Milah waited for the next 4 days for Duval to return. She had given up on Beast. She studied books upon books she found in Beast’s chambers. There were hardly any stories or poetry. The library was mostly filled with strange and unusual books. Necromancy was the prevailing topic prevailing among them. The infamous Necronomicon, The book of Enoch, The Grimoire. There was no attempt to hide it even.
Rows upon rows of books upon demons and dark arts.
She shuddered.

Milah had heard of necromancers. She had known accounts of Dark Mages and Wizards.

‘Is Beast one of them?’ she worried. ‘Could I be his next victim or a person to be experimented upon? ‘And there she was eager to get Beast to come home. Milah scolded herself for being so blind.

She searched his writing desk. There wasn’t much on the desk. She pulled out drawers and emptied them on top. They were filled with loose papers with writings on them.

“The days pass
I repent
For ages
The wrong
They say I committed
The days pass
I realize
The sin
I will sin again”

Milah picked up another then another, another.

Stacks filled up with dark and lonesome words.
She rummaged in the drawers again. She found one with the crudely made false bottom.  It was easy for her to open it.

It held nothing but a small copper key.

And Milah knew a perfect box that key could fit in.

She went back to the room with scarred lady's painting. The key fitted perfectly on the box.

Milah's heart beat fast. Excitement was astonishing. She was sure to discover uncanny truths about Beast.

Contents made no sense to Milah. There was a lock of black hair, a vial of what appeared to be blood, a small ledger, and an Emerald Necklace.

The necklace was the same as that scarred lady was wearing in the painting.

Ledger was written in a language Milah couldn’t comprehend.

But vial of blood and locks of hair she knew were important components used in necromancy.

Milah slumped on the floor. She was sure that she would find a dungeon full of corpses ready to be reanimated.

‘You can't stay here, Milah.’ She talked to herself. ‘Not when you have a life and a family to go back to.’

“I have to get out of here!” She said aloud.

Her resolve made her search library one again. She searched every nook and cranny for a castle map, anything that could lead her outside.

High and mighty walls felt suffocating. Seclusion had already taken its toll on her spirit, her findings robbed her of all the courage she had.
She sat in the scarred lady's chambers. The barred window showed her moon hiding behind the dense rain clouds.

Lightening from thunder shone upon the castle.

  In the flash, Milah saw an eerie forest illuminated for a moment. Trees shook from violent winds. The wind roared like a dragon from ancient tales.

Milah's legs gave up on the crashing noise of thunder. She hid in the wardrobe, not caring about the odd smell of old clothes. She kept her hands on her ears to cut off thunder. Her body rocked back and forth as she prayed for the night to pass quickly.

As the night passed away and dawn broke, Milah's spirit regained its strength.

She took the hold of hook in the back of the wardrobe. The wardrobe creaked and opened a way to a hidden passage.

Milah cried in joy. She was sure it would lead her out of the castle.

A voice in her told her to stay put and assess her situation better. The passage could lead her to death. She wasn’t in hurry to go with Reaper.

Numerous cobwebs told her the passage hadn’t been used in ages. She wagered her life and stepped in. Cobwebs ruined her delicate dress, dirt made it hard to breathe. Yet she strides on.

She was the daylight at the end of the passage. It was indeed an escape route. Soon she was out of the castle.

She saw a small trail leading towards the woods. She ran towards it.
Milah's feet ached as she ran towards the forest. So what if spirits reside there. She will explain her situation, make them see her innocence, and ask their permission to pass through the forest. She will plead if she has to, she will do anything to get out of this solitude. She will be free of her imprisonment.

. . . . . .

Milah stood at the edge of the dark eerie forest. The wind howled, leaves danced gracefully. She saw crows, squirrels become stunned when she approached the first row of trees. They watched her with their beady eyes, unnerving her strong will. Shudder ran down her spine and fear gripped her.

‘I need to do this, she shook her dread off.

As she passed down the rows of trees, her surrounding shifted. It was no longer cold within the forest. There was warmth, the rustling of leaves was soothing and sounds of unintelligible whispers enriched the ground.
She directed her hearing to the voices of the forest.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a human child.”

“What’s the human child doing here?”

“Go back, human child.”

“Mortals mustn’t come here.”

“This child is with nasty half-devil?!!”

“Did he took wife after all these years?”

“Go away!”

How unwelcome she was there! She gathered her strength, licked her lips, and made sure her voice was clear enough.

“Spirits of forest, I am not related to the creature living in the castle. I was wrongfully abducted….”

“Friends of half-devil are not welcome here!”

“I am not friends with him!” she was getting desperate. “If you please pay heed to…”

“Go back! Go back! Go back!” Spirits chanted.

“Please, I just want to go home.”

“Go back! Go back!” Chants became louder. Crows screeched. Animals were agitated. Leaves shook violently, the wind blew harshly.

“QUIET!”

A loud and deep voice outpowered all the others. It was authoritative and distinct.

Whispers and chants came to a halt.

“Make way for the human child!” That deep-voiced authority commanded.

To Milah's amazement, trees started to shift their position making a path among themselves. She stood there stupefied.

“Go on, child.” A soft voice encouraged her.

With unsure steps, Milah started walking down the path.