Chapter 21: Darling

Seeking feedback on my work-in-process cozy fantasy novel, Jack and the Beanstalk Cafe.

Start from the beginning: Chapter 1

Previous Chapter: Chapter 20

Where we left off: Jack spent some time learning his new magic skills. He isn’t picking it up quickly enough, so Philomena and Gillian decide to go to the Count’s castle to rescue Alice. Gillian confronts Jack for ignoring her all day and storms off.

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Gillian

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Philomena and Gillian were approximately fourteen hours into their journey to Romania before Gillian finally stopped replaying her conversation with Jack over in her head. She was simultaneously proud of standing up for herself and embarrassed about being so honest with her feelings. Maybe Jack just gave everyone a nickname and now he knew she’d been reading more into it than he’d intended. And why did she even care that this human man didn’t like her because she was a vampire? Didn’t she want to kill all the vampires, too?

The journey itself was also complicated. Philomena had explained that she could build a magic portal from the castle to the Beanstalk but would only have the power to make the full trip with one other person a single time. To conserve her energy for finding Alice, the pair was making the trip to Transylvania mostly by train with some magical help to get Gillian from station to station during the daylight hours.

“We’ll find Alice before she would ever give in to your father to break the curse,” Philomena broke the silence, misinterpreting the reason for Gillian’s dour mood.

They were in a sleeper car on the Dacia Express leaving Vienna. Gillian glanced over to Philomena to find her staring with a frown etched across her face. Following her gaze down to Gillian’s own hands, she realized she had been gripping her cushioned seat with so much force her nails had pierced the rough fabric.

Loosening her grip she gave Philomena a weak smile. “I know,” she said, refocusing her thoughts away from Jack and back to the actual life and death issue at stake. “Knowing my father, he’ll be keeping Alice in the dungeons so you’ll be able to portal us right to her.”

Philomena nodded but didn’t look convinced that Gillian had finished brooding. “Explain to me again exactly where the dungeon is. I need to be able to envision it perfectly to get the portal right.”

They spent the rest of the train ride discussing the plan and taking turns sleeping. When the Dacia Express pulled into the Brașov station, the sun was just beginning to crest over the Carpathian mountains.

“It’s time. Give me your hand,” Philomena said as the train came to a screeching halt. Gillian placed her hand in the small gnome’s as Philomena closed her eyes and snapped her fingers.

Gillian had never traveled this far via portal. Her body felt like it was being both crushed into oblivion and stretched apart into a million pieces. The world rushed past her in a kaleidoscope of colors and textures before she squeezed her eyes shut.

Then, just as quickly, Philomena was releasing her hand and Gillian pried her eyes open. They’d arrived.

She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the low light, the musky smell of damp earth and mildew assaulting her senses. The dungeons were exactly as she remembered– dark and dismal.

Gillian had barely recovered her senses when she noticed Philomena was rushing toward the last cell.

“Phi, wait,” she whispered to no avail. Sighing, she rushed after the gnome, searching the darkness for any sign of danger.

The stone corridor, dimly lit by torches in wall sconces, stretched along the length of several prisoner cells lined with iron bars. Philomena was just snapping her fingers to unlock the last door when Gillian caught up. She cringed as the lock thunked and the rusted hinges screeched in the otherwise silent dungeon.

Inside the cell, hunched on a low bench in the corner was Alice.

“Alice!” Philomena whisper-shouted as she rushed in to greet her friend.

Gillian let out a sigh and spun around to defend them against the onslaught of guards sure to come investigating the commotion. But there was no one.

Stepping away from the cell and leaving Philomena and Alice whispering quiet explanations and reassurances of safety, Gillian crept toward the stairwell that led up to the main castle. She knew there should be at least two guards waiting at the top of the stairs at all times. Why wasn’t anyone coming?

Hurrying back to the open cell door, Gillian’s mind raced. Even when there were no prisoners, her father kept the dungeons guarded. He always had to be prepared to throw someone down there on a whim– more often than not, it was Gillian herself who ended up there. It made no sense to her why one of the most important captures he’d ever made would be left down here alone. It was all too easy.

“Phi, is she well enough to travel? You need to get out of here,” Gillian whispered when she found the pair still in the dark cell.

Philomena’s gaze snapped to hers. “Will you be able to make it out of the castle yourself? I thought you said there would be guards?”

“I don’t know where everyone is but I’m still sure I’ll be able to sneak out. Dad won’t hurt me, anyway.” She paused before saying, “I don’t think so, at least.”

Philomena gave her a grim smile as Alice peered at Gillian with a flash of her bright green eyes.

“The guards have been down here day and night until just a few hours ago. They didn’t get what they needed from me, but they’re planning something, to be sure.” The old witch’s voice was rough and filled with warning. “Jack is the only other alive today who has the power to break the curse.”

“Well, Jack is safe at the Beanstalk,” Gillian fired back, crossing her arms. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to defend herself when she was, in fact, the reason he was in danger.

The witch just stared back at her, unflinching, before Philomena broke the tension.

“We need to leave now. Be safe, child.” Philomena’s brows knitted as she gave Gillian a meaningful look, filled with concern.

Gillian nodded her head in silent agreement and with a quiet sizzle and a rush of ozone, Philomena and Alice disappeared.

Without wasting another breath, Gillian returned to the foot of the staircase, pausing only briefly to listen for danger before ascending.

As she suspected, no one was waiting where the guards were normally stationed at the entrance to the dungeons. Straining her ears, she didn’t hear anything except the pounding of her own heart. Philomena and Gillian had purposely timed their arrival during the daylight hours so most of the castle would be sleeping. But there were always guards and servants keeping the castle safe and running smoothly. It didn’t make sense to Gillian that she didn’t hear anything.

She wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that was skirting the edges of the entrance hall and making her way down a side corridor to a long forgotten and disused drainage gate.

As quietly as possible, she rushed down the silent halls. Her heart was racing but she knew it wasn’t from the exertion. Something wasn’t right in the castle. Slowing her steps and her breathing, she approached the entrance to the cavernous entryway at the front of the castle. She would have to leave her dark corridor and walk about twenty feet in the open space to reach another vein of hallways leading to her destination.

As she approached the brightly lit room, she still didn’t see or hear anyone, but she knew she’d be exposed to anyone hiding in any number of dark corners. Taking a deep breath, she stepped one foot out of the shadows and–

“Welcome home, darling,” her father drawled as he and a dozen of his guards rushed out from the opposite corridor.

And there in the center, with guards gripping his arms on either side, was Jack.

Next Chapter: Chapter 22