The Cursed Hollow: The Sacrificed Ones Series Book 2

Prologue

Winston entered the courtyard and was surprised no one was there. There were usually people going for walks, or at least sitting on the benches by a little waterfall, feeding fish in the small pond.

No one was there this time, not even the parrots he had grown accustomed to seeing in the branches. The air was colder than it should have been, and he wondered if someone had been playing with the environmental controls. The fact that it was outside was confusing as well. Did the courtyard have air conditioning? It didn't make sense.

The waterfall burbling and rushing along the side of a slender rock formation was the only sound in the courtyard. It was serene and relaxing, but the cold made it uncomfortable. It must have been at least ten or fifteen degrees cooler than the beach.

Winston pushed the thought from his mind and followed the cobblestone path to the door on the far side of the courtyard that led to the building where his room was located. As he passed a cluster of birds of paradise, he noticed that a shape on the other side of the garden was pacing him.

At first, he thought it was a man. It was the size of a person, but when he looked a second time, he only caught a glimpse of a shadow that quickly vanished. He stopped, looked back the way he had come, and stared in confusion. Now there was nothing, though he was certain he had seen something just a moment ago.

“Hello?” he called.

As a lawyer and a politician, Winston had dealt with his fair share of difficult people. He was polite to a fault sometimes, but he didn't play games.

“If you need something, come out and say it,” he said loudly.

There was no reply. No movement. Still, he was certain he had seen something.

Winston shook his head and kept on the path to the door. It was nestled among enormous flowers with long, fat, green leaves and blood-red flowers on tall stalks. He had no idea what they were, but they smelled nice, and they looked lovely.

He reached for the door handle and grunted as it resisted him. He did not expect it to be locked, and the sudden jerk strained his arm.

“What the hell?” He was annoyed now.

He put his hands up to the glass to avoid glare and peered into the hallway beyond. No one was around. He knocked on the glass, and the sound echoed in the courtyard, but no one came.

Something rustled the leaves in the birds of paradise behind him. Winston turned to look back, and the shadow he had seen before was there. It was as tall as a man, but feathers protruded from his back, shoulders, and head. Everything was cast in a darkness that shouldn't have existed given the source of the light.