Warped (Maurissa Guibord)

sweater, and she shivered and molded herself to Will's warmth.
    "Hartescross is just ahead," he said. Tessa looked out across the grassy plain. Her eyes traveled up. A huge stone structure rose against the darkening sky.
    "The castle. You live in a castle," she said slowly, taking it in.
    "Yes. Well, a small one." Will seemed distracted as he held the horse in place and scanned the surrounding countryside.
    Just a small castle , thought Tessa. Okay. Looking at the huge structure looming ahead, she couldn't quite believe, even now, that this was real. Just like the grass, the trees, the horse. Except it wasn't. Everything in this place was woven in a flat, two-dimensional square of fabric. Thinking about it made her brain hurt.
    Hartescross Castle sat on top of a small hill. Around the perimeter a high stone wall circled the inner building, interrupted at intervals by jags of stone outcroppings as well as turrets. The inside tower was high and round and pierced with narrow windows. At the top a blue pennant snapped in the brisk wind.
    Will guided Hannibal to a road. Actually, it looked like little more than a ridged path of hardened mud. As the horse trotted up the slope, lurching over the pits and rises of the road, Tessa realized why Will had been so impressed with pavement.
    Rain began to lash down in fat, icy drops as they approached the castle, and a clap of thunder boomed. To Tessa, the eerie, empty appearance of the castle was more menacing than the storm. Maybe it was the sheer size and somber glitter of the massive stone walls, now stained with wetness to a dark gray.
    But menacing or not, any shelter was welcome at this point. The rain sliced at their clothes and they were both cold and wet. At least they were together. Somehow that made things bearable.
    "You have a moat," Tessa said, observing the steep, rock-lined depression that circled the castle.
    "No. It's a more of a ditch, really," said Will. "We used to pump in seawater but it stank too much in the summer. It still serves the purpose. It's a bloody pain to climb down and out again."
    They walked across the drawbridge as the rain started to fall in windblown sheets. The horse's hooves clattered on the huge beams and Tessa looked overhead, awed by the soaring span of stone of the main entry as they passed beneath it. A heavy iron grate was suspended halfway up, held by massive ropes.
    They entered a courtyard and Will slipped down, then reached to help Tessa. They ran to a low, sheltered building huddled against the foot of the central tower.
    "This courtyard is usually filled with people," said Will, his voice raised against the wind and rain. He pointed. "The smithy here. And over there the wheelwright." He led Hannibal to a dry stall.
    "Come," he shouted. "Help me close the gate."
    Will ran to a large wooden wheel with crank-type handles on either side, and unlocking it, he directed Tessa to hold one handle as he positioned himself at the other. Together they allowed the thick rope to unwind through its pulley system, lowering the massive gate.
    He took her hand and they ran across the muddy courtyard to the tower entrance. "This leads to my family's living quarters," Will said as they ducked into the narrow doorway. It was a relief to be out of the pelting rain and wind. Tessa looked up at a spiral staircase that rose within the tower. The center of each stone step was worn down, smoothed with age.
    Will released Tessa's hand and bounded ahead as she ran to keep up. At a landing they emerged in a great room, where a huge open hearth stood against the far wall. Long tables ran the length of the room. Ceramic bowls, cups, cutlery and dried bunches of flowers and herbs were laid, as if awaiting a roomful of guests. Brightly colored tapestries hung from the stone walls, and large barrels and boxes and sacks were stacked in the corners. The huge room was as dark as a cave except for the high, narrow windows, which were periodically lit with streaks of lightning.
    "Everything is the same," said Will. "She has put my home in the tapestry."
    "But none of the people." Tessa looked around the expansive hall. "There are other people trapped here in the tapestry, right?"
    "Yes, I believe so." Will went to the hearth and poked through the blackened coals. A dull red ember flared. "Someone has been here," he observed. "The fire has not gone cold. The lymerer, perhaps."
    The thought of seeing the gruesome one-eyed giant again made Tessa's stomach churn. But he