I stumbled into the castle, bringing clods of earth and pebbles with me. I pushed my dirt-tangled hair out of my face and leaped to my feet, looking for guards. When I realized I was alone, I slumped against the wall, muscles in my arms and legs aching.

I was inside.

I indulged in a weary grin before straightening up again to get my bearings. It was dark and dusty down here, with rows of iron doors. I’d come out right by the dungeons. I thought I heard weeping but all I could see was darkness and mildew.

“Hello?” I whispered.

The weeping stopped so abruptly I reached for a weapon I didn’t have.

Which was when I realized I had no weapons.

Crap.

Too late to turn back now, and nowhere to go besides.

I crept forward, straining to see inside the dank cells. Unlit torches lined the stone walls and soiled hay lay in heaps in the corner. A single candle flickered, stuck to the ground by melted wax. “Anyone there?”

A girl with long blond hair to her knees wearing a ragged dress crouched near the bars of a cell. She looked about seven years old and there was an iron chain clamped around her ankle. Her mouth moved as if she was trying to speak, but no sound came out. I swallowed and glanced into the next cell. A knight in tarnished armor glared at me. Next to him was an old woman cackling to herself and next to her, a woman with bite scars, a vampire so pale she was translucent. Her fangs were extended, her eyes like pale purple violets covered in frost.

“You’re a fool,” she said.

I didn’t argue with her.

The last cell held a Hel-Blar, snarling and spitting through the bars. I stayed well out of reach, wrinkling my nose at the stench.

If Viola wanted them locked away in her subconscious, or wherever this was, then I wanted them free. And if I was lucky, she’d be so busy dealing with their mass exodus that I could sneak through the castle and find out what else she was hiding. Because whatever it was I was looking for, it wasn’t these sad bodies. They were important enough for her to lock them away but not important enough to guard. What I needed was somewhere else entirely.

I bent to pick up one of the rocks that had tumbled out of the tunnel with me and smashed it onto one of the locks. The clang reverberated through the hall. I glanced over my shoulder at the spiral stone steps but when no one came thundering down to investigate, I smashed at the lock again. The rust eating through the iron worked in my favor.

The vampire woman was the first to leap out of her cell, then the old woman and the lady. The knight eyed me suspiciously, even as his gate swung open. The little girl’s cell wasn’t even locked but she wouldn’t come out. I left the Hel-Blar where she was.

I was still holding the rock defensively, waiting to see who would move first. The vampire streaked up the stairs so quickly I barely saw her move. The knight pulled his sword from him scabbard and I stumbled back.

“I am a man of honor,” he informed me coldly.

“Good, go kill a dragon or something,” I suggested. “Like right now.”

He nodded curtly. I released the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. It startled me. I could breathe here, I could stand in sunlight, but I still had fangs. Viola’s head made no sense.

I waited until the others had cleared out, all except the Hel-Blar and the little girl who was still huddled with her head under her arms, before inching up the steps. I kept close to the wall, hearing the sounds of fighting, the clang of swords, a woman’s shout of warning. Through one of the narrow windows I saw the dragon fly by so close, the air from his wings ruffled my hair. His blue scales flashed like lapis lazuli.

I avoided the great hall, where the scarred woman appeared to be flinging coals from the fire at everyone. The dried lavender stalks on the ground smoldered fragrantly. A hawk resting on a wooden perch let out a piercing cry of alarm. I darted under the wooden stairs before anyone could look over and see me there. There were two knights up on the landing, standing in front of an arched oak door. Two more stood staggered on the steps. The hawk broke free and circled over the smoky hall, crying.

Under the stairs where I was hiding, there was another door. This one was smaller and unguarded. Thick dust lay on the ground in front of it. When I tested the handle, it was unlocked. I slipped inside.

Into a swarm of bats.

Chapter 5

Lucy

Sunday night

I slid into the driver’s seat and fishtailed my way through a U-turn. Kieran and Solange were out of sight now, long since vanished into the forest bordering the campus. I cut through the field, following their footsteps. Snow and clumps of grass churned under the tires. I pulled to a stop at the edge of the trees, ducking out to stand up while still inside the car. I balanced on the edge of the seat, peering into the woods.

“Kieran!” I called out, reaching for a stake. I listened intently but I couldn’t hear running or screaming or even regular night sounds. The snow muffled everything, making it too bright and too silent. My heart pounded in my ears. I was sure the teachers at the academy would tell me not to abandon the getaway car. But they wouldn’t want me to abandon a fellow hunter either.

A quick glance behind me showed the empty field. Whatever the students and concert-goers were doing now, it wasn’t sneaking up behind us. That would have to be good enough for now. Still torn, I jumped out.

I followed the footsteps under the tall red pine, the back of my neck prickling. It was creepy in here, far away from everything and everyone with nothing but the clouds of my frozen breath for company. The tip of my nose was numb and my fingers were cramping with cold. Ice crackled in the trees as the wind shifted. Wet snow and icy rain drifted down in veils, sliding down the back of my neck. I crept deeper into the forest, eyes straining for any movement. Moonlight slid between bare branches.