Catch, Curse, Release (Immortal Warriors #1) ✅ Completed

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A New View

A New View

This was the first time Lori had the chance to really explore the castle without fearing whatever new torture Des was hoping to spring on her. She was a little concerned about being left alone, not to mention a little anxious as to how she was going to explain Des’s absence, but in some small measure she found comfort in being on her own. Since yesterday, she’d learned her lesson about wandering outside the walls by herself so she was more than content to indulge her curiosity by exploring the inside of the keep.  

She’d known the castle was huge before they’d actually been welcomed inside it; it was tall and imposing and could be seen for miles. But besides a few hallways, their guestrooms, the dining hall, and kitchen (that still made her blush when she thought of it) she hadn’t seen very much of it. The only other room she’d seen that wasn’t for the public was Eric’s study (which also made her blush when she thought of it!). Now, she was more than a little curious about the whole keep. It wasn’t every day a person vacationed inside a castle in another time and reality – she was more than a little eager to check it all out.

Lori took her time as she explored the rooms on the first level. The first floor was divided into several main rooms: dining hall-combination-great hall, throne room, kitchen, buttery, and much to her surprise a chapel with attached oratory.

She stepped into the hushed space of the chapel where hundreds of candles were set along the walls in sconces or in tall upright candelabras. Instead of pews, white stone benches were set in pairs throughout the length of the room, as if small groups could sit together to meditate or pray. Not as opulent as the throne room, this room still spoke of the wealth of Eric’s kingdom with rich colored mosaics lining the floor and walls.  

Missing were the usual depictions or icons of the various faiths back home but Lori’s breath caught in her throat at the mosaics of dozens of winged beings that looked a lot like the angels she was used to. There were angels on the floor, the walls, and even some etched on the sides of the benches. Surrounding most of them were stars, moons, planets, and even the sun.

Lori walked through the room slowly, running a hand over the wings of several angels on the wall. Not really the religious type, she hadn’t stepped foot inside a church since Michael’s burial. Still, she found a deep peace standing among the angels and the stars in the middle of a castle far from home. She sat on one of the stone benches, enjoying her moment alone and thinking of her brother. A little while later, when she finally left the chapel, Lori felt lighter and more at peace than she’d felt in years.

She made her way to the second floor. From her previous conversations with Cynn she knew the royal chambers were located on the opposite side of the guest wing. Now, instead of taking a right at the top of the mezzanine staircase she took a left, a nervous excitement settling low in her stomach.

Thankfully she passed only a handful of people once she’d left the main floor, and most of those looked even busier than usual. Lori figured it had much to do with the distraction of the council hearing earlier that day and getting things back in order after the visit from the Fenrir.

Of the few maids she passed, most bowed and gave her warm smiles, one or two of the bolder ones actually stopped and embraced her for helping Cynn. Lori was touched. It was true, she may not have scored any points with Eric’s warriors, but at least the staff seemed happy she’d interfered on the girl’s behalf.

She could definitely live with that.   

At the end of the main hall there was only one set of large double doors, each side of the rich wood carved with reliefs of immortals in various stages of combat. Some wielded enormous swords or axes in the middle of a battlefield while others were featured riding horses straight into the field of battle. Among the carvings she could tell not all of the warriors on the battlefield were human – some were clearly Weres. And not just wolves either, there were some cat and bear-like creatures in the mix as well.