Page 6 of Unkindness of Crimson Ravens (The Crimson Duet #1)

Crimson Wine

M y fingers brushed through the soft covers of my bedding, enjoying the sensation; the fur felt as though it was made of fine silk. I covered my head with the blanket, sighing. Oh, how I wished I could stay in bed for the rest of the day.

Soon enough, Mories would come into my rooms to help me prepare for the day. Of course, I was no longer in need of her help, but in the last month I'd been grateful for her company.

She seemed to not let me out of her sight after my birthday ball. After all, she had been the one to calm my tears.

If it weren’t for her status, I was sure she would have strangled Timothy with her bare hands after she saved me that night.

Timothy. I had humiliated him in front of everyone last night, and—regardless of how much my mother punished me for such an outburst—it felt incredible. My lips spread into a grin as I remembered his face falling the moment he had realized what I had done.

My grin fell flat as the rest of the memories about last night caught up to me. The fine silk covers I was clinging onto were suddenly replaced by briar.

My eyes stumbled around not recognizing the room I was in.

The walls were made of dark stone, the ceiling held a black metal chandelier with long extinguished candles on it.

A painting of a woman with a black widow instead of a mouth stared at me from the opposite wall.

My head was spinning as I realized the whole room was black and certainly not mine.

“ You shouldn’t have brought her here.” A quiet voice came from behind the black wooden door.

Dear Gods! Dear Gods, help me. My lungs squeezed all the air out; icy sweat broke through my palms.

“What else was I supposed to do?”

No.

Gods, please, no!

My body shivered at the familiar accent coming in reply. “Leave her alone in the woods?” the voice continued. “Besides, she is his last creation, she might be of use.”

Run! Hide! My mind screamed at me. As though my soul left my body, I looked at the room through someone else's eyes. My body did not belong to me any longer.

My body moved away from the door without my command. Slowly, my shaky legs carried me through the room towards the farthest corner.

“She is a royal!” The stranger did not bother keeping his voice quiet anymore. “They will come for all of us, brother.”

I spun around in hopes of finding something heavy or sharp, but saw nothing handy. I will die here.

The door creaked and I staggered backwards, hitting the big windows hidden behind the black curtains. The light from the hallway lit up the room as the silhouette of a man showed up at the threshold. The man was holding a goblet in his hand, as he smirked down at me.

“You must be hungry, Your Highness,” Francis said sweetly, taking a step forward.

A thundering howl broke through me, ringing in my ears. That nightmare corrupted my soul, making its slow way towards my heart. This is not real.

Wake up, Cordelia! Wake up!

My voice snapped like a tree during a hurricane. My throat was cut by dozens of needles and was left to bleed dry.

“Bloody hell.” Francis groaned, rolling his eyes. “No wonder I could hear you miles away in the woods.” He smirked. “And sorry to disappoint, I am quite real.”

His voice cut through the ringing in my ears, echoing off the back of my head. Not real, this is not real. I kept telling myself, yet I lost confidence in my own words by the moment.

“Well?” He crooked one eyebrow. “Would you like to join me for supper?”

Everything stopped. My mind wandered through every possible solution, finding none that would allow me salvation. Surrender knocked on the door of my sanity, but I held the entry firmly closed. I would not surrender and accept my grave without resistance. I would find my way out.

My gaze slipped towards a candelabra standing nearby. It looked heavy enough to serve as a weapon. Taking a slow side step, I watched Francis carefully.

He seemed to forget about my presence as though I became another ghost in this eerie room. Francis carefully studied the color of the wine in his hand before taking a small sip.

He chuckled when I grabbed the candelabra, gripping it in front of me.

“Stay the fuck away from me!” I yelled, arcing the candelabra towards my foe.

He only laughed at me with amusement, leaning on the doorframe. “Such language for a royal.”

Ignoring him, I repeated myself, hoping I did not sound as scared as I truly was. “Stay. Away. From me!” I screamed out every word.

“Would it be best if I returned when you're done whining?” Francis stared at me more annoyed than ever, though he did not take a step forward. “I brought you dinner.” He shrugged, holding out a goblet of wine towards me.

Dinner? Is he jesting?

His eyebrows flew high, expecting my answer, but all I could focus on was the candelabra in my hand and the open door behind him.

“Let me go. My mother will give you gold.” I blurted out, hoping I sounded confident.

“Go if you wish.” Francis shrugged, gesturing me out. “I am not one to keep such a liability as a prisoner.” He rolled his eyes at me. “Do you know they can be rather expensive to support?” He smiled at me sweetly. “I prefer slaying my enemies. It’s quicker and far less costly.”

What in the Kingdom is he implying?

Dizziness’ sharp knife clefted through my insides, tying my stomach into a knot. Every cell in my body threatened to explode. The illness rushed through my veins, begging my body to surrender.

He intends to end me. Right here, in this black room, where no one will hear my last words, where no one will come to my rescue.

My jaw clenched. Anger and terror rushed through me in a powerful wave. The vulnerability I was forced into made my blood boil as though it was fresh lava. My vision had become little more than a red blur. I struggled to recognize myself.

Will he be merciful to end my suffering quickly? Will he prolong the torture for his own pleasure?

Francis sighed, taking a sip of the dinner that he had brought me. He caught my unresting gaze, holding out the goblet towards me.

“I did not tell anyone about your meeting.” My voice shook no matter my best efforts at sounding brave. “I will not say a word, just let me leave peacefully.”

His bright laugh traveled through the room.

“Why, I appreciate your loyalty, Your Highness.” He bowed, still laughing.

“But as I already said, you are free to go. Though, I would suggest staying away from the royal grounds. Humans tend to be rather dramatic in our presence, naturally.” Francis smiled, revealing his teeth that were now covered in wine.

What in the Kingdom?

The realization consumed my senses. Oh, Gods. My screams were interrupted by the sound of the candelabra colliding with Francis’ head.

“For god’s sake.” The man gripped onto his injury, cringing, as I took my opportunity to flee.

I ran out the door to the hallway, bumping into a man and a woman I had never seen before, taking them off guard.

Desperately looking for the exit, I sprinted, turning left-right-right-left down the endless sets of stairs. My lungs were on fire, but I did not stop even for a moment, nor did I look back.

Which way was the palace? Where in the Kingdom was I? By now someone would’ve noticed my absence, my mother would’ve sent a search group into the woods. I could only hope I had left tracks behind me.

I ran through the endless labyrinth of stone hallways, praying that luck was on my side today.

The hallways had no windows, the only source of light were the candles on each side of the wall. I grabbed one, just in case.

As panic started to settle deep in my stomach, I finally saw a light that didn’t look like fire—a window perhaps, maybe even a door; though, I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

The shaking in my legs just increased, nausea hitting me with a terrible wave. Breathe. So close, I was so close.

A door. Thank the Gods.

I forced the heavy door open, falling flat on my stomach. I was outside, I had to keep going!

Pushing through the pain in my body that threatened to destroy me right there, I gathered to my feet, when a terrifying scream escaped me. My wrist felt as if it was set on fire, corrupted and abused by it. Staring at my injury, I didn’t stop screaming. I have to keep going!

“You are going to give me a headache, and I haven’t had one in ten years.” Francis shook his head, leaning against the door that I just fled out.

I gasped, moving away from him as much as possible while still on the ground.

He was going to drag me back inside, back to the black room if I didn’t get up right this moment.

“Did you enjoy your run?” He flashed his crimson teeth.

Watching him, I slowly crawled backwards.

Francis put his hands up in defeat, “I am staying the fuck away .” He rolled his eyes, repeating my words from earlier. “Just please stop screaming, would you?” Francis said calmly as he took another sip before returning his hands above his head.

Excruciating pain made me want to cut my hand off.

The bite was now bright pink, looking freshly healed. Healed! The bite.

A scary realization paralyzed me, taking away my ability to inhale. The bite.

“What did you do to me?” I roared, desperately trying not to succumb to the injury Francis created.

“I wouldn't recommend staying out for this long. The sunlight can still hurt you, even on a rainy day.” Francis took a long sip of his wine. Blood.

I wished I had another candelabra to wipe the arrogance from Francis’ face, but the pain radiating from my wrist made it clear that it would need to wait.

“Why did you bring me here?” my voice thundered.

“You're welcome, Your Highness,” Francis bowed. “I am sure you meant to say ‘thank you’ for saving your life before humans found you and set you on fire. Or worse, you would be stupid enough to go back to the palace yourself and get killed.”

My entire body shook as thunder traveled through every inch of my flesh. “What is happening to me?” My voice didn’t sound like my own.

“You know what is happening, Your Highness,” Francis scoffed.

I saw a glimpse of sorry in his eyes. Sorry? How dared he. None of this would've happened if it weren’t for him. “You did this to me!” I shouted. “You can go straight to hell!”

He ignored my outburst as though I was the woman from the painting with nothing but a black widow for my mouth.

“I can help you, Your Highness.” Francis smiled at me again, no trace of the sorry in his eyes from a moment ago.

I wanted to tell him to stay away from me, but the pain—the fire—in my body made it so all I was capable of was wailing, until my throat was on fire too.

It didn’t take long for this torture to reach my head, forcing my consciousness to give in.

I fell back on the ground as my vision blurred and darkened.

Francis picked me up, walking back inside the castle, and I was too weak to fight back.

The last thing I heard was Francis’ exhausted sigh, right before the world went completely black and disappeared. Again.