The Girl from the Valley

Chapter Seven - Serena

The second floor was even more dimly lit than the tavern below. There was only one torch lighting up the hall of rooms and it was next to the stairs. I would have to navigate through the near darkness with only the faint glow from this single torch.

The hall had 4 doors to the left and right, all evenly spaced out until it ended, opening up to a small space furnished with a small circular table and 2 cushioned chairs sitting opposite of each other. Above the small table was a window with thin cotton drapes looking toward the dark alley outside. The small space was comforting and had Kathy’s simplistic decorative touch.

I remember playing in this very room with Kathy many years ago. She used to hide a small box of toys under the small table for me to play with. She would pretend to cast spells on me to make me her princess and I would cast pretend spells on her to fight her off. We would go on for hours laughing as we concocted our make-believe selves. And then, when I grew tired, she would tell me her stories and other stories about the world outside of Penin before she settled down here. She was one of the reasons why I so desperately wanted to leave Penin.

I continued to the other side of the open space where a single door stood alone against the wall. I remember that Kathy used to tell me that this room was for special guests only. In the times that I have spent with her, she only let 2 or 3 people inside who were Capital Officials visiting Penin.

I grabbed onto the curved, gold painted door handle and was about to open the door when the sound of the tavern door slamming open startled me to a halt.

“Roan?” I heard the faint, muffled voice of Aunt Kathy addressing the person I had been running from. “What on Archaesia happened to your face?”

My breath quivered as I exhaled. He caught up with me. He was going to find me and drag me back to the house. He was going to put his hands on me again…

“What are you doing here at such a late hour?” Kathy asked.

I stood immobilized by fear as the sound of furniture being moved around in the tavern below drew closer to the stairs.

“I do not appreciate you destroying my tavern, Roan,” Anger evident in Kathy’s voice, “I will not ask you again, boy, what are you doing h-”

“Where is she?!” Roan shouted loud enough to wake the neighboring building. “I know she’s here, Kathy. Don’t play dumb with me!”

“Don’t raise your voice at me child! You come into my tavern, throw my furniture around, accuse me of knowing about whatever you’re spewing, and you don’t think I’ll knock you straight on your ass for talking to me like that?”

“I know you’re hiding Serena here.” Roan hissed.

My hand was shaking as I clutched the handle to the room I was about to enter. I just needed to go into the room and lock the door but I couldn’t move my body. I was paralyzed with the fear of Roan having found me and the thought of him doing awful things to me. The memory of his touch, his kiss, and the lust in his eyes made me nauseous.

Kathy scoffs, “I haven’t seen Serena in months.” She was a pretty convincing liar. I even almost bought that she hadn’t seen me.

“Lies!” More ruckus came from the room below as Roan searched for me. “I saw her come in here!”

His stomping footsteps approached the stairs, prompting my body to finally move.

“You can’t go up there, Roan, that’s for guests only!” Kathy shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

Panic set into me as I turned the handle but it didn't budge. It’s locked, someone must be inside. Why would Kathy tell me to go to an occupied room? Or maybe the handle is just stuck from rust since the room hadn’t been used in a while. I struggled to turn the handle once again as the sound of steps began coming up the stairs. Just as I was about to give up and run to a different room, the handle finally clicks and opens up, revealing a shirtless, bedheaded Adrian. My breath hitched as he pulled me into the room without warning and shut the door just as Roan took the last step to the second floor.

The room was dark except for the moonlight shining in through the window across the room. Adrian still had my hand in his hand from when he pulled me in. I was pressed against his body, both of us deathly silent as we listened to the footsteps outside moving door to door.

“She is not here, Roan.” Kathy fussed. “You can check all the rooms and she still, would not be here.”

“You’re lying, I know I saw her!” Roan slammed a door open and then another.

I must have been shaking more than I thought because Adrian pulled me into an embrace, holding me so firmly that I was engulfed in his warmth.

“It’s okay, Serena. “Adrian whispered right into my ear, sending a tingle through me, “I won’t let him hurt you.”

A loud knock pounds at the door, causing me to jump and, before I could make any sound, Adrian covers my mouth with his hand, silencing my yelp. Adrian slowly moved us toward the bed to prevent the floor from creaking beneath us as another wave of knocks pounded on the door.

“I know you’re in there Serena!”

“Roan, leave my quests alone!”

Once Adrian and I make it to the bed, he points at me to lay down on it. I shook my head and he sighed, reaching his hand out to mine. Was he asking me to trust him? I gave him a questionable look and he responded by placing his other hand on his chest, giving me a little nod. Giving in to his request, I laid my back on the bed as he pulled the bed sheet to my shoulders. He didn’t lie in bed next to me, although it was big enough for the both of us, instead, he leaned down to whisper in my ear again.

“I’m going to open the door,” he whispered. I moved to protest but he held his palm up, stopping me. “I’m going to glamour you so that you look like someone else. When I open the door, your brother and the lady of the tavern will not know that it’s you.”

Glamour? Was that magic? I was confused, but Adrian just held his hand to his chest again with a nod.

Did Adrian really know magic? He said that he was from The Capital and I knew that magic existed, I just hadn’t seen much magic in Penin. Penin consists of mostly mageless humans that never rely on magic for anything. If Adrian did know magic, would he really be able to make me look like someone else to Roan and Kathy?

I nodded back at Adrian, allowing him to glamour me.

For a second, nothing happened. Adrian had just closed his eyes but when he opened them back up, the hazel eyes that I had seen earlier at Hannah’s birthday were no longer what they had been. His irises were now a glowing orange as a wave of heat tickled against my skin. The heat moved like a blanket, engulfing me from head to toe in a tingly warmth. This was what it was like to have magic used on you? The sensation was new and odd but interesting. If Adrian knew how to do magic, then did everyone in the Capital know magic as well?

Adrian moved to stand, drawing my attention back to the knocking at the door that seemed louder than before. He blinked a few times before the glow disappeared, then he moved to the door, twisted the lock and opened the room to Roan and Kathy.

“Where is she?!” Roan pushed past Adrian, placing a torch he had brought onto a torch mount on the wall across from the door. The dark room was flooded with light.

Adrian let out a low growl that was almost beast-like. “Get out of my room.”

Kathy gasped, taking a step away from the room and bowing her head. I had never seen her bow to anyone before.

“I’m sorry, Sir Kaiser. I didn’t see you return. I warned him about disturbing our guests but he rushed past me.” Kathy apologized.

Sir Kaiser? I looked at Adrian, who seemed unphased.

“Where is she?!” Roan searched through the small closet and under the bed. Roan and I made eye contact briefly but he quickly turned away, ignoring me completely. Adrian’s trick worked. I wanted to smile but I ended up just sitting motionless with the sheets drawn up to my shoulders.

Adrian sighed, crossing his arms and leaning his back against the door. I couldn’t help but stare at the hard muscles built under his skin. Shadows dipped into his muscles, perfectly sculpting his body. If Hannah saw Adrian the way that I was now, she surely would throw herself at him and I wouldn't blame her.

Roan let out a loud frustrated groan, stomping toward Kathy, who had still not entered the room, “She’s not here! Where did you hide her?!”

Roan motioned his arm up and swung his fist targeting Kathy, but before he could make an impact, Adrian caught his arm, shoving him away from the door and Kathy. Roan landed, crashing into one of the cushioned chairs, breaking off 2 of its legs.

“What is your problem?!” Roan shouted, “This has nothing to do with you, so bug off!”

Roan got back onto his feet and threw a punch at Adrian but he was too slow. Adrian swerved to the right, dodging the punch and landed his own attack on Roan’s abdomen.

Roan fell to the ground clutching his lower torso with a groan.

“I told you that Serena isn’t here, Roan.” Kathy spat at him. “I can see why she would want to get away from you if you’ve been acting like that. You ought to never come back here or I’m reporting you to the guards.”

Roan was staring daggers at Kathy and Adrian between his shaggy hair, a deep snarl on his face. Slowly getting to his feet with one arm wrapped around his waist, Roan walked and moved to stand just a few feet away from Adrian and spat on the ground right in front of him.

Adrian didn’t respond to Roan’s action, instead, he remained quiet, keeping his hazel eyes hard stuck on Roan until Roan finally gave in. Roan then turned on his heels, stomping his way down the hall and back down stairs.Kathy, Adrian, and I stayed quiet until Roan’s footsteps were heard leaving the tavern with the doors slamming closed with a loud bang.