Anastasia opened her eyes to a swirling abyss of shadows. No matter where she looked, she was met with nothing but darkness, not a single soul to be seen. This place felt familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place where she had seen it before. It was different from the dark space of death. While in shadow, this place had a comforting warmth to it, like what she had felt when that mysterious figure rescued her from death’s clutches.

Anastasia’s ears perked up at the sound of piano music in the distance. It was faint, but she recognized the melody, for she had heard it countless times from her mother. The lullaby she had just hummed to fall asleep. Overcome with emotion, she began to walk toward the music, her pace quickening with every step. In the inky black ahead of her, a midnight blue piano came into view. Anastasia had never seen such a beautiful piano in her life, and the sight of it caused her steps to falter. Now that she was closer to the source of the music, she realized that the melody itself felt alive. She could almost see pure golden notes of the song floating all around, brushing against her skin and tangling in her hair.

“I see my music has grabbed your attention.”

Anastasia’s eyes snapped towards the sound of the voice, pulled from the song’s spell. She didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed the person playing the song she had been so entranced with. The figure was seated at the piano, wearing a cloak so dark that Anastasia wondered if they had wrapped a piece of night itself around their body. As they stood, her attention was pulled towards the figure’s face, which was hidden behind an ornate golden mask decorated elaborately with black feathers and blood red rubies. Through the mask and shadow of their hood, Anastasia noticed the figure’s violet eyes flecked with gold and gasped in recognition.

“It’s you! You’re the one who keeps appearing to me every time I almost die.” She pauses and begins to panic. “Wait…does that mean I’ve been killed again?”

The figure chuckles and rises from the piano bench, the echoes of the notes fading into the void around them.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

“Fear not Anastasia, no harm has come to you…yet. I have come to give you a warning.” The figure fixes their strange eyes on her own with a grim gaze, and with their lower face exposed she could see the frown that laid upon their pale lips. Sensing the severity of the situation, Anastasia nodded in understanding and bade the figure to continue their message.

“Beware of the marquess, Anastasia, he is not to be trusted. Take my advice and escape from Dragny when you have the chance, or you will be subjected to a fate that even I cannot save you from” the figure warned.

“Are the rumors about him true? Was he the reason why his other wives disappeared?” Anastasia was afraid to know the answer to her question.

The figure sighed and shook their head before answering. “I’m afraid I cannot say, but I can promise you that I will watch over you and protect you to the best of my abilities.” The figure quickly approached Anastasia and dropped to one knee before her, taking one of her hands in their own.

“Rest assured Anastasia, all will be well. You are as smart as you are beautiful, and once you make it through this trial you shall finally join me by my side.” The figure kissed her hand, causing Anastasia to blush at the sudden gesture.

“But… who are you? How do you know my name? And that song?” Anastasia questioned. Rising to their full height, the figure looked down upon her, a sadness in their eyes.

“You will know in due time. For now, I must go.” The figure turned and began to walk into the darkness before she could protest. Now standing alone next to the piano, she caressed the smooth wood and closed her eyes. This arranged marriage situation was already stressful enough, and getting an ominous warning from a shadowy figure didn’t exactly calm her nerves. She had been through a lot in her life though, and she was sure that she would be able to handle whatever came next. Anastasia took a deep breath, and opened her eyes to her bedroom that had just begun to be filled with the light of dawn. Sitting up with a newfound resolve, she felt a little braver after her encounter with the mysterious figure, and set about getting ready for the journey ahead.