Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Vivian

I blinked at him, even as my eyes struggled to stay open. What did he mean by the chapel?

He swept me into his arms, the silver glint in his eyes growing visible. “We go to The Silent Chapel. The barrier is strongest there. There you would be able to get well, and we’ll let the world burn outside those doors.

Before I could speak, Adrian moved. He didn’t run. He leaped the balcony rail, crashing through a set of glass doors into the darkened gardens.

Behind us, I heard the roar of the mob and the people. AS we ran through the midnight mist, I whispered into Adrian’s coat.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered as my gaze went dark.

A strained groan from what sounded like iron doors brought me back to consciousness. There was no noise of the mob. No angry chant from the priest. Just silence.

I flipped my eyes open. I was lying on a bench, watching as Adrian approached me. My energy was returning slowly. With an ache in my shoulders, I sat up.

“Adrian,” I whispered, my voice caught in my throat. “Is… is this safe? Are we safe here?”

He didn’t answer right away. He just sat beside me, his shoulders heaving. The silver lace of his coat was tattered, revealing raw, red welts where the priest crucifix had touched the barrier.

I could see the silver glint in his eyes struggling to settle.

“For the moment, Vivian,” he said. “We are free. The stone of this chapel is infused with the same silk as the moors. It dampens the scent.”

I took a moment to glance around. This place didn’t look like a church. It looked more like an abandoned hall. There was no altar, no pew.

The walls were lined with recessed alcoves, each of them bearing the carving of a weeping figure.

“This place,” I breathed, walking towards the dais. “It feels… cold. Cold like a refrigera—” I stopped myself mid-sentence. “Cold like an icebox.”

“Time does not move here as it does outside, Vivian,” He said, turning to look at me. “The first Duke built this house to keep things that could not live in the sun. To protect the things the world seeks to destroy.”

“Like us?” I asked, fear bubbling within me. “Does it mean we would stay locked in here forever?”

“We would leave. After I have addressed some matters with the King,” I said. “Just… stay with me.”

“I’m sorry,” dropping the Victorian English. “I’m so… so sorry. If I didn’t… if I didn’t fall through that mirror, you’d be okay. You’d be the Duke without worries. You’ll be normal.”

“Normal is a lie told by those who have never tasted the moon,” he said, his voice dropping, pulling close to him. I rested my head against his chest, letting the warmth from him overshadow me.

We remained like that in the silence, leaving the worry of the mob and the priest outside for the moment. Adrian had mentioned that he was expecting the Earl of Northingham.

The news of the whole trouble would reach him, and I don’t know if he would be able to take the news of my appearance with ease.

“I will meet with the king,” Adrian said, interrupting my thought. “And I will bring up this matter. Surely, by securing the favour of the king, you would be able to live with me until the Valentine Ball approaches.”

I pulled away and nodded, really looking at him. His face was in despair, yet bore a resolve that I couldn’t explain.

I nodded again, and he pulled back into his arms, pressing me against him. I let my arms wrapped around him, feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest for a moment.

After sometime, he stood, straightening his tattered clothes.

“You should stay here, Vivian,” he said. “I shall go and meet with the king, and I shall return to you by noon. By all means, do not leave this chapel.”

I stood up as he did, not knowing whether I should protest as he was leaving me, or keep silent and just watch him go. I finally did the latter, nodding at him as he backed away.

When he walked through the doors and it groaned closed, a new wave of fear caught me.

He had told me not to move from here, and he was certain of the safety of this place, but I wasn’t.

A lot of thoughts ran through my mind. What if someone comes through those doors? What if the mob finds me while he isn’t here?

All I remember of just escaping was when he leaped across the balcony, shattering those glass doors.

I didn’t know how he lost them. I didn’t know the vehemence of their search. It would only take a matter of time before they finally find me here cowering.

In that instant, the bit of safety I saw in the door was gone. The cold in the room seemed to go up a degree, and the crying statues seemed to grin at me.

I sat down. This wasn’t the time to cry or groan, or disobey. This was the time of obedience. I should better obey now while I can, and then figure out what to do if the priest finally finds me.

The pale white light streaming through the little window overhead made the statues look more eerie, and I bowed, keeping my head against my laps and wrapping my arm around my neck.

Then I closed my eyes.

Adrian had stopped lying. I learnt the hard way when I tried to jump through the mirror. I’m not making the mistake of distrusting him. We both wanted the same thing.

In the silence, I thought of the world where I came from. Elena must feel strange that I’ve not showed up at the hospital.

She must have tried calling me and failing to reach me, and my cat… I didn’t want to think of how he was doing.

In that moment of silence, something interrupted my thoughts. The metallic groan that followed made me jump.