Chapter 22

22

Farryn

Ipaced the room, waiting for Anya, biting my nails with the anxiety bubbling up inside of me. He’s just a person, I reminded myself. A ruggedly handsome man who just happens to have the reputation of Death.

No biggie.

Except, I felt as if everything, every confusing moment of my childhood, came down to this one meeting.

Through the window, I caught a glimpse of the man from the night before. Jesper, the one Anya had dragged from the carriage. He ducked into the bushes below, as if he were hiding from something.

I stood there for a moment, distracted by the oddity, watching him tremble. It was then I noticed his clothes tattered and torn. And bloody?

An enormous, black figure stalked forward, it’s shadow preceding the dog that prowled toward the man’s hiding place. As if … hunting him?

My hand balled at my side, wanting to bang on the glass and warn him, but a part of me worried it might draw the attention of the dog.

“Hey,” I muttered, heart hammering as I watched it edge closer, its eyes undeniably locked on the unwitting man. Hand raised to knock, I willed myself to lower it again. But what if it gave him the opportunity to run by distracting the dog?

“Hey!” I pounded against the pane, which startled the man, but did nothing to deter the approaching animal. “Hey! Jesper! Up here!”

As the man twisted toward me, I pointed at the dog, frantically slamming the tip of my finger into the glass. “He’s there! Right there!” I whisper-yelled.

In the next breath, the dog took hold of the man’s leg, and I watched in horror as it dragged him out of the bushes.

“Hey!” Pounding harder on the glass did nothing to deter the beast. “Hey! Stop! Stop!”

Clawing at the ground, the man scrambled to escape, but it was no use. Blood poured from where the animal’s teeth had lodged into his flesh. The sound of his screams rattled my nerves.

“Let him go! Let him go!”

One more glance toward me showed a pleading look in the man’s eyes, before his body slipped around the corner like that of a ragdoll, and out of sight.

“Wait! No!” Spinning on my heel, I dashed across the room, toward the door.

It swung open, nearly smashing me in the face, but I jumped back in time to avoid the collision.

A gasp flew past my lips.

In the doorway stood an enormous and intimidating figure whose scarred lip, peeled back to a snarl, told me I was extremely unwelcome.

Remembering Anya’s warning, I lowered my gaze from his.

“Who are you?” he growled.

Eyes still diverted, I spoke toward the floor, as if not wanting to rouse a wild animal. “Mister Van Croix ... I …. Anya invited me.”

“Anya ...”

At that, I dared a peek from beneath my lowered brow, to see his unpatched eye studying me, and I quickly looked away again at the first flicker of a frown. “There’s a man … outside. Please. I think one of the dogs attacked him. I saw it drag him off. I think he’s hurt.”

“Answer the question.”

“Please, I really think the man might be in danger. The dog dragged him by the leg. It looked vicious.”

“Who. Are. You? I’ll not ask you again.” Lifting his nose into the air, he sniffed. “And that Godforsaken smell. What the hell is it?” He cocked his mouth open, as if it’d hit the back of his throat, and licked his lips.

I’d have probably been mortified by his comment, if not for the needling irritation of his deflections. “Why are you ignoring me? I’m telling you your dog attacked a man outside. I watched it happen. He needs help!”

As I waited for him to do, or say, something in response, I caught the flexing of his hands. “You’re to leave my house. Immediately.”

“You’re not even going to have someone check on him?”

“No.”

At that, I lifted my gaze, warning be damned. “I’m not leaving until I know he’s okay!”

“Get out of here now, or I’ll remove you by--” His words cut off mid-sentence, the fury in his cold, blue stare softening to what I’d surmise as fascination, or surprise, assuming he could be capable of either. The moment he lurched toward me, I lurched backward.?“Who are you?” The ire in his voice carried an edge of enthrallment, and like a fool, I glanced over my shoulder to confirm it was directed at me.

Seconds later, Anya appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide with surprise, and I didn’t particularly care in that moment that I’d been discovered by Van Croix.

“Master, I was going to speak with you about this, but it seems you stumbled upon her first. No bother, I’ll take care of it.” Flicking her fingers, Anya stepped toward me. “Come, dear. With haste.” Before I could protest, she took hold of my elbow, her grip surprisingly strong and unyielding, as I attempted to wriggle myself free.

Van Croix said nothing else. He continued to stare after me, as if lost in a trance, or something.

“A man was attacked by the dogs! I saw it happen through my window!”

“Or course, dear. I believe you.” One hard yank had me stumbling over my feet, as she dragged me past Van Croix, who seemed twice the size up close. “Let’s not make a fuss.” Once out in the hallway, she gave one hard push forward, and I nearly tripped for a second time. “What is the one thing I asked you not to do? The one thing! My goodness, you’re like a belligerent child!”

“He came into the room. He must’ve heard me calling for the man who was attacked. Can we please check to make sure he’s alive, at least?”

Nabbing my elbow once again, she brought me to a halt before we reached the staircase. “Listen here, you, and listen good. That man you’re so concerned over was accused of dragging a sixteen year-old girl into the woods and brutalizing her.” Her brows came together, jaw stiff with obvious anger. “Should he suffer at the mouths of those dogs, it would only be justice served. Those dogs know a horrid criminal when they smell one.”

“He hurt a teenage girl?”

“Yes. Sweet child she was, too.”

Sixteen years old. Why would she have been here? In this place?

“Where do you come from, that men like him are offered so much leniency and dignity?” she continued to chide. “We do things differently here in Stygian Falls. Should you decide to stay in this place, I suggest you learn our ways.”

“I thought you were going to talk to Van Croix?” Not that I was sure I wanted to stay at that point. I’d have probably been better off picking one of the flowers on my way out the door, and calling the whole excursion nothing more than a crazy drug trip.

“I’m afraid that ship has sailed. Not a chance in Hades he’d consider it now. I’ll be lucky to keep my own job, no thanks to you. Come on, I’ll escort you to the gate.”

A part of me wanted to drop my protest, but what if I never got an opportunity again? Why would I let some moody jerk keep me from the answers I so desperately sought? Mysteries my father had dedicated his entire life to understanding.

“Maybe you could recommend a place for me to stay?”

Brow cocked, she stood for a moment. “Tothyll. He owns property at the foot of the mountain. He surely won’t invite you inside, but as I understand, he doesn’t turn anyone away, either. You might find yourself in a stable, but it’d be better than wandering the woods alone.”

“Tothyll,” I repeated. “Thank you.”

“Let’s be on our way, then.”

As promised, she walked me out the door and along the path toward the gate at the far end of the property. Eyes constantly scanning for the dogs, I swallowed back the nervous thrum of fear gurgling in my stomach.

About halfway there, I glanced back to find Van Croix staring down at me through the window of the west turret. From the room where I’d slept, by my estimates.

“Why is he so unreasonable and intolerant?” I asked, as we strolled along the stone path.

“I admittedly don’t know much about the man. Could be that he’s always been that way. But he’s far better than the likes of some you’ll find here. Not many saints to be found in Stygian Falls.”

“He seems familiar to me, for some reason.”

“You’ll get a lot of that here, I’m afraid. I find myself suffering from bouts of déjà vu frequently in this pl—” Before she could finish the comment, the sound of a growl from behind sent a shiver of terror down my spine. “Do not make any abrupt moves,” Anya warned.

We both turned around to where all three dogs stood with their hackles raised, teeth bared. What I assumed to be blood stained the muzzle of the beast across from me, and a cold sensation swept over me, tickling the nausea already stirring in my stomach.

“Cerberus, you go back to your kennel, before I call on the master!”

The dog didn’t move, though. Perhaps it was angry at me for earlier, if a dog were capable of holding that kind of grudge.

“Now! All of you. Go back!” She reached down into the neck of her dress and, eyes wide, let out a small gasp. “Oh, no. I’ve left the whistle inside. Go, Cerberus! Shoo! Back home. Back home!”

None of them heeded her words, though, and, instead, prowled closer, just as I watched the one dog do from my window.

“What do we do?” Their eyes weren’t fixed on Anya. All three of them seemed to be heavily interested in me.

“They always obey the whistle. I am at a bit of a loss myself.” The tremble of fear in her voice only goaded my terror, and when she looked back, undoubtedly gauging the distance to the gate, I nearly lost my morning toast. Particularly, when she added, “It might be wise to run for the gate.”

“They’ll catch me before I get there!”

“Which would still be far better odds than standing here. I’ll see if I can get Master Van Croix’s attention.”

“No! Please don’t leave.”

The dogs lurched closer, their growls a harrowing soundtrack to the fear skating down my neck. A quick glance over my shoulder showed the gate only a few hundred yards off. There wasn’t a lick of confidence that told me I’d make it, but adrenaline hammered through my veins at the mere thought of trying.

The dogs seemed to get restless, one of them pacing like a caged lion, and perhaps realizing my intent, another leapt closer to me.

On a gasp, I spun around for the gate and ran as quickly as I could. Muscles burning, I booked it in hopes that maybe I’d be able to scale the fence before one of them could latch onto my leg. It only took a minute for a powerful force to hammer against my spine, knocking the breath out of me. Jagged gravel tore into my knees and palms as I crashed to the ground, choking for breath.

A tearing sound had me rolling onto my back, to see one of the dogs ripping away the hem of my dress with its teeth. The second dog joined the first, both of them shredding the skirt.

It was Cerberus that lunged toward my face, and I let out a scream, lifting my arm to shield it from his bloody maw.?More tearing sounds indicated he’d ripped the sleeve clean off.

This dog would be the death of me. One fatal bite to my jugular. That would be it.

Throat burning with the terror humming through me, I stopped screaming, and only then noticed the scuffle had ceased. I no longer felt the vicious tug of my skirt. Certainly, no teeth lodged into my flesh, unless I’d gone completely numb.

I lowered my arm to find Cerberus sniffing it. The spot of my birthmark. He dragged his nose over it in a way that felt invasive. As if it held a particular scent to him.

Trembling, I allowed him to continue his examination. So long as all three dogs remained occupied by it, perhaps I could hold them off long enough for Anya to retrieve Van Croix.

Cerberus licked the birthmark. He licked it over and over, and when that long, wet tongue smacked against my face, my chest pattered with what must’ve been my heart revving up for cardiac arrest. The other dogs approached, as if curious, but didn’t move in past Cerberus. They observed from just far enough away that I could feel the pulses of air from their sniffing against my skin.

Cerberus sat back on his haunches, tongue lobbed off to the side with what I’d estimate to be smile on his face, if the dog were capable of such a thing. Such a morbid sight with all that blood. Blood that stained my arm and my face, no doubt.

The thought sickened me, but more than that, I was happy to still be in one piece.

“I’ve never seen such a thing in all the time I’ve been here.” The awe in Anya’s voice was undeniable, and I lifted my head to see that she hadn’t called on Van Croix.

Didn’t matter really. I could see him from where I lay, still standing in that window, watching the whole thing. What kind of person could stand by and watch something like that go down without intervening?

“I’m not really sure what this means,” I said, pushing up to my elbows.

“Me, neither. The dogs have never actually liked a visitor. Until now.”

“Well, that’s something, I guess.”

Cerberus laid down beside me, resting his head on his paws, and let out a small whine. Confused, I took it as a cue and lifted my hand to pet him. Hesitant at first, but when my fingers made contact with the back of his neck, he offered a lick to my now exposed thigh.

“Oh, my. This is something indeed. A miracle, if I’ve ever seen one!” Anya made an excited sound in her throat that seemed unfitting for a woman who came off so proper and serious all the time. “Miss Ravenshaw, welcome to your new job. Caretaker.”

“What?”

“It’s clear they’re smitten with you. There isn’t a soul in Blackwater they’ve shown so much … affection toward, aside from Master Van Croix. You must stay now.”

“Don’t you have to clear it with him first?”

“If he wishes to have his dogs cared for and fed, he has no choice. Wait here. I’ll have a quick chat with him about it. If you’re still interested in staying, that is.”

Was I? Had I lost my mind to stay in a place where they allowed dogs to maul suspected murderers?

“I guess I am.”