“You’re a fool.” Her aura got bigger and her eyes flashed with anger. “I could have given you the world.”
“I don’t want the world.” I shook my head back and forth. “I just wanted to be rid of you.”
“Then you’ll get your wish.” She laughed and held out her hand. “You’ll be rid of me—you won’t even know yourself anymore.”
AFTER DESCENDING INTO what felt like madness cut with darkness, I woke up in the middle of a snowstorm. My body was cold and sore. I had no idea where I was or why I was there. I focused on the last thing I could remember and found that the memories were twisted and distorted. It was like they had been turned into ruination in my mind. I managed to get myself to my feet, holding my hand out to try and block some of the swirling snow in front of my eyes that were almost frozen shut. I tried to put my thoughts together as I focused on a light in front of me. Every step I took hurt and the wind that swirled around me was stronger than anything I had ever felt in Chicago. Trying to walk against it was torment, but I managed to get my feet to keep pressing forward.
When I got closer, I was standing in front of a castle. I walked through the gates and pushed the front door open. I was greeted by two hulking figures that hugged the edge of the light. A long arm pointed towards a fireplace and I walked as fast as my frozen legs would take me. I quickly collapsed in front of it and held my hands out to try and thaw them.
“Welcome...” One of the figures stepped out of the light and I saw a tired, ragged looking face with a thick, curly beard. “My name is Alexander.”
“Gill...” I looked at the man who resembled nothing more than a beast. “Where am I?”
“The place she decided you should be.” The other figure stepped out of the shadows. “My name is Boone. We’re all here for the same reason—we pissed off the witch.”
“Gwen?” I blinked a couple of times. “Gwen is a witch?”
“She goes by many names.” Boone held his hand out towards the fire. “But regardless of what name she gave you, she’s nothing more than a demon in a beautiful dress.”
“Just let me warm up a little bit and I’ll be on my way.” I moved closer to the fire.
“You don’t get to leave.” Alexander pulled a chair over and took a seat. “Not unless you want to die.”
I found out that I wasn’t the first man doomed to spend eternity in the castle—nor would I be the last. Alexander and Boone were nice to me, but there was a sorrow behind their gaze. They had both been there for a long time and they told me about the roses at the gate. Mine was already in bloom. As long as the rose stayed on the vine, I could live in the castle which was nothing more than our own personal hell. There was no comfort for us, no arms to hold us, and the walls seemed to close in more and more with each passing day. Gwen had decided to punish me for what I had done and her punishment was unlike anything else I had felt from a woman scorned.
Alexander and Boone had their own tales of crossing the witch, and as we let our tales unfold, there was no doubt that the emerald eyed woman I ran from was the same one that imprisoned them. She was more than a witch—she was seemingly immortal. She had lived many lives and mine belonged to her unless I plucked my rose. As much as I hated the castle and wanted to be back with civilization, I couldn’t take my own life.
“IS IT FAIR FOR US TO treat her the way the witch has treated us?” I sat the table with Alexander, each of us eating what was left of our supper.
“My life is over because of her.” Alexander stared at the rose as another petal fell onto the table. “How can I have sympathy for her?”
“It isn’t because of her.” I picked up a piece of bread. “It was her father that tore your rose from the vine.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Alexander shook his head. “She chose to suffer for his sins. If you want to release her after I’m gone, that’s your choice, but as long as I’m dying, she will suffer.”
“I just don’t think it is fair...” My words were followed by a sigh. “It’s the witch that is to blame for all of our suffering.”
“How do we know she isn’t a witch?” Boone entered the room with a plate of food and sat down. “She could be the emerald devil in disguise for all we know.”
“She seems too innocent for that.” I stuffed a piece of bread into my mouth.
“Innocent or not, she is mine to do with as I please until I draw my last breath.” Alexander stood from his seat and walked towards the fireplace.
As bad as I felt for the young woman imprisoned in the cage upstairs, Alexander was right. She had chosen to pay for her father’s crime and we had created a system of rules to govern our life in purgatory, even if we had devolved to nothing more than beasts. Alexander was our leader because he had been there the longest. When he passed, the role would fall to Boone. We weren’t the only ones in the castle, but we had been there longer than the rest. Some had been unable to handle their damnation and they had chosen the easy way out when their rose was still a bud. Others kept to themselves. Randall, the beast responsible for our meals, was outside the castle tending to the greenhouse he had created. He was a bit of a loner, but he always made sure we had a delicious meal waiting when the day was over. I finished my food and took my plate into the kitchen. It was my turn to take care of the dishes, so I started washing them as I thought about the girl upstairs. I wished she had left her father to pay for his crimes. It would have been easier to live with the guilt if the one in the cage was the one responsible for Alexander’s demise.
Chapter 5: Anabelle
Two days of misery passed and I was wondering if my decision had been a bit hastier than I expected. The cage was cramped and while I could stretch out, I couldn’t actually stand. My muscles hurt from being forced to remain in one position for long periods of time. Even when I slept, my body was contorted in an uncomfortable spot on the concrete floor. Going to the bathroom meant dragging myself over a steel pot that was fastened to the side of the cage next to a tiny door so it could be removed without opening my cell. I was ignored most of the time, except when one of the beasts brought me my food or tended to my waste. All attempts at conversation were ignored.
It seemed that they meant to keep me locked up with nothing but the cold steel and the concrete floor to keep me company. I slept when I could, always waking up sore and confused. I missed my family. I definitely missed my father, but I even missed Cassandra and Bethany. I would have traded a lifetime of being insulted by them to end my suffering in the cage. It was practically heaven compared to the hell I was in.
“Food...” The beast that had been identified as Gill walked in and pushed a bowl of thin liquid through the bottom door of my cage.
“Thank you.” I pulled the bowl closer, just happy to have the warmth. “Is there any way I could get a book? It can be a boring book, I just need something to pass the time.”
There was no answer from Gill. He walked out the door without responding and slammed it so hard the concrete walls seemed to vibrate. I lifted the bowl and sipped the murky liquid. It seemed to be some sort of bone broth, but there was little taste. Once I got to the bottom, I found some fragments of meat that I quickly scooped up with my fingers. I didn’t care what kind of animal they were from, I just needed some form of nutrition to keep my body going. I finished the meal fairly quickly and pushed it back through the door at the bottom of my cage before leaning against the iron bars.
I felt terrible as I thought about Alexander, the beast t