by Luka Petrov
I had no idea what to expect from the cursed castle. The cursed castle came almost to the edge of the beach and was surrounded by jagged rocks on either side. We had washed up on the only sandy beach that was deliberately created for when the residents would leave and return from their castle. We stood on the sandy beach looking at the long, abandoned castle. There was something about it, it still breathed some sort of life. I cast detect magic to attempt to figure out what I was sensing as the life form that emanated from this abandoned castle. I shut my eyes and went into a meditative state. Once I channeled the spell to detect magic, I opened my east to find that wondrous hue emanated from the castle. There was an odd aura surrounding it.
“Let’s go inside,” I said. Both Agnes and Yves nodded, and we walked through the castle gate and into the courtyard. Walking through the courtyard, we were soon at the metal door which led into the castle. Two gargoyle statues guarded either side of the metal door. The door was ajar, and I was able to push in the metal door, it yielding to my push and creaking open, revealing the opulent throne room. Despite its opulence, the furniture was rotting, and a powerful stench of mildew filled my nostrils.
I cast Fireball to light the six braziers. I watched as I sent out six different fireballs from my palms to each of the braziers, lighting them up so they provided a nice glow in this rancid castle. I was probably using up mana I could not afford to spare, but who cares.
“Fireball?” Yves condescendingly asked.
“Yes, Fireball. Six of them in fact,” I replied. I was growing sick and tired of her judgments.
“Bit much, don’t you think?” she retorted.
“Nope!” I said back to her, not even looking in her direction.
Now, taking in the throne room, the room illuminated beautifully as the six slender braziers enclosed each of the six limestone columns that lit up the throne hall and mantle in warm yellows. The countless gems on the oblique ceiling dance in the flickering light while gargoyles and marble icons look down upon the stone floor of this ceremonious hall.
An alabaster rug split the room in half from the throne to midway down the hall while gold-gilded banners with emblazoned borders swung gently from the walls. Between each banner stood a large candlestick.
Yves responded to my remark, “Going to light those candlesticks too? Maybe with eight more Fireballs?”
“Maybe just using a Firebolt this time will be a little tamer,” I mused. I took my finger and cast eight different firebolts at each of the wicks of the candles, producing a flame at the top of the tapered candlestick. All of them have been lit and in turn, illuminate the tapestries of late rulers below them.
“I have to keep my magic sharp. You wouldn’t want me to begin to get complacent, would you?” I responded to Yves jabs.
“Guess not,” she replied.
I took in the throne room further and noticed an immense, stained glass window depicting ancient legends that were bordered by curtains colored the same alabaster as the banners and rug. The curtains had been adorned with emblazoned edges and intricate embroidery.
A great throne of silver sat beneath an almost entirely close canopy and was adjoined by six similar, but undecorated seats for visiting dignitaries. The throne was covered in gilded marks and fixed on each of the stubby legs was a diamond dragon. All the upholstered pillows contained mold and rotting. The broad pillows were dark alabaster, and these too had been adorned with diamonds dragon symbol yet were covered in mildew.
A chandler dangled from the ceiling in the middle of the throne room and was filled with cobwebs in-between each of the crystals. Those waiting to see their royal highness can do so on the abundance of decorated, but somewhat uncomfortable granite benches, all of which were facing the center of the hall. Those of higher standing could instead take a seat in the rather ordinary looking balustrades facing the benches below.
We ventured down a passageway just off of the throne room. The hallway was not long at all. At the end of the hallway stood a door that was cracked opened, leading to a significantly large kitchen. This kitchen was where I presumed, all the meals were made for the residents. It appeared to be where the staff would work. There were cast-iron pots and pans hanging from racks above the wood-burning stove. Food was left in the walk-in pantry and had rotted and spoiled from time.
We went back toward the main throne room. Stairs came off of the main throne room and led to the second floor where the quarters of the residents of the castle. We proceeded up the stairs to the second floor. Once atop of the staircase, to our right were the living quarters as there were numerous rooms coming off of the main hallway. To our left was an archway leading to a long hallway. We first went to explore the living quarters to our right.
We entered the first room and found a nicely furnished bedroom chamber. The fireplace ignited itself as soon as we entered the chamber.
“That was weird!” Yves stated.
Agnes confirmed, “Definitely weird.”
Above the fireplace was a portrait of an old man with grey hair, and pale white skin. The old man appeared to be wearing noble garments, with a certain sigil attached to the right of his breast. There was also a bookcase that smelled of mold, and dust. There was nothing significant about the bookcase. The bookcase only contained books of stories and folk legends.
“These books are so much tamer than the books we found in the mad mage’s laboratory,” I declared with a sigh of relief. At least there are no books on the delights of the Abyss. After realizing there was not so much to explore here, we went back into the main hallway and this time we went toward the left.
As we moved down the hallway, I found it best to light it up. There were sconces on the walls of the hallway with wax candles in them. Yves saw me eyeing the candle wicks, “Another firebolt this time?” she teased.
“I was thinking more of a wall of fire,” I mused. In an effort not to expand too much of my mana, I opted for dancing flames and sent them sporadically in the hallway, they each danced around before igniting their respective wick. The hallway which now illuminated with a golden glow looked warm and inviting and had a cozy feel to it.
Moving to the end of the hallway, there was one last room. This room was strange since it was not with the other guest quarters. This one room caught our eye. Despite this bedroom chamber not being next to the other living quarters, it was very large. It was a master-bedroom suite as was literally the size of the house I grew up in with my parents.
“Wow! This room is enormous,” Agnes said with her mouth gaped open as she took all the wonderment from this room in.
The bed appeared to be made with fine linens of silk. The scarlet color of the silk duvet cover and of the silk pillowcases was far richer than I had ever seen before. They made the chest of drawers of mahogany, and a mirror stood atop the drawers. Unlike the furniture in the throne room that had been rotting from moisture and was spoiled with mildew, this bedroom chamber was in pristine condition. There were gorgeous tapestries hanging on the walls with ornate embroidered details. In front of the bed, stood a chest. The bedroom chamber had a magnificent view of the sea. I took a moment to stand at the window and look at the sea as the waves rolled ceremoniously over to the horizon. The two pirate ships that battle earlier today was nowhere in sight. Well, one sunk to the ocean floor, and I am sure the other was miles and miles from here. I could see Purcell’s boat anchored just off of the shore of the sandy beach we rowed to earlier.
After taking in the salty air and the sea breeze, I turned to find Yves rifling through the chest was in front of the enormous bed. “What are you doing?” I asked as Yves spilled papers all around herself, emptying the contents of the chest out on the floor.
“Looking for clues,” she responded in a monotone, not even looking in my direction. “Hey! Look at this!” Yves shouted, holding up a leather-bound journal.
“Let me see,” I exclaimed. The journal looked like something that would point us in the right direction of what we were looking
for in the massive castle.
Yves handed me the journal, and she kept rifling through more papers that were scattered around on the floor. After examining the tome, I realized the girth. It was large and heavy. After examining its heft, I did not see how Yves was able to hold it up above her head with such ease. There must have been at least three hundred pages in this journal. Anticipation overtook me, and I could not help myself but figure out where the magi staff was.
I made myself at home on the bed; the crimson-colored silk fabric felt so delicate against my skin. I had forgotten what softens felt like since my bed for the last few weeks had been whatever clothes I crumbled into a ball to make a pillow and the ground. I cracked open the journal.
As I skimmed the journal, a passage stuck out to me. It read:
Growing up, I always felt a little odd. My parents were both from royal lines and I was the heir to their throne. The Island of Barnard, which ruled Santa Rocha, the realm’s largest port for trade. All of this will be mine when my parents pass.
Lately, my parents want me to take on a wife to ensure that our line continues on and is strong and of noble blood. They had found a beautiful princess for me to marry, my parents had been friends with her parents for ages, however, I find her to be a pretty face. She lacks that special something. She has a personality of a corpse and is no smarter than a three-wit ant. I surely cannot spend the rest of my life with that. She was very, very pretty, however. Her bosom was subtle, and her hair was long and glistened in the sunlight. Despite her beauty, she lacked that special something that would keep me interested in the duration of my life.
There was someone, however, who kept me entertained. Her name is Janey, and she and I grew up together. Her parents were also noblemen, and she was accustomed to the pomp and circumstance of the noble life. Our parents were not good friends, and they did not get along when we went to balls and dinners.
Her parents and she are witches, and they uphold the creed of their own witch circle. Witches are spiritual, and that was one thing that drew me to Janey. She believed in the unexplainable force that bound everything together.
One day she told me about how her family believes in supreme energy that extends beyond the physical world, and how all things were connected in a collective conscience. It was actually quite beautiful, her explanation.
Janey used to tell me some of her family’s folklore and how they came to be a family of witches. I would see Janey after class each day and when we moved on to our respective academies, we wrote letters to each other. I returned to Calden Castle to start to take over the family business and Janey returned to the manor that her parents ran in Santa Rocha.
I ran into her at the tavern in town, and we rekindled our friendship. We would go on a walk every day, and she would tell me about the superstitions her family had, and how they were formed over time. She would tell me of the traditions her family had and their relationship with spirits.
As Janey and I became closer and closer, my love for her only grew more and more. One day, her family would lose their entire manor because they could not pay the tax to my parents. Because I loved Janey so much, and I did not want her family to lose everything, I paid the tax myself without letting her parents or my parents know about it. She never would have asked me, but I offered, and I would have done it again in a heartbeat. I would give her whatever she wanted.
She fulfilled my wildest dreams, and I wanted to do the same for her. I wanted her to become my wife. She would become the Duchess of Calden Castle, and her family would never have to worry about the tax ever again. I think I will ask Janey to become my wife tomorrow
I could not believe what I was reading. This was a beautiful love story. I wonder what happened between the Lord of Calden Castle and Janey. I turned a few pages in the journal to see what happened next.
Another passage read:
I hate Janey. I want her to die a horrible death. I cannot believe she tricked me into paying her family’s tax. I cannot believe she led me on. She is a wretched demon that deserves to be treated as such.
When I asked her to be my wife and move into Calden Castle with me, she told me that she was in love with someone else. Someone of whom was not even of noble blood.
I must find this man and I will slit his throat from ear to ear. This is my vow.
Whoa! I could not believe what I was reading. This was a love story of unrequited love! That part was totally unexpected. I had expected that the Lord made Janey his wife and he took care of her. Now the Lord is going to go slaughter the man that Janey was in love with. I skipped a few more pages to find out what happened.
The passage read:
Today is a glorious day! For I have sought revenge. I tracked down that wretched fool who tried to steal Janey from me and I have sentenced Janey to be burned at the stake. Condemning Janey to be burned at the stake has brought me so much joy, that I feel whole once again. I feel used and taken advantage of. I finally have retribution for paying Janey’s family’s debt. I should not allow others to take advantage of my generosity.
“Hey, guys! The Lord of this castle went crazy and killed a witch,” I shouted to both Agnes and Yves. Yves was still poured over papers on the floor and Agnes sat next to her, looking through them.
“Interesting,” Yves replied. “It doesn’t tell us anything about the magi staff,” she added.
“Well, I guess I’ll keep reading. There has to be an answer here, somewhere,” I retorted.
I flipped a few more pages and found an interesting passage. It read:
Today has been a horrible, horrible day. I did not realize my actions would have such a consequence. First, I miss Janey with all of my heart. I realize what I did was in anger and spite, and now I regret it. I don’t regret slaying Janey’s suitor, but I wish I did not condemn her to be burned at the stake.
Last night, the city gathered to watch the executioner carry out her punishment and watching her body burn was more than I could bear. I did not realize how much I cared about her, and that being in this world without her is devastating.
The worse part was when I watched her take her last breath, being overcome by the flames, she learned at me. Then her face became distorted and she yelled out a curse in one of her ancient languages, sending green flames at me. The flames hit me dead in the chest. They did not hurt, nor cause any pain, but I feel burdened.
One of her family members came over to me after she had left her body and told me that I had forever caused a rift between our two families. The warlock also told me that Janey had cursed me with a powerful spell. He said it was a spell that would forever plague me as long as Archmage McAllister held the magic spell book with no name and the magi staff. As long as Archmage McAllister had both of these items, my body would rot with disease, my fortune would disappear, and disaster would follow me wherever I went. The warlock mentioned that Archmage McAllister is the only one in this world who could read the ancient book of spells and he was the only one to dispel the curse that Janey cast.
“Whoa!” I shouted. Yves and Agnes both looked in my direction expecting an explanation. “You know that magic user we saved from the Abyss?”
“Of course,” Yves replied.
“Well, he was in charge of the Magi Staff and of the magic spell book that I’ve been carrying around with me,” I explained.
“So, what does that mean?” Agnes asked.
“I’m not really certain what that means, I just think it is interesting that we ran into the very magic user that had control over Lord Almer,” I replied. “I must keep reading.”
I flipped through a few more pages to try to figure out what all of this meant. I found another passage that explained this a little furtherer.
The passage read:
It has been several days since Janey had passed, and besides missing my best friend in this world and surrounded by guilt, my body is covered in red, puss-filled legions that burn like hell and itch all the time. To elevate my pain, I conducted researc
h on this Archmage and the magi staff and spell book to try to have this curse reversed. My body feels weak, and I can barely walk. Lying in bed is not easy either with all the itching and burning. My nurse comes and puts ointment on my sores, but it only takes away the burning for a short period and then I am scratching like a fiend once again.
I found out that this spell book was created by one of the first journeyman magic-user, propelling his ability to great proportions. Archmage McAllister created the book when he moved from being an apprentice to a journeyman, assembling all the spells he knew.
The Archmage also acquired a Magi Staff, a long wooden staff, shod in iron and inscribed with sigils and runes of all types. The Magi Staff contains many spell powers and amplifies spells of the magic user. The staff holds fifty charges, and it does not lose its power if it runs out of charges. This made the Archmage one of the most powerful magic users in all the land and would be a formidable opponent to attempt to reverse this curse. However, I must persevere and battle the Archmage.
Interesting, so Archmage McAllister had at one point both the magic spell book and the magi staff. What happened to Lord Almer and Archmage McAllister? I turned a few more pages in the journal to find out.
I found a passage that seemed interesting. It read:
Battling the Archmage was no small feat, however, I engaged the help of a dear friend of mine who was a great sorcerer. This sorcerer has been taking over various territories and building his own army out of anger that his emperor father did not acknowledge him. This sorcerer, who calls himself Lord Abraxas was more than willing to assist in me gaining both the magi staff and the magic spell book. I am certain that the Demon Lord would like both of these items, however; he agreed and up to this point has not pushed me in dealing with these items as I see fit. First, I moved the magic spell book to an undisclosed location. It is hidden from everyone. Lord Abraxas had been the perfect ally in helping me defeat the Archmage and sending him deep into the Abyss, however, I cannot allow the Lord Abraxas to have either of these items for it will disrupt this world too much and I have already caused my harm in this world by burning Janey at the stake. Thankfully for me, when Lord Abraxas banished the Archmage to the Abyss, the curse was lifted off of me and my physical ailments are no longer.