The Chateau (Chateau 1)

My eyes started to water in devastation. “I know you’re high up in the hierarchy because of the way the guards respond to you—”

“You just confirmed that someone else is the boss. I’m not the boss. What do you expect me to do?”

“I…I don’t know.” I didn’t know how he could intervene, get that man to be less interested in my sister and leave her alone. “You could help us both escape. I know you said you wouldn’t, but that’s my only chance. I’m going to try whether you help me or not. So, if you aren’t going to tell me, then tell me where her cabin is.”

He must have gotten fed up with the conversation because he opened the door to leave. “I’ll say this once more. If you try to run, you won’t make it. When that happens, they’ll hang you. And when that happens…you’ll be on your own.”

13

Silence of the Bells

Magnus collected me the next morning and escorted me to my post, but he didn’t say a word to me.

It was like he was angry at me.

I should be grateful I had someone to look after me, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting more, from begging him to get me out of this outdoor cage.

Once I was at the table with the boxes, he walked off and entered the cabin the boss had entered days ago. My old guard was there on the other side of the clearing, his gaze clearly on me even though the hood of his cloak covered his face.

I ignored him and turned to the table. I didn’t feel helpless anymore, not when I had Magnus to look out for me. He’d stopped both the executioner and the guard, so I had someone powerful on my side.

Bethany spoke the instant I was beside her. “Girl, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“I can’t believe Magnus saved you like that…”

“I know.”

“Are you sleeping with him?” She’d already asked the question, but she asked it again because she clearly didn’t believe me.

“No.”

“Then why is he helping you?” she demanded. “What incentive does he have?”

“I’ve asked him the same question many times—he never answers.”

The guard yelled across the clearing. “What’s taking so long?”

I quickly turned and carried the first box to the table, feeling much better than I had yesterday after all that food I’d scarfed down. I set it down then returned to the table to prepare the next one.

Bethany met me at the same time.

“I need your help with something.”

“What?” she whispered.

“I need to figure out where my sister’s cabin is. Do you know?”

“No idea. I could ask Cindy, but she’s not going to know either.”

I glanced over my shoulder to look at where my sister sat. Cindy was nowhere nearby, seated much farther down the line. I would ask Beth to ask Cindy to ask Melanie during the workday, but that didn’t seem possible either.

“Are you lying to me?”

I stilled at the question and turned slightly toward her. “What?”

“Are you lying to me?” she repeated. “Because a guard wouldn’t stop a Red Snow like that unless there was something going on. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. If I could have a guard to watch my back, I’d do it too.”

I opened the next box and got it ready. “I’m really not lying.”

“Then he must want to sleep with you.”

“He hasn’t asked. He hasn’t tried.”

“What will you do if he does?” she whispered.

“I…I don’t know.” I didn’t want to give in to any man’s demand, but Magnus was powerful, and if he wanted something from me, I wasn’t sure how I could turn him down. But he didn’t seem like someone who would only do nice things in exchange for sex, because he’d had weeks to make the demand and he hadn’t.

“What does he look like?”

“He’s got brown hair and brown eyes. Looks like he could be part French and part Italian.”

“Is he attractive?”

I’d never really considered it because attractiveness was out of context here. How could there be any form of desire when every single day was horrific? “He’s not bad to look at.”

An uneventful week passed.

Magnus escorted the woman to bring me dinner at night, and while he usually brought me hot cocoa and some other surprise, he never stuck around to talk. For a man willing to risk his neck to help me, it didn’t seem as though he liked me very much.

Or maybe he knew if he stuck around, I would just pester him to help me.

Magnus came to collect me one morning, and instead of escorting me to the clearing, he took me away from the camp.

I already knew where we were going. “Is there a drop today?”

He walked ahead of me, moving effortlessly through the short mounds of snow. “Sounds like you already know the answer.” He escorted me to where the girls were waiting with the men and the wagons. Once he had me in sight of the guards, he turned away. “Don’t do anything stupid.” Then he walked back.