Castle of Sorrows

by Jonathan Janz

  “No,” Griffin said in a choked voice.

  “Oh yes,” Mother said. “ A man very much like the ones in the castle right now. He was a brawny fellow, very into his body. He made a plaything of our Ashley and when he’d compromised her and made a fool of her, he went a step further and publicly called her a whore.”

  Griffin couldn’t breathe.

  “She might have recovered from the humiliation, but you know how small towns are. And she had no big brother there to protect her, so she became a laughingstock.”

  Griffin hung his head, his chest hollow and burning.

  “There are three men like that in Castle Blackwood. The Master would like it very much if you destroyed them. Ashley would like it very much.”

  Griffin stared up at Mother hopefully, but all he could see now was a quiver of black under the bridge. Not even the shape of her head was discernible.

  “There are three of you,” Mother went on, though now her voice was almost lost beneath the trickle of water behind him.

  “Three of us.”

  “There is power in three.”

  “Power.”

  “Serve the Master.”

  Griffin nodded. “Yes.”

  He remembered how it had felt to murder the agent. The way it felt for Marvin to treat him with respect.

  “Mom, how do I—” he began but stopped when he realized there was no movement at all from under the bridge. He scrambled up the embankment and trailed his hands through the sandy soil but encountered only useless mounds and a few scattered weeds. He’d imagined the whole thing. Of course he had. The idea that his dead mother could have taken up residence under an island bridge in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was an idea too ludicrous to believe. Yet…

  …yet he believed it. Yes, he realized. He truly did. He believed his sister was dead, believed some meathead had broken her heart, believed the men up in the castle were just as vain and cruel as that man had been.

  Serve the Master.

  Yes, Griffin thought, nodding. And what if it was true? What if the master of this island was a creature of myth? What if the wild stories he’d heard about the Sorrows had a simple but incredible explanation?

  Griffin climbed up the embankment and made his way across the bridge. Though he didn’t run, he moved with greater purpose. He would fetch the supplies for Marvin. Then he’d go hunting at the castle. They’d post a guard, he was almost sure of it. And whoever it was would soon find out what happened to guys who messed with nice girls.

  For Ashley, he thought, nodding. I’ll do it for you, sis.

  And for the Master.

  Chapter Two

  From a sixth-story window Ben watched the clouds swallow the moon. They had chosen the studio because none of the others felt secure down in the great hall. Ben thought it was a lousy place to talk, with entrances at both ends of the room, but apparently the agents felt the elbow room was more important than the vulnerability that came with it.

  “So the first thing we gotta do,” Teddy said, “is come up with a schedule.”

  Wayne shook his head. “Screw that. I’m gettin’ the hell off this island.”

  Teddy, sitting next to Ben and across from Wayne, said, “And how you propose to do that?”

  “The boat,” Wayne said, as if Teddy were a not particularly intelligent child. Wayne jerked a thumb at Teddy and swept the others with a look of disbelief. “What’s he think we’re gonna do, swim home?”

  “The boat,” Jessie explained, “is on the other side of the island.”

  “So we go get it.”

  “With those fellas in the woods,” Teddy said.

  Jessie said, “And remember, Ben isn’t leaving the island.”

  “Not leaving the island?” Wayne said. “Why anybody would stay here after—”

  “I’m not leaving either,” Christina said.

  Everyone turned and looked at her. She and Elena sat on a loveseat they’d pulled up to fill in the north side of their makeshift circle.

  “Then you’re nuts too,” Wayne said.

  “I thought you worked for the woman,” Teddy said.

  “Not anymore,” Wayne declared, leaning back in a plush green chair. “After what happened tonight, I’m gettin’ into a different line of business.”

  Teddy said, “With that strong constitution of yours, maybe you could do autopsies.”

  “What do you think?” Jessie said, and it took Ben a long moment to realize she’d been addressing him.

  “I’m going to find my baby.”

  “Another loon,” Wayne grumbled.

  “Mr. Shadeland, I think it’s time you joined us here in reality,” Castillo said, leaning forward in his chair. The deep vermilion brocade gave the chair the appearance of a throne, and like a king, Castillo’s tone implied he was the one in charge here. “I can appreciate your desire to get your daughter back—”

  “Oh you can, huh?” Ben asked.

  Castillo rolled his eyes. “I get it. Because I don’t have kids, I can’t relate. Is that about right?”

  “That’s got nothing to do with it.”

  Castillo’s eyebrows rose. He spread his hands and leaned back in his seat. “Then how about you enlighten me?”

  “I’ll try,” Ben said. “But I doubt it’ll do any good.”

  Before Castillo could respond, he continued. “There’s a paternal urge in some men, but not all men have it. You see, it’s different for a man than it is for a woman. A woman bonds with her baby when it’s in the womb. There’s a relationship there, so when the baby’s born, they’re already bonded emotionally.”

  “Fascinating,” Castillo said.

  “But a man doesn’t always feel bonded right away. He doesn’t shoot his sperm and immediately start caring for the child he’s helped create. For the dad, it sometimes starts after that, and then the emotion grows.”

  Castillo gave him a listless look. “You don’t say.”

  “It’s why,” Ben went on, “there are stepdads who’re better fathers than the biological fathers could ever hope to be. Because if the stepdad has the paternal urge, he turns out to be ten times the father the biological father ever was. For a man—though this probably applies to women too—it’s less about biology and more about what’s in your heart.”

  Wayne was frowning, but the big ape actually seemed interested. “So how do you know if you’ve got it or not?”

  Ben eyed Castillo. “A lot of it comes down to selfishness, and whether a man’s able to put others before himself. If he’s able to, if he cares more about the child than he does his own desires, there’s a good chance he’ll be a great father. And that’s why I know, Agent Castillo, that you’ll never have the slightest clue what I’m talking about. You’re a smug, selfish prick who couldn’t care less if the rest of us died as long as you get off the island in one piece.”

  Castillo’s jaw had tightened into a knot. The others watched him expectantly. Ben readied himself for the fight he figured would inevitably come.

  But it was Wayne who broke the silence. “So even if you’re not a dad, you can still have the paternal urge?”

  Without taking his eyes off Castillo, Ben said, “Theoretically.”

  Teddy said, “Does he have to have a functioning brain too?”

  Wayne squinted at Teddy.

  “This is all very interesting, but I need to rest,” Elena said. “My arm hurts, and I need to know I can close my eyes without being shot again.”

  Jessie said, “I think Mr. Brooks’s idea of forming a schedule makes the most sense. Mr. Wayne, you’ll take the first shift.”

  “Huh?”

  “This is your chance to make up for abandoning us earlier.”

  “Hold on, I said I was—”

  “What you do after you return to California is your bus
iness, but you’re here now, and we need you to do more than hide in your room.”

  Wayne’s mouth worked for a moment; then he seemed to shrink as the unsympathetic faces of the group only watched him in silence. He cringed as thunder rumbled in the distance. “What do I have to do?”

  “Walk from one end of the ground floor to the other. There’s the long hall, and there’s the one branching off from it. We need you to make sure no one’s trying to break in. If you hear anything, you’re to come directly upstairs to alert the rest of us.”

  “Do I get a gun?”

  Jessie hesitated, but Castillo said, “Of course.”

  Wayne sat there mulling it over, his small eyes narrowed in concentration. “How long do I have to watch?”

  Jessie regarded the others. “Three hours?”

  “Sounds about right to me,” Teddy said.

  But Wayne was staring at her, astonished. “Three hours? I gotta walk around that whole time?”

  “It’s already…” She consulted her watch. “3:07 in the morning. I’ll relieve you at six.”

  “I can take Agent Gary’s place at nine,” Teddy said.

  Castillo nodded, “And I’ll relieve Brooks at noon.”

  Elena shook her head. “I don’t understand why we have to stay here. There’s already been so much death.” She shivered, rubbed her arms, then winced when she accidentally brushed her bandage.

  “Are you okay?” Christina asked.

  “No, I’m not okay,” Elena said. “I’m terrible. I’ve never…this is an insidious place. I’ve never experienced the sort of sensations I’m picking up here.”

  “You’re right to be scared,” Ben said.

  Castillo snorted laughter. “Jesus Christ.”

  But Christina was watching Ben closely. “Mr. Shadeland, have you recalled anything since returning to the island? Do you remember what happened to my son?”

  Don’t tell her a thing, his mind warned. Don’t let those floodgates crash open. Because if you do, there’ll be no going back. You screwed up telling Teddy about it. You went too far talking to Jessie this morning. Don’t make the mistake of trusting anyone else.

  He said, “I’m going to find my daughter. When I get back, you and I can have a talk.”

  Castillo said, “You’re not going anywhere.”

  Elena turned to Castillo. “Please don’t do this. Don’t let this become some silly contest about who’s manlier.”

  Teddy said, “I think Ben’s manlier.”

  “Shut up,” Castillo said.

  “And more polite,” Teddy added.

  “One more word and I’ll kick your ass,” Castillo said.

  “Touch him,” Ben said, “and you’ll have to deal with me.”

  Teddy leaned forward. “That’s sweet of you to defend my honor, Ben, but I’d rather kick his ass myself.”

  “Would you please stop?” Elena shouted. “I want to leave! Let’s just get on the boat and go. There’s no way three of those guys can stop—”

  “Unless they already disabled the boat,” Teddy said.

  Everyone stared at Teddy. In truth Ben had considered this possibility, but he’d decided not to verbalize it.

  “Shit,” Castillo said.

  “I can check it when I’m out looking,” Ben said.

  “If it still works, we can leave, right?” Elena asked.

  Jessie was watching Ben. “I don’t think you should go alone.”

  “Come along if you want.”

  Teddy made a pained face. “There you two go again, runnin’ off without me. You know, if I were a more sensitive type, I’d be in a lot of emotional turmoil right now. Abandonment issues and everything.”

  “You guys are gonna get eaten alive,” Castillo said. “Or have you forgotten what mad dogs Marvin’s men are?”

  “It’s a big island,” Elena said, her eyes imploring each member of the group. “They might not even see us going to the boat.”

  “If we can hold off until afternoon,” Jessie said, “we can take another way home.”

  Elena inhaled sharply. “The helicopter pilot.”

  “Gus,” Jessie said.

  “Gus. When did you say he’s coming back?”

  “Three o’clock,” Jessie said.

  Elena bit her lip. “We’re stuck here till then?”

  “If I could remind you all of something,” Ben said, rising. “We’ve all got duties to fulfill. Even you, Chad.”

  Wayne made a face. “Man, I told you—”

  “I know what you told us,” Ben said, “but it doesn’t work like that. You were hired to protect Christina, and you’re going to do it. You’re going to take the first shift and you’re gonna shut up about it. You spend enough time working on your body, now it’s time to use it doing something productive.”

  Wayne’s face went tight, but he didn’t argue.

  “You,” Ben said to Elena, “were also brought here to help Christina. So do your job.”

  Elena leaned forward, her pretty heart-shaped face fierce. “You don’t understand, the vibrations I’m picking up here are unspeakable. We’re in terrible danger, and not just from the bad men. There are spirits—”

  “I understand better than anybody, but it changes nothing.”

  He glanced at Christina. “Work with Elena, see what she can learn about your son.”

  Christina watched him with a look Ben could scarcely stomach. Was it cruel to delay the news of Chris’s death and her husband’s descent into psychotic behavior? Should he ever tell her the truth? He turned to Teddy Brooks, grateful to be loosed from Christina’s depthless gaze.

  Teddy tilted his head. “You’re gonna tell me I had my courage all along, right? That I didn’t need to see the wizard of Emerald City to find it?”

  Ben smiled, looked down at Jessie. “I need to remind you why you and Castillo are here?”

  Castillo’s mouth trembled into a sneer. “You’re not in charge, Shadeland.”

  “Ben’s right,” Jessie said. “It’s time we stop acting like lost sheep and focus on doing our jobs. One, we keep these people safe. Two, we continue our investigation.”

  Castillo leaned back in his chair, massaged his forehead. “It’s been investigated.”

  “By a forensics team that couldn’t recreate what happened.”

  “And the agents that came here last fall?”

  “They vanished.”

  Everyone stared at Jessie. Castillo said, “Early and Moss got reassigned. Everybody knows about it, I don’t know why—”

  “They disappeared,” Jessie said. “Morton told me before he died.”

  Teddy said, “So nobody knows anything.”

  “Except this prick,” Castillo said, nodding at Ben.

  Ben’s fingers twitched. He felt a dark heat building in the pit of his stomach.

  “Didn’t like that, Shadeland?” Castillo asked, eyeing him from his deep red throne. “Don’t like being called out for your selfish behavior?”

  “Go to hell.”

  “Hit a nerve, did I? You lecture me about how selfish I am, but look at you. You’re the one endangering everyone on this island. Morton, Professor Grant. That guy Jorge? Their blood’s all over your hands, not mine.”

  “You ever meet Marvin before, Castillo?” Teddy asked.

  Castillo’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Never mind,” Teddy said, his eyes never leaving Castillo’s.

  “Here’s what we’re going to do,” Jessie said. “Right now we start the shifts. Ben and I will go to the boat to see if it’s been tampered with. If it’s functional, I’ll take it back to get help.”

  Castillo had been listening to Jessie with an increasingly nasty grin on his face. “It sounds like you’re pulling rank on me.”
r />   Jessie turned to him, her expression bland. “How many years have you been an agent?”

  Castillo’s grin turned nastier.

  “That’s what I thought,” Jessie said.

  Jessie had started to move when Castillo reached up, grabbed her forearm.

  “Don’t touch her,” Elena said.

  “Shut up,” Castillo answered.

  Jessie struggled in his grasp, but Ben could see Castillo wasn’t letting go.

  “Let go of her,” he said in a low voice. “Now.”

  Castillo eyeballed Ben a moment. Then he released Jessie, sidled between chairs so he was standing in a large, open area of the studio.

  Ben followed him.

  “Please don’t do this,” Christina said.

  Castillo ignored her. “You should know, Shadeland, that I was an All-American wrestler at Iowa, second in the nation. Our team came in third that year.”

  “I never did like the Hawkeyes,” Teddy muttered.

  Castillo was shaking out his arms, limbering up. But his eyes stayed locked on Ben’s. “Know what weight class I was in? Two eighty-five. You know how much I weighed? Two nineteen.”

  “That what you still weigh?”

  Castillo shrugged, hopping in place to get loose. “I weigh a little more now, but it’s muscle weight. If I wrestled the two-nineteen version of myself now, I’d annihilate him.”

  Ben nodded. “I chase my son around the yard quite a bit, hold Julia while she’s crying.”

  “Guess you should’ve held on tighter, huh?”

  Ben’s stomach did a flip.

  “Uh-huh,” Castillo said, grinning and rolling his shoulders. “That’s what I like to see. Drop the bullshit and get to the real thing.”

  Ben told himself to breathe, to keep on top of his anger. Don’t do anything stupid. Wait for him to move.

  “You’re a real dick, you know that, Castillo?” Teddy said.

  But Castillo ignored that. “One of the first things I learned at Iowa,” Castillo said, beginning to pace around Ben in a slow circle, “was how much posturing guys did. See, the reason I told you my weight and class is because the one ninety-seven group has the largest range. They go one twenty-five, one thirty-three, one forty-one, one forty-nine, one fifty-seven, one sixty-five, one seventy-four, one eighty-five, one ninety-seven, all the way up to the next one. Guess what it is.”