by Emma Glass
My tone flattened. “Let me get this straight. You expect me to tell an entire castle – that barely follows my orders – that I think a human is here?”
“No, that would be inadvisable,” he paused to quietly reflect on the matter at hand. “Tell them that you expect an intruder – perhaps one of an unknown nature. Order your subjects to find and bring this intruder to you, unharmed, lest there be serious consequences.”
I briefly covered my face with a hand, letting out a small sigh. “Let us pretend that I even buy into this insanity.” I shook my head. “I suppose that suggestion sounds reasonable enough…”
“Good. But I’d be quick about it. If you can still feel the sensation this deep into the castle, then chances become that when someone does find our unexpected guest, well…” The sage shrugged. “You’ve heard all the tales about human blood and its supposedly legendary allure.”
“Duly noted.” I could scarcely believe I was going along with this utter madness. I looked over at the robed figure as he mulled over these recent events at his desk. “Thank you for your guidance.”
He glanced up at me with a thoughtful nod. “Always a pleasure, my Lord.”
Turning to my mother, I tried my hardest to suppress a groan. “I should return to the throne room immediately to give the order.”
“Thank you again, Sebastian,” she smiled at the sage before turning to address me. “It is better that I accompany you this time. My presence will underline the seriousness of the order.”
I grunted. “Whatever you think is best…”
Lorelei accompanied me away from the sage’s quarters. As my royal guards swooped in to flank us, she eyed me coolly. “I know you don’t believe in the Sanguine Ones, my son, but someday you will see for yourself.”
“Maybe,” I replied sarcastically. “I’d take you a lot more seriously if you ever gave a reason for your unwavering faith…”
When she didn’t reply, I focused my attention on the matter at hand. The sensation was already starting to slip, and there were still so many questions. But one was obvious to me: a human, here? That’ll be the day…
As it so turned out, that day was today.
5
Clara
The unforgiving sensation of cold stone gradually greeted me, pressed against my cheek.
My eyes slowly blinked open.
The light hurt them.
Wearily groaning, I fought against the pain to keep them open. An aching hand lifted from the stone to cover my face. Everything around me was a disorienting blur. My stiff body felt dazed and battered; I wondered why.
I slowly pulled myself together.
From what I could tell, I was lying on the floor in the corner of a small storage room. A short wall of few wicker barrels in front shielded my vision. I had no idea how long I’d been here, but nobody would have seen my crumpled body, tucked away in the corner behind them. Meanwhile, bookcases and cabinets lined the walls, all filled with books, jars, and castaway trinkets or artifacts.
My limbs protested as I pushed up from the floor, pressing my back to a closed cabinet. To my left was a row of books, and I reached for a thick, red hardback. I had never felt so weak before.
Tugging the book from its spot on the shelf, I blew off a thin layer of dust from the cover. There wasn’t any text on the outside – only a detailed drawing of an owl, flapping in mid-flight.
I flipped the book open to a random page and gazed in surprise at it in. This didn’t look like any language I’d ever seen, or even heard of. Before my strained eyes could get a good look at the text, the letters all went blurry on the page, quickly rearranging with a slight glow.
Suddenly, it was in plain English.
“What on earth…?”
Although I could read it now, the book looked like a boring old journal. Distant, muffled voices from nearby pulled me to attention, and I hastily shoved the book back on the shelf.
Fear grasped me.
Lacking better options, I dove back down to the floor, hidden from view by the wicker barrels. It wasn’t a moment too soon, either. From the sounds of it, a pair of women rounded the corner and chatted among themselves.
“–Not as good as the last,” The older voice was saying. “Lord Craven barely listens to the old sod! How is he supposed to serve the people if he won’t even listen to their problems?” It sounded like she was unlocking one of the nearby cabinets; I curled up with tension. “But please don’t you go around repeating that, anyways…”
“Of course not!” The younger voice replied. “I completely agree. What irks me with the whole thing is that Lorelei raised him! I don’t know what better you could ask for than that…”
“Hear, hear. I guess that’s why Atticus feels he needs to intervene, but who knows what that one’s ever thinking…”
“I’m not convinced he’s intervening at all. For all we know, this stuff’ll just fetch a hot sum on the Forbidden Market. How is there any of this still down here, anyway?”
“Don’t ask me, I’m just the help…”
There was a pause.
“What’s the matter?” The younger asked.
“I don’t… is there someone here?”
My lungs froze.
“Now, don’t get all paranoid on me,” the younger voice nervously chuckled. “This whole wing was abandoned ages ago, remember? Nobody ever comes down here anymore.”
“Something feels weird,” The older woman replied, sounding unconvinced. “Guess I just can’t shake the feeling like we’re being watched… and I can’t help but feel…”
Her footsteps started approaching.
Whoever this was, it didn’t exactly feel as if I should trust her. Something told me that I needed to make myself scarce. If she peered over the barrels, I’d be discovered…
Don’t notice me, I pleaded.
Don’t notice me.
Don’t notice me…
“Oh! There we go.” Her friend chimed in.
The footsteps stopped, and I felt her presence hesitating just out of sight. “You found it?”
“Yeah, right where he said.”
“Let me take a look at that…”
The sound of her retreating steps hit my ear, and I sighed quietly with relief. I dared to take a small peak over the wicker. Huddled around a cabinet, the pair of women stood with their backs to me. They faced each other as the older woman held up a small vial of pink, bubbling liquid, studying it under the light.
Their pale skin drew my attention.
That, and their hard, angular features…
“That’s definitely the one.” The older woman sounded pleased as she gave it a vigorous shake. “Good eye there! See how it only bubbles when you’re not shaking it?”
“Oh, that’s neat! Why is that?”
“No idea. Magic is weird.”
Magic?
Not wanting to chance my luck any longer, I dropped down below the wicker barrels. The two of them murmured something quietly together, but I was barely listening at this point.
This talk of bubbling vials and magic?
And why did they look so… inhuman?
I patiently waited on my back against the floor until the sound of their retreating footsteps was long gone. Even still, I stayed where I was another while, just to be on the safe side.
When I couldn’t bear it any longer, I climbed up to my feet and dusted myself off. My eyes had finally adjusted to the light, and the soreness in my joints seemed to have worn off.
I wasn’t exactly ready to win any marathons, but the feeling was finally back in my fingers and toes. No matter how small, take every little victory you can, I reminded myself as I slipped my aching body out from behind the wicker barrels.
I maneuvered across the small storeroom and took a look around the corner. It looked like I was at the end of a long stone hallway, stretching far into the distance. The strangers had been right: wherever I was, the place looked like it was long forgotten. Worse, it was far le
ss lit than where I stood, which made it entirely too creepy.
At least I was confident that I was alone. With a lingering look, I turned over my shoulder and gave the forsaken storeroom one final, unhappy glance. For some reason, I found it saddening to think of all these dusty books and jars, filled with secrets and forgotten trinkets.
Well… no use hanging around, I guess.
I started making my way down the corridor. On either side, I passed rooms much like the one where I’d woken up. Everything was in a state of total disarray. A thick layer of cobwebs and dust coated shelves, tables, and wardrobes; some of the rooms still had some kind of strange lighting from above, and others sat in semi-darkness.
It was eerie to be alone here. My focus moved towards finding the exit, as quickly as I could. Unfortunately, it wasn’t at the end of the hall; I found more forgotten rooms, all clearly in need of even the slightest touch of care.
Great, I realized. Too easy, I guess…
Despondent, I doubled back.
As silly as the thought was – I hadn’t wanted to come here – it felt like I’d become a trespasser in a place where I clearly didn’t belong. The longer that I stayed trapped here, and the more of the place I saw, the more uncomfortable I became.
It didn’t help that I was growing paranoid that I’d never find my way out – maybe a quarter of these rooms had doors, always tucked away in the back and out of sight, but every last one of them was steadfastly locked shut.
With no small amount of fear, I remembered that the two wanderers had arrived with keys. It was enough to make me dread the creeping fear: Maybe I’ve been sealed away in this place forever…
Thankfully, that terrifying fate wasn’t meant to be for me. My luck finally held out when I found my way to a cracked stone staircase – the exit to this frightening place was hidden behind a wall of sealed, dusty crates halfway down to my starting point. I was so happy I could have cried.
The foreboding stairs filled me with a sense of fascination and fear. Tall stone steps stood spread wide, rising up to a thick, heavy wooden door that was bathed in a menacing glow from above.
I hesitated for a moment.
There was absolutely no telling what was on the other side of that door. Summoning up my courage, I ascended up the steps, grabbed the ring handle, and tugged.
“Oof!” I groaned.
The door was ancient – and, much like many other ancient things, it was heavy. I had to strain my fairly weak muscles to force it open, and even then it took everything that I had.
Panting, I slipped through the gap before it swung back closed behind me. I was at the base of another hall. This one was thinner and shorter than the last; it honestly resembled much more a pathway than the connected storage chambers I’d just left behind.
Judging by all the dust and the fragments of broken stone along the walls, it seemed that I was still in the ‘sealed wing’. Everything within sight was in complete and ominous ruination.
Hesitantly, I continued onward. Along the route were several more storage rooms, although they were all much smaller than the other ones. These scattered hollows were exclusively filled with shelves upon shelves of books; I guessed that this hallway had served as some kind of library.
At least this one had the common decency to have an obvious exit. Another staircase, exactly like the first one but smaller, stood at the opposite end. The door at the top was slightly ajar, which left an ambiguously triumphant yet frightened taste in my mouth. Fear tried to win the day. It gripped my heart, but I wouldn’t let it stop me.
As quietly as I could, I crept up the stairs. As I peeked my face through the crack, a sigh of relief left my lungs.
The décor visibly changed in the hall outside. It looked far newer and significantly cleaner, with large paintings mounted on the walls and lush red rugs across the floor. The lighting here was also much different – as opposed to dim, strange glowing stones nestled above, torches attached along the walls carved out some visibility among the encroaching darkness.
Content, I slipped through the ajar door.
From the other side, my exit was easy to miss. The entrance to the abandoned wing blended into the wall; indeed, a bookcase standing right in front almost completely blocked the hall off.
If that had been just slightly closer…
I shuddered at the harrowing implication.
Shoving down thoughts of my own mortality, I crept as stealthily as possible along the stone. All the while I hugged the wall’s darkness to the best of my ability. Though I had clearly left the sealed chambers, I still felt it wise to not alert anyone to my presence until I knew exactly where I was and what was going on.
It was difficult to catch my bearings. I hadn’t seen a window or a map since arriving here and, as far as my directional skills were concerned…
Well, let’s just say that GPS is my best friend.
Speaking of GPS, I thought to pull my phone out and see if I could grab a signal. That’s when I remembered that the battery was firmly dead.
An annoyed grunt left my throat. That’s right, that stupid battery helped cause this whole mess… I made a mental note out of irrational spite to never, ever buy a phone from that brand again.
I passed a corner and froze against the wall. In the distance I spotted two motionless figures, both in antique plate armor and standing sigil on either side of a blatantly important door. Neither of them wore helmets; even at this distance, I could scrutinize their pale skin and angular faces.
Swallowing fearfully, I pulled backward a small, silent step. What ARE these people?
They didn’t appear to see me, so I hung back and gave some thought to my options. Within a few seconds, I decided to backtrack and head the other way, and that’s exactly what I did.
Ages were spent sneaking around the halls of what appeared to be some kind of castle. I avoided further close calls with the pale people, always having to duck a corner or hide behind bookcases or stacked furniture.
In my stealth, I found myself catching small snippets of their distracted words. It was a surprise how frequently they seemed at least faintly aware of me – everyone paused near my hiding spots, and occasionally someone would ask aloud if anyone was there. But none of them ever listened to their intuition enough to properly look for me, so I simply stayed where I was until they were gone.
After an hour of evading the pale people, I happened upon a different hallway. This time was different; I seemed to be on the edge of the castle. Mounted along the left wall were relics and artifacts, and red rug walkways stretched down towards a pair of prominent doors on the other end. But the right wall was dominated by tall gaps like windows; they were much like the kinds I’d seen in history books of olden medieval times. Cautiously, I snuck up to the closest one.
At least I’ll get an idea of where exactly I am…
But nothing could have ever prepared me for what I’d find as I peaked through that window.
Since I could see almost nothing of the castle grounds, my guess was that I was facing out the back of the stronghold. What I could see, however, was a thick sea of woods – rising and falling with the rolling hills. The trees looked like stark things, tall and thin spears of evergreen with tips that jutted towards the sky. Flitting far above them were birds unlike anything I had ever seen before, sparkling with long trails of rainbow tail-feathers; a few of the creatures were playing nearby, swooping around each other in beautiful arcs. Their beautiful tails rippled behind them like ribbons on dancers.
Yet, above all of this was a phenomenal sky.
Somehow, day and night intermingled here. Above the blue sky and the wispy cloud cover, I could spot the light twinkle of distant stars – as if the daylight weakened atop the sky and playfully let the cosmos shine through.
This made the light blue give way to a darker navy, then to a rich, iridescent purple the further away that I looked. The sky was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was nearly moved to tears, stunned at the
absolute beauty of it all.
As if to deepen my fixation, a pair of the bird creatures sailed past the window. I was so startled that I fell backwards from the gap, mesmerized by their splendor. They flew together across the castle wall, their puffy undersides facing me; the swooshing of the ribboning tail-feathers flittered with a playful sparkle, leaving a trail of glittering dust in their wake.
I bounced back up and eagerly pressed my hands to the stone, but the impossible creatures were sadly gone as quickly as they’d appeared.
“What is this place?” I gasped aloud.
Before I realized what was happening, a fierce hand clamped down on my shoulder. It held me close as a foreign, female accent whispered in my ear, sending a horrified shudder down my spine.
“A place where intruders aren’t tolerated…”
6
Elliott
Not one hour later, down beneath the castle, I felt my senses kick into overdrive the instant Lorelei and I stepped out of the elevator.
Despite the looming darkness of the chamber, I was acutely aware of everything from the dust on every brick to even the slightest movements of both our guards – the escort who had brought us, and the one quietly standing watch in the corner.
“What do you feel?” Lorelei whispered.
I could barely answer. “Everything.”
My overwhelmed gaze steered sharply to the left. Through a large pane of one-way glass, the truth was indisputably there… sitting at a table with only a single candle for light was a beautiful female girl who resembled a vampire, yet wasn’t.
Whatever this sensation was…
It was definitely coming from her.
“Control yourself.” I felt my mother’s hand on my shoulder as she whispered into my ear. “Fight the craving, Elliott. You cannot allow yourself to drink from her without first getting answers…”
Only with her words did I realize how badly I felt the stark compulsion to feed. My fingers were so firmly clamped into fists, my posture so utterly stiff, that I was just a breath away from diving into the room and tasting her blood.