Chapter 8: Western Tower
1381 Words
Arabella spent the rest of the morning wandering through parts of Ravencrest she had not yet seen. No one stopped her.
A few servants passed her in the hallways, bowing politely before continuing with their work. Others avoided eye contact completely, as if speaking to her might cause trouble. She was beginning to notice a pattern. People in the castle were careful. Not just polite. Careful.
The corridors of Ravencrest seemed endless. Some were wide, with tall windows that let sunlight spill across the floor, while others were narrow and dim, lit only by torches along the walls. Shadows stretched across the stone, curling along the floor like dark fingers.
Arabella turned a corner and stopped. Two maids were standing near a doorway, whispering. They fell silent the moment they saw her.
Arabella sighed. “You know,” she said, leaning lightly against the wall, “I promise I’m not that frightening.”
The two girls looked at each other nervously.
“We didn’t mean any disrespect, my lady,” one of them said quickly.
“I didn’t think you did.”
Arabella straightened and walked closer. “What were you talking about?”
The girls hesitated.
“Nothing important,” the second one said.
Arabella raised an eyebrow. “People usually don’t whisper about nothing.”
Silence followed. Finally, the first girl spoke again, her voice low. “We were just talking about the western tower.”
Arabella glanced down the corridor. “The one at the end?”
Both girls nodded.
“What about it?”
The second maid swallowed. “It stays locked.”
“Lots of rooms stay locked in castles.”
“Yes, but…” The girl stopped herself. Arabella waited. “But what?”
The girl looked around quickly before leaning closer. “No one is allowed up there. Not even most of the guards.”
Arabella felt a small spark of curiosity. “And Lord Aziel?”
“He has the only key.”
The first maid grabbed her friend’s arm nervously. “We shouldn’t be saying this.”
Arabella smiled faintly. “You are not saying anything terrible.”
But the girls already looked uncomfortable. “We should get back to work,” one of them said quickly. Before Arabella could ask anything else, they hurried away down the corridor.
Arabella watched them go. Western tower. She glanced down the hallway again. From where she stood, she could just see the spiral staircase at the far end. Curiosity tugged at her. After a moment of hesitation, she started walking.
The staircase twisted upward along the stone wall. The steps were narrow and worn from years of use. The air grew cooler as she climbed. By the time she reached the top, the hallway was empty. And the door was exactly where the maids had said it would be.
It was larger than she expected. Dark wood reinforced with iron bands, with an old metal lock built into the center. Arabella stepped closer. At first glance, there was nothing special about it. Just another locked door. Still, the silence around it felt strange. She reached out and touched the wood lightly. It was cold, almost unnervingly so.
“Exploring already?”
Arabella jumped slightly and turned around. Aziel stood a few steps down the hallway. She had not heard him approach.
“How long have you been there?” she asked.
“Long enough.”
Arabella tried to look casual. “I was just looking around.”
“So I see.” His eyes moved briefly to the door behind her. “The western tower is not part of the tour.”
“I gathered that.” She folded her arms. “Everyone in the castle seems very nervous about this place.”
Aziel walked closer. “They talk too much.”
“Then maybe you should tell me what is up there.”
He stopped in front of the door. “For now, it is just a locked room.”
“That is not a real answer.”
“No,” he agreed calmly.
Arabella studied his face. “You are very good at avoiding questions.”
“And you are very good at asking them.”
She shrugged. “I am curious.”
Aziel reached into his coat pocket. For a brief moment, Arabella thought he was about to unlock the door. Instead, he simply rested his hand against the lock.
“Some parts of Ravencrest are better left alone,” he said.
“That sounds like the beginning of a warning.”
“Take it however you like.”
Arabella leaned against the wall. “So you are telling me not to go near the tower.”
“Yes.”
“And you expect that to work?”
Aziel looked almost amused. “No.”
That made her laugh slightly. “At least you are honest.”
For a moment neither of them spoke. Then Arabella pushed herself away from the wall. “Fine,” she said. “I will not break into your mysterious tower.”
“Good.”
“But I am still curious.”
“That much is obvious.”
They started walking back down the staircase together. As they reached the lower corridor again, Arabella noticed something else.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You usually do.”
“How many people live in Ravencrest?”
Aziel thought for a moment. “Counting servants and guards? Around sixty.”
“That is a lot.”
“The castle requires maintenance.”
Arabella nodded slowly. Then she asked the question that had been on her mind all day. “Have there been other brides?”
Aziel stopped walking. Arabella instantly knew she had touched on something important.
“You have heard rumors already,” he said.
“People whisper.”
“And what do they say?”
She hesitated before answering. “They say women who come to Ravencrest… change.”
Aziel’s expression did not shift. “Rumors grow easily in quiet places.”
“So they are not true?”
He looked at her for a long moment. “I did not say that.”
Arabella exhaled slowly. “That is not comforting.”
Aziel started walking again. “You will find Ravencrest is not what most people expect.”
“And what do people expect?”
“Monsters,” he said calmly.
Arabella glanced at him sideways. “And are they wrong?”
Aziel did not answer.
They reached the main hall again. Servants moved through the room carrying bundles of linens and trays of food. The normal activity made the earlier conversation feel strangely distant.
Aziel paused near the entrance. “I have business to attend to,” he said.
Arabella nodded. “I figured.”
“If you need anything, ask the staff.”
“I will.”
He gave a small nod before leaving the hall. Arabella watched him disappear down another corridor. Then she turned and headed back toward her room. Her mind replayed the conversation again and again. The locked tower. The rumors. And Aziel’s answers that never quite answered anything.
When she reached her room, she closed the door and sat near the window. Outside, the afternoon sun stretched across the courtyard. Guards moved near the gates while servants crossed the yard carrying supplies. Everything looked normal. Yet Ravencrest still felt like a place full of things people preferred not to talk about.
Arabella rested her chin on her hand and stared out at the courtyard for a while. Eventually, she stood and began unpacking some of the few belongings she had brought with her. Clothes. A small book. And the amethyst pendant her mother had given her. She held the necklace in her palm for a moment before putting it back around her neck. The stone caught the light from the window.
Arabella walked back to the bed and sat down. Living at Ravencrest was clearly going to take some getting used to. And judging from everything she had seen so far, the castle still had many parts she had not discovered yet. For now, though, she simply leaned back against the pillows and listened to the quiet sounds of the castle moving through another ordinary afternoon.
- Writer
