Page 16 of A Rising Hope

And they let me leave the room.

There wasno light in the castle. Not a single oil lamp or a lit candle. Just darkness. Only occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the narrow passages and halls through the countless windows.

Carrying an open chamber pot was a terrible idea.

Wandering in the darkness, I tripped on some wooden trim, almost spilling the entire thing onto myself. I called upon my raging fire powers within me; a little light, a single spark, would do. But no matter how much I tried to reach my fiery magic, the clear walls would not budge, blocking me. I kept my simmering irritation well hidden, following the black shadows, like a pack of giant snakes slithering ahead of me.

I forced my eyes to focus on whatever details I could see.

The Queen might have been evil, but her strong Creator touch still lingered here. Floral decor, though faded, beautified the entire castle from the top to the bottom—a forgotten paradise. Large, living flowers, untouched by time, glided down the high ceilings, hiding the stone-cold walls with their blooms.Thick, burgundy carpets lined the floors of many halls, silencing my footsteps as I descended another flight of stairs, finally reaching the rushing waters in the brick cellar. The shadows lingered by the opening, and I followed their lead, emptying the chamber pot into the rushing spring connecting to the waterfall outside the walls.

Soon, I was retracing my steps back to my room, climbing the same set of stairs I had used to come down.

There were no pictures on the walls, I realized. No memories of anyone. No ties to the world outside. By now my eyes were well-adjusted to the darkness, and I slowed my step, observing each hall I passed.

The shadows ahead of me hissed as I froze at a turn. To the left were my rooms. To the right, an unknown part of the castle. I shuffled through the millions of possibilities of what may lay ahead, of the excuses I could conjure if the Queen appeared out of nowhere like she could.

You are an Empress of Esnox. Start acting like one.I snarled to myself, growing weary of my ambivalence.

After another moment of painful hesitation, I turned right. The shadows nipped at my heels like herding dogs as I walked in the opposite direction from my room, carefully prowling through the castle. After a few more rebellious steps, the shadows, like icy hands, wrapped around my ankles, pulling me to a stop. I let out a long sigh.

“Let’s hope this fucking works,” I mumbled to myself before reaching for the flowers near me on the wall. I managed the one Creator trick I’d mastered. With a subtle touch of my hand, the wide petals changed color, as did the stem and the leaves. The shadows eased their hold on me, mesmerized by my magic. “See, I am one of you. I am harmless,” I assured them softly, touching another flower decorating the wall, turning it a completely different color. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but to my surprise,the shadows drew away from me, giving me permission to roam the castle free.

I held on to that little victory, letting it propel me forward into the unknown.

I wasn’t sure what I would find. Perhaps nothing at all. Nothing or everything. It wouldn’t matter. I couldn’t sleep anyway, so I ascended another flight of stairs.

I reached the highest of the towers. The spiraling stairs decorated with the exquisite rug ended, leading me into a long stairwell. Dim light spilled from the opened entryway at the very end. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, alerting me to the unseen danger ahead.

The air filled with a sweet taste, and I could taste magic on my tongue as I inched closer to the open door. Each step careful and cautious.

A silent gasp reached my lips, and my eyes widened in shock as I peeked inside.

Bodies.

So many bodies. Young. Old. Female and male. Their decomposing figures were nothing more than dried husks, hung from the giant black thorns that covered the curved ceilings.

The Queen stood in the middle of the circled room with her back towards the door. Her arm moved, fingers scribbling in a thick cryptic book that laid split open in the middle on the opulent bookstand rising past her waist.

I should’ve turned and ran back. I should’ve. But I stayed, immovable, stuck to the floor.

Horror rattled my entire soul, sending every thought and every reason scrambling as I watched the Queen. She put down her large writing feather, motioning with her hand as she mumbled words I couldn’t decipher. As if on command, the thorns moved, lowering a young girl’s body down. Lifeless and pale.

The moment the thorns released her, the girl opened her sunken dark eyes.

Alive.

She was alive.

All of them were. I noticed the subtle movement of their lungs, even as their bodies hung high above.

“Where were we last?” The Queen reached for the curved ceremonial dagger on the carved table near her. The girl held still, only blinking. Alive and yet it was as if she wasn’t.

Insanaria made a slight cut at the girl’s wrists, letting the dark, almost black blood fill up a silver goblet. She mumbled more words unknown to me. Magic, like shimmering dust lifted off the girl’s skin, illuminating her lifeless, empty stare. The Queen continued chanting while slowly inhaling the glowing air.

I didn’t pay attention to the words, because at that moment the girl’s eyes met mine. And though I was hidden by the shadows cast from the open door, she saw me.

I stumbled a step back as the realization hit me.

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