Chapter 62

Down in the Elders’ Chambers, Anna sat on her heels with Gavin behind her, his body pressed against hers, his arms around her waist. She looked up at Wilhelm and swallowed.

“Gavin will guide you, Anna. Listen to his voice and do as he says. We will hear you when you speak.”

Anna trembled and nodded.

“Close your eyes,” Gavin said softly.

Anna obeyed and she felt his hand on her forehead. Slowly the sensation faded and she floated in darkness until...

It was the same room she always saw. She looked around for Alex, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Do you see him, Anna?” Gavin’s voice echoed in her mind.

“No, he’s not here.”

“Tell me what you see.”

She described the room in detail, from the bed to the new bookshelf that had been placed against the wall near the door.

“Is there a window?”

“Yes.”

“Look outside and tell me what you see.”

She described the mountains in the distance and what she could see of the castle and the yard.

“Have you ever been outside this room?”

“Only when he was sick, but I don’t know where that place is.”

“Go out into the hallway.”

Anna walked to the closed door and reached for the doorknob, but her hand went right through it. “I can’t open the door.”

“You do not need to. Walk through it.”

Anna stared at the door, put her hand to it and pushed. To her surprise, her hand went right through the wood, like it had with the doorknob. She squeezed her eyes and walked forward. Something brushed against her skin and she opened her eyes to see herself in a large, round room with a wooden staircase in the middle of it, going down. Several closed doors lined the room, and it was lit by a window over the staircase and a ceiling light. Gavin asked what she saw and she told him.

“Go down the stairs.”

She did as she was told, making her way slowly down the wooden steps. Her feet made no sound as she wound her way around and around, down several flights. There were no more doors, only the open, empty room below. When she came to the stone floor, there were two iron doors, one on either side of the room.

She told Gavin what she saw.

There was a pause. “Go through the west door.”

Anna looked around. West door? But something told her that the door right in front of her was the proper door, and she walked to it, squeezed her eyes shut, and walked through. This one was harder to walk through and she groaned as she pushed, but at last, she was free and opened her eyes to look around.

She stood in a long, very wide hallway with thick blue carpeting on the floor. The walls were covered in rich wooden paneling, and chandeliers hung from the ceiling at intermittent distances. Tall doors lined both sides of the hallway.

“What do you see?”

Anna spoke of what she saw as she moved forward. At last, she came to what looked like a huge entryway. The carpeting ended at a large, round black marble floor and a huge wooden door with beautiful decorative ironwork along the back of it. A wide, polished wooden staircase circled the room that led to the upper floor. Windows and glass doors along the back of the wall let in the afternoon sun, and she could see a large, grassy yard outside with tall hedges in the distance.

“Keep going.”

She walked across the entryway and jumped when a door to her right opened. Vlad froze, looking at her, or at least, she assumed he was looking at her. She froze and stared as well.

A troubled look came over his face. “Why are you here?” he asked in a hushed voice.

“I—?” She swallowed nervously. “Wilhelm . . . he wanted ? —?”

“Wilhelm? He knows you dream?” Vlad looked around. “You cannot be here. Devin will—Devin will find out. You must leave.”

“Devin?”

She heard a voice calling in the room behind Vlad.

“Please, Anna, go!” He reached out and touched her shoulder and the image faded.

Anna collapsed forward onto the floor. What had just happened? Why hadn’t she seen Alex? Where was he? Why was Vlad in her dream?

“Anna?” She felt a gentle hand on the back of her head. She looked up to see Wilhelm crouching next to her. “Anna, what did you see?”

“Vlad... Vlad was there, and he said that Devin would find out, and that I had to go. He looked very upset.” She paused. “But Alex wasn’t there. I didn’t see him.”

Wilhelm’s shoulders slumped and he ran his hand through his hair. “I am sorry, Anna. You did very well. Thank you.” He helped her to her feet. “Let me take you back to your room and I will have someone take you to the Gutshaus .”

“You’re not coming?”

“ Nein , I need to speak with the Elders for a while.”