Carpathian 00 - The Scarletti Curse

mouth moving over hers. Her body and his, hot and twisting in the bedclothes, tangled together in sweat and a terrible need. Toward dawn her dreams were invaded by strange, clawed creatures grasping at her bare skin, tearing at her, dragging her into the sea to drown her. She cried out for the don, reached for him, begging him to save her, but he watched her with impassive, staring eyes and a small mocking smile on his perfectly sculpted lips. Behind him was the palazzo, with its hulking grace and wide, staring windows like terrible, empty eyes, watching, watching, as she was dragged into the murky waters. She awoke strangling, choking, gasping for breath, her heart pounding in alarm.
    She lay in the gray gloom, staring around her in a kind of shock. The fire was out, and it was cold and drafty in the great chamber. This terrible place was to be her home. Her prison. She could barely breathe with the thought of being cooped up indoors. Already her mountains were calling, her plants and the birds. She needed them the way she needed air to breathe.
    A slight noise caught her attention, much like the scratch of a rat in a wall. She rolled over to stare at the carvings at the head of her bed. The scratching stopped for a moment, then began again, a little louder and much more persistent. The more she examined the marble, the more it appeared as if the serpents and sea creatures were undulating, moving.
    She frowned and stood up in her nightshift, rubbing her arms as she studied the carvings and mural closely. They were moving! This was no optical illusion. The wall was splitting apart, one section swinging toward her! Nicoletta backed away from the bed until she came up against the wall on the other side of the room. Jumping nervously to the side, she glanced behind her to ensure that that wall remained intact.
    When she looked back, a little head was peeking around the thick marble at her.
    "Sophie!" Nicoletta breathed in relief. Her legs were suddenly so weak, she sat down abruptly. "You frightened me. What are you doing?"
    The child put a finger to her lips and looked around the bedchamber cautiously before she came all the way in, swinging the hidden door closed. At once it was a seamless marble wall again. Nicoletta moved across the room to examine it. "I should have known there was a reason for these strange carvings." She ran her hand over the sea serpents. The opening was so cleverly woven into the carvings, it was impossible to find, even when she knew it was there and was looking for it. The walls were incredibly thick, easy enough to conceal the rumored hidden passageways through the palazzo.
    Nicoletta looked at the little girl and smiled. "I am Nicoletta. Do you remember me?"
    Sophie nodded her head so adamantly that her hair flew about. "You saved me. You made my stomach stop hurting, and you held me when the bad voices came."
    "You were very sick," Nicoletta admitted. "Are you feeling all right now?"
    Sophie nodded again, casting several nervous looks at Maria Pia.
    "Where does this hidden passage lead?" Nicoletta asked, curious.
    Sophie pressed her little body against the wall. "I am not supposed to be in this room," she confided.
    "And Papa told me never to use the passage. I am not even supposed to know about it. He said never to tell anyone and never to go in." Her wide eyes touched on Maria Pia again, who was still sleeping." She Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    lowered her voice even more. "He says there are i fantasmi in the passageway. He said it was dangerous to go in."
    Nicoletta raised an eyebrow. Ghosts? Ghouls? "Your padre told you this?"
    Sophie nodded solemnly. "He has not made me go back to that other room yet. Zio Gino said I could stay in the nursery, even though Zia Portia thinks I am far too old." Her large, dark eyes were very wide.
    "I heard them arguing about it. Zia Portia thinks I want my papa's attention. I heard her say I need discipline." She shivered. "But I did not lie. You heard the voices, too. I know you did. I fantasmi, the ghosts. I tried to tell Zio Gino you heard them, too but I know he did not believe me. No one else can hear them. Once I had Papa and Zio Gino listen with me, but the voices did not come. You can tell him I did not lie. Zia Portia says I am a liar. I do not tell stories, but Papa believes her." She shrugged her thin shoulders.
    "Zia Portia does not like me much, you know, because I am just like mia madre."