Page 51 of Bound By Blood
Up ahead, she could make out the break in the branches and foliage. It was a clearing. The underbrush crunched beneath her boots.
And then a faint golden glow caught her attention. With each step, it grew stronger. There was more than one out there too.
Torchlights. That was what it was. Several of them. Suspended in the air above.
Her mouth fell open as they stepped out into the clearing. How was that even possible?
Up above floated the ruins of a castle. It was like something out of a dream. Despite its size and weight, it hung effortlessly above the ground as if suspended by invisible wires. The enormous chunks of grey granite blocks looked as if they weighed no more than clouds. Platforms and sections rotated slowly through the air while the central section of the castle remained mostly stationary despite its worn exterior. The once mighty and imposing stone walls were now pitted with holes. Some had cracked and shifted over the centuries, lichens clinging to the sides and moss trailing off in thick tendrils.
She squinted. It looked as if some great force had struck the castle in at least three points and shattered it to bits. Scorch marks scarred broad portions. A few of the windows had been cracked and warped while doors were missing on one of the towers. Even with all its loss, it was still massive. Dozens of people could live even in this place with ease. How many could have lived in it when the castle wasn't whole?
A set of massive glossy-black doors appeared to be the primary entrance, though the stone walkway leading up to it had been shattered. A half-moon section of a courtyard remained, so close that its rough edges scraped against the outer wall as it slowly rotated with what looked to have once been a ballroom. Half of one wall contained a peeling fresco that was little more than a muddled series of flaking colors.
A chill spiraled up her back. Even with Ryul near her, the cold clasped her tight.
“That’s your home?”
No wonder he had wanted to stay away.
He nodded, voice soft but jaw set. “Bit grim, I grant you, especially on the outside. Nothing like what it was, but the rooms I’m in most, I’ve made comfortable. And wherever you want to be, we’ll fix it up. Whether that’s with me in my room—or in another room.”
The torches provided just enough dim golden light for her to see that curious yet hopeful glance he gave her, and the way his hand grazed her lower back before he slid in closer…A hint of color ran through his cheeks.
Clearly, he hoped she would be in his room.
She turned her gaze up to the castle, her own face hot and her entire being tense. At least this floating castle was a remarkable sight.
She moistened her lips, her heart racing. "It's incredible."
He leaned closer, his breath wisping against her ear. "Wait until you see what's inside."
She shivered. "Well, how do we get up there? It's a little out of my reach for jumping."
"If it were just me, I'd risk flying. But sometimes, one wing randomly gets stronger than the other, and I don't want to crack your head into the stones. So…" He pressed his fingers to his lips and gave a sharp multi-note whistle.
Stones cracked somewhere within the castle, and something heavy rumbled and groaned. Buttons whimpered, pushing into her shoulder.
"The castle itself can't touch the ground, but it can get close. If the magic ever doesn't work, there are climbing ropes as well." He gestured toward an area on the other side of the clearing. "There's a small coil cannon you can use to shoot the rope up onto one of the walls and then climb the rest of the way."
"Climb. It's been a long time since I free-climbed anything."
"Because you're an old lady? Is that what it is?"
She cut her eyes at him. "Remember I know your weakness."
"Yes. I am weak to iron pans to the face," he said wryly. He brushed up against her, his hand circling her hip. "And also to you in general. No ropes required, unless you want them."
She hugged Buttons a little closer, unable to hide her smile.
More heavy thuds resounded above. Then the two large glossy doors lowered. The fractured stones directly before them and around them extended and moved down as if forming an entire passage to allow them entrance. The stones cracked and groaned, bits of rubble sifting off.
That had to be magic. It only smelled like stone and woodsmoke, and even the rocks themselves looked ordinary when still. But there was no other explanation. For not being comfortable around magic, she had gotten herself into a situation where there was more than a fair bit.
Ryul approached the large doors. Though they appeared completely smooth, certain angles of light made images and sigils appear. Perhaps that was magic too? She leaned forward as she tried to make out their meaning. It wasn't so hard to see now. The sky had started to lighten. Dawn was nearly here.
"Hello, Quinn. There's someone I want you to finally meet." Ryul gestured back toward her with an easy wave of his arm. "This is Erryn. She is staying with us now."
Erryn lifted one hand in greeting. Was that the proper way to greet consciousness trapped in a castle?
