“If I can save a few lives, I suppose it would be a good sacrifice. I can’t let Buford and cook die at any rate. They have been loyal.”
Pondering his options, the beast came to no conclusion. He knew he needed to warm his servants. It was the only easy decision for him to make.
So, in the end, he called Buford to him.
“Yes, Sire?” Buford questioned.
Beast knew Buford was one of the only servants who didn't seem to fear him in his changed state. The man stood as erect as ever, strong and silent. Beast respected him for it, and even more so when the man had been the first to burst into his room after the witch queen had left him. Buford hadn't hesitated to escort the king's beast form to a chair. The others wouldn't even enter the room.
One day, Beast asked Buford why he didn't fear him. Buford's reply had always stayed with him, “Because, sire, you are my king.”
Over the years, Beast began to think if there was anyone he could come close to saving over himself, it would be Buford.
Straightening, Beast towered over Buford and sighed.
“The townspeople will attack within the next few hours. They will come at 0300.”
“Yes,” Buford prompted him.
“They will come into the castle. When they arrive, I want you and the other servants to stay out of their way.”
“Sire?” Buford tilted his head to the side and stared straight into the beast’s eyes.
“Do as I have asked,” Beast spoke with his king voice, firm and unwavering.
Buford nodded, but Beast considered the possibility of his loyal butler not paying attention.
“Buford,” his tone startled the older gentleman, “stay in your rooms. I will have this all well in hand.”
Buford nodded again but with a more resigned expression.
“That is all,” Beast told him.
Buford turned and headed out the door. He paused for a moment at the doorway with his hand on the knob. His eyes met the beast's, and then he left shutting the door behind him.
Beast saw the reprimand in the stern eyes and drawn brows of Buford's face. Even though Buford didn't like it, Beast knew he would do as he had been commanded. It was his job to do so.
Sitting back down in his chair to watch and wait, he hadn't made any decisions on how to
handle this attack but had made up his mind to allow them access to his castle. They would be the first group to enter in ninety-nine years. Perhaps when he saw them face to face, the beast would know how to react.
Until then, he would wait and ponder his next move.
10
The chair was still in place. It was the first thing Roz saw as she opened her eyes. The alarm sounded, and she reached over to hit the dismiss button. It’s glaring red lights telling her it was time to face the beast.
Shoving a hand through her hair, Roz sat up and didn’t take her eyes off the chair. It glowed in the moonlight, tilted underneath her locked door. Swallowing, she rubbed her arms as a shiver jerked through her. Part of her didn’t want to get up.
Remembering last night and Leuthar’s strange behavior and words, Roz ran through the memory and wondered if she should be more scared of her brother than of the beast.
Death to her.
It had been the last words he’d spoken. What did he mean? Did he have the sickness, and she was just trying to ignore the signs? What if Nina and her father were right?
Hearing the knob twist in her mind, she jumped out of bed and rushed to the dresser. She needed to get dressed and get out. Black clothes on, she pulled her hair into a bun, made her bed, and faced the door.
The chair hadn’t moved. The knob was still. No other sounds came from beyond her door. Walking over, Roz took a deep breath and pulled the chair away. Setting it to the side, she opened the door and looked into the dimly lit hallway. A light was on in the kitchen.
Looking at Leuthar’s closed door, she suspected it was her father and not her brother. Stepping out, she closed the door with a quiet click and made her way to the kitchen. The light glared and blinded her for a second. Shaking her head, wiping sleep from her eyes, Roz saw her father at the table.
“Tea?” He held up the mug in her direction and nodded to the pot of steaming water on the stove.
“Sounds nice. How’d you sleep?” Pouring herself a cup, Roz kept glancing at the doorway, waiting for her brother to appear.
“Average. I’m not sure I can rest until this is over. The rain was lovely to hear.”
“Rain? Did it rain last night?”
“For about a half hour, light and steady. It started right before I got up.”
“I’m glad to hear it rained. We need it for the crops.”
“We need a brighter sun for them, too, and a richer soil.”
Roz sat at the table, glanced at the doorway, and looked back at her father. “Do you think this is going to work, dad? Are we really going to defeat this beast and break the curse? Is it a curse or just bad luck?”
“You know the answer, Roz. Your grandfather saw the beast. He said it wasn’t just a man but a creature. He couldn’t or wouldn’t describe it, just said a vampire was the closest resemblance, and he said it was at the castle.”
“Maybe the castle is just haunted?”
“Roz, a whole country can’t be wrong. We’re here surviving on solar energy and a limited electricity source, which has faded more and more over the years. All the technology our forefathers accomplished has dwindled since the beast came.”
“No one knows how to fix it either. Maybe there’s a wiring problem?” Roz suggested.
“I don’t think it’s the wiring. No one knows what happened or how, but each generation I’m aware of has passed down the knowledge that our world was corrupted by the beast about nine decades ago. We can’t leave our borders, and people have gotten the sickness this last decade and died. Our numbers have decreased. There has to be a reason, and the beast is the cause.”
“I guess we’ll have to succeed today then.”
Her father smiled a small smile, and Roz managed to return it, just as a door opened in the distance. Swallowing, fingers tightening around her warm mug, Roz stared at the doorway.
“I’m going to head down to the training center. It’s getting late. Finish here and tell Leuthar to hurry.” Kissing the top of her head, he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and headed to the door.
“Dad?” she called out.
He turned and looked at her.
What could she say?
“Never mind.”
“See you there.”
He was gone, and Roz hurried from the chair, gulped the rest of her tea, and rinsed out the cup in the sink. Knowing better, but not wanting to head back down the hall to the bathroom, Roz rinsed out her mouth at the sink.
She wiped off her hands and headed for the front door.
“Roz?”
She stopped, her hand on the knob, and last night came back to her.
“What?” she whispered. Eyes glued to the wooden door, she refused to turn around.
Footsteps shuffled across the kitchen floor. Shoulders tense, Roz held her breath. The chair scraped against the floor as it was pulled out, Roz jumped.
Glancing over her shoulder, she found Leuthar dropping into the chair she had just left. His hair stood on end. His eyes were glossy and red. He rubbed a hand over his face before meeting her eyes.
“Are you scared?”
The question had her swallowing. Shrugging, she didn’t want to answer. For a minute, she stood looking at him. His eyes glaring at her.
“You should be,” he said.
Inhaling, Roz wrenched open the door and flew out of it as fast as she could. Running down the sidewalk and up the road, she refused to even take a glimpse over her shoulder. She knew he was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her the whole way.
Bare branches, flowerless rose bushes, and mud greeted them in what used to be the gardens of the castle.
&nb
sp; Does he miss the flowers and fruit as well? Roz wanted to ask. Does he know what they looked like?
Roz looked away from the muddy mess in the glare of her body-heat powered flashlight and followed her company around to the back of the house. So far, no one had been spotted.
There didn't seem to be a servant lurking about or getting up early to start cleaning the large, stone monstrosity or fixing breakfast. Of course, she didn't know when servants would rise to do their chores. She didn't have any servants herself, but she supposed they would begin their days very early. Her dad was always up by dawn.
Captain Starsky signaled to offense and defense three before taking his teams and disappearing around the wall to the back. They crept close to the back door. Offense four positioned themselves in front of the door.
Roz glanced around and noted others were biting their lips and holding their breath. Her own was held, the tightness in her chest swelling, as she caught sight of Leuthar on the far left side disappearing from view with defense three. Directing her eyes back to the door, they waited for the captain to unlock the door. His lock-picking technique would work, if the door wasn’t already unlocked.
What would they find?
The captain tried the knob, it turned with a creak. He looked back at them. Each exhaling and then inhaling and holding their breath again. Captain Starsky opened the door, and they rushed in silently, careful to stay as close as possible without tripping over one another.
No one was in sight. The whole place was dark and silent. They wouldn't use their flashlights in here. The light would alert the beast or anyone else inside of their presence. They would have more of an advantage in the dark.
It's like a grave, Roz thought, shivering, as they advanced through the huge kitchen. Is there really even a beast? What if we've been scared all this time for nothing?
However, she also knew there had to be a reason why the sky was always black and why the flowers never grew.
There must be a beast, her brain continued to discuss the matter as they moved through the large dining area. Grandfather wouldn’t lie.
“Eww!” someone beside her called out.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
“Yeah but watch out for the cobwebs. This place is gross.”
Roz glanced around and saw several pieces of furniture covered in dusty sheets. The sheets and dust were illuminated by the moonlight. Passing underneath the cobweb her teammate had found, Roz wiped a hand over her face to dismiss the tickle she felt there. Someone behind her sneezed. It didn’t seem as if anyone had lived here in years.
Soon they were in the hallway and met by the third team. While team three climbed the front stairs, team four finished looking behind closed doors on the ground floor. Their search for a library seemed to be for naught.
Several of the rooms they’d investigated were sitting rooms, a dining room, a ballroom, and a study with bookshelves but no books. Each had sheets covering most of the furniture, and whenever they moved a piece of the cloth, dust waves were sent up and had several people sneezing.
Captain Starsky waved them from one of the last rooms they’d checked and back into the hallway. Walking along the front entryway, they passed the stairs and headed along the staircase. Beneath the staircase was a door, but it held old coats and wraps.
“This way,” Captain Starsky motioned for them to continue down the dark hall.
At the end they were faced with a door to the right leading back into the kitchen and a door to the left, which revealed a hidden staircase.
Smiling, Roz followed behind her team and hoped they were about to find something important.
They took the steps one at a time. Roz’s hand brushed against the cobwebs coating the walls and stairs. They tickled her face and got caught in her hair. Sneezes echoed around her, smothered but still heard, and she stifled a few of her own. Itching her nose and sniffing back the sudden sniffs as her eyes watered.
Team one was already there ahead of them, and they joined forces going through each room and looking under beds and in closets. Each one held dust and covered furniture, but there were no libraries, no servants, and no beasts.
After they searched the second floor with team one, team four took the servants’ stairs again and passed onto the third floor. They met with team one again and combined forces to search the rooms. Team three and team two had finished their own searches and were now on the third floor.
Team two passed over to the servants’ stairs and went through to check an attic. Team one positioned themselves at the top of the stairs and waited for the others to do a final sweep of all the rooms but one.
Finally, they stood before the last large doorway on the third floor. The other rooms had all been empty except for the spiders, mice, and never-ending dust.
Captain Starsky turned the knob slowly. Roz tensed once again. Somehow, she had a feeling they had found the beast, and fear began to claw at her stomach and make her nauseous. Offense and defense teams got into position behind Starsky.
The door opened, and they were inside. Something flew past them.
“Ahhhh!” screams echoed in the hallway.
Roz jerked backward, hand over her mouth, and nose running. Wiping it, her eyes followed the object as it flew up to the ceiling, landing on a perch, invisible and far above their heads. Mumbles whispered through the group. They were all ready to leave. The dust had several continuing to sniffle and sneeze.
They advanced into the room. An uncovered mirror stood in front of a chair. It was one of the first objects Roz detected as she entered the room. The next object was the gigantic bed to the right. It was empty, made up, but dust covered. Like everything else.
The whole room appeared to be devoid of life. The windows in the room had large black drapes pulled back. The only sight Roz saw from them was the black sky and the treetops in the distance.
There seemed to be a subtle shift in the air. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She shivered, rubbed a hand over her neck, wiped her nose again, and glanced at the windows to see where the draft was coming from.
They were all closed. Her whole body tensed, the suspicion that someone was in the room and staring at her made her turn and observe every corner.
Wondering what she heard or felt, Roz searched for the culprit, hand on her belt, ready to pull the knife out, but she didn't see anything.
The team searched the room but found no trace of the beast. She watched as they looked behind drapes, under the bed, and in the closet. Each time they moved, her body tensed more, and she held her breath. Every time, they came up empty.
The beast wasn’t here.
Roz shook her head when the last member whispered, “All clear.”
She knew he was here. He had to be! They had searched everywhere. They had found no one.
Yet, why did her body tense in anticipation of him jumping from behind a door? Why did she feel someone else in the room? Looking around, she saw the others hesitate and reinvestigate the same spaces.
They must feel it too.
Roz spotted Leuthar across the room, glancing behind a drape, and shaking his head.
“Move out,” Captain Starsky told them, and several turned to exit the room. “We’ll do a final sweep. Remember to keep your eyes open for a library or even a book or papers.”
Roz stayed a moment, turning in a circle, searching each moon lit surface. A few others lingered as well. Their eyes exploring and their hands opening, closing, pulling aside all the obstacles between them and their prize. He was supposed to be magical.
Perhaps, he was there but unseen?
As the last teammate walked out the door, Roz turned from staring at the windows along the wall. Shoulders falling, she felt their last hope escaping them. If there wasn’t a beast, how would they survive? The tales of killing the beast and ending the curse were only a myth then. They were all doomed.
She turned around and bumped into someone.
It wasn't the be
ast. It was her brother. His eyes were red, and a sudden lurch of fear resurrected itself in her stomach. Something about his expression wasn't right.
“I must leave,” he told her in a regular tone, but it sounded stilted too.
“I think we all need to leave,” Roz whispered and stepped around him to go to the door.
His arm shot out and grabbed hers. “No,” he whispered, “I must go. You must stay.”
“What?” Roz's voice wasn't a whisper now. She glared up at him and yanked her arm away from him. “Stop being ridiculous!” she ground out and moved around him. “What's the matter with you?”
“You!” his ferocious whisper bounced off the walls.
Roz swallowed and knew the signs she’d been ignoring for the last month weren’t false. Her brother’s red, glazed eyes were vacant, and his lips were curled into a snarl. She’d seen others look like this. It was one of the tells for anyone suffering from the sickness.
Swallowing, Roz put her hands up in a defensive position. “Leuthar, everything is going to be all right. We’re going to leave and get you some help. I’m sure you’re tired.”
Shaking his head, he didn’t even blink as he moved when she moved. She couldn’t shake him off. His gaze turned to look past her shoulder, as if he was talking to someone.
Looking behind her, she didn’t see anything. The windows and drapes remained the same. Tightening her body, she stepped to the right, but Leuthar shifted to stand in front of her.
Where is my team or his?
“Everyone admires you. Looks up to you. Everyone loves you best. I hear them talk about how you'll be the one to save us all. Well, if you die, then I will be free from you at last!”
“Leuthar, that's ridiculous! Stop acting this way. You’re just not thinking straight. I'm leaving, and we’re going to get you help.”
“No! You’re responsible for every bad thing that's happened to our family. I have to be free from you!”
The Four Tales Page 30