A Curse of Shadows

There’s pressure in my chest as my mind fights to insist on this being a dream and my head begins to pound the second I ask myself, What if I was wrong in my assumption before?

I’d been in my car. There shouldn’t have been any way that I went from driving across a bridge to appearing in a cave guarded by a man telling me I’m a lost princess.

Yet with Cain still staring at me, waiting for me to unfreeze from my current position, the world around me is too vivid to deny. The rough texture of the stone wall beside me, the crunch of the pebbles beneath my heeled shoes, the moons shining down on us from above. Hell, even my emotions are heightened, as if I can feel everything, including the pulsing of the energy from the earth around me.

The cool night air, the racing of my heart, the warmth of the stranger’s comforting touch, the contempt from the king. Each one pierces through my skin, making me question my sanity.

“I want to go home,” I say, my voice barely audible.

“You are home, Your Highness.”

I finally look at Cain again and his green eyes plead with me to understand, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that.

My head shakes. “Home is in Portland with my empty apartment, my crappy car, and a job that kind of sucks but pays the bills.” My hand waves around the castle. “This…grandeur…it has to be a fantasy, a dream.”

“Please, follow me to your room, Princess Isobella. Maybe you’ll feel better there.” Cain’s eyes cast toward the two guards before lowering his voice. “And I would advise that we continue this conversation elsewhere.”

I drop my shoulders and my chin lands on my chest as long strands of hair cascade around my face in soft waves. Tears burn in my eyes and I want to scream, but instead, I take a deep breath and raise my head, grasping on to that air of confidence I felt in front of the king. Then I nod because I really don’t have another choice. “Okay.”

Cain takes a step forward, then glances back, waiting for me to follow.

The moment I walk under the arch of the doorway, a shiver runs over me, easing my tension but increasing the rate of my heart. I blink several times as a sense of déjà vu hits me.

There’s still nothing familiar about this place, but this feeling of giving in, that isn’t foreign to me. Sure, I gave in plenty to the abuse of foster parents, but this is different, bigger. I don’t understand how or why, but maybe Cain will help me figure things out.

With heavy feet, I step forward and head for the shadows of the castle. As we walk, I tell myself that everything is going to be fine. I’ve overcome worse situations…haven’t I?

Even if this is real, I’m a princess, according to the name I’ve been called. They won’t hurt me. At least I’m going to keep telling myself that. Maybe I can convince Cain to take me back to that cave and send me home the way I arrived. I don’t care if my car has been towed away, I’ll walk back to Portland if I have to. I just want to go home. I want to call Elodee, describe all this to her so she can tell me I must have been smoking something crazy, and then quit my job. It’s time for me to move to Seattle with her.

This whole scenario has to be a mental breakdown caused by being without my best friend for these past few weeks. That would make more sense than this being real, but the moment I start to doubt the legitimacy of this place, my tension comes back tenfold.

Maybe I just shouldn’t think for now.

Cain is about fifteen feet ahead of me, so I do my best not to linger long. Plus, I want to make sure I know where I’m going if I need to find my own way to escape later.

As we walk through the dark corridor, lights begin to illuminate on their own. Creepy, but not abnormal. Motion sensors are a thing. Except when I glance back, expecting the glow from the lamps to spread, everything is back to being dark behind us.

I’m okay. I’m not being led to my death. Everything is fine.

Scenic paintings hang on the wall with ornate silver frames around them. Each one appears hand-painted and showcases varying nature settings: flowers, mountains, rolling hills, an ocean with…something scaly and large swimming in it. I stop looking too closely after that for my own sanity.

The walls are made from a white brick and put off a coolness, but I don’t shiver, which surprises me because I’m literally always cold unless I’m outside under the sun. I even call blankets my second best friend.

Our soft footfalls echo over the wooden flooring as we continue down the wide hallway. Another hundred or so feet and Cain turns toward a set of stairs. “Your quarters are on the third floor, Your Highness. These stairs are the best way for us to get there.”

This is a castle fit for a king and there aren’t any elevators? Well, that’s mildly disappointing. At least my desire to hike showed up this morning. Well, so long as that drive stays with me.

The steps are made of a blue-hued stone, smooth without cracks. The railing on my right is sleek and silver metal. They seem to favor these two colors and I’m tempted to ask why that is until we get to the next level.

In the open corridor, there’s a flag hanging on the back wall. Enormous in size and blue and silver, of course. At the center is a silver wolf, howling into the air, standing on top of what reminds me of the rolling hills I saw when exiting the cave.

Above that are the words, Polaris, Lunara. Beneath that, in smaller print is Pride, Strength, Resilience.

“Is that the name of this place?” I ask, then I try to sound out the word. “Lun-air-uh?”

Cain pauses and smiles softly as he glances up at the flag. “Lu-narr-uh, Your Highness,” he corrects, putting more emphasis on the R. “And yes, we reside in Polaris, the largest of the islands that make up Lunara.”

“How many, uh, islands are there here?” I ask as we keep moving to the next set of stairs. I’m doing my best not to freak out over the confirmation that I’m surrounded by water, lessening my chances of escape.