Page 3 of A Vow of Shadows

I stood, letting my hair fall back over my shame. “If Taryn wishes to see me, she may call on me privately. I’ve no interest in becoming a public spectacle. No more than I already am, at least.”

Knowing this conversation could go in circles for hours, I turned and stormed out of the parlor. Mother called after me, but I put one foot in front of the other until I was certain she hadn’t pursued me.

All the while, the bluebells rang.

Chapter 2

Katrin

The light tinkling sounds followed me down the hall, their gentle chiming at odds with the ominous fate they foretold.

Death was coming for me.

I’d told no one, though most of the town had long suspected my ill fate. I doubted anyone would believe that the clock counting down toward my expiration was nearing its final hour.

Almost eight years had passed since the dusky shadows first tainted my fingertips, and I still had more questions than answers. Though now they covered most of the left side of my body, I hadn’t believed the townsfolks’ rumors and ramblings until the ringing had started a few weeks earlier.

It had begun as innocuous sounds that could be written off as theclinkof silverware or thejingleof coins in a purse. Over time, the bells had grown louder, increasing in frequency and fervor until it had become the clamor it was now. For days, the bluebell’s melodic notes had crawled so deep into my ears, they clawed at my sanity.

I clapped my hands over my ears and hummed the first tune that came to mind. Bustling servants gave me a wide berthwhich wasn’t altogether unusual. However, the quizzical glances thrown my way were quite a change from being ignored.

Tucking my elbows in close, I scurried into the grand foyer with no particular destination in mind. I would stop when the ringing did.

Rather than silence, however, the sound of someone pounding brought me to a halt. I froze, torn between my curiosity and the urge to run.

The butler appeared from a connecting hallway and crossed the space, paying me no mind. I watched, still rooted in place, as the slim older man opened the front door.

A fierce onslaught of bells swarmed me, every peal landing like a physical blow. With the view barred, and the cacophony effectively overpowering any words spoken by our visitor, I retreated to the farthest reaches of the foyer.

My head throbbed in rhythm to the chimes. They assaulted me from every angle. I doubled over, clutching my ears, but the ringing had infiltrated my mind. When my eyes snapped shut, the tempting darkness was there. I wrenched them open and gasped as time slowed, and my nightmares became reality.

The sky darkened as shadows poured into the house like fog rolling over a hill. They seeped through the windows and pooled on the floor, a churning river of storm clouds.

I wanted to scream, but a quick glance around confirmed no one else was seeing what I saw. Even as it snaked around the servants, weaving between their legs and billowing before their faces, they did not react.

With each person the darkness passed, my stomach sunk lower and lower until I could no longer deny that the shadows were heading straight for me.

I scrambled back, slippered-feet struggling for purchase on the marble floors. The darkness advanced, and I slammed intosomething hard and unyielding. My breath escaped in a puff of fog—a contrast to the raging shadows licking at my toes.

Was my mind projecting the icy chill in the air too?

Tremors wracked my body. The shadows were upon me. They’d overtaken my legs. I pressed into the wall like I could disappear through it, but its solid wood and plaster refused to grant me passage.

I closed my eyes, seeking the comforting dark within. These shadows seemed benign now compared to those engulfing me.

It’s not real, I told myself.It’s not real.

But if it wasn’t real, why had my skin turned to gooseflesh wherever the shadows touched? Why did I feel like I was being pulled under, on the verge of drowning?

I gasped as the icy tendrils reached my neck, feeling like any breath might be my last.

A doorclickedshut and warmth flooded me. I opened my eyes and blinked at the sudden return of sunlight.

Life resumed its usual pace. The bluebells had quieted to a gentle murmur. There were no shadows beyond those naturally cast by objects in the sun. Nothing crawled or seeped or threatened.

The only thing out of place was me.

I dusted myself off from where I lay sprawled on the marble floor, grateful for the trousers that offered me some dignity as I rose. My lungs heaved, still convinced I was dying. I bared my teeth, unable to manage the tight-lipped smile I wished to adopt.

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