Soulbound Read Online Free

instincts, and now they cried out for her to hide. Ducking behind one of the decorative Doric columns that graced the main floor, she held still as someone passed. Who, she could not discern, and she was in too great a risk of discovery to peek out and look. The footsteps were heavy; however, the beat between them far enough to suggest a long stride. One of the footmen? Yet she’d never felt a prickle of warning when they were near.
    Eliza waited a full minute after the steps had faded and then headed for the kitchens. Once there, Eliza could do nothing more than hope for another sound from the dog to help guide her. Yet nothing stirred. Standing in the center of the room, she turned full circle, her gaze scanning the area. Had her senses not been on full alert, she might have missed the thin but delineated cracks that ran along the wall by the root pantry. A hidden door, not fully shut.
    It was not a surprise to find that the door opened to a dark stairwell leading down. Eliza had read enough gothic novels to expect such a thing. Which of course meant that going down those stairs was likely to lead to trouble.
    The sounds of Mab’s party drifted along the night. She ought to return there. A sane woman wouldn’t try to discover what lay beyond. Unfortunately, Eliza had never been very good at taking the safe course of action. A lantern hung upon a hook on the wall just inside the stairway. She plucked it free, lit it, and ventured into the unknown.
     
    Counting each step she took, Eliza pressed her palm against the damp stones for balance. Within the small orb of lamplight, she felt safe, but beyond and behind, there was only darkness and the fear that something would soon leap out of it.
    The whimpering grew in strength as she descended. Until she rounded a curve, and then it abruptly stopped. She did as well, hovering in the stairwell. Too silent. As if whatever it was that had cried out now held itself quiet. Cold air ripped through her lungs, and her pulse beat an insistent
Flee, flee
, flee
against her throat. Yet she knew that what lay beyond needed help.
    Eliza let out a small breath and continued down, her hands shaking so badly that the light wavered. The bottom of the stairs opened up into a long, low corridor. Following it, she soon turned right and found herself in a circular room carved from stone. The walls were composed of cells, barred with steel that shone bright and new against the surrounding rot. They all appeared dark and empty.
    She stood in the center of the room, ears buzzing, heart racing. Nothing stirred. Not a sound. A faint scratching from a cell to her left had her nearly jumping out of her skin. Peering into the darkness, she crept forward.
    The light of her lantern led the way, stretching forward, slowly illuminating the small cell and what lay inside, a glossy, black hind leg bent at an awkward, painful angle, ribs protruding from an emaciated canine torso. Eliza’s breath caught. The beast moved, a slight adjustment that had its head lifting. Yellow eyes glowed in the dark. A low, warning growl rumbled and then broke on a whimper. And the dog slumped back down, ignoring her, though it did not close its eyes.
    Yes, it was a dog, or a wolf. Eliza could see that now. The largest dog she’d ever seen. Slowly she approached it, stopping just short of the cell door. Chains dug into its fur, cutting in some spots. From what she could see, the dog’s left hind leg and right foreleg were badly broken, a clever cruelty that prevented it from lying comfortably in any position. Gouges riddled its body, and they oozed with blood that matted its dark fur.
    “You poor thing,” she whispered past her fear. It occurred to her that there might be a very good reason for the beast to be locked up. Perhaps it was mad, a killer. But nothing could excuse the treatment it had received. If the dog was a killer, it ought to have been put down. Not brutalized and left to suffer.
    That thought alone prompted her