Towers [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Thirty-Two

"It isn't safe for you here," Annie whispered.

I drowned in fog, unable to catch my breath. I felt as if I were suffocating.
"You're not safe, Bird. Nobody is. Not anymore. You need to get away. You need to run."

My vision flashed, and my head pounded. I only had the strength for one word, and I spoke it blankly, unable to put any emotion into my voice.

"Why."

"Because nothing is as it seems," Annie said, tears streaming down her face. And then suddenly everything was gone, and I was being crushed—pressed down upon by visions and colors and emotions that flashed rapidly past. Annie's sweet laugh tormented my echoing mind. "Don't you see, Bird? You can't trust anyone. Doubt everybody around you—doubt the words they speak, doubt the façade they put up, doubt the lies they tell you. For they are lying, regardless of whether or not you dare to admit it."

"No. Stop."

"Hush now, Bird. You must come quietly."

"No."

"Don't resist."

"No."

"You're hurting yourself."

And then she spoke from all around me, her words coming from many places at once: "You cannot save her from this darkness.

"She will die. She will die. She will die."

I woke with a gasp, my face wet with tears. My hands were shaking.

The bed curtains swayed gently, like ghosts in a breeze.

It was a dream, I realized, and sank back to the pillows, still pale. I couldn't stop the wild pounding of my heart. It was a dream. I stared at the ceiling, seeing nothing but darkness.

My nightgown clung to me like ice.

Not for the first time, I found myself tormented by those three terrible words. She will die. My breath caught in my lungs, and I threw off the suffocating blankets, climbing out of bed. My bare feet stung at the touch of the cold marble floor as I paced.

She will die.

No, I thought. I braided a lock of my hair, then another. No. She won't. Not if I've anything to say about it.

Then I froze, listening. Had I imagined it? Was I still trapped inside my nightmare? No...no, it was real.

Footsteps.

Loud, confident, and coming closer.

I hissed a word between my teeth and shrank behind my partly open door, heart pounding wildly. It couldn't be him. Could it? Was it? The footsteps passed my door, fading away again, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

Jasper. Definitely Jasper.

Should I follow him? See what he was—

NO, Bird, absolutely not!

I bit my lip, sighed, and slipped through the doorway.

The air was even colder in the corridor. I hugged myself, hurrying silently after the retreating echoes of Jasper's steps. Each sound was haunting.

I didn't let myself think. If I did, fear of the unknown would consume me.

I moved quicker, following closely after him. I could see his dark form up ahead, framed by the vast, empty hallway. It was definitely him. He was wearing that wizard's cloak I'd seen him in, just the day before, the one scattered with runes.

Could he detect me with magic? Or, worse still, did he already know I was there? I desperately hoped not.

I followed him for a little while longer, but the echoes seemed to drift further and further away, until finally disappearing altogether.

I looked around and realized, grimly, that I'd lost him. I've lost myself as well, I thought, scowling. I had no idea how to get back to my chambers. Lovely. Now what?

I wandered for a little while, wondering what the guards would do if they caught me tiptoeing around in the middle of the night. Would they throw me into the dungeon with my friends? The dungeon, I thought, suddenly curious. Where is the dungeon? I considered searching for it—surely all I'd need to do was head continuously downward—but the idea didn't sit well in my head, tingling with danger and reluctance. Even if I were to find the dungeon, it wasn't as if I'd be able to free Channing and Emmy and the others. The very thought was absurd.

It was then that I heard music.

I stopped, listening, and stayed there for a long time. It was beautiful...hypnotic and slow, sliding from note to note in a sad, dismal way. It was lyrical, and the rare high notes made my heart rise.

It was too enchanting not to search for.

I started down a corridor, only to discover that the music seemed farther away than before. No. I turned in the opposite direction. So many corridors.

Who was the fool who built this castle?

Just as I felt sure I'd found the source of the melody, I found myself face to face with my bedroom door, and just like that—the song ended. The last note hummed sorrowfully before turning to ash at my feet.

I put my head in my hands.

I'm going mad, I thought.