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"Aha," Shayla said "Let e, which was filled witha mini-town square with frozen fountains

"This is the nearest settle forward toward the old castle "And this"--she pointed to the castle--"was once a hotel"

"Once a hotel?" I asked

"Mm-hm Just as this was once a pretty little tourist resort"

When I gazedthe square, all of them appeared to be deserted Dilapidated, in fact--s smashed in, doors broken open

"What is this place?" I whispered

"Ogres have traveled through these parts," Shayla said darkly "The inhabitants upped and left, a long tio now"

My stomach tensed "Why do we need to stay here at all, then? Can’t we just go to Clyderly and then be done with it? We could find some proper hotel somewhere else that’s safe, if we really have to stay another night in this country"

"Don’t worry, Grace," Shayla said "I’ll make it safe for us I’ll cast a protective charht here at all--which would be preferable--but we ht come in handy to have a base nearby… We never knohat could happen"

The wooden door to the old castle had been ripped open, and an icy breeze ran through the dark lobby as we entered Shayla strode to the e and withdrawing a key Then she vanished us upstairs to what appeared to be the highest floor in the castle, judging from the view outside She stopped outside Room 109 The lock still worked fine and none of the rooms here appeared to have been broken into--at least, not on this floor

The door creaked eerily as she pushed it open, and we eed into as actually more like an apartment than a hotel room or even a suite There were two bedrooined this place would have looked quite regal back in the day The furniture looked antique and ornamental Silk carpets swathed the wooden floors The curtains draping the ere heavy and thick The two bedroouessed one of us could sleep on the sofa, which looked pretty co, and she invoked roaring fires in the hearths of the bedroo roo roo her protective charm, Shayla took my suitcase fro with her backpack

"Right," she said, drawing in a breath "I suggest we don’t hang around here too long If both of you are ready, let’s go"