Bones. Thousands of bones. Shelf after shelf. Skulls staring at her with empty eye sockets. The flickering light of a nearby torch danced across the skulls in hues of red and gold, contorting the facial features until they looked as if they were possessed by demons.
Panic welled up inside her once more. This had to be the catacombs. Where the dead were buried and the ghosts of evil men lingered. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists. You must remain calm.
“I know you’re awake.”
Her eyes flew open.
“Get up,” the kidnapper ordered. “I haven’t much time.”
As she slowly sat up, she looked around. To the left was another wall of bones and skulls. Behind her, more bones and a torch attached to the wall. In front, an iron gate extended across the width of the room. On the other side, another torch lit another room. More shelves with bones and skulls. In the distance, she spotted a man dressed in the black robes of a priest. Father Rune.
“Oh, look,” a voice whispered behind her. “A live one has come to visit.”
Luciana stiffened as a wisp of cold air floated across her back. Don’t turn around. It would be better not to let these ghosts know she could see and hear them. Ignore them. She rose to her feet and approached the iron gate.
“Yessss,” another voice hissed like a snake. “We could have fun with her.”
Panic threatened once again when she noticed the padlock on the gate. She was trapped in this chamber with some evil ghosts. Goddesses help her, this was her worst nightmare.
Father Rune chuckled. “I can see by your expression that you have realized the full extent of your situation.”
She took hold of the iron bars, and barnacles of old rust bit into her palms. “What do you hope to achieve by this? My husband and father will be furious.”
“She’s locked in with usss,” the snake-voiced ghost whispered, then chuckled with his dead companions.
She gave the bars a shake, but the lock held tight.
The priest sneered. “There’s no way out. You will remain there until someone finds you. Hopefully, it will be the Beast. I have arranged a small surprise for him.”
“Oh, she’s pretty.” Icy-cold ghostly fingers stroked her arm, passing through her gown and causing her skin to prickle with gooseflesh.
“I like them pretty.” A ghost giggled with a manic, high-pitched tone that chilled her to the bone.
By the goddesses, that one sounded mentally unhinged. Once again she struggled against the panic flaring inside her. “The Lord Protector won’t let you get away with this.”
The priest waved a dismissive hand. “He’s far away. While I was hiding down here, I planned it all out. First, the castle guards will look for you. And then, they’ll send an envoy to let your father and husband know you’re missing. By the time the Beast can ride back to Vindemar, I’ll be gone.”
Father Rune sighed. “Such a shame that I’ll miss it, but I can imagine how it will unfold. Your rescuers will rush through the dark tunnels of the catacombs, desperate to save you, and there in the distance a single torch, a shining beacon, will illuminate you, the damsel in distress. Then the Beast will charge toward you.”
Father Rune motioned to two thin threads stretched across the corridor about a foot above the stone floor. In the dim light, they were barely visible. “Whoever trips the first wire will release a dozen arrows. The second wire will release a dozen more. I’m hoping, of course, that your husband will be among the dead.”
Luciana tightened her grip on the bars. In the seven days since she’d first met Leo, she’d grown to love him so much. She couldn’t bear to lose him. He wouldn’t die if she warned them about the trap, but she didn’t want to tell Father Rune that. He might decide to gag her or tie her up. So she gave him what she hoped was a forlorn, defeated look. “Why are you doing this?”
“It’s very simple. The king pays well.” The priest shrugged. “Of course, it’s possible that the Beast will survive this. But if he hunts me down, I’ll be ready with another trap. Sooner or later, the Beast will die.”
“Never. Leo is too smart for you.”
Father Rune chuckled. “You actually like him, don’t you? Well, you can always pray that he won’t find you here. Then he would be safe. But if that happens, you’ll be left here to die a slow death.” He sauntered away with the torch. “The Light be with you.”
As he disappeared around a corner, the room became darker, now lit by only one torch behind her.
“We’re alone with her now,” a ghost whispered, and a draft of cold air enveloped her.
There had to be half a dozen of them that surrounded her. One ghost had clearly died from a chest wound. The one with a snake voice appeared to have been hanged, for a line of mottled bruises crossed his throat. She closed her eyes briefly to keep from looking at them.
“So pretty.” The high-pitched giggle grated on her nerves.
A shot of cold penetrated her chest as the manic giggler tried to grope her breasts. She backed away, crossing her arms across her chest.
“I think she can feel usss,” the hanged man whispered.
“I hope she’s been left here to die,” the one with a chest wound said. “Once she becomes a ghost like us, we’ll be able to touch her.”
Another giggle. “If she dies, I’m fucking her first.”
Goddesses, help me! Luciana looked frantically about. There. A rib bone with a sharp, pointed end. She grabbed it and inserted the point into the opening on the padlock.