“What is the meaning of this?” Louise asserted. “Are you going to prevent every servant in the castle from carrying out their tasks?!” 

The cart jerked forward to a stop. A gloved hand gripped its edge right above my head. Sweat dripped down the small of my back. I wished my body could turn into stone. 

“His Grace…he ordered...” a guard started, stumbling. 

I recognized the gravelly voice. That guard was posted at the gates the first day I considered escaping. The drunkard. 

“We have strict orders. No one goes in or out.” A second, hoarse voice added.

Louise had mentioned a drunk guard and an older guard. It was them! I had a chance to outrun them, and I was sure that Louise would be able to fool them. 

“Did the orders mean outside of the castle’s surrounding walls, or outside of the castle? My laundry basins are within the castle walls. Let me through.” Louise retorted. 

The guards fell silent. Louise had that effect on people. She looked child-like, yet she was fiercer than most would presume. 

“Her Grace gave me specific instructions to have one of her gowns ready for a ball at court tomorrow,” Louise lied. “Do you know what Her Grace will do to punish us if I don’t do as ordered?” 

“I guess...the basins are within the castle walls, as she says,” the drunk started.

“Go ahead. But stay within our eyesight,” the older one ordered. 

Louise pushed past the guards and wheeled the cart to the laundry basins.

“They’re watching me closely,” Louise whispered. “I’ll tell you when to come out.”

An eternity went by, and the darkness, warmth, and lack of oxygen in the cart lulled me into a half-conscious state. I had to constantly reach for my drifting thoughts and bring them back to the present, unsure whether I was dreaming or not. 

Eventually, the din of conversations and the heavy footsteps of more guards snapped me back into alertness. Patrols were combing through the castle. 

“Any sign of her?” A voice questioned one of our guards. 

“We’ve only seen the laundress I’m afraid,” the older guard answered. 

“His Grace is sending a squad of horsemen to scout the woods. I hear that he was so enraged that his wife had to pull him away from the maid guarding the demon woman.”

I wasn’t sure whether I felt sorry or glad to hear that for once, someone gave Marielle a good scare. All I could think about was Gallen, waiting for me in the woods. What if Franco’s guards found him there? 

“They’re going to open the gates,” Louise informed me. “This could be your chance.” 

Not being able to speak nor see was suffocating. As soon as my presence in the courtyard was revealed, I wouldn’t have time to scope out the situation. I would have to run and pray for my legs not to falter. 

More time passed and the weight of the linens became lighter and lighter, to the point where I wondered how much clothing Louise still had to wash. It seemed as if guards were still gathering in the courtyard. I heard horse’s hooves hitting the stone, the threatening clinks of metal on metal. 

“Louise, how much washing do you still have to do?” I dared ask.

“Not much.” Her voice was coated with fear. “The sun’s already starting to set, and the storm is going to break any minute. I don’t know what the horsemen are waiting for.” 

I held my breath. She couldn’t pretend to wash a ball gown forever, and there was no telling how patient Gallen would be. Sundown, I had told him. What if he thought I changed my mind?

“Forward!” Someone shouted.

The castle gates squeaked open. The mounted men marched forward in a whirring of metal. 

“They’re leaving,” Louise murmured. “And they’re allowing more servants down in the courtyard. You might actually go unnoticed.”

“Can I come out now?” 

“Hold on. Our two dumbbells are still staring.” 

I felt her pick one more item from the pile on top of me. She cleared her throat and raised her voice. “You! Yes, you! Don’t you have any decency?”

“Me? Decency?” The drunk guard questioned, his slur even worse than earlier. 

“Yes. Decency!” Louise scolded him. “Staring at Her Grace’s underclothes. And her daughters’! If His Grace hears that you have been ogling his daughters’ undergarments…” 

“Oh, no, we…neither of us would...”

“...have such ideas. We’re both married. Please, we didn’t mean…” 

“Turn around then!” Louise ordered. 

“Of course. Our apologies.”

A fit of laughter threatened to give me away. I pinched myself. Would I ever again meet someone as bold and kind as Louise? 

“Now! Come out now. Quickly!!” She whispered.

Cautiously, I nudged some of the clothes and unfolded myself. I stepped out of the cart, next to Louise, covering most of my face with the hood of my cloak.

“I’ll come back for you,” I promised. 

Louise stroked my cheek with a sad smile. “See you on the other side.”

I drew a sharp breath and turned around, pushing back tears. The gates were about a dozen yards away, and the only guards remaining in the courtyard were facing the castle. There were servants milling about, and I hoped they wouldn’t recognize me. 

Without taking another look back, I strode ahead, keeping my head down, focusing on the paved ground below my feet. I forced myself to control the shudder building under my skin. The gate was coming into clearer focus. I jumped as someone brushed past me, but I recognized a servant’s gown, relieved. 

“Sorry,” I muttered briefly, before carrying on. 

Behind me, I heard the servant stop. My stomach tightened, but I kept the same, steady pace. 

“Tatiana?” The voice was familiar. Marielle. 

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream resounded through the courtyard. Louise! Was she in trouble? Instinctively, I spun around toward the washbasins and noticed with horror how close Marielle was to me. But she had the same knee jerk reaction, and was staring at Louise. 

“THERE!!!” Louise screamed, pointing in the opposite direction. “I saw the demon’s silver hair!! She went this way!!”

Once again, she was saving my life. The guards ran to where Louise had indicated, and Marielle just stared at them, dumbstruck. It was my chance. The gate was so close, almost within my reach. Time seemed to stop as, for a brief instant, I stood at the threshold between captivity and freedom. Ahead of me, the horsemen were nowhere in sight. Behind me, everyone was chasing a false lead.

I scampered out. I was free. 

I kept running and running through the field separating the castle from the grove, still listening to the tumult back in the courtyard. But Louise had fooled them for long enough. Allowing myself to slow down the pace, I glanced ahead: the Ceres Grove was only a few hundred yards away. The sun was setting, but I knew Gallen would still be waiting for me there. He had to be. 

“Someone’s running!! Out there!” Marielle’s high pitched voice rang in my ears. 

I looked back, terrified. The group of horsemen was charging in my direction.