Rite Of Blood And Secrets: House Of Blood And Roses, #1

Chapter 1

The sun shines brightly as I make my way down to the main square, but there are ominous dark grey storm clouds on the horizon that suggest we may be in for a much more bitter day than the initial forecast suggests.

It hasn't deterred most of the town from turning up to the weekly market, and the sounds of bartering and arguments over whose bread is better fill the air, along with the scent of salty fish from the coast and sickly sweet smell of fruit that had been out in the sun a little too long.

I keep my head down as I weave through the people and stalls to get to my destination. I don't have the coins to be distracted by the various wares of the townspeople, even if I wish I did.

Morning, Beatrice, Mrs Potsworth says from behind the vegetable stall. The usual?

I nod. Please.

I have some radishes fresh in, if you want 'em. I remember your Da loved 'em when he was a kid. Thought you might too.

I give her a sad smile as the grief stang despite Da having been gone for years. If you have a few to spare. I don't particularly care for them, but Da did love them and eating them always makes me think of him.

They're on the house. She puts them into a paper bag and drops them on top of the rest of my vegetables before handing it over to me.

I fish out the coins from the skirt of my dress and give them to her. Thanks.

She nods in return.

I turn away, only to be stopped in my tracks as a shout comes from the front of the square and the people around me start pushing forward.

What's going on? I ask Mrs Potsworth.

She sighs. It's the Golden Moon next month, they'll be asking for people to head up to the castle to work at the ball.

I look over to the large castle sitting halfway up the mountain. Even from here, it's an ominous sight, with huge turrets reaching into the sky and dark stone weathered from centuries of weather. The grey clouds feel as if they're closing in around it, only adding to the eerie effect.

Listen to me, Beatrice, Mrs Potsworth says in a serious voice. You were too young to remember it last time, five years is a long time in the life of you youngsters, but whatever you do, don't you or your brother go up to that castle for the Golden Moon.

I frown and look at her. Why not?

She shakes her head. It's dangerous. Let us say no more of it.

I want to question her more on the subject, but I can tell from the set of her face that she isn't going to reveal anything else. I wish I could remember the last Golden Moon, but I was sixteen at the time and struggling to get by after Da died.

I say my goodbyes to the vegetable seller and make my way back through the square, only pausing to admire some of the fabrics the dressmaker has on display. I can't afford any of them, but that doesn't stop me from looking and dreaming of the day I can wear a fine dress and not have to make the same vegetable stew for me and my brother every day.

The sky darkens and a few spots of rain patter against my skin. I look upwards, seeing that the storm clouds have gotten much closer than before.

I pull up the hood of my cloak and turn in the direction of home, hurrying through the throng of people who seem determined to stay in order to hear about the Golden Moon even if it means getting rained on.

There's a part of me that wants to find out more about it myself, even with Mrs Potsworth's warning about going up to the castle still ringing in my ears. I don't think she'd give it to me for no reason, but it only raises more questions. And I don't know anything about the residents of the castle. I tried to ask Da about it when I was smaller, but he'd always grow tense and refuse to talk about it. Eventually, I learned to stop asking.

The rain grows heavier and I have to pull my skirt out of the way to avoid dragging it through a growing puddle. My shoe isn't so lucky, and I discover there's a hole in it somewhere. I almost stumble, but manage to right myself without spilling my bag of vegetables.

I'm soaked by the time I get home, and hating that I don't have many spare clothes to change into. The warped wooden door creaks loudly as I push it open and a boisterous dog appears, her tail wagging wildly.

Despite my current state, a smile spreads over my face. Hey, Pip.

She lets out a small bark.

Let me put these down and then I'll say hello to you properly, I promise, kicking the door shut behind me as I make my way inside.

Water is dripping from the ceiling where Bastian is supposed to have fixed it, but for all of my brother's positive attributes, being good with his hands isn't one of them, and I fear our house will fall down before he properly gets it fixed, but we don't have enough money to pay someone else to do it either.

I set the vegetables down on the wooden table that serves as our everything, and turn my attention properly to my dog. She's a shaggy thing, with a grey coat that sheds far too much, but I love her all the same.

Have you been a good girl? I ask as I rub her head. Her fluff stands on edge in response but her mouth hangs open with her tongue poking out of the side of it. She pushes her head back into my hands in order to get more fuss, which I happily oblige in doing.

My feet start to tingle from the damp of my shoes and I have to push my dog to the side so I can take them off and place them by the fire to dry. Once that's done, I'll have to see if I'm actually able to mend it.

I pat Pip on the head one last time before getting to my feet. I head over to the cupboard where we keep our money to drop the meagre remains of the coins I took with me to the market back inside.

The moment I pull open the drawer, my world starts to spin. We don't have much, but we do have enough to put a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.

Except that now, all our remaining money is gone.

Chapter 2

The stew bubbles on the stove, but I can't focus on the fact we're going to have hot food tonight. I'm too busy biting the skin of my fingers and trying to work out what could have happened to our money. We need it in order to live, and I don't know what we're going to do now it's gone. Bastian has his job, and I do a lot of fixing and mending of clothes for those too busy to do it themselves but are in possession of a little coin, but it's going to take more than we make to replenish our resources.

And I just know Bastian is going to blame me for losing it.

The door opens and Pip raises her head, but doesn't rush over to the door like she does to greet me.

A crash of lightning lights up the doorway and Bastian standing there with a couple of boxes in his hands. The rain is coming down faster than before, the storm well and truly