Page 18 of Turret

“I’m fine,” I managed, words I quickly realized were a lie. Shudders rippled over me as the suffocating fear from being trapped in the library with no way out overcame me.

He felt my shivers and moaned. “But you’re not…all because I left you for a single moment.” He burrowed his face against my hair, something he’d never done before, but I was too shaken to fully enjoy the moment. With each of my shudders he rubbed my back, a futile attempt to comfort me.

It wasn’t until my shaking had fully stilled that he finally pulled away, first to study my face in order to discern my well-being, then to glare at the surrounding walls with pure hatred. “I knew this blasted tower couldn’t be trusted. I need to get you out.” His reference to the tower sounded like an expletive.

My heart flared at his sharp words. “It’s not its fault. It tried to warn me, and it helped me escape the sealed room…” His expression hardened and I knew my defense was lost on him…and if I was being truly honest with myself, it was on me as well.

What had happened with the tower? In all my time trapped within these walls, it had never shaken like it just had, and our continued imprisonment made it so there was nothing protecting us should this unexpected occurrence happen again. The thought caused the safety and security I’d always felt from the turret to falter, leaving nothing to protect me from my fears.

Chapter 7

Iwatched anxiously as Melina sorted through the contents of the pantry. I took several steadying breaths in an effort to remain calm, but my rapid pulse betrayed my uneasiness. Even without looking at Quinn, I felt his own tension from where he stood rigidly beside me. A stolen glance revealed the worry that had penetrated his usual stoic expression.

It had been a tense week following the tower trapping me in the library, and ever since then the tower had continued to change with each passing day—from locked rooms and absent furniture, to dim lighting despite having an abundance of flickering candles, to a constant draft that not even the largest fire in the hearth could dissipate. Though the tower had never trapped any of us in another room, several were vanishing, a fact which kept Quinn even more devotedly at my side.

As if these trials weren’t difficult enough, now our supply of food was dwindling.

My attention returned to Melina, whose tight, emotionless expression was a mask for her growing concern, but I knew her too well to be fooled by her attempt at calm; she couldn’t hide the worry filling her eyes as she finished sorting through our supplies and faced us. Quinn stepped closer to me, as if his presence could protect me from her impending pronouncement.

“It’s as we feared: the food reserves are low.”

Quinn cursed and left my side to examine the supplies himself. His movements were sharp and agitated as he rummaged through the bags of grain, root vegetables, and other preserves. When he finished he didn’t warrant me a glance, but instead remained very still.

“What’s the assessment?” It was a struggle to keep my voice calm, for his reaction was far more enlightening than any answer he might possibly give.

His look was regretful when he finally turned to me, as if he feared imparting bad news went against his duties to protect me. “It’s…as Melina said. The food reserves are not only low, but the tower has produced no fresh produce or dairy products.”

My stomach tightened. “But…it’s never failed to provide for us before. What could have caused this?”

He shrugged helplessly. “The same magic that’s undoubtedly causing everything else. I don’t pretend to begin to understand the enchantment placed on this tower.”

I struggled to control my sharp, rising breaths; an anxiety attack wouldn’t help matters. But my panic, always so close to the surface, escalated beyond my control, pressing against my chest and making it difficult to breathe. I was only able to steady my palpitating nerves when Quinn rested a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“What are we going to do?” I managed to speak calmly, but my hands twisting in my lap betrayed my uneasiness.

Melina nibbled her lip before lifting her chin. “We will make it work.” She bustled around the pantry for the ingredients for tonight’s meal. “It shall be simple fare until the tower decides to replenish…” She trailed off, but her unspoken question remained: what if the towerneverreplenished our food? What would we do then?

Arms laden with food, Melina exited to the kitchen, leaving me alone with Quinn hovering beside me. The burden from my worry suddenly became too heavy to bear; my shoulders slumped and I rested my elbows on my knees to bury my forehead in my hands.

On cue, Quinn immediately tried to comfort me. “All will be well, Princess.” But the uncertainty in his voice contradicted his assurances.

I sighed. “Butwillit? With the trajectory of the tower’s enchantment and the uncertainty surrounding it, in truth we have no way of knowing whether or not it will.”

Quinn seemed helpless for a moment before he set his jaw. “Regardless of what we don’t understand, I won’t rest until I’ve found a way to protect you.”

This promise eased some of my concerns…as well as stirred the feelings continuing to fill my heart towards him.

But though I trusted his assurances, they didn’t fully quiet my anxieties, for the food shortage wasn’t an isolated event. The shifting tower, its fading magic…something was changing, and anything different left me ill at ease. If things continued as they did, it might soon become more dangerous to remain within the tower than to leave, a possibility that filled me with icy terror. I wasn’t yet ready to breach the tower’s walls and face my fears; I wasn’t certain I ever would be.

The walls of the pantry were becoming too confining, pressing against me relentlessly and increasing my urgency to escape. The restlessness quickly became too much, forcing me to escape the confines of the kitchen to pace the corridors. Even after I grew tired, my need for movement was far more urgent than my need for rest, for stilling would leave nothing to distract me from my rising worries.

I paused midway up the twisting staircase to turn to Quinn, who’d been faithfully following close behind. “Please, I need a moment alone.”

He hesitated before shaking his head. “With the tower’s unpredictable whims…I’m afraid I can’t grant that, Princess.”

Even though his answer wasn’t the least bit surprising, I still sighed. He at least maintained enough distance to give me the illusion I was alone as I climbed the remaining stairs and paused near the top. Coldness seeped through my dress as I pressed myself against the stone wall, struggling to control my breaths, which were coming out quick and sharp from both my strenuous climb and my rising anxiety, which had only grown the higher I’d climbed.

I sensed Quinn’s desire to help, but there was little he could do. My anxieties were yet another prison I couldn’t escape…just like the tower. But though these thoughts were familiar and safe, something was now shifting inside me, as if the tower’s fading magic had caused my familiar thoughts to lose some of their power.

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