Chapter 29

"Good morning, darling." The king stands. His eyes run the length of my body and light up. My skin crawls with disgust. I try to hide the feeling, hoping my expression doesn’t betray me.
"Good morning." I smile and offer a slight bow as I take my seat. I flash Cole a small smile.
"You are rather cheery this morning. Considering yesterday," the king probes.
I place a napkin on my lap and take a sip of water. "I have had time to think."
"And?"
"What girl wouldn't want to be a princess?" I let out a small laugh to hide my nervousness. My answer seems to please him as his attention returns to his breakfast and away from me.
I eat in silence, focusing on the conversation taking place between the two men.
"Cole, why don't you show Kayla the grounds, I am sure she would love some fresh air." The king smiles coldly. I lift my head up. Did he just say I can go outside?
Cole gives his father a deathly stare.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
Cole stands and walks to the door. I remain in my seat, unsure whether to follow him or not.
"Well, are you coming or not?" he snaps.
I guess that answers my question. I stand and take slow steps towards him. With a flash of annoyance, he storms out the door and into the corridor. Having the simple pleasure of strolling through the grounds will work in my favor. It will allow me to gain some insight into the land around me and help with my escape.
I fight the urge to run to my room and hide. Cole looks as scary as his father, but the hope of freedom pushes me forward. I pick up my pace and follow him out of the large oak doors. The smell of smoke assaults my senses. Surprisingly, the air is muggy and warm, a complete surprise after the cold, damp castle. The tips of volcanoes in the distance rise like monstrous heaps of earth, giving a Jurassic feel. I almost expect to see a herd of dinosaurs. My surroundings are surreal. I shouldn’t be surprised by what I see anymore, yet I look around in awe.
We walk down a large gravel path with black rose bushes to either side. Shaking my head at the sight, I gaze up and stop in my tracks. The sky is blood red. Yet darkness smothers my surroundings. Torches placed every few feet light our way with angry flames.
"Do you ever get any sunlight here?" I ask as I catch up with Cole. I don’t get too close though. If he is anything like his father, then he will have the tendencies of a bipolar person, happy one minute, angry, and aggressive the next.
He laughs. "You are not in the human world now."
Yeah, I kind of figured that out weeks ago. He never answers my question. Instead, he keeps walking, setting a fast pace. At the end of the path, we come to a scorched black field dead of any life. My heart aches for the wildlife that has been destroyed. The ground underneath is black, as if it has been scorched.
We walk through the dead land. Trees come into view, their trunks lacking life and their branches drooping. We walk through the small cluster of trees. Twigs scatter the floor, and each snap of a twig gives off an eerie feeling, making me shudder. Shadows dance in the shadows and deadly talons from the low reaching branches extend out into the darkness, slashing at my skin every so often. The outside world is deadly quiet. The beasts with yellow eyes that I have seen many times from my bedroom window is nowhere in sight.
Once we come out of the trees, we walk across another large field. The grass here is dark yellow and brown and on the verge of death.
The earth is still wet from the storm, and my heels stick to it, causing me to lose my shoe and footing. I quickly regain my balance. My barefoot lands in the soft mud, submerging in the substance. I cringe as the coldness creeps up my legs, leaving me feeling chilled.
"Take off your other shoe and walk barefoot," Cole demands, turning around and walking away. I close my eyes. I don’t want to take off my shoes and walk barefoot in the awful sticky mud I conclude I have no choice. Quickly I comply. The mud squelching through my toes makes me cringe with every step.
"Will you please stop grinding your teeth." He yells as he spins around, his face inches from mine. Fire burns in his irises causing me to take trembling steps back.
"Okay, I get it. You don't need to literally burn me with your eyes." I raise my hand as if to defend myself from the burning flames. The fire dancing eyes scare me, though my sarcasm hides my fear. I am learning to be strong, but the voices in my head create an inner turmoil, telling me I can’t do this. He searches my eyes and my face. For what? I am not sure. I have become good at hiding my emotions behind a mask.
"Where are we going anyway?" I ask. The muscles in my legs and feet ache, weak from being cooped up in the castle for so long. It is not a good combination. Somehow, I must gain the physical strength I need if I am ever to escape.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t answer and runs his hand through his hair. The movement reminds me of Chris. I miss that arrogant, self-obsessed guardian more than I would like to admit. However, I said some pretty mean things to him. He probably hates me now.
Finally, we exit the field and come to a large pond. The water glistens and reflects the red sky. In the distance, rolling hills lead to dark stretches of woods. The tops of the volcanoes are now out of sight.