Blood Will Tell

XV

Stoll was uneventful. No beast had neared the post that day, to Edin's relief—and Rowan's dismay. The sun was half hiding behind the horizon by the time Edin arrived back home. As soon as he passed through the front doors, he was greeted by a floating note. He picked it from the air and read it.

Meet me in the courtyard as soon as you arrive home.

— Arden

Edin flipped the note to the backside, but there was nothing written on it. He furrowed his brows. What was she going to say—or do—that would require them to be outdoors? He pocketed it and made his way to the courtyard.

The main entrance to the courtyard was a set of glass double doors that marked the end of the grand hallway. It was not a normal pair of glass doors—they had stained-glass mosaics in place of plain glass panes. The warm rays of a somnolent sun shone through the mosaics as he neared it. Though he had often passed by those doors, there was something different about them, now that the light that was passing through was tinged with orange and red. Red. The flowers in the mosaic appeared redder, almost like scales of blood.

He shook his head. No, the mere redness of an object should not affect him. He was a man, not a bull.

His right hand wrapped around the bronze handle, its cold metal a contrast to the warm light, and he opened it. Arden was standing in the center of the courtyard, her hands behind her back as usual.

"How was your shift?" she inquired.

"It was fine. There were no beasts today."

"That's good to hear. Please, come closer."

He closed the door behind him and ambled towards her. She held up a hand.

"Stop, that's close enough," she said, and he soon halted before her. She rotated her palm and gestured. "Now to the right."

He sidestepped to the right.

"Sorry. My right, your left."

He sidled in the opposite direction, only stopping once she had stopped gesturing. Her hand hid behind her back once more.

"Stay where you are. Whatever happens, do not move."

A thousand thoughts flew in his mind in a flurry. What exactly was she going to do that would inspire fear in him? Well, to be fair, Arden did not need to do much to inspire fear in anyone. Even a simple scowl would suffice in making anyone tremble with anxiety.

The ground rumbled as it gave way to an opening. A metal pole was erected in front of where Edin stood. Once he saw what was fettered to it, he gasped.

There was a small beast snarling at him—right here, in Arden's castle.

The creature was tethered to the metal pole. Shackles bound its limbs and joints, restricting its movement to nothing more than a turn of a head. The only thing it could do was growl at him. Though it could not harm him, Edin's fear levels spiked like the hairs on the back of his neck.

In sharp contrast, Arden showed not a shred of fright. She was standing three meters right of the beast, not shaking in the slightest, as if there was no creature snarling and snapping its snout at her or the man across her. Had it not been for the breeze blowing through her hair, one would have mistaken her for a statue.

"You're probably wondering why this thing's here," Arden said in the most nonchalant manner. "I know I've said that your second curse is permanent, but I didn't say that I'm not going to do anything about it. I can't cure you of your urges. However, I can help you control them.