Heartless

❆ Six ❆

I pulled away from him with a strange amount of difficulty. I meandered down other hallways and down even darker corridors. One stuck out the most. It was completely dark save a single light emitting from under a door. Some ways past it, a spiralling stone staircase that only led up. My nerves rattled inside of me, but my interest got the best of me. I tiptoed toward the ominous door. My fingers shook as it reached for the door handle and cracked it open.

A hand clamped down on mine. A yelp broke through my lips. But instead of silver eyes glaring down at me, they were a solid brown and smiling, crinkled at the corners with age and spidery wrinkles. "I'm sorry, Miss Young," said an elderly man, releasing my hand and folding his own behind his back.  "The Master has forbidden guests down in the cellar."

I glanced at him warily. "Why? What's down there?"

His smile deepened. "It is forbidden." He swept his arm out as an invitation to walk in front of him, back the way I came. I cast a pointed glance at the door again and followed in step beside him. "I am Cogginton, I have been taking care of the Master's family for decades." He chuckled to himself. "I must say, it's been quite awhile since we have had guests, especially ones so exciting such as yourself."

"I can't imagine why," I mumbled.

He chuckled, understanding my reluctance. "Yes, the Master is a very peculiar fellow these days. But he is rather delighted at your presence here."

"Really?" I arched my brow dubiously."Well, your master has a funny way of showing it. He acts as if he'd rather slit our throats than have us here." I glanced at him. "Why are we here? Why doesn't he just let us go home?"

He chewed on his next words carefully. "The Master feels obligated to keep you safe, Miss Young."

"Well, he doesn't need to. I'm very capable of doing that myself." I stopped walking for a moment. "When will he release us?"

He started, his brows drawn together in stern silence. He looked elderly, but I knew from his posture and the way he held himself that he wasn't someone to pick a fight with. "Forgive me, madam, but it is my knowledge that you were running away when the Master found you. Are you saying that you wish to go back?"

I opened my mouth but no sound came out. Growing up I'd seen so many people die, so many lives taken by the blood rose or by the monsters of the night. I'd mourned the death of so many loved ones, lost them to the exact people I was now in the home of. But with so much death and so much pain, was Kinnot really our home? I'd fought for so hard and so long to keep us safe and feed our family. I'd prayed every night to protect us, and when those prayers went unanswered, I filled the role myself. I was tired of worrying over something happening to them. For now, I just wanted to be able to breathe. Yet that didn't seem possible here, either. I didn't want to go back Kinnot, but we couldn't stay here. I wanted to see the city over the mountains, the one Papa had told us about when we were kids. But he'd never left Kinnot. How did we know if it even existed?

Coggington escorted me back to my room, but as soon as he turned the corner I ran the opposite way to Hendric's. I slipped through the doors and snatched up the pail and several scraps of cloth.

"God, it's so good to finally see you."

I dropped the cloth in the bucket and spun to face him. Tears burned in my eyes. "You're..."

"Not blind anymore, not dead, feeling better— take your pick, Ada. They're all true." He grinned and  lifted his hand for me to take. I couldn't help it. I flung my arms around his neck and crushed myself against him, burying my face into the crook of his neck and sobbing. His hand rubbed soothing circles into my back, his arms tightening around my waist. He pulled me off and searched my face, cupping his warm hands around my wet cheeks. "I don't think I've seen you look more beautiful."