Page 9 of The Beast of Ashwood Manor

“Yes, my lord.” She bowed her head and went back to the window.

On my way up the stairs, I met Eugenia as she came down, pulling her curly dark hair up into a tie. She glanced at me, then at Mary, oddly. “Did I miss something?”

Shaking my head, I ascended the stairs and said, “You have no idea.”

Nightcame,andIwas still in the manor. The whole room was dark now, and there was a chill in the air that made the hairs on my neck stand up. I had locked the door and ignored any knocks from the servants, or whoever they were. I stayed by the window, my stomach hollow, but I wasn’t hungry. How could I be after everything that had happened?

The room wasn’t too big, but it was big enough for a fireplace, a bed, two chairs, and a small table—much bigger than my little closet back in Tolburg. The linens on the bed were soft, the mattress was comfortable, and everything looked kept up, no dust or cobwebs.

This is a dream.

I placed my hand against the cold glossy pane. I couldfeelit, which meant it had to be real. But how many times had I felt things in my dreams? Terror, fun, pleasure. Only that morning, I had left Tolburg. Now, I was in some foreign place.

Perhaps the food I had eaten was laced with a drug, and I was hallucinating. Or maybe it was poison, and I actuallywasdead, stuck in some eternal limbo like the religious taught.

I had heard of such tales before, but I had never taken them as something that could actually happen. With my superstitious mother, I had a fear of real curses and had even seen some terrifying things, but this was far-fetched. Curses usually involved objects or dolls, words or enchantments. Not invisible realms where a handful of people were bound to a house.

I put my face in my hands and sighed. “This is ridiculous. Iamdreaming, and I’m going to get out of it.”

I unlocked the window and pulled on it. It was hard to budge, but once I got it open, I looked outside. My breath puffed out into the night air. It was much colder than it had been when I ventured out earlier that day.

The drop didn’t look far, and it helped that there was a lattice. Looking back at the door, I drew up my suitcase and let it fall to the ground, then I climbed out the window and eased myself down. I slipped a few times, but once I got close to the ground, I dropped to my feet.

Crouching, I took up my suitcase and looked around to see if anyone else was outside. I saw the shadow of someone walking around the front of the manor and waited until they disappeared. Then I crossed to the wall, where the thick bushes covered up the stone wall beneath it. I tossed my suitcase over, flinching when I heard thethumpon the other side. Getting a grip on the wall and the bushes, I hoisted myself up. It took me a minute to reach the top, but once I was up, I hopped over and landed on my feet on the other side.

When I looked around, I noticed a whitish hue masking the field before me. To my left stood the dark confines of Ashwood, and to my right—in the distance—the sea. The manor was close to a cliff, where I supposed the sea was, but it didn’t seem there was anything for me there, nothing but water. The moon was high in the clear sky, and it had a hazy glow about it. The atmosphere held a strange vibration to it, as if the earth was humming.

Swallowing hard, I looked at the woods. Grabbing up my bag, my feet shuffled forward, away from the manor. I crossed a good distance, part of me hesitating. When I came to the edge of the woods, I looked back. The manor was farther away than I thought it was.

Looking into the density of the trees, my heart pounded. These had to be the same woods I came through that day when I found the food. I was sure of it. Even Gil had referred to it as Ashwood. But even so, something dreadful clutched at my heart as I looked into it, and I took a step back.

A high-pitched squeal came from within the darkness, and I stumbled over my feet, my eyes wide as I looked around.

Something whipped through the air, and thick feathers grazed my head.

Turning around, I swatted at it, but I felt it again, as if a giant bird or two were flying around my head. More surrounded me, and the sound of flapping wings and screeching filled the air.

Then came the sharp prickles as something clawed at my body. I cried out as I stumbled back to the manor, which looked so far away.

The flapping of wings continued as I ran. Just as I crouched to find a rock to throw at the creatures, one of them screeched, and the flaps stopped.

I looked over, panting, to see Gil standing a few feet away. He held one of the things that attacked me in his hand.

Horror fell over me as I took in the sight of my attacker; it looked like a big black bird with enormous sharp talons. Its eyes were red, its tongue sticking out now from where Gil had snapped its neck.

The others still flew around, and when another dove down at Gil, he blocked it with his arm, stunning it. When it fell to the ground, he lunged for it and ripped its head from its body. Something warm slung my way, and I gasped as I looked down and saw dark-red blood.

Horrified, I tried to wipe it off me and jumped back. My heart pounded as I looked up at this man who had a strength I had never seen before. His arms looked dark in the moonlight, and I wondered if they were coated in blood.

The other creatures flew off into the woods, still screeching.

Tossing the bird’s body to the ground, Gil marched towards me. I backed away, pulling up my bag, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me forward, rushing us towards the gate of the manor. He opened it easily, and when he shut it behind us, it locked on its own.

He yanked me forward, making me grunt, and I tripped over my feet.

“I can walk on my own!” I found my voice, but he still clutched me firmly.

When we made it inside the manor, Gil pulled me roughly up the stairs. Annie and Mary gaped at me with wide eyes, wearing their nightgowns as they stood in the hall.

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