“Thank you, Barney.”
Barney closed the door behind me, and I drew in a deep breath as I appraised the apothecary.
The wood-floored room had huge windows behind the counter that looked out onto the dizzying array of oaks and elms surrounding the keep. Strips of sunlight drifted in lazily, highlighting the specks of dust that floated through the musky air.
It smelled of arrowroot, lemongrass, and other salves—a mix of sweet, fragrant, and medicinal that I found strangely comforting. Rows and rows of shelves filled with various herbs and ointments took up most of the space, with a few nooks and crannies for more bizarre objects from around the continent, very few of which I had seen before.
Of course, I didn’t plan to tell anyone that. I’d have to put my abysmal lying skills to the test if asked about anything in here, lest I be deemed useless to the castle. What would they do then? Kill me? Hunt my brother down again? I doubted the Onyx soldiers would be able to track down my family now, especially if they had made it to the Garnet Kingdom. I winced
at the irony. If King Ravenwood’s men couldn’t find my family, it was unlikely I would ever be able to either.
“Hello? In here!” bellowed a man’s voice.
My brows creased and tension coiled my hands into fists. I rolled up the sleeves of my dress before following the sound around the counter and to the right. Inside was a smaller room that must have been the infirmary. Sitting on a narrow daybed was a portly man with a red handlebar mustache. Despite his bulbous, purpled leg, he had a cheery smile on his face.
“Morning,” he said, wincing. “Lovely day for an injury, don’t you think?” A small ripple of relief trickled over me. I had been anticipating a menacing general or soldier. Someone like Bert, whom I might have to heal
quickly or risk death. This man was clearly not a threat.
And the sight of his mottled leg was a tonic to my racing heart and clenched jaw. Healing, in any capacity, calmed me. It was bizarrely exactly what I needed.
“What do you have going on there?” I leaned down to take a peek. The veins in his lower leg bulged angrily against his skin.
“I was out gathering firewood for the soldiers that have taken up residence within the castle gates. You can just tell by the morning’s clouds that it’s about to be a mighty cold evening. Walked through what must’ve been a bramble bush, and next thing I know my leg looks like an eggplant.” He grimaced as I lifted his leg and placed it in my lap.
Good news was that this was a simple case of bramble poisoning. Completely treatable and fairly easy to do. Bad news was that draining the poison was agonizing, and I feared even this sturdy man might not be up for the experience.
I smiled at him evenly. “I can help you, sir, but I must warn you, it’s fairly painful.”
“Call me Owen. Are you the new healer? Our last one died on the battlefield just a few miles from here. Heard she took an arrow through the eye socket.” Owen gave me a bright look that said he thought this was a fun fact.
“Yes, well,” I said, cringing at the mental image. “I’m Arwen.” “A beautiful name!”
I smiled despite myself.
I was tired. Exhausted, really. And no amount of sweet, mustached men would crumble the mountain of fear that had erupted in my soul at being here. But I couldn’t go back in time. All I could do was try to take care of myself, and to do that, I needed to take care of Owen and his purple leg. Maybe if I did a decent enough job, someone might let me sleep in an actual bed.
“All right, Owen. Hold on tight.”
“Do your worst,” he said, cheeks rounding in merriment. Owen was an odd fellow, but it seemed I had met the one decent person in the keep.
Owen laid down and I got to work with my salves and tweezers. When he shut his eyes against the pain, I pulled the poison through my fingertips, watching as his veins became less and less swollen. His face turned a red that rivaled his mustache as he strained through the discomfort. I worked swiftly and finished before he could ask me to stop.
“I’d try to keep off it for a few hours and drink a lot of water today.”
Owen looked at me with disbelief. “I didn’t know poison could be extracted so fast. We’re lucky to have you.”
I smiled and helped him hobble out, giving Barney a little wave through the open door.
Back inside, I looked through the books, scrolls, potions, and strange bottled creatures that adorned the apothecary walls. I devoured all the new information—so many ways to fix and mend and cure that I had never learned with Nora. Maybe something would spark an idea of how to escape from this place. I had more freedom than I would have expected as a prisoner, and with that came opportunity; I just needed a day or two to plan something that could actually work.
But after a few hours, the day started to crawl toward sundown. The minutes were like hours, the hours like lifetimes.
The reality of my situation had dawned on me around hour three, and I had been obsessing over it for the remainder of my sentence in the
apothecary. I hadn’t found anything of use to aid my escape, and every window, every door that I could see, was either locked or guarded. Not to mention my Barney-shaped shadow that I didn’t think I was likely to shake anytime soon.
But even more difficult than breaking out of the castle would be surviving in the woods beyond. Even if somehow, I beat those odds, I still had no idea how to navigate the enormity of Onyx. I was unskilled, weak, and uneducated on anything related to this kingdom. Completely unprepared for a life without the safety of my family. And where were they? Had they made it to Garnet? If so, what city? What village?
I slumped down behind the counter. Was it even worth fighting my fate? But then I thought of Ryder. Of his strength.
He was everything I wasn’t. Creative where I was practical, outgoing where I was shy. Brave, charismatic, popular, and adored by everyone. I was sure half the people I had grown up with wouldn’t know my face from any other chocolate-haired Amber girl. He was the sun, and everyone circled around him, enchanted by his light. Which meant I was like some far-off planet, shrouded in a lonely expanse of space. Or maybe a lone meteor, trying with all its might to work its way into orbit.
But mostly, he was unbelievably brave.
And I was not. I had been crippled by fear my whole life.
But maybe I could pretend. Pretend I had his courage, heroism, and confidence, and see how far that got me. I was not as naturally daring as Ryder, but I was not ready to roll over and admit defeat just yet, either.
I stood up and hunted for anything that might be useful on my long and likely dangerous journey. Ointments and medical supplies from the drawers and cupboards around me, a sharp pair of shears, and some edible plants. I stuffed everything that I could into my skirt pockets. After, I looked for anything that would give me a sense of how or when to leave this place without being caught by the guards, but nothing jumped out.
As the sun set, I cleaned up for the day and thought of how to ask Barney to allow me to wander the castle so I could look for less frequented doorways, paths, or gates. Stopping to fix an off-kilter jar, I barely saw the
mass of fiery-red hair that came barreling in and plowed right into me. My heart leapt from the shock as I grasped clumsily at the shelf behind me, and we both caught a few falling baubles that I had dislodged.
“Sorry! Sorry. Ugh, what a day,” she said frantically. Her wavy mess of bright red hair framed a face with delicate features and a freckle-dotted nose. She smelled like cinnamon and cloves, and there was something about it that felt familiar and warm.
“It’s fine, I—” Before I could finish, the spritely girl unceremoniously dumped her satchel on the floor and sank into one of the lambskin chairs in the center of the room. She tied her unruly hair up with a quill—a unique skill I hadn’t seen done before—and kicked off her slippers, tucking her feet underneath her.
“My papa was in here earlier and left his sock behind. I told him we aren’t so unfortunate to need a single sock back in our possession, but you know fathers,” she said.
I stared blankly at her. I didn’t, actually.
“Always waste not, want not and whatnot, so I told him I’d come fetch it on my way back from the library. But then I got stuck there until almost dusk. I guess every single person in the keep has decided today is the day they want to enrich their minds or just ruin my day or something, so here I am, hours later than planned, about to miss the first play of the spring, because of a damned sock.”
I must have looked bewildered because her eyes widened at me before she let out a slight breath and laughed.
“Sorry. I’m Mari. My papa says my speed comes from my red hair. Makes me feisty, I guess. You must be Arwen. He said you were really spectacular. Healed him quickly and with little pain. Thank you for that.” She smiled at me kindly.
“Oh, yes. Of course. He was lovely.” I leaned over the counter and produced the sock in question. “Here you go.” I expected Mari to leave but she just took the sock and settled further into the chair.
I shifted awkwardly on my feet. She didn’t seem threatening, but I was still anxious. I peered around her and out at Barney, who looked like he had
dozed off against a dark granite column in the gallery overlooking the courtyard.
Some bodyguard.
“So, new healer,” Mari said, “How’d you end up here in Shadowhold?”
Like father, like daughter. Both Mari and Owen had a contagious ruddy cheer in their smiles, but Mari had a keen knowing to hers that Owen lacked. She seemed about my age, and was shockingly beautiful, in a slightly wild and breathless way. It was intimidating. She seemed like she might eat men for breakfast. Maybe there were men out there who would enjoy that.
I wasn’t sure if I should tell her I was a prisoner. Would anyone trust me to heal them knowing I was from an enemy kingdom? I debated outright lying to her but remembered how that had worked for me last time. I fisted my hands in the thick skirts of my dress and settled for a half-truth.
“I just came here yesterday to fill the open position, and don’t know much about the place.”
I hoped that Mari’s eagerness could help my predicament. Maybe she would tell me a bit too much, and I’d garner some information that might be useful in my escape. As long as she didn’t ask where I was from. I knew better than to say Amber, but my lack of world experience made making something up impossible.
“Well, I can tell you everything you need to know. Most folk here are fairly dull and not too educated if I’m being honest. The keep houses soldiers and their families, the commander and generals of the army, some dignitaries and noblemen, and people like Papa and I who keep the place running.
“Anyway,” she shifted, pulling her knees up under her, “I’ve lived here all my life, only been into Willowridge once for a holiday and it was grand. So much history and loads of ancient books. But Shadowhold is lovely if you don’t go outside much. I’m sure you already know, but the Shadow Woods aren’t safe for anyone, even folk like me who know it inside and out. One too many creatures in those woods for my liking, and I’m pretty brave. Not to brag, but I’m not really humble either.”
She looked off for a moment, as if debating if she really was humble. “What was I saying? Sorry. It has been such a day.”
I gave her a warm smile. She was kind of charming. “That you’ve lived here all your life?”
“Right. The great hall serves a decent supper most nights. The rabbit stew is my favorite, but you can’t go wrong with the brisket either. People keep to themselves but are kind if you get to know the right folk, like me. I’d steer clear of the commanders and soldiers. They weren’t too friendly before the war, and now they really have their trousers in a bunch. I’d especially keep clear of Lieutenant Bert. He’s a foul brute. My papa thinks something horrible must have happened to him as a child because he’s so twisted. That’s just basic trauma though. I have a lot of books on that if you’re curious. He’s been even worse lately. Ever since King Ravenwood arrived, they’ve all been more on edge.”
My stomach suddenly felt like lead.
The wicked king was here? In the same castle as me?
“Do you know what he’s doing here?” I tried to keep my question casual. I’m sure it was common for kings to leave their capitals and visit their army outposts, but I feared what it meant for our kingdom’s position.
Mari frowned. “I’d imagine he’s working with his army to plan their next attack on Amber. He’s a brilliant war general, our king. Don’t you think? Amber is an interesting kingdom to go after. No doubt it has its logistical perks. I just wish he had stronger diplomacy. No king can succeed with a reputation as a sadist and womanizer.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head—I would never speak so poorly of my own King Gareth, even if he was the halfwit son of our once great King Tyden, Stones rest his soul.
“What do you mean by that?” When Mari gave me a strange look, I quickly added, “I grew up in a very small town. Don’t really know much about politics.”
This was true, actually. A swift look of disappointment clouded Mari’s dark caramel eyes, as if she had hoped her new acquaintance might have been brighter, but she seemed to think better of it when she realized she
could educate me.
“Well, for starters, he’s kind of a whore.”
This time I snorted, and she broke into a bright laugh.
“It’s true! I’ve heard he’s slept with half the kingdom, but he never plans to take a queen. I think it’s because he doesn’t want to share any of his power. Which I guess is smart, politically speaking, but pretty cold if you ask me. He’s also not afraid of violence, torture, betrayal—anything to get what he wants in battle. The history books already describe him as one of the fiercest rulers ever to grace the continent. He goes through lieutenants like pairs of undergarments. Nobody seems able to hold a position in his army for long, other than Commander Griffin. He’s never even had much of a relationship with the noblemen or lords of the kingdom. Just cold and ruthless, like I said.”
This fit with everything I had heard my whole life about King Ravenwood. I wasn’t naive enough to think Amber’s tales of Onyx’s King and soldiers weren’t a bit inflated, but to hear it from a member of the kingdom itself only proved the stories true.
Knowing he was now here, in the keep, only fueled my need for escape.
Mari stared at me, clearly wondering what I had drifted off thinking about.
“Sorry, it’s just—” I hesitated, “horrible to hear bad things about our king. That’s all news to me!” I cringed at the phony surprise in my voice. Why was I so bad at this? “I heard King Ravenwood keeps dragons, is that true?” I did not want to run into another one of those on my way out of here.
But she only laughed. “Only the one. I’ve seen it circling above the keep once or twice. Ghastly thing.” Mari shuddered. “There are all kinds of beasts in the woods though. Chimeras, ogres, goblins.”
I twitched in quiet horror.
I hadn’t ever considered such creatures might be real, hadn’t given an ounce of credence to the rumors and gossip that swirled around my hometown. I had once seen a basilisk fang when a traveling merchant hawking oddities had passed through, and I had figured it was some kind of
hoax. “Those things are real?”
“You really are from a small town,” Mari raised a skeptical eyebrow at me. “Next you’ll be saying Garnet’s salamanders or Pearl’s snow wraiths are myths too.”
I tried to keep my jaw from falling through the floor.
“It’s after dinner time.” Mari held her elbow out for me to take. “Shall we catch the tail end of this play together?”
But I shook my head. Given how much she feared King Ravenwood, I didn’t think she’d want to befriend me further if she knew the truth: that I was a prisoner here and had to get back to my cell. Plus, I didn’t want to venture farther into the castle—if those creatures prowled in the woods, what was inside the castle walls?
I looked over to Barney who had awoken and was standing just outside the apothecary doors.
“Sorry, I’m exhausted from my first day and need some sleep.”
“All right.” Her face fell just a bit, but she rebounded quickly. “I’m sure I’ll see you around. I have to come ask Dagan something tomorrow, anyway. Be well!” And with that, she was off.
“Wait, who is Dagan?” I called after her, but she had already made her way down the gallery hall toward the great stone staircase.
My raised voice did bring the needling eyes of both a broad-shouldered soldier with a skull helmet of bone and a noblewoman dressed in a dark lace corseted dress and violet and ebony jewelry.
Shit, shit, shit.
I winced before ducking back into the apothecary to catch my breath.
Everyone here scared me. They all brimmed with violent, shadowy power and cruel intent. Like I was meat, and they were starving.
Except maybe Owen. And his red-haired daughter. And maybe Barney—I wasn’t sure about him yet. But regardless of the outliers, the Onyx people were to be avoided at all costs.
I waited until there was nobody in the gallery before leaving the apothecary. Barney was waiting outside as he had been all day and greeted me with a tired smile. I followed him down the stairs in silence. Gloomy
portraits of Onyx royalty with pale, melancholy faces stared back at me alongside wrought iron candelabras and chandeliers.
I tried to avoid the threatening looks of the soldiers coming into the grand hall, and to keep myself from watching longingly as their families met them at the end of a long day to share a meal together. I missed Ryder, Leigh, and my mother desperately. I wondered where they were, and if they were as worried about me as I was about them.
The halls were growing dark as night cascaded on the castle, and I needed to find a way out that wasn’t through the main castle doors which were heavily guarded. Before we rounded the shadow-shrouded corner on our way back to the dungeons, hushed tones coming from a closed door down the hall caught my attention.
I could see a faint glow of candlelight emanating from below the wooden panels, and the slight gap in the frame allowed the sound to carry in my direction. The door had no guards—could this be another way out?
I peeked up at Barney.
“Can I look at this painting for a moment?” I asked, nodding to the one closest to the mysterious room. Upon actually looking at it, I winced. The painting was of a rather well-endowed nude man cradling his… endowment.
Barney turned pale with embarrassment. “Uh… sure.”
I felt my face flush but counted my blessings. His discomfort at what he must have assumed was my sexual interest in this exaggerated oil painting was probably all that stopped him from saying no.
I inched closer to the open door while staring at the least fascinating painting of a naked man I’d ever seen, just in case Barney looked my way. I was about to try the handle when a harsh voice, speaking in low tones filtered through.
“With all due respect, your majesty, that’s what you said last time, and now we are losing men at an alarming rate. I can’t train men as fast as they’re disappearing.”
Your majesty? Was he talking to—
Another voice interjected, one that was smooth as silk and simmering
with heat.
“And with no respect whatsoever—you’ll have to. Don’t make me turn another one of your lieutenants into an example. You know how much I enjoy it.”
King Ravenwood.
It had to be.
I went stick straight, heart hammering in my chest.
“You can brutalize whomever you’d like. It won’t help us locate what we need in time. Just means I have to go find new lieutenants.”
“Isn’t that what I pay you so handsomely for?”
“What about taking a break from the search for a single week, just long enough to—”
“No—you know the seer’s words as well as I do. Time is running out, Commander. We have less than a year.”
A seer? What could—
Barney’s rough hand encircled my arm, and I jumped nearly a foot in the air at the contact.
“That’s enough, the painting will still be here tomorrow,” he said, expression hard and cold. But his eyes flared with concern more than anything else. Had he too heard the furtive conversation? As he pulled me away, the other man—the one the king had called commander—sighed, and I heard a chair scrape back.
“You used to be more fun.”
Barney and I walked out into the chilly night air and away from the hushed argument. The last thing I heard was a dark chuckle that felt like a wave crashing inside my chest.
