The Beast in the Castle (The Exiles Delivery Service, #1) by Kathryn McCloskey

Aidan makes deliveries to one small village after another. The highlight of his job, and the only thing distinguishing him from anyone in his village, is making the journey to deliver to another kingdom. Until one day he is asked to deliver to the abandoned castle in the woods up on the hillside. On a clear day it looms over the village but when the mist sets in it’s a black mark on the landscape. It’s been generations since anyone’s visited or dared to venture into the forest that surrounds the castle. Rumors abound of what happened to the prince. Stories of black magic, witches and monsters. Despite all this Aidan is sent anyway and to his own surprise he finds himself agreeing to go. It can’t be more than an hour away. He’s certainly walked further and no one in his village has ever witnessed magic or even seen a monster. Then again they haven’t seen the residents of the castle either. So who sent the anonymous delivery order?  This is the first short story in The Exiles Delivery Service series. All about an ordinary boy living in a world of magic and monsters.