Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
What does he mean by theirs is pure? As I sit there, trying to take in everything he’s saying, he stands to tower over me.
“The spell should have lasted longer on you, though.” He clicks his tongue. “You are a witch, correct?” There is no need to deny it, so I give him a slight nod of my head. He offers me his hand, and I glance at it, wondering what the trick is. “I will not harm you.” He pauses. “Yet.” His voice sounds like a promise—a deadly promise. I’m not sure if I should walk into it or not. I have no other choice, though, not until I can work out how to get back to my sisters.
I take his offered hand and pull myself up. When I’m standing, I see we’re in an outdoor castle that’s open to the elements. The floor is made of old marble peeking through the same lush green grass and blossoming trees I admired earlier.
“Levy will show you to your room to get changed. I would like you to accompany me to dinner.” It’s then I see guards surround us, but the woman who steps out and bows to the man makes me realize he must be some kind of authority figure. A king, perhaps? But he doesn’t wear a crown. Levy, who offers me a kind smile, waves her small arm in the opposite direction from which I am facing. She is dressed in blue, the same as the guards, but she wears a casual free flowing dress, not the military-like uniform of the men.
I turn away from the mystery man and follow Levy. When we get to the exit, I look back to see him watching me. He offers me a smile, and I give him one back, not sure why, and then continue after Levy.
“Where are we?” I ask. She turns her nose up at me over her shoulder. “Well, okay. Rude.”
“I am not rude. You are rude. How dare you come into our home.”
“If I remember correctly, it wasn’t my choice.”
She grunts and walks into a dark hallway lined with doors. She stops when we get to one flanked by two guards and looks back at me. “This is your room. You have a dress inside. Wear it and get rid of”—she pauses, looking at my clothes with a pinched mouth—“that.” She waves her hand at me and stalks off.
One of the guards opens the door to let me in, but I hesitate, unsure I should go in. It’s a gorgeous room, more so than the queen’s, which is saying a lot because she had the prettiest room I had ever seen.
In the middle is an oversized bed with four poles, all draped with the same pink and purple flowers from outside. I slowly approach and run my fingers along the sheets—they’re silk. Sitting on it, I check around. It has its own vanity, a closed wooden cupboard that is engraved with animals, and a door I’m not sure where it leads. We don’t have many animals left in Cardia, but I’ve seen pictures of them before in books I wasn’t supposed to read. And the one animal I wish I had the most was a dog or maybe a lion.
Standing, I shift to open the cupboard and find a pink dress hanging inside. Fingering the material, I find that it is silk as well. It’s the only dress in here, so I pull it from the cupboard and carry it with me as I head to the other door. When I push it open, there’s a large bathing area filled with an array of colorful flowers, and it smells divine. I have never smelled anything like the aroma in here before.
This new world is filled with so much wonder.
And yet ours struggles in so many ways.
It’s sad.
Maybe even tragic when I think about it.
Walking to the already filled tub, I put my hand in the water and find it’s warm. Undressing and placing the dress down on the ornate chair in the corner, I climb in, immediately sighing at how good it feels.
And when I put my head under the water, I close my eyes and think of him.
Death.
Chapter Four
Levy is waiting with her hand on her hip when I step out. Though still wearing a blue dress, this one is fancier. More dramatic. The pink dress I wear clings to my body and shows every curve. I’ve never worn something like this, and I can’t decide if I like the way it feels to be on display.
“Follow, witch,” she commands, then disappears. I do as she says, my bare feet slapping against the floor. The shoes I had on were so dirty I was afraid they might ruin the dress, so I decided not to bother.
When I step out of the room, I spot her down the hallway and try to keep up, but she moves quickly as she takes a corner. When I reach it, I don’t see her, just another large room. Stepping inside, I look around, when she suddenly pops out from behind me, tapping me on the shoulder and eliciting a scream.