The Beast by Lindsay Mead

for her to follow, Belle started after him. The soldiers stayed close but did not stop her. The General said nothing as they walked. He stayed two paces ahead and never once looked back. Lifting her skirts, Belle ascended a great staircase in pursuit.
    It was wide and curved. The ceiling here was domed in the arches with gold crown molding. She wanted to stay in the stairwell and marvel at its craftsmanship, but when they moved on to a new floor, Belle found herself in awe once more. It was similar to the entry hall in many ways. It had the same high ceiling and simple, but elegantly shaped walls.
    Suits of armor stood along one wall, looking like eyeless guards. The opposite wall was lined with mammoth-sized windows. They reached to the ceiling, curving softly at the top, and their width was the length of several paces. The rich-colored draperies were a marvel of amplitude and fine quality. Satin ropes pulled them back, opening the room to the mountains beyond—Snowcapped, rugged, and impassable.
    They walked by many closed rooms and portraits of former kings and queens. At the far end of the long hall, just before the end, they turned down yet another hall. From these windows, Belle could glimpse the courtyard below and the windows in the opposite wing. The marching seemed endless. Despite Belle’s highly active life, she wasn’t used to this sort of exercise; nor was her corset made for it.
    “Pardon me, sir.” Belle finally said, keeping with the Vakrein tongue. “I’m only looking for my father. I believe he might have come to this castle.”
    General Kogsworthe didn’t respond and neither did his men. They continued on as though she hadn’t said anything at all. Belle decided not to ask any more questions. Clearly, they didn’t have any intention of helping her. In fact, she didn’t really know what their intentions were.
    At the end of this hall were two more armed guards. They stood at attention until one opened the door for them. Belle’s stomach clenched at the sight of where she was headed.
    A narrow, stone staircase spiraled upward. The steps were thin and steep, only providing enough room to walk single file. Kogsworthe went first. One of Belle’s guards stepped in between her and the General. The other remained at the back, staying close as they stepped into the small space. The stone walls were moist and mold grew in the cracks.
    The only light came from the occasional inset niche where a candlestick was placed. They ascended for some time, all the while the staircase wrapping up and up. Belle was in no hurry to reach the top though. She knew where they were going now. A staircase like this only led to one place…A tower dungeon.
    They reached the top landing and, after the confines of the staircase, it felt like freedom—briefly. It was dark and dank. The room opened into two spaces; one was a cell with the only window, too high to be reached, to provide natural light for the entire dungeon. The other space was mostly hidden by darkness, but Belle could make out chains and cuffs hanging from the walls.
    The idea of being locked up here terrified her. She wanted out as fast as possible. She wanted back down to the main floors where lush carpets and handcrafted sculptures hid the horror above.
    Kogsworthe and the Vakrein soldier positioned themselves around the room, facing the cell and blocking the staircase. A groan came from the cell, making Belle notice the bundled up man huddled against the bars. Without seeing his face, she knew who it was. Henri was hunched into himself, struggling to keep his cloak pulled tightly around him. He visibly shivered, his breath forming in the air.
    “Père?” Her voice faint, she stepped closer.
    Henri tilted his head. Surprise lit his eyes. “Belle?”
    “Oh Père, you’re alive.” Forgetting about the armed men at her back, she dropped to her knees next to Henri. She grasped his hands around the bars. Through both his gloves and hers, she felt the chill