5. Chapter Five
The massacre of King Sarek's throne room changes to the outskirts of my village, and it takes me a moment to recover from the jarring illusion. "I'm guessing you regret all your actions. All of them were horrendous."
"One would think that, but it is not the correct answer." He turns back toward my house rather than continuing toward Zyon's castle.
"I thought we were on an important quest."
"We are. It's why you're going to ride your horse." We hike back to my house, where Elton grazes in the field between my frozen family members.
I retrieve a saddle from our barn and climb onto Elton. "We're not sharing a horse. I hope that wasn't an expectation on your part."
"It was not."
"Good. So what happened with Evelia? Am I going to get more chances to guess what you regret?"
"You're so impatient." He chuckles.
"I want my prize."
"How do you know? It could be something terrible."
"That would be a punishment, not a prize."
He sighs a growl. "Yes, I will tell you the entire story over time, and you will get a chance to guess each time I finish a portion. If you do not guess by the time I reach the end, it won't matter anyway. All will be lost." He walks beside me like the pace of a horse is a gentle stroll.
"It might matter to me because I won't get my present."
"Then guess well."
We don't say much more as we trek past the villages that are also full of unmoving people, all stuck in the middle of going about their day. None of their eyes are black, so it seems insanity has stayed only in my town.
I study a child suspended in the air above a mud puddle. "Did you need to freeze everyone, so they don't stumble across my village and gain the madness?"
"Partially. It spreads rapidly through the kingdom once it starts."
By the time we reach the city, night has fallen, and none of the guards move to stop us.
It seems a big reason Lazzus needed to freeze everyone is to make it beyond the highly guarded city.
Lazzus scales straight up the wall and disappears inside while I wait for him to get it open.
It doesn't take him very long, and we soon continue toward the castle.
It's the next gate I've never been past, and I've only ever dreamed about stepping foot inside a castle.
Before Lazzus has to climb the wall, it creaks open, and we step inside.
It's like venturing over a border into the extraordinary, and I'm both disgusted and in awe of the fancy trees bursting with colorful blossoms that all line the sapphire path.
The blue stone has a transparent glimmer as though someone polishes it throughout the day.
Dozens of turrets rise from a glittery blue base of the main castle that shifts to purple and red when the sun peeks from the grey clouds.
The doors rise about four stories and shift between green and blue, sometimes blending in with the castle and other times standing out.
Orange and white fish swim under the stone bridge that leads to the main entrance.
As we get closer, the castle opens for us, and we step inside to empty halls.
Grey stone flooring surrounds red and white tiles that spiral inward like a nautilus shell, and the colossal crystal chandelier reveals many minor details around the grand room.
The barren, drafty halls contradict the warmth in the murals of flowers, mountains, and seas.
I walk over to the one with frothy waves and can see every variation in paint the artist used as they created it. "This is the best painting of a sea I've ever seen. It's like I can picture how the waves move even though I've never been to the sea."
"That is the largest ocean, and it's on the other side of the mountain.
Evelia loved the ocean. She could sit for hours watching the waves roll.
That's how they move by flinging onto the beach like they want to merge with all the land and are yanked back to where they were, only to try again.
They're like a lover longing for the one he lost, never quite reaching her before he's thrown back into his agony.
The tide swells and fades and can be deadly quickly.
" His breathing shudders as if he's reliving a violent memory of the sea.
"Did you take Evelia to the ocean often?"
"Whenever she was angry with me, it became easy to fix with a trip to the ocean, where she would dance and dance. The most beautiful sight I've ever beheld."
"You loved her, but you went about getting her wrong. Is that it? Is that what you regret?"
He steps closer to the ocean painting, and his hood continues to keep me from reading any expressions.
Not that I'm entirely sure he has a face.
His hands and arms seem to be smoke. "No, if I had not taken her as I did, I would have never gotten her at all.
That wicked prince would have kept her and stolen her soul day after day.
I cherished her soul above all things, my greatest strength and weakness. "
"You don't regret your methods?"
"There is remorse for the pain it caused her, but it is not what I regret. You will need more story to figure it out, I think."
"Maybe I should keep notes. You don't regret everything, and you don't regret your method, though you probably should."
He abruptly pulls away from the artwork and stops in front of the five hallways that lead away from the entry. "I can get you a notebook and writing instruments if you need to analyze it that deeply."
"I would like that. For other things as well."
"As long as you don't write what we discuss. Zyon will most likely snoop. He lacks boundaries."
"You two seem to have that in common."
He growls and chooses the middle hall. I become caught up in staring at the black ceiling in the passage we stroll down.
Yellow, purple, and blue specks create the illusion of stars that endlessly twinkle above.
Golden carvings of fairies, gnomes, flowers, and various animals frame red windows that are decorated with randomly placed black roses and vines.
"Of all the colors that could be chosen for roses, they pick the most morbid one. Like the rose you gave me." I stop to touch the cool, dark glass.
"Because it is black, you consider it morbid?"
"It's darkness or death. The emptiness of the afterrealm."
"It is darkness, yes, but it is also the beginning of everything. Darkness gave birth to life. There is great power in it. It's what always was and all that will be in the end. The black roses are a reminder of its everlasting power."
I touch the glass flowers one more time and continue following him. "That's not something I thought about. I like them better now."
Be careful. Careful. Careful. Careful, the voices whisper.
I consider mentioning them to Lazzus, but worry he may not let me continue if something is wrong with me. The madness seems to descend quickly, so I don't entirely understand what is happening to me. No matter what, I have to get both cures and can't risk being stopped.
The hall ends at two red doors that reach the height of the ones at the castle entrance.
They are thinner, but still massive. The right one opens, and I step away from the creature that emerges.
I shamelessly hide behind Lazzus as though he's actually proven himself safer.
The familiar monster seems better than the creature that bows to us.
His skull is that of a deer, with holes where his eyes and mouth should be.
Magnificent ivory antlers protrude up and out from the top of his head, and the way he stands looks like a human skeleton with hands instead of hooves.
It's unclear if his feet are the same because they are concealed in black boots, and he wears a red tunic and brown pants.
The brown belt that wraps around his waist houses a blue gem at the buckle.
He rises from his bow. "Welcome to our castle, Miss Neera. I am Maximo, and I am so happy to have you here. If you need anything during your stay, I will be glad to provide it, as will any of the other servants. We are all so happy to have you. The master is eager for your presence."
He holds the red door open for us, and I stay behind Lazzus, not as eager as Maximo claims King Zyon is.
It's hard to believe the king is anything but cold with how his people suffer.
All the rumors I've heard about him speak of only the torture he inflicts on our lands with his policies and complacency.
The throne room is dimly lit and darkens even more the closer we get to the throne.
The room is devoid of any type of decor and the focus is on the slate throne with spikes fanning out from the back.
Dust and blue cushions cover long pews that create several rows divided in half by an aisle of blue carpet.
On the throne sits the man with silver hair.
I want to know what he did with my baby typhon, but I fear the answer will haunt me.
Black jewels decorate the golden crown resting on his head and match the large gem that clasps his fur-lined cloak that covers his black leather underneath.
His golden eyes are vivid, even in the low lighting, as though they have a slight glow, and his silver hair is trimmed by his ears but is thick and wild around the crown.
As I step closer, I take in the small amount of stubble that covers a strong jaw below his straight nose and sharp cheekbones.
All of his features make him immensely attractive, but his gorgeous eyes hold something frigid, like something tore everything vital from his soul.
He leans back and twirls his fingers, causing a brown mouse to animate on the arm of his chair, only for him to zap it dead and bring it back again. "The old thorn in my flesh and the new one have arrived. Must we always play your games, Lazzus?"
Lazzus moves closer to the throne. "What fun would life be without games? And with your kingdom frozen, what else do you have to do?"