We walked for a long time, but there wasn’t the same urgency anymore. Every time I looked behind me, there were no torches in my view. There were no more barks from the dogs hunting my scent. They must have reached the river and turned a different direction to continue their search.
That meant I got away.
I fucking did it.
I just had to get inside quickly.
I couldn’t feel my arms and legs, and I was shaking so violently that I could barely stay upright in the saddle.
And I was getting sleepy…so sleepy.
When fifteen minutes passed, I knew I wasn’t going to make it.
I could barely keep the lights on in my head. The flashlight drooped in my hand. My body started to slide.
Then she stopped.
It made my body jolt forward slightly, jerking me awake.
And there it was.
I lifted my flashlight and looked at the tall structure, the ancient architecture. “Oh my god…we fucking did it.” That rejuvenated me enough to guide the horse around the side, looking for the front door. Magnus had given me the keys, so I just had to find the way inside.
We moved to the front, and that was when I spotted the double doors of the entrance.
There were no lights on at all, not even landscape lights, so it was hidden in the darkness. “This is it…” I got off the horse, pulled out the keys, and then my hands shook as I inserted them into the lock. The flashlight stayed in my mouth so I could see what I was doing.
Then the lock came free.
I stilled for an instant, celebrating my victory while stunned by the accomplishment.
I opened the second door so the horse could come inside. “Come in…” I grabbed the reins and guided her into the chateau. It was freezing outside, and I didn’t want to leave her out there. If I tied her up, wolves would get her. And if I didn’t tie her up, she would get lost in the cold.
I immediately shed all my clothes because they were still soaking wet and cold, so they didn’t do anything for me anyway. My flashlight moved along the wall until I found the switch. I flipped it on, the foyer coming into sight.
It wasn’t what I expected.
It was made of stone, there were no pictures on the walls, no decorations. It felt abandoned.
I closed the doors behind us and locked them. Then I went into the kitchen and found a big pot on the stove. I filled it with water then carried it back to the horse. When I set it on the floor, she immediately started to drink like she was thirsty.
There was a large sitting area downstairs with old furniture, like something from the Victorian era. The window on the wall was colored stained glass, like something out of a church. A huge stone fireplace was below the windows, so I grabbed the matches from the saddle and lit the logs in it on fire.
The flames were low at first, but once all the wood caught on fire, it brought brilliance and warmth into the room. A large staircase led higher up, and there was more to the chateau to explore, but I didn’t want the lights on up above, just in case they’d crossed the river to search for me.
The horse gulped in the foyer, the sound echoing against the stone interior.
There was a blanket on the back of one of the couches, so I grabbed it and wrapped it around my body. A rug was on the floor in front of the fireplace, so I pulled the cushions from the couch and made myself a bed next to the fireplace. I was still shivering, my bones frozen, so I snuggled in by the fire, as close as I could get without burning myself, and I lay there…thawing.
The shivering lasted a long time…for hours.
But the heat moved back into my skin, my muscles, and then my bones. Blood started to circulate once more. My knees were pulled to my chest, my arms wrapped around my upper body, and I gripped myself tightly until the jerking stopped.
I did it… I made it.
Hooves echoed against the stone as the horse came into the sitting room. They became louder and louder, muffled once they hit the rug. A loud neigh sounded, like she came close to feel the fire. Then she bent her legs and lowered herself, taking up the spot behind me, just like a dog that came over to snuggle.
I smiled and reached for her mane behind me, feeling it along the back of her neck. “Thank you…”
When I opened my eyes the next morning, the fire was gone, the sunlight was coming through all the windows, and the horse was gone.
I stared at the ashes in the hearth, the previous night slowly coming back to me. It was hazy at first, but then flashes returned, riding the horse in the darkness, crossing that frozen river, the distant sound of a barking dog on the wind.
And then I realized…it was the first time in months I’d woken up as a free woman.
I quickly sat upright, the blanket falling off my naked body, the realization hitting me so hard that I sobbed. The grand sitting room echoed my tears back at me, amplifying them, giving me the most cathartic experience of my life.
I made it.
I didn’t wake up on that shitty mattress. I wasn’t marched to work in the cold. I didn’t sit there at the table and eat my lunch in silence, sneaking in conversations because I’d lost my right to even talk to someone.
It was over.
The horse neighed loudly.
That silenced my tears. I turned to look at her.
She stood nearby, her neighs echoing against the stone.
I wiped my tears away with the back of my arm. “You must be hungry, huh?”
She neighed
