Arcene: The Blue Castle

by Al K. Line

  They continued to run best they could in the torturous tunnel, until a few minutes later Arcene felt her progress slow. The water was now at thigh height, making running next to impossible. Leel whined louder, but at least she was moving faster too.

  "Go faster Leel. Faster, faster."

  A loud noise echoed down the tunnel, like the wind was coming to catch them up, howling after them, telling them of danger, that they would soon be swept off their feet.

  Except this was no wind, this was water, and by the sound of it the whole pool back at the rat people's home had emptied into their tunnel in an instant.

  "Faster Leel, we have to find a way out, and quick. Go. Go, go, go!" Arcene dragged her heavy legs through the deepening water, sword trailing in her hand, no room for it on her back in the cramped space.

  They dashed forward like they'd melt if the approaching wave reached them, panting heavily and trying not to put a foot wrong — if she went down Arcene had the distinct feeling she wouldn't be getting up again.

  Here it comes, here it comes.

  "Get ready Leel. When the water hits let it carry you forward, don't struggle but remember to hold your breath. There has to be a way out at the end, we just have to get to it."

  Arcene slowed her heart otherwise the stress would make her panic and need more air sooner. She exhaled as much as she could then breathed in slowly through her nose until her abdomen and chest felt as bloated as the hot air balloon on takeoff.

  Whoosh.

  Water hit like a brick to the back of the head. Arcene slammed face-first into the speeding wave. It took her down and catapulted her forward with more force than she imagined possible. She clung to her sword desperately, tried to stay calm, and opened her eyes to see the murky figure of Leel just ahead, panicked and trying to find air at the top of the tunnel. It was no use, it was full of water, taking them fast toward she didn't know what.

  Arcene's lungs burned, she couldn't keep her mouth closed much longer. She'd slowly exhaled her air through her nose, keeping her mouth clamped shut, but it was no use, she would open it soon. The urge was impossible to resist and then she would be full of water, drowning and unable to do a thing about it.

  It can't end like this, not now. I have a son, I have a life, I have an adventure to finish, and it's just not fair. If she were able, Arcene would have stamped a foot in frustration, instead she went as deep into herself as possible and improved her eyesight to the limits of what was safe, and beyond.

  She saw Leel further ahead, hardly moving, like she too was about to take that fateful lungful of water. But wait, was that light? It was!

  Up ahead a shaft of sunlight penetrated the water, giving hope. Light meant a way out, or air at least.

  Arcene kicked forward, grabbed Leel by the paw and tugged, pulling her back slightly. The water pushed at Arcene until they were wrapped together tightly, heading for the light. Arcene put a hand to Leel's head and turned it toward their potential salvation. Maybe she would understand it meant freedom, maybe not, but if there was a chance then she would take it.

  The pressure forced them ever forward, no concern for the two creatures caught up in its momentum.

  Arcene felt her thoughts jumble, knew that the lack of oxygen was slowing her mind, slowly killing her if the water in her lungs didn't once she opened her mouth.

  It had to be soon, or they would die.

  They passed into the beam of light and Arcene put out a hand to the lower edge of a vertical shaft that bisected the tunnel, sunk halfway down the sides. It was made of rough stone, familiar and easy to grip. The water pushed them at it hard and they both crashed into the barrier with a crunch. The air that remained punched out of Arcene and her mouth began to open. She kept hold of Leel's collar and pushed a foot out to the opposite wall of the shaft to steady herself against the current. She inched up, knowing she had mere moments left, but if there was light...

  It was no use, she had no strength or breath left and she collapsed, but the water eddied around them and as Arcene gulped water their heads broke the surface and they floated in the shaft, coughing and spluttering, spitting and wondering how it was they hadn't died.

  "Well, now what?" Arcene croaked, as she turned her scabbard sideways and wedged it between the walls of the shaft before draping an arm over it, resting by the crook of her elbow. She hauled on Leel's collar but the water did most of the work. She rose out of the water enough to plonk two front paws on the sword's outer casing, tongue lolling like she'd never have enough time in the world to catch her breath.

  "Let's not do that again, eh?"

  Woof!

  Arcene peered up, happier to see the sky than she had ever been in her entire life. They appeared to be in some kind of variation on the tunnel, except lined with stone and vertical. Under the water it went down about halfway then stopped, which meant it was here to act as a way to get to the water that flowed past.

  Does that mean it's a well?

  Crack.

  "Oi!" Arcene turned paler than normal as the wooden bucket dropped hard onto the sword's scabbard. She nearly submerged but kept hold, thankful that at least it hadn't hit her or Leel. It wasn't bent, so hopefully it was fine — there was no way she could stand her sword getting smashed, it was as much a part of her now as her own limbs.

  Arcene looked up only to be greeted by the round, wrinkled face of a man peering over the rim of the well curiously.

  "What you doin' in the well?"

  "Oh, you know, just fancied a bit of a wash."

  "Oh, okay." The face disappeared.

  "Hey, hey! Come back." What is wrong with him?

  The face reappeared again. "What?"

  "I was joking. Can you get us out?"

  He hung deeper into the well, blocking out more of the light, and looked first at Arcene then at the head of Leel. He furrowed his brow in confusion or concentration, Arcene couldn't tell which. "Can't you go back the way you came in?" He smiled, seemingly pleased with himself for coming up with such a great idea.

  "Um, no, I'd rather not. Can you get us out. Please?"

  The man removed his cap and scratched at thin brown hair receding to reveal a thick, tanned forehead. "Um, wait here. Lemme pull up some water though."

  With that the bucket rose, the rope attached to it shortening as it was pulled up then dragged out by a thick forearm.

  "Like we have any choice," muttered Arcene, as she heard chatter above.

  Another face appeared, this time a woman's. "What you doin' down there?"

  "I just fancied... Oh, never mind. Can you please get us out of here?"

  "Why don't you—"

  "Because we can't, all right? Now please, we are very cold and very, very wet. Can you get help?"

  The woman brightened after looking rather cross at being interrupted. "Okay, you wait there."

  "Like we have anywhere else we'd rather be."

  The face reappeared. "Wassat?"

  "Nothing," said Arcene, giving her best smile a try.

  The woman disappeared again; muffled words could be heard. It sounded like an argument.

  Arcene got the feeling they would be in the water for a while yet.

  Things get Interesting

  Whip wandered out into the afternoon sunshine — no matter how close he got to the fire in his quarters he couldn't seem to shake off the chill. Not for the first time he cursed the castle and its thick stone walls like chiseled blocks of ice whether it was summer or winter.

  He stepped with gratitude into the warmth and felt instantly more alive. He raised his head and closed his eyes against the glare of the sun, feeling its power heat his face and melt away the ache.

  "Ah, such simple pleasures." Whip frowned, startled by his words. When was the last time he spoke to himself? To anyone for that matter? He needed to make himself known a little more often. But he enjoyed the peace and quiet most of the time, if only because otherwise he knew he would be constantly dealing with one idiotic emergency after
another and involved in the madness that was the twins' life.

  The small quadrangle was nice, he often came here to enjoy the relative peace and look at the distant trees. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to set foot outside the castle walls and enjoy what the world had to offer, but he knew it was impossible — love it or loathe it, this was his home and always would be.

  Some of the people were hanging around at the well, one of many that served the castle, although what went on underground with the strange tides that meant they only supplied water at certain times of the day he had no idea — another of the strange quirks of his home.

  The people were more animated than usual, bickering amongst themselves about one inconsequential thing or another, he assumed.

  Another reason to remain hidden. I don't think I could stand to be involved in their inane chatter for more than a moment.

  More people came rushing from the fields or from their chores inside the castle, others emerging from small homes built into the walls that edged the courtyard, doors opening and slamming as they hurried toward the well with neighbors they had been jabbering with urgently.

  What's all this then? They never abandon their chores or work like this.

  Whip stepped back against a buttress, merging with its shadow, and continued to watch.

  The peasants, for that was what they were however you looked at it, became increasingly excited, gesticulating wildly at each other, at the well, at something happening off through an entrance to the next quadrangle that he couldn't see. What was going on?

  There was a deep rumble and one of the rare horses used to plow the fields trotted into the courtyard, led by a man that had seen better days and was as shaggy as the beast itself.

  He walked proudly up to the small crowd and listened to what a man and woman had to say before pointing at the well and shouting something.

  I do believe things have gotten interesting.

  The farmer walked back to the side of the horse, stroking it and whispering into an ear, then unhitched a large coil of rope. The man shouted at the people and began to order them about by the looks of it; they backed off. He secured one end of the rope to the horses harness and threw the other end nonchalantly into the well.

  The couple that had first approached him peered into the well and shouted down. A moment later the farmer whispered to the horse again and slapped it gently on its rump before he moved to the front and led it slowly from the crowd.

  More and more of them peered into the well, shouting and waving their hands around wildly, before they called for the horse to stop.

  They reached in and with a lot of arguing and fumbling about dragged on the rope and...

  It was her. The girl. The dog too.

  She put her legs over the edge of the well and rubbed at her face, turning to check on her dog already on the cobbles, shaking and clearing a large space around it as it soaked the shouting peasants.

  Something was said to the dog by the girl and it stopped shaking, just stood there, taller than the people, dominating them as if they were in miniature. The girl hopped down off the low wall.

  She pushed at unruly hair plastered to her face, beautiful as it glistened almost orange in the sun, and then stared around her.

  Whip forgot himself and moved forward to get closer to the action, walking fast without even thinking. He watched as confusion then something close to horror appeared on the girl's face and she strapped the long scabbard containing her sword to her back, widening her stance as she reached an arm up to the hilt.

  Foregoing his love of hiding in the shadows, Whip moved nearer, as keen as the rest of the crowd to get a close look at the newcomer.

  She saw him approach and something seemed to connect between the two of them as she trailed her eyes all over his body.

  "How come you're the only one with all your limbs?" she asked, as she pointed at the crowd, indicating the missing arms, legs, or maybe just fingers of every single person in the courtyard.

  "It's a bit of a tradition around here I'm afraid. Would you like to get dry? Maybe have something hot to drink? Food?"

  "Um, yes please."

  The girl looked up at the peeling blue walls of the castle and smiled weakly. "So, I'm inside the castle then?"

  "Oh yes," said Whip, "you are indeed. Welcome to Castle Kenyon."

  "Um, thanks. And thank you," she said, turning to the crowd and nodding at the man with the horse.

  Whip supposed he should learn their names some time, but he never could bring himself to take much of an interest.

  "Come, this way," he said to Arcene, beckoning for the dog to join them with a half-wave. "Everyone else get back to your business."

  Whip led them into the castle, ignoring the grumbles of the crowd and the odd, "Who's he then?" as they did as instructed, knowing it came from one of their betters, and soon enough Whip took the visitors into the cool interior of his home for centuries.

  At last, change has come.

  No More Secrets

  "Whip, where have you been old man? We haven't seen you for the longest time, have we Fionn?"

  "No Flynn, we haven't. In fact, I'm not sure when I last thought about you at all, but that's not the point. What if we needed you?" Fionn frowned his disapproval at Whip, his confusion plain.

  Whip could see the cogs turn in the twins' minds, trying to think about the past, about him, attempting, and failing to figure out when they had last seen him. They are such idiots. I can't believe they have stayed alive all this time. "And did you need me for anything young masters?" See, they don't even know when I'm being sarcastic. Young! They're a century and a half old, but I suppose when you have the brain of a child you—

  "Whip! What is wrong with you? Are you not going to introduce us?" Fionn tugged on Whip's sleeve and nodded toward the girl that called herself Arcene.

  She was a strange one. She acted sure of herself even though she would be confused and wary of the castle and its inhabitants, which was perfectly understandable. For someone from the outside it was certain to be a rather cloying and confusing place.

  "Oh, of course Master Fionn." Whip stepped forward, ignored the growl of the dog Arcene had said was named Leel, just as Fionn and Flynn stepped back in fright at the low rumble coming from the mouth of the huge Great Dane. "This is Arcene. Arcene, these fine gentleman are the rightful rulers of Castle Kenyon: Fionn Kenyon and Flynn Kenyon."

  Whip watched in amusement, doing his best to stop himself disappearing from the minds of the twins — it was such a habit, so ingrained into his very being, that he knew he was fading in and out of view like a flickering candle flame. He noticed the girl looking at him with an odd expression, losing her focus as if watching him through The Noise rather than through normal vision. Could she see what he was doing? She was Awoken, that was certain — one look at her in the flesh confirmed Whip's suspicions that she had a lot more going on beneath the surface than you would expect, and a lot more life experience than you would assume by looking at her apparently young body.

  Flynn and Fionn gathered themselves together after concerned looks at each other — each saw the doubt and fear in the other and that wouldn't do at all. They stepped forward with military precision. Both peered at Arcene, chins raised as if to put her in her place as a lesser person, a feeble attempt at intimidation in the presence of great leaders. It was obvious it wasn't working but the twins were oblivious as usual.

  Whip caught the wry smile of Arcene before she let it fade and he watched with interest as she hunched her shoulders a little, made her eyes large and wide, and turned from a confident young girl into just another humble servant — what the twins expected but in no way deserved.

  Arcene nodded at the two men but made no move to bow or speak. Whip was sure he would burst out laughing at any moment.

  The twins hesitated, unsure how to proceed as normally a person in their presence like this would bow and tremble, concerned about their fate — the subjects of Castle
Kenyon were never alone with their leaders.

  The two Kenyons were at a loss. Where were the shaky legs, the trembling hands, the stuttering and spluttering, the excuses and the pleas for leniency? That was what they expected, not somebody who stood their ground, even if the girl was acting meek on purpose, which, of course, they missed — it was outside their scope of experience.

  Whip watched their faces as they tried to come to terms with somebody that didn't treat them like they were royalty, and it was a delight to behold. Arcene tried to act subservient, Whip could tell she was trying, but she kept having to hide a smile, raising fingers rather raw at the tips to her face to hide her full lips that seemed like they were always ready to laugh.

  "Perhaps we should let the young lady get dry, maybe have something to eat?" offered Whip, doing his best to keep to the role expected of him.

  "All in good time Whip," snapped Flynn. "First I believe my brother and I would like to know a little more about this girl."

  "Absolutely," said Fionn, staring and licking his thin lips as his eyes lingered on various parts of her anatomy.

  Oh dear, this won't go well. Whip knew what was happening and it was the worst possible thing that could happen, for the twins at least.

  "Why is she all wet anyway? Is it true what the people are saying, that she was found in a well of all places?"

  "It is true Master Flynn. She was trapped at the bottom of a well with her, ah... dog, and they had to be rescued. Which is why she is so wet," offered Whip as way of an explanation, hopefully reminding them she was soaked through and shivering in the dark interior of the castle.

  As he spoke, Whip noticed that the slight tremble that had begun at Arcene's shoulders was gone, the goosebumps sinking back into perfect, pale flesh. Steam rose from her skin as it dried. The twins failed to notice, so caught up were they with their own thoughts and indecision about how to act.