Chapter One

A scurrying through the walls made Veronica jump. It was dark with just the single candle lighting the expansive halls in front of her. Her heart tried to beat through the wall of her chest, as she stood still peering into the darkness beyond her light.

Her fear almost made Veronica regret getting out of bed in the first place. But she would not let her imagination or some mouse keep her from getting something to eat. She had awoken hungry from her dreams. It was still the middle of the night, but surely there was something she could snack on in the kitchen.

Veronica began walking again, at a faster pace than before. Yes, she told herself it was just a mouse she had heard. But her father’s voice spoke up in her mind, ‘There are creatures in the walls that get little girls who wander this castle at night.’

She shook her head. Veronica was too old to believe in ghosts or monsters. It was just a story he had told her to make her stay in bed. He had seemed amused by her horror at the thought.

Veronica was a wisp of a girl, barely 16. But that was an adult. She would soon be married. She had no idea who he was but also understood it was not her decision. Her father, the count, had arranged it a long time ago.

Her slight figure was only accented by her height. She stood only 4’9, which was much shorter than any other woman she had met. Her black hair hung loosely around her shoulders. She had lively green eyes and freckles covered her face.

In fact, she was aware of her youthful appearance. Sometimes, she was grateful for it. But at this moment, she wished she wasn’t being such a baby.

There was a raspy, scratching in the wall. Her breath caught in her throat. It was just a mouse, she repeated to herself. She stood still again, trying to see beyond what the light could show her. 

With a huff, she picked up the edges of her nightgown and ran the rest of the way to the kitchen. It may be late but there was light beyond the kitchen door. Someone was up who could talk to her and soothe her nerves. They might even escort her to her room.

But when she opened the kitchen door, Veronica saw it was abandoned. Light from the full moon shone brightly through the windows that lined the kitchen walls. She sighed, letting all of the frustration from her disappointment out with the breath. No one was in here.

At least there were no monsters. The moon shining so brightly also alleviated some of her anxiety. Veronica walked to the pantry through the kitchen. Too bad there were no windows in the pantry. The food would all be behind that door, since the kitchen was specifically used for preparing food- not storing it.

As she walked past the stove, a flash of conversation returned to her mind. One of the maids had spoken with her dad about food going missing during the night. He had dismissed it and told her that he would talk to her about it later.

Veronica wondered if they had finished that conversation or if they would talk more tomorrow about the missing food she was about to eat. As she swung the pantry door open, she laughed, trying to lighten her mood. But it was a forced bark that seemed shrill to her as it reverberated off the kitchen walls in an eerie echo.

At the sudden sound of her laughter, something inside the pantry jumped and turned towards her. It was hard to see in the shadows. It stayed close to the ground and growled at her. It was a deep scratchy sound that warned of danger.

Veronica tried to breathe but it was stuck in her lungs, as if they had been filled with cement all of a sudden. “Wh-who is there?” She forced herself to whisper softly. She tried to disguise the fear in her voice but knew it wasn’t working.

The growling slowly seemed to form together into a raspy word, “there.” Veronica closed her eyes. She couldn’t see anything anyway. 

Swallowing against the lump in her throat, she put out her hands in a submissive gesture. “I don’t know who you are but its ok.” She was trying so hard to be brave. “I’m Veronica.”

The figure hidden in the shadows scampered around in a circle. She opened her eyes to find they had started to adjust to the dark. In the corner, there was a humanoid figure bent real low to the ground. 

It’s dark hair was a ratted mess that came down to it’s shoulders. The clothes it wore were more like rags, dirty and ripped. She was unable to determine the color of it’s skin, could have been tan or purple for all the dirt that covered it.

She bent down, as well. The poor creature. “How can I help you?” She asked tenderly.

Between the darkness and the way it stood, Veronica could not make out any other features. It could be a boy or it could be an orc or a goblin or... Exactly, how big was it? She wasn’t sure.

Dark eyes met hers and what she saw in them made her gasp. If he wasn’t a boy, he had experienced the most human emotions she had ever seen. She reached out to him and he gasped, pulling away.

In a moment, he burst at her with an overwhelming speed. Terror filled her as she screeched.