11. Chapter Eleven #2
“Nothing good. This is very dark magic that shouldn’t be practiced.
It’s unstable. You can split aspects of something or someone into pieces.
I heard a story once about an old king stealing a piece of someone’s heart to control him.
It’s things like that, but they can be just about anything from any living thing. ”
“Is the only purpose to control?”
“Mainly, but you can also put them into potions and create curses or blessings. It’s dangerous and unethical to rip someone apart from the inside.
To peel layers of them for unthinkable purposes.
The king doesn’t seem to care about ethical magic, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
” I put the box back where I found it, wanting nothing to do with the terrible magic.
I gather all my potions and put them in my bag. “Have you decided to stay in here then?”
“Probably. I do whatever Morvin wants.”
I turn around and suppress a giggle at the little mouse skeleton trying to eat the shadow berries. His white jaw is stained purple, and the fruit has all gone into his mouth but fallen between his rib cage and onto the counter. “You poor little mouse. You’ve forgotten you can’t eat.”
“He does that all the time and never learns.”
“It would be a difficult thing never to be able to eat again." I wet a small cloth in the sink. “You’re quite the little pickpocket. May I clean you up?”
The mouse squeaks, and Aldric confirms the consent.
The bird gets a cloth and wipes up the mess on the table. "The servants try to eat too. They have meals and everything, which is such an odd thing. It's the same as Morvin, here. Goes right through them."
"Maybe they want to pretend things are normal."
"I assume so, since they also wear clothes. They all like to pretend they are what they once were."
"As you said, change is difficult." I clean the little mouse before making sure everything is in its place and returning to Elton.
I hug my horse, and he nuzzles against me.
We ride down the path toward all the outbuildings.
It seems best to walk close to all of them to see if I feel the pull of the dagger instead of searching all of them immediately.
A big issue is that there are way too many, and if I never feel drawn to one, I’ll have to search them one by one to see if maybe the walls interfere with me sensing anything.
The view is gorgeous in the way the ice glazes all the tree branches, so they look like blue glass.
Colors that shimmer in the snow look like tiny fairies sparkling even with the sun absent behind grey clouds.
The wind howls a haunting song as though it too grieves the curse of this place and its inhabitants.
It’s strange to see so many buildings empty of life.
Only the occasional guard pacing the wall stirs the stillness.
The sun dips low over the horizon, and I decide to check out the cluster of structures I see a short distance away.
Zyon’s castle is large enough to easily find even in the dark.
The lights in many of the windows will provide a beacon for direction.
Elton’s hooves change their beat as we step off the stone path onto wooden planks that run between what looks like little houses.
I hop off my horse and lead him between a row of ten cottages on each side.
Nothing pulls me to it, but I get curious, so I try the door on one and find it open.
Inside is everything a person needs for shelter.
The light by the door works to illuminate a small living area with a dusty fireplace and a little kitchen.
A large, tattered chair is the only furniture, and a crooked picture of a goat barely hangs on the wall.
Down a tiny hallway is a bathroom with a cracked tub, a toilet, and a sink.
The room across from it has a bed, but the blankets look moldy.
I leave the cute little house and check out three more that are similar.
Two are in better shape than the others.
At the end of the house are stone benches that face a platform, like the ghost village used to value theater.
The snow has picked up, and it’s difficult to see the castle in the blinding snow.
I climb onto Elton and put up my hood to protect against the wind gusts.
The temperature has dropped, and my clothes aren’t doing as good a job at keeping me heated.
Just as I decide to return to the little houses to wait out the storm, I realize I can’t see the way back to them either.
The snow is falling so rapidly that it’s becoming more difficult for Elton to trek through.
You’re lost. Lost. Lost.
“Yes, but unless you can be helpful, go away!
We can be. Yes, we can be.
Small lights flow through the air, glowing brightly and leading me back the way I came.
“Shouldn’t we go to the castle?”
Too far. You’ll freeze. The little lights giggle, like that would be the funniest thing. My hallucinations have gone from auditory to visual, but it works for me when they lead me back to the little houses.
“This is great, but I need somewhere for my horse. He won’t fit through those small doors, and I don’t need him to freeze.”
They drift around between the farthest house and the theater area to a barn.
I get the door open and place Elton in a stall.
The structure seems to be in good shape and will keep the biting cold off my horse.
I walk to the closest house, still guided by the lights.
I climb under the blanket and leave my winter clothes on.
I survive the night and wake to sunlight struggling to stream through the smeared window. Thankfully, the toilet in the small bathroom is functional, and I use it before pulling Elton together and riding back toward the castle. The snow has calmed down, and it’s a much easier trek back.
Fredrickson tends to Elton for me and gets him set up with fresh water and food in his stall. All I want is to soak in a warm bath, but that is too much to ask for when I enter the castle.
Maximo bows and holds out his hands. “Can I launder your coat?”
“That’s fine. I’m staying in for the day.”
“The king is displeased you are late for breakfast. Would you like me to take your bag so you can meet him immediately?”
I remove my coat and pull my bag closer to me. “No, I will take it myself. He can wait.”
“That would be strongly inadvisable.”
“And I don’t care.” My obstinacy will perhaps be my demise, but all I want is to change and put my potions somewhere safe. The king is already angry at my tardiness, so it won’t make much of a difference.
I change in my bathroom and redo my hair into a braid. It’s frizzy from the rough night, but I do my best to contain it. I shriek when I step out of the bathroom to find Zyon scowling.
“Do you ever knock?”
“No.” His hand is in my bag. “Where did you get these?” He holds up a green potion.
“That’s mine. I made it.”
“Where did you get it, because it did not arrive with you?”
“How would you know?”
“Do you not think I was diligent in searching your things?”
I jerk the bag away, but he holds firm. We stand there, glaring at each other.
“Give me my bag!” I pull it harder, but it’s no use.
“Tell me how you got these potions, and while you are at it, why were you late to breakfast? Maximo says you stumbled in from the outdoors like a frozen drunk.”
“I wish I were having that much fun here!”
He yanks the bag so hard that it cuts into my hand. “Explain yourself!”
“Go to hell!”
“I arrived there the moment you stepped into my castle. You were warned not to miss breakfast. Enjoy this room.” He leaves with my bag, and the door clicks a few seconds later.
No matter what I try, it won’t budge. I flop onto my bed and scream.
“That was foolish staying outside after dark.” Lazzus gives me my second scare for the morning.
“I’m aware now, but I feel an urgency to find the objects. You give such vague clues that it is impossible. It’s not like we have unlimited time. The rose has to have lost more petals.”
“It’s only lost one. You have time, and if you do dangerous things, it won’t matter how many petals the rose has when you die. You need to always return to the castle before the sun falls. Promise me.”
I search my wardrobe for anything that might help me with the door. “That doesn’t seem an issue now that I’m trapped in here.”
“He will calm down and let you out sooner than he said he would.”
I push open the window and peer at the ground that is so far down there would probably be little left of my body if I jump. “How did you even know I spent the night outside the castle?”
“Do you not think I know exactly where you are at every moment? You are the key to breaking this curse that has afflicted me for so long. This needs to be the last cycle!” He pulls me back in. “Don’t stand so close to the edge of high places.”
“What makes you so sure it will be the last time? I’m sure you hope that every time.”
“I do, but I’ve had a long time to think things through, and each time I take measures within the rules to make it more likely for the curse to end. This time I think I’ve done enough, and also your occupation has made you more useful.”
“The other women didn’t have good occupations?”
“They didn’t help. Not enough.”
I tire of searching the room and decide to press Lazzus for more of his story instead. “This won’t be an entirely wasted day if I can figure out what you regret and get my prize.”
“Okay. Get comfortable. Are you warm enough?”
“I don’t need any more blankets. Thank you.”
“Now that you know how I met and fell in love with Evelia, we can return to when she tried to poison me.” He pulls my blankets higher on me once I settle in bed and walks over to the window to make sure it’s fully closed.
Once he pulls his chair back over to my bedside, the room changes back into his old castle.