Prédire (verb) to predict; to foretell

The whispers came next. Breathy words that I couldn't quite make out but that seemed to be coming from behind the door.

Claire. Claire.

Almost like someone—or something—was calling my name.

A chill rushed down my spine.

Who could be calling for me?

Bastien?

I bit my lip, and crossed my arms over my chest.

I'd suspected well kept secrets were tucked around every corner of Chateau Rose. Secrets that were locked away with old magick, never to be spoken of again.

And now, for the second time, the castle had presented me with a door.

Did it lead back to the council room, where my husband sat discussing private matters with Tyson? Or did it lead somewhere else, somewhere I could find answers to my questions?

Who I was and what was happening to me.

I took a step forward, and the whispers grew louder.

Come, Claire. Come look into my waters.

My wolves slunk forward, sniffing the crack in the door and pawing it open to reveal a spiral staircase that led downward.

One growled, the other whined.

Mixed signals if there ever was.

I didn't know much about the magick between them and I, but if whatever was down there meant to cause me harm, I was sure they'd defend me.

But...I didn't believe whatever was down there meant me harm. But...I couldn't be sure.

My instincts had been wrong in the past. Very, very wrong indeed.

Hesitating, my gaze bounced between the staircase and my door.

If I was going to do this, it needed to be now. Bastien wouldn't be gone forever.

Gathering my courage and trusting in my instincts, I made my decision. I grabbed a candle from a nearby table and pushed open the heavy wooden door all the way.

A breath of decaying air greeted me along with an echo.

Running my hand through the white wolf's fur, I swallowed hard. My wolves followed after me as I began the long descent down the stairs.

The scent of salt hung thick in the air, and the further I went, the stronger it became. The walls and stairs were coated with condensation, and I had to go slow to avoid slipping the rest of the way down on my ass.

Each step made my skin crawl, and I regretted not putting on shoes or slippers before starting down the stairs.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The sound of water echoed in the eery silence, and I knew I was getting closer to whatever had called me down into the place. The temperature grew warmer with each step, as if the walls themselves were heated by a supernatural power.

Perhaps Alec was right, and a dragon did live under the castle.

Was that who was calling me?

I rounded the next corner and gasped at what lay before me.

It was a cavern, with sharp stones sticking from the ceiling like jagged teeth over a salt lake. The steam so dense it hung like a cloud over the water.

I clutched the seashell, letting the sharp point stab into my skin just to stay present. Fearing a scaly beast would pop out at any moment.

"Well, well, well," croaked a toad-like voice from somewhere in the distance.

My heart pounded hard in my chest as the voice echoed all around me.

"Look who has found their way down into my lair, if not the Princess herself. Prince Bastien's long awaited mate."

Princess? Mate?

This person knew things they shouldn't have been able to know, which meant they may have answers for me.

My wolves growled, and although I was terrified, I did not turn around and run.

"Who are you?" I asked. My voice wavering with fear. "And why did you call me down here?"

The mist parted as a skeletal figure swam forward. Her hair hung in silver patches, and her skin clung to her bones. But it was her eyes that were the most unsettling. They were jade green and shone even in the relative darkness of the cave.

In a word, she was...terrifying.

"Is that really what you want to know? My name? Or my intent?" croaked the woman. "Because I don't answer questions without payment. And if I'm right, you only have one seashell to spare."

I opened my palm and glanced down at the spiral shell in my hand, then quickly back up to the woman in the water.

I could only ask her one question? One? My brain was overflowing with questions.

The woman swam to the edge of the pool, right up to where my toes nearly touched the bubbling water, and I had to swallow down my fear.

She regarded the wolves sitting beside me, completely unafraid of them, even when they barred their teeth and growled.

"So many questions," the woman continued. "Who am I? What should I do? Can I trust my husband?" she said, smiling up at me with a mouthful of missing teeth and winking. "Which one will it be?"

Unfurling her spidery hand, the woman waited expectantly for my shell, but I hesitated. She frowned when I didn't immediately hand it over.

"Come girl, I don't have all day." Glancing toward the stairs, she added, "And neither do you. The prince will be looking for you."

My heart slammed against my chest, and my breath came in and out in quick pants. If this woman knew Bastien, and she answered questions for shells, what was to stop her from telling him everything? Of my plot? Of my parentage?

All of a sudden, I wasn't sure I wanted to ask her anything.

"I'm not who you think I am," I said defensively. Gripping the shell so tight I feared the sharp edge had pierced through my skin.

The old woman chuckled, and the sound like the crunch of dry bones. "I've seen you in my waters. Seen you coming for some time. Like a black cloud before a storm as you descended upon this place."

My mouth opened in shock. I was a black cloud?

This only seemed to goad the woman on. "Give me the shell, and I'll tell you how you'll rip the world apart."

Rip the world apart? No. No. I wasn't going to do anything like that.

All I wanted was to save my sister from fighting a war. I was a good person. A good person. Not evil.

The stone floor beneath my feet began to tremble. Bits of dust rained down on me.

"Give me the shell!" the woman insisted.

I went to back away, but she grabbed my ankle, pulling harder than I thought possible and knocking me off my feet. I landed hard on the stone with a thud. Every saddle bruise screaming in pain.

"I'm not giving you anything!" I shouted. Kicking to get free. Panic rising. "Let me go!"

The floor shook again, and the woman dragged me a foot closer, submerging my feet in the steaming hot waters. The burn singeing my bare skin. She was going to pull me under. I was sure of it.

I'd drown, and this time, Bastien wasn't here to save me.

That's when the dark thing inside me rose to the surface. Heat filled every corner of my body until I was nearly as hot as the water. It whooshed forward and called to the wolves.

Attack! Attack!

They dove into the water without question. A tangle of fur and teeth. I closed my eyes, fearful that any moment would be my last...but I kept breathing.

A few seconds passed, and the old woman's skeletal hand released me. And when I opened my eyes again, the woman was nowhere to be seen. The wolves were clambering out of the water. The dark brown one first, then the white.

All was still.

Diana. Had they...? Had I...?

No. No.

The floor shook again, and one of the sharp stones fell from the ceiling. I screamed and held up my hands, protecting my face, and the rock landed in shards just beside me.

Scrambling to my feet and sliding over the wet stone, I made for the stairs as more rock crumbled into the water. Splashes echoed behind me as I tried my best to run up the slick steps.

My muscles burned with each step I climbed. 

When I made it to the top of the stairs, I slammed the heavy door shut behind me. As soon as it was flush with the wall, it disappeared, leaving no trace of the dark stairwell behind.

I stood, staring at the now blank wall, panting.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. This was madness.

When I opened my hand, all I found was a bloody gash. Somewhere along the way, I must've dropped the shell.

I grabbed a fresh bolt of linen that the nurse had left behind and wrapped it around the cut, trying to breathe around the sick feeling stirring in my gut.

The woman was gone. She couldn't possibly have it. Could she?

No. It was likely dust. Crushed by the stones.

But I didn't have time to think about the woman or the lake or the sharp stones.

Bastien would come looking for me sooner rather than later, and I couldn't be a shattered mess. It would be too suspicious, and I'd already caused a stir this evening.

Quickly, I tore off my damp robe, shoved it into my closet, and grabbed the nearest nightgown. It was black lace and satin, and I slipped it over my head. Then, I found another robe and slid into it as quickly as possible.

Sweat made the thin fabric stick to my skin.

Taking deep breaths to calm my nerves, I took my bath towel and dried off the wolves as best I could, vowing never to speak of what happened down in the cave.

It was all a dream. A terrible dream that couldn't possibly be real.

I was a good person. A good person who just wanted to fit in somewhere. To be loved. I had everything I wanted right here, and nothing was going to spoil it.

I sat down at my vanity, intent on brushing out my hair before going to Bastien's room, only to find an envelope with my name scrawled across it floating on the shallow water of my wash basin.

My real name.

Claire Proctor.

🫣🫣😱😱

What do we make of Imogen's message? 👀 And is this letter from her?