Slumping forward, the woman placed one palm on the massive door and let out a sob. “I failed them all. I deserve this.”
Serilda started to move closer, wishing she could do something, anything to ease her torment.
But before she could reach her, a thin red line appeared around the woman’s neck. Her sobs abruptly silenced.
Serilda cried out, leaping backward as the woman collapsed, her body sprawling across the entryway floor.
Her head rolled a few more feet, landing mere steps away from Serilda.
The woman’s eyes were open wide. Her mouth twitched, forming silent words.
Help us.
“I’m sorry,” Serilda gasped. “I’m so very sorry.”
She couldn’t help anyone.
Instead, she ran.
Chapter 26
She was nearly to the drawbridge when she spotted a form lying in the shade of the wayfaring tree. Serilda drew up short, her heart sputtering. A sharp stitch dug at her side.
First, she thought, Monster.
But no. She recognized that chestnut coat, that dark brown mane.
Her second thought—Dead.
Her heart was pounding as she approached, tears already gathering in her eyes. Zelig lay on his side, eyes shut, perfectly still.
“Oh … Zelig …”
Startled, the horse’s head lifted, its frightened eyes landing on her.
Serilda gasped. “Zelig!” She ran to him, dropping her hands over his head as he gave a whimpering neigh. He nuzzled her palm, though she suspected he was searching for food as much as he was showing affection. She didn’t mind. She was already sobbing in relief. “Good boy,” she whispered. “Good boy. It’s all right now.”
It took a couple of tries for the old horse to get his hooves beneath him and scramble up to standing. She could tell he was still exhausted from the night before. Serilda found his tack discarded beneath the weeds a few feet away, and the horse didn’t balk as she put the bridle over his head. She hoped that he was as grateful to see her as she was to see him.
Now she only needed to find her father.
Serilda wiped the tears from her eyes and led Zelig across the bridge, his hooves splashing through the rain puddles. She told herself again and again that she was not being chased. The ghosts were trapped inside the castle. They could not follow her—not when the veil was in place, at least.
She was all right.
The streets of Adalheid were empty. There were no townspeople this time to gawk at Serilda as she and the horse emerged from the ruins. The mist off the water slowly cleared, revealing the timber-decorated buildings along the shore, water pouring down from the eaves and forming rivulets along the cobblestones.
She was eager to start for home immediately and see whether her father had made it back yet—to make sure he was okay—but Zelig needed food, so with a heavy heart, she turned in the direction of the Wild Swan. Maybe she could stable Zelig there for a few days and see if someone else might be willing to drive her to M?rchenfeld, or near to it. But she knew it wasn’t likely, not in this weather. Too risky for cart wheels to get stuck when the mud was so thick.
The stable behind the inn was full of sweet hay and even had a bucket at the entrance full of small, bright red apples. Serilda led Zelig to an empty stall. He immediately bent his head toward the trough, eager to gorge himself on fresh water. Serilda left a few apples within his reach and headed toward the inn.
She stepped through the door and, leaving a little trail of rain-water as her cloak was soaked through, headed straight for the roaring fireplace at the back of the public house. It was a quiet morning, with only a few tables occupied, likely by guests staying at the inn. Serilda doubted many of the townspeople would be braving this weather, no matter how good the breakfast food was.
The air smelled of fried onions and bacon. Serilda’s stomach warbled as she tapped a gentle knock on the oak table.
“Well, if our local specter isn’t back,” said Lorraine, emerging from the kitchen with a platter of food. She deposited the food at the table by the window and approached Serilda, hands on her hips. “Locking up for the hunt last night, I wondered if you might be turning up again today.”
“Not entirely by choice,” said Serilda. “But here I am. Might I bother you for another cup of cider?”
“Of course, of course.” But Lorraine didn’t immediately head back to the kitchen. Instead, she studied Serilda for a long moment. “I must say. I’ve lived in this town all my life, and never once have I heard of the Erlking abducting a human and then letting them go, unharmed. Now, I’m not saying that isn’t a good thing, but it’s making me nervous, and I know I’m not the only one. The dark ones are terrifying, but at least they’re predictable. We’ve found ways to live in their shadow, even prosper. You don’t suppose that this arrangement you’ve got with the Erlking is going to be changing that, do you?”
“I would hope not,” said Serilda, a little shaky. “But if I’m being honest, I’m not sure how much I yet understand that arrangement. Right now, I’m mostly focused on trying to keep him from killing me.”
“Smart girl.”
Remembering what the Erlking had said shortly before sunrise, Serilda wrung her hands. “I should tell you that the Erlking has all but ordered me to return on the Chaste Moon again. He suggested that I should … er … stay here in Adalheid, so there is less distance to travel when he summons me. He said that the people here would be accommodating.”
A sour look came over Lorraine’s face. “I’m sure he did.”
“I’m not meaning to take advantage of your hospitality, I swear it.”
Lorraine chuckled. “I mostly believe that. Don’t worry. It’s easy to be generous in a town like Adalheid. We’ve all got more than we need. Besides, that castle is full of more darkness than my root cellar and more ghosts than a graveyard. I can venture a guess as to what you’ve been through.”
Some of the tension in Serilda’s shoulders evaporated at her kind tone. “Thank you. I don’t have coin with me this time, but next time I return from M?rchenfeld I will be more prepared—”
Lorraine cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I won’t risk angering the hunt, whether you have coin or not. I have a daughter to think about, you know.”
Serilda swallowed. “I do know. I truly don’t wish to be a burden, but if I could let a room during the full moon?”
Lorraine nodded. “Consider the Wild Swan your second home.”
“Thank you. You will have payment.”
Lorraine shrugged. “We’ll figure that out when the time comes. At least you won’t feel that you have to con Leyna into buying your breakfast this time.”
Serilda flushed. “She told you about that?”
“She’s a good girl, but terrible at keeping secrets.” She seemed to hesitate over something, then heaved a sigh and crossed her arms. “I do want to help you. It’s something of my nature, and Leyna was quite taken with you, and … well. You don’t strike me as the sort who goes out looking for trouble, which is a habit I can’t tolerate.”