Chapter 30

I make my way to the water and sit on a wooden ledge that looks like it was made for fisherman. I dangle my feet over the edge, letting the cool water wash over my feet, taking the mud with it.
"What the hell are you doing?" Cole yanks me up by my upper arm, squeezing so tight I am afraid he will snap my bone. His odd behavior is lost on me. I don’t understand his actions.
"I...I was just washing my feet." My words come out strained. I am trying to explain something that really doesn’t need an explanation, but his angry glare makes me want to express my actions. Yet I am afraid. The flash of fire in his eyes terrifies me.
No matter how much I try to be strong, those eyes are my undoing. So much pain and suffering have been inflicted upon me when his eyes have been consumed by the fire that my body cowers at the sight of them.
He lets go of my arm, and I rub it with my other hand, and glare angrily at him. Large seal like creatures soar high into the air then fall gracefully back into the water. Their bodies look like snakes with gray scales. Their beady eyes are small black slits. They open their mouths wider than I think is possible. Their thin, pointed tongue whips towards me at high speed. One minute I am watching their dagger-like tongues coming towards me, and the next, I am standing outside an old castle ruin. I sigh. I am never going to get used to this.
***
We’re now standing at the bottom, of a set of steps made of old Yorkshire stone and in a large open space. The whole traveling in without actually moving, leaves my stomach feeling queasy. Counting to three in my head I let the dizziness subside before following Cole up the stairs. Some of the walls are crumbled and decayed. While in other places, the structure is still intact. Cole walks up the crumbling steps and blindly I follow, taking each step with caution. At the top, we enter a cold large stone circular room. He pulls a torch from the wall and lights it. The light flickers dimly.
At the end of the room, a set of stone steps in better condition than the last ones leads to a circular room with a single small window. The room consists of a bed and a small blue fabric sofa that is worn with time. A thick royal blue rug lines the floor. He proceeds to light various candles that are placed neatly around the room.
A giant mural of a sunny beach covers the largest wall, hand painted and the first beautiful sight I have seen in a while. The flaring hues of the sun melt into the sky. The never-ending sea is masked with an apricot color that merges and flows into turquoise. The sand blurs in a blissful trance of liquid gold.
"What is this place?" I ask as he takes a seat on the bed and pulls some headphones over his ears.
"The only place you will ever see the sun," he replies flatly. He gives me a disinterested look and resumes with his music.
I shrug my shoulders, hoping it shows his comment has not affected me. I then take a seat on the sofa. I can play his game too and completely blank him.
The music blasts out of his headphones. Well, if you can call it music. It sounds more like a load of screaming and banging to me. Feeling restless I get up and gazeout of the window.
The wall of fire is about thirty feet away. It is all that is trapping me in the kingdom, and I must find a way over. If not, I don’t want to imagine what the rest of my life will be like. Little by little I am being given more freedom. If I keep on the narrow line I am treading, soon I may be able to escape. The wall of fire is my problem.
Turning away from the window I notice a bookshelf. I scan the books and pick one that does not sound dark and scary and settle down on the sofa, tucking my feet underneath me. I pull the worn blue cover over my legs and open the book.
A prickly feeling at the base of my neck tells me Cole’s dark, cold eyes are boring into me. I refuse to look and lose myself in a world of dragons, princesses, and knights. How I wish a knight could save me. Fat chance that’s gonna happen. Who in their right mind would walk into Hell?
I’m not a princess, and my life is not a fairytale. I’ve never been one to dream of white knights and happy ever afters, but right now, I really do wish a knight would sweep me off my feet and take me away from this world.
A light touch to my shoulders startles me. I jump to my feet, my heart racing. I’d lost myself in my thoughts and temporarily forgotten where I was.
"We must go, it is almost time for dinner, and you need to clean up," says the Prince of Darkness, holding out his hand for me to take. I stare at his hand, confused. Rather than wait for me to come to my senses, he grips my hand firmly. A faint electric shock runs up my arm. I pull in a deep breath and hold the book protectively to my chest. He grabs the book with his free hand and tosses it on the bed.
"Hey, I was reading that, and I was at the best part," I say, annoyed he has taken my freedom away. For a few short hours, I had escaped to a world of freedom and friendship.
"Father does not allow books in the castle unless they are of war or ancient myths."
I find myself standing outside my own room, clutching Cole’s hand tightly. The strange tingling assaults my body again. I don't think I will ever get used to it.
"Get cleaned up, dinner will be ready in forty minutes," he says, untangling my white-knuckled fingers from his.