Cellar 13 Novels & Stories

Katerina I'm tucked inside the wine cellar in the mansion. It's set just off the kitchen near the large pantry, down a skinny passage that exits to a delivery door. That exit is always bolted shut, except when it's in use. I've lingered before as boxes were hauled inside. The temptation to try and slip outside was immense. When overseeing the deliveries, Danil stared hard at me once, wordlessly compelling me not to try anything stupid.

I went straight for the basement. I had to know what was in that safe. If there was evidence of what he was doing to Clara, I could use it. I could burn his world down. The basement was cold and smelled of damp earth and expensive oak. I found the wine cellar easily enough, and behind a rack of dusty Bordeaux, I found the steel door. It was small, hidden perfectly in the masonry. My fingers were steady as I punched in the numbers Camille had given me. 4-2-9-1-1-7.

"Grab the Cabernet. The one with the gold label. Dad won't mind." I know the way better than you think. "Be right back." I felt Gideon's eyes burning into my back until I finally rounded the corner. The kitchen was dark and quiet, all stainless steel and shadows. I found the door to the cellar and headed down, flipping the light switch. The air turned cold instantly. It was one of those fancy glass-walled rooms, filled with hundreds of bottles that probably cost more than my entire life. I leaned my forehead against the cool wood of a shelf and just breathed.

Even though they occasionally share laughter, there is a feeling of worry within each of them, Luca is no exception. "I have a bad feeling about Malia." said Luca suddenly. Now, all eyes were on Luca. Because he was the first person who managed to express his anxiety without being asked. Charles, the one and only the most elder, finally joined in. "I smelled the Skarsgard girl since this afternoon, when I was hunting in the forest border between Northernwood and Eastwood." said Charles. In the midst of the small chat, Stefan's cell phone rang. A call came into his smartphone.

Blood, rot and death are overpowering. I look at Cash and Mason, seeing that they are both visibly struggling with the stench. “Eww.” “I know, right?” Mason says, choking back a gag. Cash only nods. I enter the cold, dank celler. It's smaller than I expected. Worse, it's empty. “No! No, no, no.” “Aria.” Cash pulls at my arm, tugging me over to a wall. I see a faint glow between the planks of wood that I didn't notice at first. I put a hand on the wooden boards and shove. A section swings open and I see them.

"There's tunnels that run throughout the castle. They were meant for the maids and butlers to be able to get somewhere quickly. But the catch was that they could hear through the walls because they're so thin. They'd be walking past someone's room and hear them doing the dirty or walk past an office and hear business deals going on. That's why Cain's office is in the tower, there aren't any tunnels that run up there. Also, did you know that that's actually where the expression 'maids know everything' came from?" I shook my head. "No, I didn't know that. That's pretty cool though. Where do the tunnels lead?" "Oh, all over the place," Daniel said gesturing around him. "There's an entrance to o

Another lock undone. The cellar door swung open.

People would walk into the cellar but no one would walk out. The entrance to the old root cellar is outside and I run the short distance, not bothering to cover up with a coat. The door pulls hard as I open and step down the first three stairs, holding it open behind my back. Light shines brightly out of the root cellar in the humid air against the cold from outside. The door shuts behind me with a loud bang, but that's not what has my attention. It's the rows and rows of tall growing green plants laid out on tables spread throughout the area.

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Sometimes, even when Calder was too old to want to play with me anymore, I'd sneak down there and pretend I was looking for treasure. This cellar was clearly designed to give that old-world vibe. But it's too new. Too shiny. The lights come on automatically as I descend, and there's even a computer screen built into the wall at the base of the stairs, kind of like the one I used to have in my closet. I tap the screen, curious. Instantly, it pulls up an index of all the wines down here. Well, most of the wines. As I scroll through, it looks like they're still working on some of the lists. I don't see the Ardenback on there at all.