Occasionally when they rounded a corner in the road, they would startle some swine digging around in the open on the edge of the wood. The swine would jump, give a squeal or grunt of surprise, and sprint into the woods. They came close to some wild ponies grazing on the edge of the cliff, for they liked the salt flavour grass in their diet. The wild ponies looked up bewildered as the group neared. The lead wild pony, a heavily built black and red shaggy stallion trotted closer sniffing the air and snorting loudly. Several of the pack ponies whinnied out a friendly greeting, but the stallion called out to the mares that trotted up and fell in behind him. They turned and galloped off with their tails in the air along a small path that led directly into the forest. The wild ponies had learned to be wary of any animal that walked on two legs.
Where the road came close to the clifftop in one part, they could see a range of islands offshore. Each one was like a little mountain obtruding from the sea and surrounded by a haze that made it difficult to focus on. After midday on the fifth day, the sky became darker as heavy clouds began to form. One of the watch guards in front suddenly gave a loud cry and reined his pony in. He pointed towards the woods. ‘I saw something!’ he exclaimed loudly. ‘What did you see?’ asked the others. ‘I don’t know, ‘he replied slowly, ‘but it walked like a man and had a weird looking body.’ Phylip laughed and said, ‘You’ve been eating those mushrooms in the woods again.’ Barney suggested that Phylip ride over to the wood’s edge and complete a thorough inspection. Phylip argued against this believing that whatever was out there had no right to be disturbed while carrying out its lawful business. All the same, they were all cautious as they continued along the road and constantly looked around.
The ponies were worried; for they were sure they had smelt the strong odour of hounds on the breeze. Then they picked up another strange smell they had never sensed before. It also had a hint of a hound about it but mixed with something else. No incidents of further sightings were made in the next few hours, and finally, they spotted the rumble tumble Inn in the distance. The road to it was now a network of grass and roots that had taken hold and covered every bit. The tall dark woods were quite close to the coast and loomed tall and dark behind the Inn. ‘This is the area generally known as Woods End.’ Barney remarked wisely, though he had never been here before. They all failed to see the three Ravens flying high above them, circle twice and then speed over the woods towards the moors. Barney felt relieved to finally reach the Inn, signifying the halfway mark. He looked upwards at the darkening afternoon sky and the increasingly heavy black clouds rolling overhead.
Whale cove Inn was an old timber building. It stood two stories high with the bottom floor operating as a kind of trading post and taproom. The upper level consisted of accommodation and storage. The timber was old. It was worm blemished, sea stained, with the evidence of past fires scarring it in various places. It looked rough and cheerless. Stacked stones and hardwood logs made up most of the outer structure. Barney dismounted and stretching his sore joints, stood in front of the building. Several old wooden skiffs lay around on one side, half full of water and old rotten leaves. An old overgrown disused garden bed on the other side indicated that at one time, someone had grown vegetables here. Several dirty grey and black stained windows were on both floors. The ones that still had glass were filthy and non-transparent. The rest had their wooden shutters tightly closed. The thatched roof that comprised of a thick blanket of dry reeds that had been harvested from a nearby marsh appeared to be weatherproof at least. A rumble tumble assortment of outhouses and falling down sheds were also visible to one side and around the back of the Inn. A simple set of low stables stood nearby that appeared to be the most solid structure. Barney indicated to the youngest of the men, Ronald to secure the ponies and find feed and water for them. Ronald whispered so that only Barney could hear. ‘Mr Critchem, this place is giving the impression of – “Go Away.”’ Barney raised his eyebrows and ignoring Ronald’s concerns, decided to go in and arrange their lodgings for the night.
31.
LUCAS THE INNKEEPER
There did not seem to be much indication of recent activity here thought Barney to himself. He had never met any of the Elwood family but had heard the stories from past travellers that they were quite odd. Irregularly shaped bits of driftwood and ropes scavenged from the nearby cove lay around on the porch leading to the wide faded yellow front door. Barney marched up to the front door, making several floorboards creak loudly as he did. A small square dirty black window with a corroded brass knocker beneath it caught Barney’s attention. He tried to peer through the black glass as he went to take the knocker in his hand. He never got to knock though as the door swung slowly inwards with a long annoying scraping noise, and a stooping, gaunt man appeared. He had hollow sunken eyes half-hidden under a long grey unevenly cut fringe. ‘Greetings’ said Barney jumping up straight and in as official a voice as he could manage. ‘We seek lodgings and information. We are on an errand of utmost importance on our way to Brineburg.' Barney looked the man up and down and decided that he probably needed a good meal more than Barney and his party had come for. With dirty brown trousers held up by a fraying rope belt and a torn brown overcoat, the man stared blankly at Barney and failed to answer in a timely manner. ‘Well good fellow, what do you say?’ Inquired Barney in an annoyed voice.
The man dropped his eyes from Barney to the floor and then turned his head slightly to face the others. However, it was difficult to determine where he was actually looking as his eyes seemed glazed over and appeared to stare off into the distance. In a monotonous voice, the man replied ‘We can keep you. Come inside.’ The man turned in the doorway and walked back into the inn. Barney indicated with thumbs up for the others to follow him in. It was as dreary inside as it was on the outside. The reception room was very dark, and it took some moments before Barney’s eyes adjusted. A small fire was in the hearth that did nothing to heat the room but only just provided the occupants with enough light to see. Several large roughly cut timber columns were situated here and there to prop up the floor above. They displayed signs of the woodworm and many years’ worth of roughly engraved traveller’s names. Simple wooden tables and chairs were carefully arranged around the room that were all chipped and stained. A narrow staircase with a thin handrail was in one corner and wound upwards to the second floor. The dark floorboards showed even more coloured stains that Barney hoped were only old wine. The atmosphere inside was cheerless, dank and stuffy. The musty smell and frequent creaking and groaning noises gave the impression he was in the hull of an old ship.
Bits and pieces were scattered around the room. The walls were decorated, if you could call it that, with old paintings which had become unrecognizable due to dust, cobwebs and other dirt. A muntjac hide was on the floor, a boar skull on the wall and long bleached whale bones hung from the ceiling in some strands of old fishing net. Several old glass jars were on a wooden shelf containing unknown substances. Glass jars were very rare, and these and more items lying around were undoubtedly collected from passing traders and merchants over the years. The gaunt man stood behind a low wide dark stained wooden bench and put out some rusted tin and wood carved mugs. ‘I’m Lucas, and I’m the innkeeper here.’ He stated as-a-matter-of-factly. ‘I only have Gooseberry wine or water.’ ‘I love what you’ve done with the place,’ said Barney in a weak attempt at humour. The Innkeeper’s grim facade did not falter as he seemed to stare through Barney and say nothing. Barney feeling awkward cleared his throat and continued. ‘Wine, please. ‘The inn-keep poured out what he claimed was Gooseberry wine from a dirty leathery-looking flask into one of the cups. It looked blacker then Barney had thought Gooseberry wine ought to look. The short Gooseberry tree grew plentiful around the village of Saltwood, but Barney hadn’t seen too many of the trees since this journey began. Barney declined the wine as it also smelt suspiciously like pony manure and opted for water. He was relieved to see normal-looking water being poured from a wooden
jug. His men took the alleged wine, pulled some chairs closer to the fireplace, and threw on several logs, which sent sparks flying around the room.
Barney had second thoughts about asking for food, they still had plenty of their own dried stocks with them that would easily get them to Brineburg. He decided that at the very least they could spend one night out of the wind and rain. ‘We are happy for a bed and a dry roof tonight please sir.’ Barney asked, making more of a statement than asking a question. Lucas indicated with his eyes upwards. ‘All rooms empty, no one up there, you take anyone.’ ‘How much payment do you require?’ Barney replied with a sniff as he opened his small satchel around his waist to reach in for some coin. Suddenly he heard the creak of a floorboard above their heads followed by several quick footfalls, then silence. Barney looked at the innkeeper questionably.
Lucas turned to walk away and said, ‘You pay in morning.’ The strange innkeeper walked out of an open door behind the wooden counter and went to leave the barroom. None of the company noticed the peculiar smirk on the innkeeper’s face as he glanced back, then disappeared from sight. Cedric laughed. ‘Cheery fellow, guess you can see why they don’t get many visitors.’ The others laughed with forced effort; they too suspected that something was not right. After a while, men relaxed and appeared to find the situation quite amusing, but Barney was still feeling uneasy. This whole place was creepy; he thought while inspecting a pile of candles at the end of the bar. They were all odd-shaped, and he couldn’t quite pick out what the yellow wax was made of. One looked bigger than the others, and it lit easily from the fireplace. He fixed the candle in a small tin holder as it spluttered and coughed, as if in protest at being lit. The black smoke and odour given off by this candle were foul; all the same, it gave off enough light to pick his way. Picking up his bag, he walked up the rickety staircase that led to the rooms above. The timber in every step creaked and groaned alarmingly, and he was thankful that he made it to the next floor as he thought the stairs would let go at any second. He stepped out onto a small landing and saw that six small doors were set along the closest wall along a black narrow hallway. The landing floor appeared to be covered in a good deal of undisturbed dust. He bit his bottom lip, choosing the first room and cautiously opened the door not knowing what he would find in there.
The candle threw an orange glow into the room, which was so dark that the candlelight seemed to struggle to penetrate the shadowy corners. An overpowering dank, musty smell flooded Barney’s senses. Several bugs that resembled oversized cockroaches scurried across the floor in fright and disappeared into what looked like a big rat hole in the wall. A small wooden dresser stood near the door and Barney went to it and fixed the candle into another holder there. He dropped his bag on the floor that sent up a small mushroom cloud of dust. Some dust was disturbed on the floor next to the bed that looked like something had been dragged along the ground. Barney looked disapprovingly around the tiny room. Large flakes of dust-covered yellow paint lay here and there on the bed and floor with other flakes of paint clinging precariously to the walls. A small window secured by closed timber shutters was set into the wall, but he could see bent rusted iron nails hanging out of it as it appeared to have been hastily nailed shut. A straw mattress sat on top of a hard-wooden bed frame. It didn’t look at all inviting, especially when closer inspection revealed a tribe of hungry-looking black bugs scrambling to hide in the edges. A small wooden chair sat in front of the wooden dresser. One leg was broken off and hung at an odd angle. Barney leaned over and peered closer at the chair. It appeared to be covered in teeth marks.
Barney decided that it was not so bad staying in the woods after all. He wondered where he could wash and thought he might go back downstairs to talk to the men and tell them about the room situation. After an unsuccessful attempt to open the wooden shutters in the window frame, a loud muffled yell followed by some thumping noises from downstairs awoke him from his thoughts. He paused and then ran out onto the landing, waving the candle precariously causing several large hot wax droplets to splash upon his hands. He winced but headed towards the source of the disturbance. The yelling became louder and more apparent as he reached the top of the stairs. More than one person was yelling now, and he could hear the sound of chairs and tables being knocked over. The glow from the flickering fire downstairs illuminated the staircase, projecting an array of eerie dancing shadows as he cautiously placed a foot on the top step. He was not prepared for the view that awaited him as he descended the stairs and saw the commotion in the room below.
32.
BLACKMIRE CASTLE
Saniel walked slowly towards the castle. It was dark now, but a sizeable full moon high in the cloud-free sky above gave clear visibility around him. The shadows of bushes and stunted trees nearby looked frightening enough, but the rabbit skipping across in front of him followed closely by a screeching owl nearly made him jump out of his skin. The usual throb of the moor’s night insects filled his ears. He walked up a small rise in the ground, following what appeared to be a rabbit path and after a short distance, he reached the semi-open entrance. The tall black, vine-covered gates loomed menacingly above him. Going against all of his instincts, he took a deep breath and then pushed through some strands of vines that scratched his arms. He stepped inside and found himself in a flagstone courtyard. It was littered with rubble from fallen down walls, broken stones, and roots. A smashed fountain roughly in the centre and other stone constructs that were unknown to Saniel lay about deteriorated and desolated by time itself. Huge crumbling statues of unrecognisable creatures dotted the courtyard with most of them lying broken on the ground.
The gleam of the giant moon illuminated the area in a bluish glow. Having spent his entire life in Saltwood, Saniel had never seen anything on this grand a scale before; even though most of it was decaying and crumbling, it was still impressive. It was then he noticed that the sounds of the moors had suddenly ceased. No longer did he hear the murmur of the insects, or the sound of the grass and bushes when toyed about by the breeze. What he did feel was the abrupt icy air. It had become increasingly cold the moment he stepped in through the gates. He noticed that as he exhaled, it looked like he was blowing out white fog. Peering up at the solitary black tower that soared above him, he could just make out the silhouette of a cylindrical pinnacle shaped top against the backdrop of the moonlit sky. For some reason the moonlight even seemed dimmer, losing its shimmer before entering the courtyard.
He pulled his coat tightly around him and felt reassuring warmth from the Moonstoneagainst his chest. He was drawn to the tower. The Talisman hummed, and he walked towards a short dark gap in the spire of rising black stones. It must be a doorway, he thought. Suddenly his mind had conjured frightening images of a monstrous creature with an open black maw waiting to eat him. He shut his eyes terrified to walk any further. The Talisman hummed again and warmth radiated through the boy's chest. He opened his eyes to see a regular sized doorway bathed in moonlight shadow that didn’t look fearsome at all. ‘Carlow,’ a distant voice whispered. He stopped and turned in shock at hearing his name. It sounded close, yet far away as if carried by the wind. Unable to tell what direction it came from he hurried in his step through the doorway into the base of the tower. A narrow steep stone staircase hugged the wall near the door curving upwards and following the inside of the tower. There was no handrail and looked quite perilous. Saniel contemplated whether to climb these stairs or not. ‘Carlow’ echoed again and faded. This time it seemed to come from below him. He looked and saw nothing but darkness below him, yet his feet were on hard ground. His eyes eventually adjusted to see the same wide flat flagstone floor that was outside in the courtyard. A faint glow came from the wall behind the start of the steps that caught his eye. He peered at it curiously, and as he watched, it seemed to brighten. It was some sort of glowing white symbol carved into a brick that was set into the wall. He didn’t know what it was as it just looked like some curved lines with dots.
Th
e white symbol was clean and crisp, with similar white light to what he had first seen in his mother’s attic coming from the Moonstone. Involuntarily, he reached out and touched it with his left hand, and as he did so, the entire brick with a slight grating noise moved inwards into the wall slightly. A louder groaning noise echoed inside the tower followed by the sound of a faraway hidden chain clinking beneath the ground. Then a grating noise from the floor right next to where he stood that made him jump out of the way, though he couldn’t see anything. The Moonstone around his neck hummed loudly again, and he could see a dim light shining out through the fabric of his shirt and coat. He pulled the Talisman out by the silver chain and wore it in front of him. It gave a sated hum and its blue heart pulsed and moved about. It then glowed brighter and illuminated the immediate area around showing the lower part of the walls and floor. He saw a square black hole in the floor at the bottom of the steps.
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