CELESTE
The girl on his canvas was me.
Me, with a cane in my hand. And a man lying lifeless at my feet. He painted the exact scene.
I looked down at my trembling hand. The light from my lamp flickered, and I noticed something I hadn't seen before.
The handle of the cane in my hand… wasn't like the ordinary ones I saw before. It was carved into the shape of a tiny, naked human body.
I dropped it immediately. It fell to the muddy ground with a soft thud.
I looked back up. But the man, the one with the brushes and the painting… was gone. Just like that, he disappeared.
I spun around as I searched for him everywhere, my heart racing.
"I know you haven't gone far!" I shouted into the darkness. "Come out!"
I tightened my fists. My body trembled but I didn't lower my guard.
I shouted into the trees, "W-Where on earth did you hide, Mister? Why did you run away like a scared chipmunk?!" My shaky voice echoed back at me.
A sudden gust killed the lamp, and the swamp turned darker. Rain started pouring down through the rotten tree branches in messy clumps.
My wolf growled under my ribs. She hated this place. Hated the way it twisted itself.
"Ugh! Great," I muttered, pulling my hood over my head. It really was a terrible day. Then again, I never really had lucky ones. Some people were born with good fortune. I was born with mud in my boots.
Creepy sounds floated through the trees. I ran to take cover under a tree, holding the lantern close to my chest. I didn't know why but I reached one hand out into the rain.
The raindrops felt heavy and sticky against my skin.
One drop. Two drops.
My hand was drenched with water. I looked down at my palm and almost screamed.
It wasn't water.
It was blood. My palm was soaked with blood. My body tensed up as if the swamp itself had grabbed hold of me.
Should I run? Scream?
"Celeste!" a voice yelled from the distance.
I knew that voice. Amelia. She was my best friend. She had been waiting outside for me.
"Celeste." She called again.
I couldn't answer. My mouth wouldn't move. My brain was spinning.
She came crashing through the trees and grabbed my hand, yanking me back. "Stop throwing yourself into danger! I am tired of following you into messes. I don't wanna die before my wedding!"
She dragged me out of the swamp like some misbehaving child, and I let her. I was still shaking as I stumbled along behind her.
Even Sierra didn't fight it. She seemed glad to be away from the swamp.
When we finally reached the edge of the swamp, she let go of my hand and whirled on me. Raw anger poured out of her. "Celeste, you are so fucking frustrating."
Yeah. I get that a lot.
Still, I wasn't really listening.
My eyes were still moving, searching the spooky land behind me. The ground was dry here, and the rain was gone. Something wasn't right back there.
"I have to find him," I said, more to myself than her. I turned to go back. Amelia jumped in front of me, blocking the path.
"No. Absolutely not. You are not going back in there!"
She grabbed my hand again and dragged me toward Shadowton Street.
As we walked, I noticed how bright everything looked. Most of Winderfell's streets were always glowing thanks to the giant gas lamps and torches lit by the Great Windslor Castle. People said the ancestors built the castle with thousands of lights so their children would never know darkness. And now, it had become a tradition, the one they still followed today.
"There is something wrong with that swamp. It felt… evil. Like it was alive or something." I whispered more to myself..
Amelia groaned. Her gown was dripping from the swamp water, and she was clearly not in the mood for my nonsense. She turned to me and stuck her hand out.
"Let me see what you stole."
With an abrupt nod, I reached for my belt bag and as I began to unchain it, I realized what my best friend had said. Stealing whatever she can wherever she goes was one of Amelia's horrible habits.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "I didn't go there to steal for you."
She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. "Oh, you freaking didn't? Then why? Villagers say the royal family hid treasure out there. Or something precious. And you just 'happened' to wander into the swamp and step right onto the border between Winderfell and Alberro? You could've been caught and killed, Celeste! For what? Nothing?!"
She kept ranting, but I couldn't hear her anymore. My mind was spinning.
Should I tell her? About the blood? The rain? The painting? The man? What I think I did?
No. Not yet. She would freak out. But… how long would I keep this to myself? I had no answers. I was freaking out.
I opened my mouth, and the words slipped out anyway. "Well… not entirely nothing," I muttered. "I-I think… I killed someone."
Amelia stopped mid-step. Her whole body stiffened. "What?"
I slowly nodded.
She stepped closer. "You are serious?"
I opened my palms. Even in the torchlight, the blood was clearly there.
Her mouth parted in shock.
I knew Amelia always thought I was brave. "Mother of all daredevils" she called me. And normally, she could brush it off. But this time… this was different. Even she looked scared.
"But it's not even the man's blood." I began. But then I stopped as the sound of footsteps reached my ears.
I didn't even think. I just grabbed Amelia's hand and yanked her behind a tree across the street. The shadows helped hide us.
"Who is out here this late?" she whispered.
"It must be someone from the castle." I replied, keeping my eyes fixed ahead.
Two middle-aged men walked by. Omegas, based on their old vests and ragged ankle breeches.
"Why would the king call us so late?" the taller one muttered.
"The castle needs more men for work," said the other.
"For what kind of work?"
The shorter man lowered his voice. "I heard they are offering… contracts. High-paying. I heard golds."
"What kind of contracts?"
He glanced around. "They are calling it an elite royal assignment. For civilians. Short-term work. Only the brave may apply."
My breath caught.
The taller man snorted. "Since when does the crown pay peasants in gold?"
"They don't. That's why it smells off."
They stopped walking for a moment. The tall one lit a pipe, taking a slow drag.
"It's because the prince's coronation is coming, isn't it?"
The other nodded. "Maybe. Or maybe, it's about blood moon one."
My ears perked up. Sierra's too.
The men's voices faded as they walked away into the glowing fog.
"Celeste," Amelia whispered sharply, "don't even say what you are thinking."
But I was already thinking it.
A fortune. For one job.
Amelia grabbed my arm tightly. "You heard them. The blood moon. It is coming. You know what that mean?"
I shook my head.
"It's rare. Once every twenty years. They say it changes everything. The curse tied to the royal bloodline grows stronger during it." She whispered. "I know because my mother works in the castle. The prince isn't just taking the throne. He is trying to control something darker. They say that during the blood moon, the castle's power… shifts."
I was not impressed by the story she made. Really. Yet I asked. "So, you mean these contracts are really for not works?"
As if it would scare me, she shook her head. "They want people. To… contain the curse. Or maybe to feed it."
"Look, Amelia. I am about to be homeless. The land I have? I had to sell it because of my father's debts." I said. "I need money to survive. This might be my only shot."
"No." she said flatly. "Absolutely not. You don't even know what the job is."
"I don't care."
"Celeste, your father doesn't even care about you. Why do you want to pay his debts? For God's sake, think of yourself." Amelia shouted.
But I was already stepping away, eyes fixed in the direction of Windslor Castle. I had never been inside the castle. I had never even been close.
"Celeste!" Amelia snapped. "If you go there, I will follow you."
Too late.
I was already moving.