Dragon Thief Box Set

Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

I reluctantly stepped through the doorway and found myself in a small but cozy bedroom. A high and large oak bed stood against the far-right wall, and opposite the door was a small fireplace. The hearth was flanked by two paned windows that looked out on the street. The rest of the furniture consisted of a dresser, vanity, and a low buffet-style table atop which sat a wash bowl and pitcher. There was also a door set in the left-hand wall near the exterior wall.

Castle slipped past me and over to that door, though stopping long enough to set the candelabra beside the pitcher. My curiosity was piqued by the dust-free room with its quilt-covered bed and vanity.

I moved over to that piece of furniture and found the top covered in all manner of toiletries, many of which I recognized. There were several different styles of brushes and makeup tins. There was even an eyeliner. My own face looked back at me from the oval mirror that hung against the wall behind the vanity.

I half-turned to the open closet door where I could just make out Castle’s back as he rummaged through its contents.

“Are you married?” I asked him.

“No,” came the reply as he rummaged through the closet. “This room belonged to an ancestress of mine. Her husband, that is, my great-great grandfather, was so distraught by her death during childbirth that he kept her room as it was. My family has retained the tradition ah-ha!”

He stepped backward out of the closet and turned around to face me. His hands were stretched out in front of him, and in his upturned palms he held a red silk ribbon.

“This is what we need,” he told me as he strode over to where I stood. He paused and looked between my right and left hand. “Which hand do you use to write?”

“My right.”

“Then hold out your left.” I held out the requested hand and he wrapped the ribbon firmly around my wrist. “There. How does that feel?”

I twisted my wrist around and shrugged. “It feels soft, but what am I supposed to do with it?”

He nodded at the mirror. “Look.”

I turned to the vanity and my breath caught in my throat. A woman about my height stood in my place, but her long, silky hair was a shocking shade of red and she had bright green eyes. She also wore my clothes.

I stepped closer and lifted one hand. The reflection did the same. I ran my hand down the smooth cheek and felt my old familiar blemishes, but the mirror didn’t show any of them.

Castle stepped up to my side and smiled at me. “What do you think?”

I blinked up at him as I slowly shook my head. “I-I don’t know what to think. Is this a trick mirror?”

He lifted my left hand and brushed a few fingers against the silk cloth. “The only trick is this ribbon. It was an heirloom from my ancestress’ family who descended from a long line of witches. This particular trinket allows the wearer to take on a different form.” He turned his attention to the mirror and a pensive expression slipped onto his face. “I must admit I’m surprised to find you taking this form.”

I c****d my head to one side. “Why?”

“Come with me.” He led me over to the closet where he released me and slipped into the small space. In a moment he reappeared with a sheet which covered a rectangular object. He removed the sheet and revealed a portrait of a beautiful woman.

The woman in the mirror.

I gaped at that bemused face. There was a familiar curvature in that smile that made me look up at the man who held the portrait. “Is this your ancestress?”

He chuckled. “The similarity is striking, is it not? Outside of the hair, that is, that, alas, I did not inherit.”

“So, I look like her when I wear her ribbon?” I guessed as he covered the portrait and placed it back in the closet.

“Yes,” he confirmed as he stepped out and closed the door behind himself. “I’m rather surprised to see such a resemblance. I, myself tried on the ribbon when I was younger and the results were, well, not as beautiful.”

I held out my left hand to him. “Let me see.”

He held up his hands in front of himself and shook his head. “I would rather not try that again, but this will certainly guarantee your being able to venture out into the city without the soldiers taking notice of you.”

I tilted my wrist and furrowed my brow. “How do I, um, take it off?”

“Merely this way.”

Castle reached out and pinched one end of the ribbon between two fingers. He slowly pulled the knot apart, and as he did so I happened to look in the mirror. The vision of loveliness I had become shimmered and then slowly faded as the knot failed. The entirety of the mirage ended the moment the ribbon was undone.

“Wow,” I breathed as Castle drew the cloth off my wrist and set the ribbon in my palm. I studied the ribbon that lay so innocently in my palm. “So why would I look like her? I mean, I’m, um, not from here.”

He folded his arms over his chest and studied me. “The ribbon has the ability to mask someone’s features, but my ancestress knew how to ‘turn off’ the magic, as it were, because she was quite fond of wearing it. Her fondness may very well have left an echo of herself on the magic and the ribbon, and so anyone who is much like her would appear to be her.”

I lifted my eyes to the mirror and the reflection that stared back at me. “She was really beautiful.”

He chuckled. “You do her justice in donning her features. Now then,” He offered me his arm, “shall I take you to your room? You must be exhausted after your long night.”

At the mention of my adventures, I was reminded of the weariness that had crept over me. “I think I am,” I agreed as I accepted his arm.

Castle led me out into the hall and down the corridor in the direction away from the stairs. We reached the end, and he showed me to a room on the left. It was furnished much like the other bedroom but without the personal trinkets. Lit candelabras sat on the vanity and on the nightstand beside the bed.

I plopped myself down on the edge of the bed and found the mattress had a slight bounce to it. “How many rooms do you have in this place?”

He smiled down at me. “Over two dozen.”

I winced. “How does Tully manage to take care of them?”

My host chuckled as he moved over to the door. He turned to me as he grasped the handle in his empty hand. “Sparingly, but that works well enough for unexpected guests. I hope you’ll be comfortable here.”

I swept my eyes over the paneled ceiling and nodded. “Very. You have a lovely house.”

He inclined his head to me. “Thank you, Miss Lucas. That is a welcomed compliment coming from you.”

I smiled and shook my head. “You don’t have to call me that. Just Millie would work.”

His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Then I will bid you goodnight, Just Millie, and see you in the morning.”

My jaw dropped open, and by the time I had gathered my wits, he had shut the door. I swore I heard his chuckle echo down the hall until silence swallowed the sound.

“I’ll get my revenge…” I muttered as I twisted around to look over the bed.

The covers felt as soft as silk, but thick enough to keep the chill night air away. I tossed off my shoes and shirt, but I carefully set the ribbon on the nightstand. With those chores done, I dove under the sheets and snuggled down. In a few minutes, blissful sleep had taken hold of me.