Read the first 1,000 words of Hot & Bothered which continues the tale of Rose Red and Lady Lucia begun in Thorns & Roses and Sweet & Sour.

 

Rose Red crept up the winding stone staircase that led to the tallest turret in the castle. Flimsy cobwebs trailed across her face and nightgown, and she shivered. Get off me! The princess frantically brushed the lacy strands from her cheeks and clothes but they stuck to her fingers. Leaning against the pebbled, circular wall with her chest heaving, she clutched the woolen shawl draped over her shoulders. You can do this, Rose.
As the princess peered through the shadows, a thick wooden door at the top of the stairs trembled, and a sliver of light peeked underneath. Be brave. The princess bit her bottom lip and glanced longingly at the way she had come before taking another step and continuing her climb.
As she stood in front of the door with a hand raised, her eyes became accustomed to the gloom, and she jerked backward. “Oh my God!” What is that? Deep gouges in the wood had gooseflesh prickle over Rose’s skin as her fingers clenched in a fist. Go back! Run! But her legs refused to move, and as she traced over the scrapes in the oak, a splinter pierced her flesh, and she grimaced and sucked the droplet of blood on her fingertip.
While the princess gulped in mouthfuls of air and wrestled with her emotions, an invisible hand unlatched the door. Creaking and complaining, it slid open a little, and the princess winced at its mournful cry. I cannot turn back now.
With her heart hammering, she placed a palm on the wood. A ruby ring encircling her finger glittered despite the darkness. The color of blood. The princess pushed open the door and stepped into a chamber. Old sheets covered the furniture, and a broken window lay upended on the floor while an abandoned bird’s nest sat forlornly on the window sill.
The room was cloaked in shadows apart from a figure standing near the window dressed in a periwinkle gown and with her dark, wavy hair curling over her shoulders. Lucia! The dress was the one Lady Lucia had worn the first day they met in the throne room. The princess’ pulse raced as she outstretched her hand. My love. I have missed you.
But as the noblewoman turned to face the princess, Rose shrieked. The flesh on Lucia’s face was black and oozing with pus. Maggots crawled over the skin and a putrid odor had Rose’s belly roil. No! No! She swallowed the biliousness that rose up her throat. What have I done?
A shrill cackle behind her had Rose spin around. “You!”
“Princess Rose, I am so glad you could join us.” King Baldor lounged on a bench and raised a goblet to his betrothed. “Lucia was upset at your tardiness, but I assured her you would visit her one last time.”
“I will destroy you, Baldor.”
“Such harsh language, Rose, and so unbecoming from a lady of your rank. I had no hand in this. It was your doing.”
Rose spat at the king, but as hot tears spilled from her eyes, a skeletal finger with a sharp nail covered in peat, moss and dried leaves, stroked her cheek. Eons of dirt were embedded under the fingernail, and the princess cringed as the stomach-churning stink of earth, death and decay wafted over her, filling her nostrils with a pungent odor.
She flung the hand away. “Do not touch me! You are not Lucia!” Where are you, my love?
“You assured me all would be well, Rose, but you lied. And I paid the price.” Her Ladyship’s disembodied voice had the princess shove a fist in her mouth to stifle a scream before falling to her knees. “Lucia, I thought only of you.” Jerking her head in the king’s direction, she continued, “I agreed to marry that pig, Baldor. What else could I do?”
“But your best was not good enough, Rose, and now I am doomed to wander the dark tunnel between life and death.”
“No!” The princess held her breath as she gazed into the sunken sockets which once held her beloved Lucia’s gray eyes. I cannot stare at this walking bag of bones. This is not Lucia. She flung her shawl over what was left of her lover’s body. I am so sorry. Bunching the nightgown in her hands, she sped out of the room. Goodbye.
“Coward!” Lady Lucia’s taunt shredded Rose’s heart, and she sobbed but did not look back.
You are right.
Tears streamed over the princess’ cheeks as she ignored the dust and spiders’ webs and headed for the stairs. Lady’s Lucia’s voice faded along with Rose’s dreams of the future.
Forgive me.
But King Baldor’s cruel laugh followed her as if he were perched on her shoulder. “You cannot escape me, princess. You made a bargain, and I shall make sure you keep it.”
Leave me alone. The princess tossed her head from side to side trying to rid herself of the vile man, but as she headed for the stairs, they vanished leaving a long, dark corridor ahead of her. I am going mad!
Tearing along the gloomy hallway, the pattering of her bare feet echoed and bounced off the wood panels and carved ceilings. Pictures of Lucia’s dead ancestors on the walls chanted, “Shame! Shame!” as she stumbled past.
Rose blinked back tears and glanced over her shoulder, but the chamber where she had seen what remained of her lover was shrouded in shadow. Was she a ghost?
As confused thoughts tumbled through her head, the princess tripped over her nightgown and slammed against the wall. She cried out and leaned on the paneling, clutching her shoulder and trying to catch her breath.
But as she eyed the never-ending corridor, cadaverous fingers slid out of the gloom and caressed her hair which had fallen out of its braid. Get away from me! Clawed hands fondled her nightgown and ripped the cotton fabric, but Rose wrenched it from their cold, dead hands and took off again.
“M’lady.”
“Do not leave me, Lucia.”
“Your Highness.” Strong hands gripped Rose’s shoulders.
Lucia? Is that you?
“Princess Rose!”
Her Ladyship’s eyes flicked open.