Page 3 of Eternal Obsession

I was going in.

I will save you.

A key turned in the lock.

Those inside were coming out.

I sprinted toward the large wooden trunk that was against the far wall, horrified to see Alex had followed me down. Quickly, I shoved him behind the trunk and covered his mouth. Although furious with Alex, the events of the moment took precedence. Together, we watched in fear, startled to see five masked men withdraw from the dark chamber, all dressed in black, their long capes billowing. Forcefully, four of the men dragged a young woman, her disheveled raven hair falling over her face, her eyes blindfolded. She was dressed in a man’s clothes.

I covered my ears to block out her screams. Alex wet himself and whimpered.

I grasped his hand.

Her head bobbed up and down as they hauled her away—to my relief, in the opposite direction. I thanked God they headed away from us. For a moment, I feared they would step in the urine and find us. I recognized one of the men. He followed the entourage, walking speedily toward the dungeons. It was Father.

Alex bit down on his hand, and I pulled his fingers out of his mouth before he drew blood.

“It’s Father,” I reassured him.

“Father?” Alex leapt up.

I yanked him down. “No,” I mouthed.

Father too wore a mask, and though his eyes could be seen clearly, it covered the rest of his face. I wondered why he was trying to conceal his identity.

The woman’s blindfold fell to the ground, and we set eyes on the most beautiful woman. Her pale, porcelain skin was dazzling.

Her deep turquoise eyes fixed on us.

I took a deep breath, unable to remember taking my last.

She struggled, but with hands bound tightly behind her back and with the unwavering grip of the four men, she failed to get loose. Within a moment, and with much panic, the men replaced the blindfold, covering the woman’s face again. She was carried off into the dark.

As they disappeared from view, the woman cried out again. “Orpheus!” The name echoed into the silence.

Alex was on his feet and running toward the dungeons. I reached out to stop him but failed. I scampered after him and soon caught up. We gazed down the long corridor. The men, Lord Artimas, and the woman were gone.

We explored the dungeons, looking for any sign of them. On finding nothing, we looked at each other in disbelief. I was shaken but selfishly reassured that Alex had shared witness. I told him of my plan to meet with Catherine, and we both headed away from the cells, back toward his bedroom. Alex changed clothes and shoved his soiled trousers under his bed. I was grateful they were not under mine. We scurried toward the south terrace.

“You’re sure it was Father?” Alex asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you think the woman was a witch?”

“She must have been, otherwise why would he⁠—”

“Do you think she put a spell on us when she saw us?” he asked.

“No.”

“You don’t look too sure.”

“Witches need potions,” I said.

Alex was persuaded. Now all I had to do was convince myself. We reached the water’s edge.

“You both look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Catherine said.