Chapter 24

W e followed Ordell out of the safe room, into the corridor beyond, and up the steps to the main floor. He walked fast, his movements tense and agitated.

“How do you know Ingrid’s in the east wing?” Hemlock asked.

He stopped by the entrance to one of the many sitting rooms on this floor. “Because someone told me.”

The temperature dropped, and a figure materialized beside Ordell. Spectral, petite. Evil.

Daisy smirked at me. “Hello, Orina.” Her voice was all echoey and creepy.

The ghost bitch had tried to get me killed by tricking me into unbinding Ordell on a full moon. But Ingrid had assured me that she’d been put back in the east wing with all the other lost. “How did you get out of the east wing?”

Daisy shrugged. “I slipped out when the woman with the fake face put Ingrid inside. I watched her for a while. I don’t like her at all. But Ingrid…I like Ingrid. Ingrid was always kind. Ingrid shouldn’t be in the lost room.”

Wait a second. “ Ruby threw the spirit trap in there?”

“I went to confront her about it,” Ordell said, “but she was gone. I’d left Matthew in charge of watching her, and she’d knocked him unconscious. Godor caught her on the bridge.”

Hemlock’s jaw tightened. “Where is she now?”

“Dead,” Daisy pouted. “Gone. Shame. If she’d died in the castle, then she would have stayed too. We could have played.” She tipped her head to the side, her eyes darkening into pits.

I suppressed a shiver. “How did she die?”

“Godor said she had a pill on her. She took it, and it killed her.”

“Fuck!” Hemlock raked a hand through his hair. “She duped us, and now we have no idea if anything she told us was true. What if she let the stuff about us being Ezekiel’s brothers slip on purpose? What if she knew he was in the room all along? Dammit, there is no way to make sense of it without the truth.”

“But we know where Ingrid is, and we have to get her out.”

“You care,” Daisy said. “You care for Ingrid.”

“Damn straight I do.”

Her dark eyes bored into me. “Then I’ll help you.”

“Excuse me if I don’t jump for joy. The last time you offered to help me, I was almost…” I trailed off and glanced at Ordell, who had twin spots of color high on his cheeks.

“I’m better now,” Daisy said.

She didn’t look better. “Oh?”

“I don’t want to hurt you. I want to…help. Help Ingrid. Help you help Ingrid.”

“Why would I need your help? I’ve been in the east wing before, in the lost room. I can go in and get the trap and…Wait…” I turned to Ordell. “Why haven’t you gotten the trap yet?”

Ordell cleared his throat. “We…Hemlock and I, we can’t access the room. It’s warded to us.”

“Wards don’t work in Dracul territory.”

“Not wards, silly,” Daisy said. “The lost. They let you in or they keep you out. The lost don’t want the brothers. They want the king, and they want the king’s playthings.”

So that’s why Ariella was able to open the door. But how did she even know about the lost? There was no answer to that question, not now that she was dead.

“And you?” I pointed at Daisy. “You know where it is? Why not get it for us?”

“I can’t touch it without being drawn in. No spirit can.”

“Only you can go in and get the trap,” Ordell said.

“But they will tear you up,” Daisy said. “Rip you open. Tangle your brain without my protection.”

Yeah, that did not sound like fun.“Fine. I’ll accept your help.”

“On one condition.”

“Oh, and here I was thinking you were doing this out of the goodness of your heart.”

She giggled. “You’re funny.” Her expression sobered, rendering the giggle creepy as fuck. “I want to be free. No more lost room. No more east wing.”

I looked to the guys for this one. I didn’t understand the dynamic of the castle and the specters well enough to make this call.

“Ingrid has the power to force her back,” Ordell said.

And yet Daisy was willing to save her? Maybe I was misjudging her. It didn’t matter, because I needed her help, which meant accepting her deal. “Help me save Ingrid, and I’ll speak to her and tell her what you did to save her. I’ll ask her not to lock you away. That’s all I can do.”

She considered this. “Deal.” She grinned, but her eyes remained dark pits of awfulness. “You’ll need supplies. Salt and iron.”

“We can get those,” Hemlock said.

“Then we’re ready.”

I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake trusting her again, but if Ingrid was in the lost room, then I’d have to take the risk.

Matthew met us at the door to the lost room with a bag of salt mixed with iron filings and a huge bump on his head. His eyes looked glassy too.

“You could have a concussion, Matthew. You should rest.”

“I’m fine,” he said tightly. “I’m just annoyed I fell for her act.”

“We all did,” Hemlock said.

I took the bag off him. It was small enough to be held in the palm of my hand.

“The concoction will ward them off,” Daisy said. “But it will disperse me too, so be careful when you cast it to create a path. The lost room is the epicenter of spectral power, so they won’t be quelled for long. Your life will be a beacon to them, evoking jealousy, longing, and rage. Don’t let those emotions consume you. You must be strong.”

“You make it sound as if it’ll be a long journey. The room isn’t that large.”

Her smile was a wicked, jagged thing. “The room is as large as they wish it to be, and Ingrid has been their keeper for too long. She’s the reason they’re trapped. They won’t give her up easily.”

“But you want to help because you’re ‘better.’”

She tipped her head to the side. “They can all be better. We just need a little more time.”

There was something in the way that she was looking at me, an intensity that made my skin crawl and my stomach bubble. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Daisy glided toward the door and stopped. “After you.”

Ordell gently gripped my elbow. “If things get difficult, if it’s too much, you get out of there.”

I dropped him a nod, pushed open the door, and stepped into a blizzard.

The icy air screamed as it scraped at my skin and raked through my hair. It filled my lungs with frost, making it difficult to breathe.

Someone called out my name. Ordell?

But his voice was cut off a moment later as the door slammed shut, and then there was only the shriek of rage-filled specters.

“The salt,” Daisy cried. “Use the salt.”

Shit. I fumbled with the bag, hissing with pain as talons scratched at my cheek, trailing cold fire in their wake. The salt slipped through my fingers as I grabbed a handful and flung it out before me.

The world wailed, the wind died, and the room came into view—wooden furniture and torn paintings.

“Where is it?” I hurried forward as the air thrummed with gathering energy.

“There, under the table!” Daisy pointed.

I spotted a silver cube decorated with symbols that glowed softly, but I’d barely taken a step before the blizzard was back. Phantom ice chips swirled, obscuring my view and whiting out the room. The temperature plummeted, freezing my face and numbing my fingers so that they refused to work.

“Hurry!” Daisy cried. “Salt!”

I wanted to yell back that I was trying, but my lips were frozen. Something snagged in my hair and yanked. All I felt was pressure because my body was going numb.

Show us.

Join us.

Be us.

“Orina, throw the salt!”

The specters pressed in on me, stealing my oxygen, and the edges of my vision began to darken.

No. I had to fight. The salt. My hand was in the bag. Just clench and grab a handful. Throw it.

Ours now…

Never leave again.

Stay forever.

My blessed markings heated, and blissful warmth spread down my arm and into my hand, releasing my fingers from the specters’ icy grip. I grabbed a handful of salt and flung it, then another and another until the bag was empty.

The specters screamed, enraged. The blizzard died. I crawled across the floor toward the spirit box.

Dread pressed in on me, vibrating around me as the specters gathered and regrouped. I had no doubt the next assault would be the most violent, and I had nothing to temper it with.

I grabbed the box, scrambled to my feet, and ran for the exit. But the exit shot away from me, the passage growing longer as the malevolent energy behind me gave chase.

Daisy materialized in front of me, gliding backward, her hand held out to me. “Faster! They’re almost on you.”

I pushed harder, thighs burning, lungs aching, my focus on the door. Was it my imagination or was it getting closer?

“Yes!” Daisy said. “You’re doing it. You’re doing it.”

My muscles burned, chest aching with effort as I fought against the specters’ hold. Come on! Come on!

The door rushed to meet me. My fingers grazed the handle, and triumph flared in my chest. The moment lasted a heartbeat before an icy hand grabbed my nape and hauled me away from escape.

The ceiling slammed into me, and agony cut fractured pathways across my body and into my bones.

I lost my grip on the spirit box.

The unseen force shook me, rattling my bones before crushing me to the ground. The air rushed out of my lungs. I gasped, fighting the pressure, eyes bugging because I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t fucking breathe.

Daisy’s dark eyes fixed on the spirit box a mere foot from me. “We had a deal,” she said. “Remember we had a deal.”

“What—”

She dove for the box, and as she made contact, bright light lit up the room, stinging my eyes.

NO! The unified wail battered my ears.

The light flared brighter for a beat before dimming to reveal a motherly figure.

Ingrid…

Her gaze fell to me, her mouth a tight line. “Now you let go of her right this minute,” she snapped.

The power holding me captive eased, and I was free. I rolled onto my side, sucking in lungfuls of air.

No…Give her to us…

“Get back!” Ingrid ordered the specters. “You will not harm her.”

The specters keened as Ingrid reached for me. “It’s all right, dear. I have you. I have you now.” She helped me up, her fingers chilly against my skin.

I could feel the spirits around us, vibrating with the need for action. Was she holding them back? And where was Daisy?

“Take the box,” Ingrid said to me.

I scooped it up, and we hurried for the door. But the pressure behind us grew, and Ingrid cursed.

“They’re too strong.” She shoved me toward the exit. “Go. I’ll hold them off.”

I clung to her. “I’m not leaving you.”

The blizzard rose behind her, pressing closer, pushing against the shields she had up.

“You have to, my sweet child. They need you. They need you more than I do.” She cupped my face. “You can stop this. You can save us all.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. I’m not her. I’m not?—”

“Yes. Yes, you are.” Tears tracked down her cheeks. “I felt it from the start, knew it deep down, and when the impostor tried to take your place, I knew it for certain. You are Arabella reborn.”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel it. I don’t?—”

She began to hum the lilting tune from the kitchen and warmth bloomed in my chest. “I remember now,” she said softly. “I remember the words.” She began to sing. “Safe and warm in my arms, I am your haven, child. Never fear the dark or storm, I am your haven, child…”

Memories swirling in my mind. Of another time. Another place, but always her. Her laugh. Her embrace. Her hand in mine. Her love. So much love.

“No matter how far or long you roam, I’ll be your haven, child. And even when I’m dead and gone?—”

“I’ll watch over you, my child.”The words sprang to my lips, and I knew.

The connection I’d felt to her. The love I felt now… “Please, don’t leave me.”

She kissed my cheek. “I’ll never leave you, child. I’ll be right here.” She touched my breastbone. I love you.” Warm air kissed my back. “Always…” She pushed me hard, and as the room rushed away, the blizzard surged and swallowed her.

The door slammed in my face.

Hands grabbed at me, soothing words filling my head. But I had to get back in the room. Had to get her out. Had to save her. Had to?—

“Orina, stop! Stop it!” Hemlock shook me. “It’s locked. Ingrid saved you and locked the door. She’ll control the spirits because she’s the spirit keeper, and that’s her job.”

I fell limp in his arms. “No…She’s more than the spirit keeper.” I pushed the words past the constriction in my throat. “She’s more than a sentry.” I lifted my chin, staring at him through tears. “She’s my mother, and I…I’m Arabella.”