But, what could she do?
She stood, stretched her legs, raised her hands above her head and arched her back. When she was done, she rested her hands on her hips and walked around the chamber, inspecting every angle, every piece of furniture. It was a sparse room, consisting of a bed, an armoire, a desk and a chair. She had made use of the desk and chair. The armoire, however, remained a mystery. Curiosity compelled her to open the drawers and compartments to search for anything she might use to help in an attempt to escape.
Nothing but garments. A woman’s trousseau. The dresses and gowns appeared new, but Julia found nothing to identify the owner.
Feeling defeated, she turned away from the armoire. The view from the single window in the room revealed to her an immense, thick forest. Beautiful, but discouraging. Castle Blackmoor stood in the middle of nowhere. She could not see a single town past the forest of trees. If they did manage to escape, she dared not set out on foot. Not without supplies for a long journey, such as food, water, better footwear. She frowned at her dainty slippers. They would not last her long on such a journey.
Sighing again, she turned and studied the solid oak door. All the doors she had seen as Drake walked with her through the passages and up the stairs appeared like massive wooden fortresses themselves. How could she hope to escape from a locked door such as this?
Finding nothing else to do, she walked to the door, turned the handle and pulled.
To her utter surprise, the door opened with ease.
She stumbled back, her heartbeat jumping, and she suppressed a squeal of delight. Peeking into the corridor outside the chamber, she suspected to see a guard of some sort, blocking her exit, but there was none.
For the first time since finding herself encased in Blackmoor, she felt hope.
Carefully, she opened the door further, peering into the darkness of the corridor, searching for any sign of someone who might stop her from exiting the room. Still, no one.
Did Drake suspect she might not try to escape?
Julia thought not. After all, he had her sister’s body locked away somewhere, and without Marianne’s body, the curse could not be lifted.
She hesitated at the door.
If she found the spell for Drake, could she trust him to help Marianne?
No.
She couldn’t trust him since he held her sister captive, in a manner of speaking.
But, if Julia found Marianne’s body, Basil would help her sister with no payments required. Basil would do anything to save Marianne. Now that Basil knew about Drake, there were no more secrets.
With new determination, Julia crept into the corridor. She would find Marianne’s body then find Basil and Sage. Hopefully, with their help, they could escape Drake’s castle, and the Merriweather’s would find a spell to restore her sister spirit to her body.
****
After trying several doors, Julia became discouraged. This castle was a veritable maze with hidden passageways and dozens of doors, some leading to nothing but closets. The only good to come from her search was that she hadn’t been discovered.
Yet.
The direction she remembered when Drake escorted her to that chamber was up. She slowly worked her way down any sets of stairs she found. During her stay those years ago when she assisted with Susanna’s care, there was never much occasion for Julia to explore the castle. She remained with Susanna who’s failing health kept her mostly confined to her room.
At last she came to a door with a thin line of flickering light escaping from underneath. Not certain if she should pursue this particular sign of occupation, she leaned in and placed her ear against the door, listening.
She heard the sound of metal clanging on metal.
A peculiar sound.
Still not enough to determine if Drake stood on the other side, or someone else.
She leaned back and attempted a see-through spell, waving her hands in a circular motion around a small area of the door so she might look into the room without being seen.
The door remained solid.
Julia sighed. As much as she practiced, her talents for witchcraft were sadly lacking. She needed to do this the old-fashioned way. Slowly, she turned the handle of the door, doing her best to not make a sound to draw any unwanted attention. When it was unlatched, she pushed against it, opening it only enough to see inside.
Basil hung on a wall, struggling against chains.
A sound of surprise escaped her lips.
His head shot up, and he saw her. She stood frozen for a moment, shocked to see him in such a state. Then rage coursed through her, boiling her blood.
How dare he!
Drake would chain his own brother. For what purpose? It made no sense, which enraged Julia further.
Without even a glance around the room to search for any other occupants, Julia pushed the door open fully and strode in, never taking her eyes from Basil.
“Julia! You’re alive!”
“Of course, I am, you silly man,” she said, not contemplating the meaning behind his words for a moment. “But look at you! Strung up like a goose. How dare he, Basil! How dare he!”
She tried to grab the chains to free him. But he was a bit taller than she, not to mention elevated a few inches off of the floor, so she couldn’t reach them.
She turned away from him to search for something on which to stand. A stool sat unused in the corner. After retrieving it, she made the attempt again.
“Julia, you must get out of here.”
“Yes, and you as well.”
She leaned forward, standing on the tips of her toes to where the chain bolted to the wall. Her body brushed against his. Her breasts rubbed against his chest. Her nipples hardened in sudden reaction.
Her gaze locked with his.
The heat in his eyes reflected her own. Impulsively, she dipped her head and placed her lips on his. She kissed him, expressing all of her love in that single act. He returned her kiss, and for a moment, she forgot where they were. Her hands fell to his face, his hair. Her tongue slid into his mouth, dipping, lapping.
When she pulled away, gasping for air, she poured out her heart to him, too.
“Basil, I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I’m so sorry for getting you into this mess. I never intended to cause any harm to you or your family. I only wanted to help my sister.”
“You love me?”
Julia nodded. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”
To her surprise, pain flickered across his face. “Oh, Julia…”
“What?”
“I…I’d hoped you’d forgotten me.”
“Why ever would I do that? How could I? Basil, the love we shared was unlike any other. I’ve continued to love you every moment since the day you left. And I’ll love you from now until forever.”
“Julia, there’s a reason I left. I—”
The echo of a scream in the distance reached their ears. Julia spun around to glance at the door.
It was a male scream.
“Sage,” she whispered.
Turning back, she resumed her efforts to free Basil. She said the words for an unlock spell, wriggling her fingers over the lock of the manacles. Then she pulled on them. Nothing. She was never any good at unlock spells, any spells for that matter.
“Stupid lock!” She pulled and pulled. “I can’t undo the cloth binding your fingers either. I need something sharp.” She turned away to scour the tables for any object with a point to pierce the cloth and rip it free. When she found the dagger with the carved wooden handle, she grabbed it and hurried back to Basil. Standing on the stool, she carefully pierced the fabric, hoping not to hurt Basil in the process. She peeled back the cloth, freeing the fingers of each hand. When she finished, she stepped from the stool. “Try an unlock spell.”
“No, I shouldn’t,” Basil said.
“Of course you should. Go on.”
“I…” He hesitated, closing his eyes. After a moment he sighed. “Very well.” He wh
ispered some words and wriggled his fingers. “It’s not coming free. It must be enchanted.”
“Why would he bind your fingers if he enchanted the locks?”
Basil chose not to answer.
Julia set the dagger on the table and climbed back on the stool, pulling again at the manacles, trying to think of anything that might free him. If she could only unlock it!
“Please, Julia, you must get out of here. Drake has plans. Involving you. Julia, stop. You cannot free me.”
“I will not leave you!” she shouted then realized her mistake. Lowering her voice, she said simply, “I cannot leave you.” Turning away from him, she jumped from the stool. “He must have a key somewhere.” She ran to the tables and searched. Nothing. The bookshelves. Again nothing.
“I’m certain he wouldn’t leave the key lying in the open. He most likely has it on his person.”
“Then how I am to free you?” She lifted a jar and fought the urge to smash it against the wall. No, it would make too much noise. Carefully, she placed it back on the table.
“Use the mirror. Go back to the manor. Explain to Aunt Petunia. She’ll find a way to help. She can contact Hyacinth. My sister was always closest to Drake, perhaps she can talk sense into him.”
Julia shook her head, fighting the tears that threatened. It would take too long to fetch Hyacinth Merriweather. Basil needed help now, not in a fortnight. Again she stood helpless to assist those she loved. She clenched her fingers, the nails biting into her palms.
“I should have told Mrs. Prescott to begin with,” she said, looking up. The sight of him chained like an animal sickened her. “I should have told you. I should have trusted that you could help me. It was careless to believe I could handle this alone.”
“You did what you thought best.”
She shook her head. “I’ve endangered everyone.”
“Julia, it’s not your fault my brother has turned into a madman. No one anticipated this manner of decline after Susanna died. How could you have known?”
“After my father…” Julia hesitated, fighting the lump in her throat as she thought of her father. “He did not leave me any choice. Basil, Drake killed my father.”
“What?”
“That’s how my involvement in this began. Drake needed my father’s assistance with his spells and experiments. I came to stay with Susanna, to help her near the end when she could no longer help herself. My father thought we could help them. When it became apparent Drake began practicing dark magic, my father wanted none of it. He tried to stop Drake.”
“He killed him?”
She nodded. “My father refused to help with his spell. Afterward, Drake approached me about stealing the Merriweather grimoires. He knew no one would give them to him, not after the rumors began about his black magic. He also knew your aunt hired me as her lady’s companion. When I refused, he cast a curse over Marianne. If I didn’t help him find the books, he would kill her. I had no choice. I don’t know what sort of spell he wants, but I know it horrified my father.”
“I think I know,” Basil said, sighing. “Drake explained his intentions to me. Julia, you’re in so much danger here. He has plans. You must escape.”
For a moment, she was lost in the past, remembering those last terrible days, finding her father dead in his rooms, smelling the magic on him and knowing he was killed by it. And later, when Marianne went missing, Drake had promised not to harm her, but of course that was a lie.
Basil’s words snapped her back to the present.
“Plans? For me?” A cold shiver of fear coursed down her back. “Something other than finding the spell he needs?”
Basil’s face darkened. He nodded. No explanation was needed. Julia suspected Drake would not be done with her so easily even if he planned on upholding his end of the bargain by bringing Marianne’s spirit back into her body. She knew Drake couldn’t be trusted.
“Can your family help my sister?” she asked, needing to hear the answer out loud. This was something she should have asked six months ago, but Drake had promised to end her sister’s life if she sought help from anyone, especially his family. She never dared to risk it.
“I do not know, Julia. But I promise you, we will try everything within our power to help her.”
Julia nodded. What other choice did she have?
“We must try to get you and Sage out of here.”
“No, just go back to the manor. Don’t worry about Sage and me. Go!” He tried not to raise his voice, but Julia could see his worry and fear. As much as she wanted to obey his desires, she could not. It was her obligation to find Sage, too. After all, he was an innocent in this, too.
“I’ll find Sage.” She backed away toward the door. She tried not to let the sight of Basil shaking his head sway her or falter her dwindling courage. “Sage is a wonder at unlocking spells. He’ll have you free in no time at all. And then, we’ll leave together.”
“Julia, please.” Basil struggled against the chains, growling deep in his throat.
“I love you, Basil,” she said, grabbed the dagger from the table where she placed it and then turned, walking away from him.
“Julia, no!”
But, she left the room, hating the tears that blurred her vision. The fear she might not succeed haunting her. Basil hung helpless, and she was his only chance of escape. She must succeed.
Find Sage.
Have him free Basil.
Then back through the mirror to Merriweather Manor.
It seemed simple enough.
****
Simple? What had she been thinking? A spell of ignorance must have been cast over her, because to find Sage and perform some sort of miracle rescue were clearly beyond Julia’s capabilities.
Well, she supposed finding Sage was simple enough. After she wandered the corridors for a bit, she found the easiest way to discover where Drake had imprisoned Sage was to follow the sound of his screams. The noise pierced her, shivers of dread sliding down her back. What was happening to Sage to make him scream so?
After his screams were silenced, her heart leapt into her throat. What did it mean that she could no longer hear him? Was Drake finished torturing his brother or was Sage… She couldn’t complete that line of thinking. Instead, she focused on walking down the corridor where she heard Sage last. She held the dagger in her hand, the one she used to cut Basil’s bindings from him. It was her only defense against Drake. When she found the door at the end of the corridor, her stomach tightened with dread. She did not want to enter. She did not want to see what had been done to Sage.
But, she had to. Sage was her friend, like a brother to her. He deserved his freedom as much as Basil. She couldn’t leave him here.
Before she could reach the door, she heard movement and the door opened. She dove toward an alcove where an ancient tapestry hung and ducked quickly behind it. Julia pressed her back against the wall and did her best to muffle her rapid breathing so as not to be heard. Footsteps echoed in the corridor. Was it Drake? To her luck, whoever it was did not hesitate beside the tapestry, but walked steadily past.
After a moment, Julia peeked around the corner to see the corridor was empty. She caught a whiff of something that smelled faintly of smoke, but saw no visual evidence. Perhaps if it had been Drake, he had carried a torch with him?
Her fingers trembled as she eased open the door. She glanced about, searching for any sign of occupants. At first, she did not see him. The room looked empty. She took a few steps in and found him cowering in the corner of the room, his knees to his chest, his clothes in tatters and his hair smoking.
Yes, smoking. The thin wisps of smoke softly billowed into the air above him, but not a hair on his head looked singed. Not only that, but she smelled it. Her stomach twisted into knots, and she feared she’d succumb to sickness as she felt the contents of her stomach try to make a second appearance.
The odor assaulted her. It was unlike what she smelled in the corridor. Her nostrils twitched at the
pungent odor of burnt hair and flesh, as well as something that reminded her of rotten eggs. A horrid, nasty smell. But, Julia fought her nose, and stomach.
She saw no sign of Drake or anyone else for that matter other than Sage. And she tried not to think of what manner of torture Drake inflicted on his brother that resulted in his current condition.
“Sage?” Julia crept forward, watching for any sign of Drake’s return.
When would he return?
She didn’t intend to find out.
“Sage?” She spoke his name louder.
He didn’t respond. She stepped closer, slowly, wondering again what horror Drake had put him through. He was awake, she was certain. His arms trembled slightly as if he were chilled. He sat with his knees up to his chest and head covered with his arms. He rocked gently, leaning into the corner with his face hidden.
By the time she stood next to him, she worried more about being discovered than disturbing Sage from whatever he tried to block. He must be absorbed in something to keep his mind so focused he couldn’t hear her approach.
“Sage,” she whispered softly. “Sage, we must hurry.”
She knelt beside him and cautiously touched his arm. At the tender contact, Sage recoiled. He flung himself further into the corner, covering his face with his hands. His sudden movement frightened her.
What had Drake done?
“Sage! It’s me. Julia.”
The sound of her voice must have finally penetrated his pain-fogged brain. She tugged on his hands, gently, trying to uncover his face. At the sight of her, his eyes widened.
“Julia?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“I thought,” he said, mumbling something she couldn’t quite make out. He shook his head and refocused on her face. “Are you sure it’s you?”
“Why, yes, of course!” What an odd thing to say! She would have inquired further, but the memory of Basil hanging in chains prompted her to rush.
“Are you able to stand? Can you walk? We must hurry. I don’t know when Drake will be back.”
“Hurry. Yes, hurry,” Sage said, and his eyes grew glassy. She knew he was lost in some memory so she snapped her fingers in front of his face. Rude, but effective. He refocused on her.
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