Beautiful Beast

Chapter 2

ARAWN

I am trapped. The great doors are locked, my sword and daggers disappeared into thin air, and my extra weapons are on my saddle, which is outside. For a third time, I furtively pull on the iron door handles. They are shaped like roses, the stems being the handles and the flowers gracefully resting against the unmoving oak.

"Bloody beast," I growl, angrily kicking at the door with my booted foot.

"Sir, might I show you to your room?"

Startled at the voice, I spin about, but the cavernous atrium is empty. "Who spoke to me?" Out of habit, my hand drifts to where the hilt of my sword should be.

"I did." A man's regal voice comes from nearby.

I narrow my eyes, but I only see the marble floor inlaid with gold, the expansive staircase clothed in a crimson carpet, the stalwart pillars, and elaborate wall panels. Could it all be an illusion? What does this place really look like? I can hardly imagine the beast living in such a grandiose edifice.

"Who are you?" I ask, feeling rather silly for speaking to the air.

The invisible being responds, "I am Cedric, her ladyship's steward."

I nearly snort at her ladyship. That thing, that creature which wore a gown of shadows, which glared at me with glittering black eyes of emptiness, was in no way a lady.

"Open these doors at once," I demand, striking the wood with my palm.

"I am afraid I cannot do that." He sniffs pompously. "Now, come along. I will take you to your room."

He means the prison. He must think me daft if he believes I will simply follow him. For all I know, he is some sort of illusion or ghost.

"Now, do not be stubborn. We have prepared a beautiful room for you—I am sure you will be comfortable," his voice comes from the base of the staircase.

"I doubt that I will find chains comfortable."

Cedric sighs heavily, then calls, "Please, do not be so obstinate. I am not taking you to the dungeons."

I squint toward the voice, hoping I will be able to determine where it is exactly coming from. But again, my efforts are futile. If I go with him, perhaps I will be able to learn the layout of this place or even the location of the beast. That vile creature vanished before I could assess its weaknesses or even its exact appearance. I had hoped I could immediately attack it, but the coward stole my sword with its magic and disappeared.

Tensely, I march toward the voice but pause when I arrive at the foot of the stairs. How am I supposed to follow it when I can't see it?

"Up this way, sir. Come along."

I cautiously follow the voice, wary of the fact that it could very well lead me into a trap. I ascend the staircase which after twenty-five steps, branches out to the right and left. The voice, or Cedric as he introduced himself, leads me to the right. As we crest the second staircase and enter the adjoining corridor, he points to various items—a portrait, a vase, a tapestry, a set of candelabras—and neatly explains their history. This vase was a gift from Lady Theodora Marchina who had it especially crafted for Lady Evita Vayliese, that painting is a portrait of Lord Xavier Cortielle, a powerful lord who had a great love for hunting, and so on. None of the names are familiar to me and I wonder if Cedric is making them up or if this is a history lost and forgotten by modern culture.

Beneath Cedric's history lesson, I attempt to memorize the route we take. First right, continue past two adjoining corridors, then left, up a short flight of stairs, then right past a marble statue of a horse, then right again? Or did we turn left before we passed the statue? By the time Cedric opens an oak door carved with depictions of ravens, I have completely lost my sense of direction.