Chapter 16
4 Months Post-Abduction
Newt marveled at the opulence of the castle nestled in the foothills of Denmark. He could see Grindelwald fancying himself a king with these surroundings. He followed Theseus up the grand staircase as Aurors bustled around him.
One of the followers had finally cracked. She'd bargained the latest hideout she knew of with getting to see her family. Unfortunately, it appeared the castle had been abandoned about five days before they'd arrived. Newt wondered if the Ministry had a mole dug deep within their ranks.
They'd finished examining the dungeon, and while Newt found evidence of Tina being down there, the remnants were months old. He'd insisted on checking the upstairs bedrooms.
No signs of her in the pink room, the satin room or the golden room. Newt could tell Theseus grew impatient as they entered the lace room. His brother wasn't used to this level of investigation, examining every single detail. He usually liked the confrontation side of it.
An intricately designed lace bedspread covered the large, four-poster bed. Lace curtains and lacy wallpaper completed the picture of the lace room. As he'd done in the other rooms, Newt pulled back the bedspread, conjuring an image of the last person who'd slept there.
A ghostly image of Queenie formed. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
Newt's drew in a breath. This was the first time he'd found evidence of Tina's sister in any of the hideouts. He flew out of the room and into the last bedroom in this wing, right next door.
The blue room offered the most beautiful view of the snow-capped mountains, but Newt didn't see it. He grabbed the velvet bedspread and flung it off. His wand conjured the image of the woman sleeping in the bed.
Tina.
She slept fitfully, tossing and turning. He could only see above her shoulders; the covers pulled all the way up.
Newt forgot himself, his hand reaching to smooth the worry lines on her forehead away, but it slipped right through the image. Tina's ghostly figure dissolved. Theseus spoke up, and Newt startled, forgetting his brother had followed him into the room.
"Why would they move her from the dungeon up to the most beautiful bedroom in the castle? What's changed?"
"Perhaps Queenie persuaded Grindelwald to treat her better?" Newt offered.
Theseus shook his head slowly. "Not Grindelwald's style, from everything we've seen. I hate to say this, but we've got to consider the possibility that…" He paused, taking a deep breath. "That Tina's been turned."
Newt stared at the empty bed. "No. She wouldn't turn."
"Come on, Newt! Nobody would blame her. She's been tortured, locked in dungeons. It's been going on for months! Experiencing that level of stress for so long would break almost anyone."
"No. Not her. There's got to be another explanation." Newt stubbornly resisted the notion of Tina breaking, although his heart ached for what she'd endured.
Silence reigned around them for a few moments. Then Theseus gave him a sad look and walked out of the room.
Newt, not caring what anyone else thought, toed off his shoes. Then he slipped into the velvet blue bed, his head resting in the same place Tina's had. Her essence surrounded him and he breathed in her slight lingering scent. His eyes closed and he daydreamed about her being in his arms.