Courage and Cowardice - Chapter 12
Julia smiled drowsily. “You know, Morien, you’re awful cute when you get all flustered like you do.” Then to Erin, “Shh, don’t tell him I told him that."
“But as for this little key, it is the key of the closet at the end of the great gallery on the ground floor. Open them all; go everywhere; but as for that little closet, I forbid you to enter it, and I promise you surely that, if you open it, there's nothing that you may not expect from my anger."
-Bluebeard
“Jourdain? Joouurdain?” a young woman called out as she strolled through the verdurous maze that comprised the Carolingian royal garden. While those uninitiated would have surely been lost among the rolling rainbow waves of flowers and vines that filled the garden, the girl effortlessly surfed through them with the surety gained from years of experienced navigation. And why shouldn’t she? This was, after all, her secret place, her hidden home, tucked away from the outside world, where few dared venture and which only one other knew as well as her. Only one other, the young man she now searched for. Only Jourdain knew this garden as well as she did, knew her as well as she did. The girl’s heart fluttered as flashes of her childhood flew through her mind. Even from the days of infancy, she had shared her life with that boy, and he with her. And so it was with the greatest of ease that the young woman at last found Prince Jourdain, standing anxiously beneath the mighty oak tree that stood at the center of the garden.
“Hello,” the girl smiled as she stepped into the field where the giant oak stood.
“Esmeralda,” Jourdain grinned as he saw the young woman, and rushed over to meet her.
“Jourdain,” Esmeralda’s green eyes glistened as she gazed into the face of the young man who still captivated her heart.
Tenderly, he kissed her hand, then her forehead, then her lips. And for many hours the two young lovers whiled away the afternoon, as lovers do.
“Esmeralda?” Jourdain whispered as he breathed in the scent of her hair. “Will you stay with me? Always?”
“Is that an order, master?” Esmeralda smirked as she lay in his arms.
“I…” Jourdain paled, visibly wounded. “You know I… don’t joke about that. Please!”
“I… I’m sorry,” Esmeralda realized what she had done, and quickly placed a comforting hand on her lover’s cheek. “I didn’t… I just…”
“It’s okay,” Jourdain said. “I know, I know. But… oh, this isn’t right, Esmeralda!”
“It’s rather late to be reconsidering things now,” Esmeralda chuckled.
“No, not you!” Jourdain cried. “I mean, all of it! This entire system! Something has to be done! Someone has to put a stop to it all!”
“But what can you do?” Esmeralda stroked his face. “You might be a prince, but you’ll never be king.”
“Maybe not, but even a prince has some power, surely!”
“Maybe,” Esmeralda smiled sadly. “For now though, just hold me.”
Jourdain obliged her, though his thoughts were still clouded by the shadow that had hung over the two lovers since the beginning, that which had required their courtship to remain a secret, even to the closest of friends and family.
“Jourdain!” a contralto cry cut through the air, and the boy and girl rushed to their feet, well-acquainted as they were to the proper procedure for this situation. Silently Esmeralda made her way away from the voice, while Jourdain made his way towards it, making sure to adjust his hair and clothes so that nothing was amiss. At last, once he was sure there remained no possibility of his secret rendezvous being discovered, the prince approached the source of the call: the queen, Jourdain’s mother, Antoinette.
“Jou- Ah!” the queen gasped as she noticed Jourdain at last. “Heavens! You gave me such a fright!”
“I’m sorry,” Jourdain grinned sheepishly. “Er… what was it you wanted to see me about?”
“Ah, Jourdain, please,” Antoinette sighed as she dabbed the tears away from her eyes. “You must try to be strong. For your father, and for your kingdom.”
“My… my…?”
“Your brother, Louis,” Antoinette choked. “He has passed. May Yehovah keep and bless his soul.”
Jourdain could only stare blankly at his mother, her words ringing through his ears, even as he could not fathom their meaning. Passed? His brother? Louis? Strong, brave, healthy Louis? It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. It simply couldn’t be.
“Wh-what?” Jourdain whispered.
“Somhairle Saratoga were a swarthy sailor’s son
From day to night, then morning light, he lived for naught but fun”
“Why in Ar-Rahman’s name did you think it was a good idea to have him sing that song?” Morien shivered as he sat next to Julia, his blue, desert tunic hardly providing the necessary warmth for the weather. While rain was not unfamiliar to the Saheli Steppes, he had never experienced such cold weather before. The rain was falling in torrents – except at occasional intervals, by that point, with the surrounding woodland moaning and swaying in the tempestuous typhoon. If it weren’t for the charms Julia had taken out of storage so as to keep everyone dry, or for Hobie to light the pitch-black path they marched along, the questers surely would have sought shelter hours ago.
“I dunno. Sea shanty, torrential downpour, just seemed to fit,” Julia shrugged as she sat in the driver’s seat of her little wagon. If she was bothered by the cold or wet, she did a better job of hiding it than Morien. Perhaps that was because, unlike him, she had done her fair share of traveling in her duties as a merchant. Or maybe she was enjoying the chance to watch Morien squirm.
“Don’t you at least have some charms to help with the cold?” Morien’s teeth chattered. “I may be dry, but I’m still freezing.”
“Being miserable builds character,” Julia smirked. “Besides, if you want to keep warm, I’ve got plenty of coats back in storage.”
Morien considered a retort, but then thought better of it. Julia seemed to have an almost supernatural ability to redirect any argument or complaint of his back onto him. She was impossible to beat at any debate, and she knew it.
“That’s what I’m doing!” an effervescent Erin waddled over to the front of the wagon, her pace hindered by the multitude of furs that wrapped her up and made her seem twice her actual size.
“If you want, I can give you one of these coats,” Erin flailed her now-thickset arms about, before realizing to her horror that she could no longer reach the outermost coat’s buttons.
“It’s okay,” Morien calmed the wailing witch. “I can take it off for you.”
“My, so forward,” Julia cooed.
“Ah! H-hey!” Morien blushed. He really should have been used to Julia’s constant teasing already, but it still managed to catch him off guard.
“What confuses me,” Hobie flickered from out in the distance. “Is how it became so dark so quickly. By my estimation it should be mid-afternoon, not midnight.”
Julia glanced around the moaning trees that surrounded them. “Well you got me. I just kind of figured it was because we’re caught in the middle of a really thick woodland that’s caught in the middle of a really big storm. The two combined seem powerful enough to block out the sun.”
“Perhaps,” Hobie muttered. “Still, something feels… off about this place.”
“Well I’m sure we can investigate this otherworldly feeling of yours after we find someplace warm and dry to spend the night,” Julia shrugged. “In the meantime, let’s make some more headway.”
“How long until we reach Aix?” Erin asked as Morien tried to wrestle the outermost coat away from her.
“Say… half a week. At most,” Julia supposed.
“Works for me,” Morien at last wrested the deuced jacket from Erin’s body, before the resulting momentum hurled him into a pile of chests.
“Ah! I’m sorry!” Erin squeaked sheepishly.
“Hey, watch it with the merchandise!” Julia griped.
“Getting yourself into trouble, I see,” Hobie chuckled.
Yann ceased his singing and reached out a hand to help Morien up with.
“Thanks,” Morien sighed as he righted himself up and put the coat on. And though he still found the temperature far too cold for his liking, as he looked out the wagon Morien suddenly noticed an interesting sight indeed.
“Hey, look!” the young man pointed. “A light! Out in the distance!”
“Yes, I see it too!” Hobie flared.
“Well, whoever they are, let’s hope they’re friendly,” Julia cautiously redirected Molly towards the light.
“And that they’ve got food!” Erin grinned. “I’m starving.”
“Just keep on the alert, in case of trouble,” Julia grunted.
“Hey, no need to tell me twice,” Erin chuckled. Even in her multitude of coats, the sorceress never let go of her magic staff.
As the wagon made its way closer to the mysterious light, its identity was soon revealed to be that of a lantern, under which a very wet, very cold, and very miserable individual sat shivering and sneezing. His face was largely covered by a heavy raincoat, which, from the sopping wet appearance of the lantern-man himself, seemed not to be doing a very good job at keeping him dry.
“Hey!” Julia called out to the freezing figure.
“Hm?” the lantern-man glanced up to see the source of his relief. “Ah, good. About time you got here. You’re the new bride, aren’t you?”
“Me?” Hobie flickered.
“No, not you,” the lantern-man sneezed. “The other one.”
Me? Yann batted his eyelashes as he placed his hand to his heart in a manner most coquettish.
“No, no, no,” the lantern-man groaned. “Her. Her!”
“Wait… me?” Julia balked in surprise.
“Yes, you,” the lantern-man sighed as he smiled. “I must say, I am glad you’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting so long in the freezing rain. Why, it’s colder than a witch’s-!”
“Hey!” Erin cried. “I resent that remark!”
“Now look,” Julia protested. “I’ve certainly had some wild nights in my time, many of which involved me waking up without any memory of what I’d done within the past wee hours, but I’ve certainly never woken up to find myself wed, least of all to someone I don’t even know.”
“Anyways, I’ve been sent to help you find your way to the castle you’ll be inheriting,” the lantern-man grabbed his lantern and motioned for Julia to follow.
“Oh, well alright then,” Julia complied, and she set her wagon to follow the lantern-man’s path.
“You sure changed your tune quick,” Morien muttered, as the wagon made its way through the woodland once more.
“Well, from my experience, it never pays to turn down offers of inherited estates,” Julia whispered back at him, her eyes already teeming with schemes.
“Are you sure about it though?” Erin asked. “From the sound of things, the way you’ll be inheriting this estate is through marriage.”
“True, true,” Julia admitted. “But this isn’t the first marriage I’ve gotten myself out of. If things go south, I’ve got several strategies to split.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” Hobie flickered amusedly as he made his way back inside the wagon.
Indeed, Yann nodded thoughtfully.
“There!” the lantern-man pointed out in the distance, whereupon the travelers saw a dark, foreboding castle illuminated by a violent flash of lightning. Though it had only been visible for a single moment, its sinister spires and off-kilter arrangement sent a shiver of overwhelming dread up everyone’s spine, which was only made worse by the clamorous clap of thunder that followed in the air.
“Uh… perhaps on second thought you’ve got the wrong girl,” Julia coughed awkwardly. “We’re on a mission of the utmost importance anyways, and we really ought to-”
“Long has my lord waited for you,” the lantern-man sighed as though he did not hear. “Often he has spoken of how his vast wealth and fortune is useless without a woman to spend it all on.”
“Well then we’d better get going right away!” Julia set Molly to a trot. “Wouldn’t want to keep the hubby waiting!”
“Wh-what?” Morien barked in disbelief. “Are you crazy? That place looks like… hell on… toast!”
“Hush you,” Julia whispered. “You’ll never woo Erin if you can’t understand a woman’s avarice, Morien.”
“Hell on toast…” Erin tried her best to imagine what that would look like.
“I imagine you’d burn your tongue on that,” Hobie remarked.
Ha, nice one, Yann grinned merrily at the comment.
“Would you-!” Morien’s temper began to flare, before at last he calmed himself. “Look, Julia, I know you’re mad for money, but even you’ve got to admit there are some warning signs going off around here, don’t you? We could be walking into something really dangerous.”
“Life’s pretty dangerous,” Julia shrugged. “But not every danger has the chance for profit, especially profit this big.”
Morien sighed. “Fine then. If something goes wrong though, I reserve all rights to say I told you so.”
“Done,” Julia grinned, and the group continued after the lantern-man. As the castle drew closer and closer, Morien could not suppress the all-encompassing fear it seemed to inspire, even despite his best efforts. The gruesome grotesques that sat perched alongside the castle’s exterior, the spine-chilling shadows cast by the stained-glass windows, the ancient, eldritch moans that seemed to arise from the building’s belly, it all made Morien’s blood run cold. And yet, here he was, heading straight into the gates of, as he himself had put it, hell on toast.
“What am I getting myself into?” Morien moaned under his breath, as he clutched his saphie talisman for courage.
After Molly had been properly quartered, fed, and kissed goodnight by her caring mistress Julia, and after Erin had removed her multitude of coats, the quintet of questers made their way into the castle proper. Therein, they were summarily astounded by the sheer wealth and opulence that lay before them. Regal tapestries coated the walls that stretched higher than the Grand Mosque of Timjeli. The colossal chandelier that dangled from the ceiling provided the hall with both illumination and gentle warmth. And a spectacular staircase wound its way up toward an intricately crafted and multicolored stained-glass window, before splitting off in two directions.
Morien was struck by how calm and reassuring the place seemed to be. Gone was the fear that had plagued him since he’d first laid eyes on the castle, to be replaced with a comfort that one usually could only find within one’s own home. And indeed, the lantern-man himself, as he removed his raincoat and set his lantern on the wall of the stable entrance, revealed his features to be strikingly handsome.
“Well!” Julia beamed brightly at the sight of him. “If your master is half as handsome as you are, I think I’ll enjoy the married life quite nicely.”
“Ah, you are too kind,” the lantern-man blushed. “If you and your companions will join me, I shall take you to the dining hall. We anticipated your arrival at a late hour, and thus made sure to prepare supper for you.”
“I… guess I could do with some food,” Morien at last managed to crack a smile.
“Sounds good to me,” Erin grinned. “Just so long as there’s plenty of pork!”
“And greens,” Hobie chuckled. “You are one for greens after all.”
Yann smiled at Hobie’s remark, before suddenly being taken by a strange sense of unease. Halting his steps, the bard gazed throughout the entrance hall, knowing that something was amiss about the place, but not being able to put it into words. Before he realized it, he was standing alone in the grand room, the others having left him behind. Now that was definitely odd. Where could they have gone? They certainly couldn’t have made their way to any of the exits in the short period of time he had been distracted. Could they? Something didn’t feel right. Hurrying, dashing towards the door that led to the dining hall, Yann felt as though the devil himself was breathing down his neck. Then suddenly, it hit him. He knew what was so unearthly about this place, and the realization stopped him in his tracks. Frantically, turning all around, Yann tried to place some piece of evidence, some single item that would prove him wrong, but he could find nothing. It was ridiculous, the bard knew, perfectly preposterous for him to be so scared over something so trivial, and yet the knowledge, once it had sunk in, set his hair on end, for reasons he simply could not fathom.
There, within the entrance hall of the grand castle, every single item, from the stairs to the chandelier to the individual tiles of the stained-glass window, all of it was some shade of blue.
“Where’s Yann?” Morien was the first to notice, as he sat down at the impressive banquet table, where a bountiful feast of the richest delicacies lay. Already Erin had helped herself to a pile of pork, and Julia was sipping some wine. Even Hobie, though unable to eat any of the food, had found himself drawn to a steaming platter of something succulent, and was wafting in the fumes. Only Morien had refused to touch anything. At first it had simply been his amazement over seeing such a feast in front of him at all. What lay on this one table now was more food than he would see in a month at the little mosque that he called home. But now, at the realization of his friend’s disappearance, Morien was gripped with a sudden desire to stay as far away from the banquet as possible.
“Hm?” the lantern-man glanced around the table, before turning back to Morien. “Who do you mean?”
“The bard! The one who thought you meant him when you said the bride! You saw him! I know you saw him!” Morien tried to remain calm, but a hint of the terror that began to beat in his breast once more made its way to the surface of his voice.
“I… oh! Yes, I remember!” the lantern-man laughed. “I’m sorry! Fancy my forgetting something like that. Sorry. I guess he simply wandered off somewhere.”
“He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t do something like that,” Morien muttered. “He wouldn’t.”
“What’s with you, Morien?” Erin asked with a mouthful of pork. “You seem on edge.”
“Probably just hasn’t eaten in a while, that’s all,” Julia smiled drowsily. “You know, Morien, you’re awful cute when you get all flustered like you do.” Then to Erin, “Shh, don’t tell him I told him that.”
“Calm yourself, Morien. I’m sure Yann is safe, wherever he is,” Hobie’s glow began to dim amidst the misty aromas where he now hovered.
“Then… then I’m going to go look for him!” Morien stood up and made his way towards the exit, when suddenly a man entered, barring his path.
“My lord!” the lantern-man cried happily. “There you are! See, I have brought you your bride!”
“Hey,” Julia grinned enticingly at the newly arrived fellow, and with good reason. Though he was obviously a man of many years, his age had not dimmed the handsomeness of his features one bit. He was a tall man, of thickset, muscular build, yet still possessing a tender face and charming eyes. The only thing off with his appearance, which no-one save Morien seemed to notice, was his beard. Smooth and well-groomed as it was, it was also a perfect shade of blue, and it set Morien’s heart aflame with fear. Even as the man’s gentle eyes gazed down at his own, Morien could only think of getting out.
But why? As the man stepped closer and closer to the boy, Morien realized that, apart from Yann’s disappearance, nothing about this place was truly amiss. Yes, the master of the house had a blue beard, and yes, the castle’s exterior had been quite frightening. But the rest of Morien’s friends were enjoying themselves. Why couldn’t he?
“Say, Morien,” the blue-bearded man placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “How about this? After you’ve had yourself a proper supper, you and I can personally go looking for your friend.”
“I… I guess…” Morien mumbled.
“Tell me,” the man reached into a pouch of his, to pull out a tiny, brown treat. “Have you ever tasted chocolate before?”
“Ch-chocolate?” Morien had never even heard of it before.
“Yes, Morien,” the man’s gentle eyes gleamed. “It’s a wonderful treat. I make sure to have it every day. Here, why don’t you try some?”
Tenderly the blue-bearded fellow placed the sweet into Morien’s limp hands, and the young man found himself enraptured by the tiny brown lump within his palms. Everything about it, from its scent to its texture to its gleaming hazel hue, seemed to implore Morien to eat it. Slowly, timidly, Morien’s shaking hands seemed to move of their own accord, closer and closer to his trembling lips.
“I… I…” Morien could not stop himself.
The different shades of blue seemed to stare at Yann, like iris eyes glistening with hunger. A normal person would have found themselves incapable of remaining calm. Yet remain calm Yann did, as slowly, he made his way towards the dining hall door. Calm, breathe calm and remain clear. Yann knew it was there. He could feel a malevolent intelligence behind those zaffer hues, greedily gaping at him, the glowing drops of blue like saliva foaming at a hungry mouth. Somehow, knowing he was in the presence of a kindred spirit, even if it was a sadistic and cruel one, made Yann feel strangely comforted.
Doing his best to ignore the presence, Yann placed his grip on the dining hall door and pulled. And pulled. And pulled harder and harder and harder and why wasn’t it opening why wouldn’t the door open!?!
It was no use, and Yann could hear the blue cackling at his failure. But this only made the bard try even harder. Wrenching and wresting, putting his back and his legs and everything he had into it, Yann pulled and pulled and pulled at the door. Sweat began to trickle down his furrowed brow and into his clenched lips. His mortal form began to cry out in pain as his muscles tightened and clenched against the stubborn door. And all the while, the horrid howls of the blue reached a fevered pitch, threatening to render the poor fellow deaf. But still Yann pulled. Still he continued. Until finally, the door was wrenched from its very frame, and as Yann fell to the ground, the once-elegant piece of wood softened and crumbled into dust in his hands. Yann stared blankly at the bits of dirt that still remained in his palmss, then noticed that the dining hall itself was just as bare and barren. Nothing but splinters and gossamers remained of whatever room the door had once led to. Yann gawped, unable to fathom what had just occurred.
Alright then, Yann sighed. If brute force would not work, then perhaps a calmer approach. Calm, breathe calm and remain clear. Yann let his mind relax and expand as he sat silently on the floor, until…
Wait.
Yann’s golden eyes flashed as he found he could not access the rest of his consciousness. Something was blocking him, or rather, someplace. So this mansion really was…
No. Yann could feel it. Instantly he realized, this place was not like him. It was the opposite!
And with that realization the blue turned on him at once. Writhing and roaring, the tapestries and carpets leapt onto Yann, wrapping him tightly in their grip before tossing him about like a rag doll. Crash! Yann slammed through a dresser. Clang! Yann tore through the razor-sharp chandelier. Smash! After becoming intimately engaged with every article of the house, Yann was at last tossed through the stained-glass window, to plummet into the dark and stormy night that encircled the wicked castle.
And then, as the lightning flashed and thunder roared, the house slowly began to repair itself, as though nothing had happened at all.
“I… I can’t!” Morien threw the tantalizing treat away and made a mad dash for the door. He couldn’t give in to temptation! Something was very wrong here, and by Ar-Rahman he wasn’t going to rest until he had figured it out! Tuning out the plaintive pleadings of the blue-bearded man, Morien burst back into the main hall, his hands clasped tightly around his saphie.
“Yann?” Morien called out, but there was no response. Where could he have been? Had he been taken? Trapped? Maybe even murdered? Morien shuddered at the thought, and assured himself that everything was alright. Yann had to still be alive. He simply had to be.
Wait a moment, Morien squinted more closely at the main hall. Something didn’t seem quite right. Hadn’t there been a dresser in that corner before? And the stained-glass window, it seemed to be a completely different pattern now. And the dining hall door…
As Morien turned around, where once a door had stood, he now found a tattered tapestry, pitifully trying to cover a gaping hole in the wall. Slowly, tentatively, more out of curiosity now than fear, Morien reached down towards the tapestry, and tugged it away from the hole. For a moment, the tapestry seemed to resist him, but then when Morien gave it a sharp pull, it at last tore, to crumple and disintegrate in his very hands. Horrified, Morien staggered back, wiping his hands clean of the cursed crumbs that remained in his grasp. As he looked through the hole though, and saw the barren ruins where once had lain a bountiful banquet hall, Morien’s horror only grew.
“Erin!” Morien ran into the dark and desolate hole. “Julia! Where are you!?!”
Gone, was the answer. Nothing remained in that room save mold and dust. But Morien remembered a dining hall being there, in that very spot! Where could it have gone?
Just then, a clatter arose from upstairs, and Morien whipped his head in the direction it had come from. Was that Yann? The blue-bearded man? Something else, a dark and sinister threat? Instinctively, Morien reached towards his belt, before he remembered that, save for his wooden training sword and broken hilt, he was weaponless.
“I really need to get a new sword,” Morien sighed. But, even if it was only made of wood, Morien knew his best chances of survival lay with his training sword. And so, grasping the blade tightly in his hands, Morien slowly made his way upstairs, ever on the alert for the first sign of danger.
The atmosphere within the castle seemed to emit a serene hum, a calming song seeking to soothe Morien’s pounding heart. But it was a lie, Morien was certain. Whatever magic lay within this castle’s walls, he could not allow himself to fall into its trap. He had to remain ever alert, ever vigilant, ever-
Suddenly, as Morien reached the top of the left steps, the door beside him creaked open, and the candlelight from within shone upon him. Squeaking, Morien almost lost his balance on the stairs, and as he gripped the handrail for balance he swung his sword frantically about. However, when no monster leapt out to devour him, Morien calmed his breathing, and tentatively glanced inside the room.
What he saw took Morien’s breath away, and tore down his defenses. Books as far as the eye could see, tenderly arranged and preserved with the love and care only a true bibliophile could give. Before he even realized it, Morien had already taken down twenty of the books and splayed them all across the floor, as he re-read the dearest tales from his childhood, just as he remembered them. Here was bliss. Here was joy. Here was everything he could have ever asked for and more. If only his mother and the imam were here, Morien sighed wistfully. If only he could share this joy with them.
Wait.
The memory of his parents awoke an awareness within Morien. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The young man stared frantically at the books, all strewn about on the floor. This castle, it was in Augustine lands, was it not? Then why were all the books written in Songhay? Khaleeji he could have understood, but these books, these tales of knights and chivalry, they were not written the way Morien had read them. They were written the way he remembered them, in the Songhay words he had mentally crafted from the Khaleeji texts.
He had to get out. He had to leave the room right now. The books called to him in a mewling tone, pleading for him to stay. This was a safe place, a place of comfort and love. He had no need to fear anything here. The pitiful moans of the books threatened to paralyze Morien, but he pushed them out of his mind. He could not give in to this castle’s magic! Panting, heaving and grunting, forcing his limbs to move the way he needed them to, Morien began to make his way towards the door.
And then the books turned on Morien all at once. Swooping down from the shelves where they sat, the flock of books pounced and preyed upon the young man. Morien screamed as a whirlwind of texts rushed around him, the paper cutting just as sharply as any blade. Madly, wildly, Morien whipped his sword around, the pain and the noise threatening to overtake him. But as he struck one book, the force was enough to damage it, and it crumpled into dust just as the tapestry had. The books howled in pain as Morien hacked at them, taking them apart bit by bit. But with every book that fell apart, Morien gained freedom, until at last he was able to fight his way towards the door once again. With every book that fell, its brethren increased their attack with greater fervor, but Morien refused to fall to their siege. His breathing became ragged as the cuts began to wear on him, his head became foggy as he lost more and more blood, and his body cried out for mercy from the assault of pain it was facing. But still Morien held out against the books, still he kept going, until at last he managed to place his hand on the door, and pushed with all his might.
It wouldn’t budge. The door refused to open. Morien sobbed as he battered ineffectively against the door, but still it would not open. He was trapped, and though he had battled his way through the books, the ordeal had left him too weak to resist the door’s refusal, and the young man sank to his knees in defeat as the remaining books swooped down on him for a final assault.
“No!” Morien screamed, and swung his blade in one final, angry strike. He may have been trapped, but he refused to let himself die this way! As the books swooped down on him, again he depleted their numbers with his blade. And on and on and on it went, until at last, though he was too tired to even stand, Morien was the sole survivor of the ordeal. Chuckling a hacking, wheezing cough, Morien spat at the house and its failed attempt on his life. He was still standing, well, figuratively anyway, and as soon as he rested for a bit, he would spring back to his feet, find his friends, and get out of this accursed castle. First a rest though, first he needed to regain his strength. He was tired. So tired.
And then, with a great creaking and moaning sound, the bookshelves began to fall, all at once, towards Morien. Morien moaned, then screamed as the shelves made their way towards him. But there was nothing he could do. He was trapped.
“Say… Erin,” Hobie dimmed drowsily. “Haven’t you had enough food?”
“Mmffhhaa!” Erin garbled with a mouthful of food. “I can’ fhtop! Ifh dhoo good! Mmffhhaa!”
“That’s… nice…” Hobie muttered, before his light went completely out and he fell lifelessly to the floor.
“So,” the blue-bearded man crept up to Julia. “You are my new bride?”
“Yepyep, that’s me,” Julia giggled. The wine had evidently gone to her head quite quickly.
“Enchanted,” the man kissed Julia’s hand gently, and she burst into a fit of laughter.
“Oh Yeshua, I really lucked out here,” Julia snickered.
The man chuckled airily. “Yes, I suppose you…”
Then suddenly, as he stared into Julia’s eyes, the man’s face turned stone cold, before he whipped around furiously to face the lantern-man.
“You fool!” he hissed. “What have you done?”
“What do you mean, my lord?” the lantern-man asked innocently. “I thought-”
“This is not my bride!” the blue-bearded fellow howled. “You have brought me the wrong girl!”
“Oy oy oy!” Julia griped. “Now look here! What’s wrong with me?”
“Yes, this is the one you requested, is it not, my lord?” the lantern-man remained calm. “She matches the description, does she not? Black hair, olive skin, emerald eyes-”
“Brown eyes! Brown!” the blue-bearded man screeched. “Her eyes are brown, and they are the eyes of Julia Ventura, not my bride!”
“Well I mean, don’t discount me just yet, my lord,” Julia woozily made her way to her feet. “I may not have green eyes, but I assure you, I am well-versed in all manner of wifely duties, and excel at every one of them. So! If the whole castle and fortune offer is still on the table-”
“Hush jezebel!” the blue-bearded fellow struck Julia and sent her reeling to the floor.
“Wha-what…?” Julia clutched her swollen cheek, horror and hurt in her eyes.
“Hey!” Erin cried out. “What’s the big idea?”
“Continue your feeding, cow!” the blue-bearded man glared dangerously at the sorceress, and she found herself unwillingly gorging once again.
“L-listen buddy.” Despite her frantic breathing, Julia’s eyes still blazed with bravery. “I don’t know what your game is, but I’m not going to play it if these are the rules.”
“Oh, my lord,” the lantern-man sighed wistfully. “What are we to do?”
“Fhugghh… I don’ fheel sho goodh…” Erin’s face began to contort with nausea.
“There is very little we can do,” the man stroked his beard. “My bride is set to arrive at any moment, and I must be ready for her when she does so. As for this girl… perhaps, if not a bride, she could become a mistress…”
“Nope!” Julia climbed to her feet once more. “Thanks but no thanks. I have standards. Low ones, admittedly, but standards nonetheless.”
“Sh-sherioushly… I don’…” Erin began to cry.
“My dear,” the blue-bearded man clasped Julia’s arm tightly. “I don’t think you fully realize. Your compliance is not a requirement for this.”
“H-hey!” Julia cried. “Let go of me!”
“I dhink I’m ghonna… ghonna…” Erin whimpered, before a sudden stream of green bile burst forth from her bowels, violently erupting across the room for several minutes, and coating everything with its repugnant stench. After it was over, nothing was spared. The table, the food, Hobie, the lantern-man, the blue-bearded man, Julia, they were all coated in a layer of green liquid. And Erin, gasping for air and clutching her staff, was filled with a dread sense of realization.
“Oh no,” she whispered. Then, to the man, “I know who you are! I know what this place is! Oh Yehovah, I know what’s going on here!”
“Please, won’t you calm yourself my dear?” Though the man did his best to conceal his seething fury, the liquid began to boil as he glared dangerously at Erin.
“Let her go!” Erin pointed her staff at the blue-bearded man. “Let all of us go!”
“I cannot do that,” the man sighed. “You might seek to warn my bride, and that I cannot allow.”
“Oh yeah? Well what would you say to… this!?!” Julia thrust her leg upward with all her might, landing a solid kick to the man’s groin.
He merely turned his icy glare back at Julia, not the least bit phased.
“Nuts. Always fifty-fifty, that,” Julia grunted.
Then Erin landed a solid blow with her staff to the blue-bearded fellow’s head, which sent him reeling and relaxed his grip on Julia enough for her to escape.
“My lord!” the lantern-man cried and rushed to the man’s side, before a thwack to the stomach left him wincing on the floor.
“Come on!” Erin grabbed Julia and made a mad dash for the door, not slowing her pace even as she scooped Hobie into her arms, and not turning back to hear the inhuman howls made by the blue-bearded man.
Morien opened his eyes, wondering why the bookshelves had not crushed him yet. Then he immediately closed them, as the dust was far too voluminous for him to handle. Coughing and patting the air away, Morien gazed at his surroundings and saw that not only were the shelves nowhere to be found, but the entire wall behind him was now gone. It didn’t make sense. He had heard a crash, felt the shake of the impact. And yet the impact had not hit him directly. Why though? Unless…
When Morien realized it, he could not help but laugh. The shelves had been too tall! They must have hit the wall before they got to him! And if the shelves and the wall were like everything else in this house, the slightest bit of damage would cause them to crumble into dust. The house had been so intent on killing Morien, it had ended up only hurting itself. He was still alive. There was still hope. He just needed to get up, get the gang, and get out. Easier said than done, of course.
Lurching back into the hall, Morien crawled slowly back down the stairway. He was badly hurt, and had lost a lot of blood. But he knew that there were healing items in Julia’s wagon, which was in the stables. If he could just make his way back there…
Boom! An explosion from the dining hall rocked the entire castle, and Morien found himself falling down the stairs, which only added to his injuries. As he moaned and clutched his aching body, Morien hardly noticed as Erin, Julia, and Hobie burst from the dining hall.
“What the-? Morien!” Julia cried as she was the first to notice him.
“Morien?” Erin turned her attention towards the wounded boy and cried out in horror. Before she could rush to his side though, a howling, hircine horror charged out of the dining hall, its distinctive blue beard and demonic eyes still intact even in its monstrous form. Instantly it lunged at Erin to lock horns with her staff, just as she managed to push Julia and Hobie out of the way.
“Julia!” Erin cried as she wrestled with the giant beast. “Get Morien and Hobie to safety! I’ll handle this monster!”
“Uh, r-right!” Julia ran up to where Morien lay and gasped as she saw just how badly he was injured.
“Oh Morien…” she moaned. “You… you look like hell on toast.”
“Y-you smell like it,” Morien mumbled hoarsely.
“Yeah, I guess I do,” Julia chuckled as she tentatively sat Morien upright, making sure to keep his head steady. “I… I guess this qualifies as a pretty big told-you-so.”
“Hey, I almost got suckered too,” Morien said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Must’ve hurt yourself pretty bad, you’re not harping on me,” Julia did her best to drag Morien down the stairs without moving his spine too much. It proved to be significantly easier said than done though, especially with the clashing of titans that awaited them near the bottom of the steps. Julia cursed her current situation. If she were to pick Morien up and carry him back to the wagon, she could damage his spine, maybe even kill him. Not even her choicest potions could cure death. But if she left him there, to dash to and from the wagon with healing medicines, Morien could get caught in the crossfire. What was she to do?
“Cease this pointless resistance, child!” the monstrous goat bleated. “You are now in my domain, where my will is law! There is no hope for victory!”
“Shut up, Bluebeard!” Erin summoned a wave of green that collided with the hircine horror as strongly as a tidal wave. But though it slowed the blue-bearded beast down, it did no lasting damage.
“Pathetic,” the beast smirked as it slammed into Erin full-force, sending her reeling across the hall. The young witch was undeterred though, and leapt back into the fray.
“You monster!” Erin slammed her staff against the savage’s snout. “You betrayed everything our master stood for! You took his gift and twisted it! Perverted it! Made it something filthy and vile!”
“Me? You accuse me of betrayal?” the goat cackled, before effortlessly tossing Erin aside. “I merely used my power to take what I desired, what I was rightfully owed.”
“You were owed nothing!” Erin, despite her obvious fatigue, continued to charge at the beast. “Our powers don’t entitle us to do whatever we want! We have to show restraint!”
“Ah, is that how you justified it then? Your imprisoning of old Deus?” the beast did not even flinch under Erin’s pitiful attacks.
“I…” Erin staggered back at the statement. “How did you…?”
“My flesh may have perished, and my soul may be trapped in this house of mine,” the goat cackled. “But I have eyes and ears throughout the land, and they have kept me informed of all that has transpired these past years. Oh yes, Sister Green, I know full well how my brothers and sisters rose up against our father. If anyone has betrayed Deus ex Machina, it has been you.”
“We… we didn’t…” Erin whimpered. “He… he kept interfering! He kept trying to fix the world! We couldn’t… we couldn’t just sit by and let him play god all the time!”
“Listen to yourself, child,” the monster sighed. “If one has the power and the will, one has the right. It really is that simple. If I desire a bride, and am able to take her, then she is mine, plain and simple. And if old Deus grows weary of the games of men, and is able to make a better, fairer world, then he deserves to make it, plain and simple.”
“No!” Erin spat. “You’re wrong!”
“How childish,” the beast leaned down to rest his horns at Erin’s throat. “But then, it hardly matters at this point. I can tell you are too weak now to put up a fight. Goodbye, Sister Green.”
“Wait!” Julia shouted.
“Hm?” the blue-bearded creature glanced up at the merchant.
“Uh… h-hey! Look at me! Here I am! I’m much more deserving of your attention than, uh, y-yeah!” Julia leapt and danced all around the stairs.
“What are you doing?” the goat grumbled.
“I… oh geez…” Julia looked at Morien, then at Hobie, then at Erin, then at last at the blue-bearded monster. “L-look, about what you said… the whole… mistress thing. If I agree to that, will you let my friends go? Heal them and let them go?”
“Wh-what?” Erin gasped. “Julia, you can’t! Don’t you know what he’ll do to you? What he’s done to all his other brides?”
“Silence!” the monster howled. Then to Julia, “My sincerest apologies, Julia Ventura, but I am unable to accept your request. I can’t have your friends potentially warn my bride of my plans.”
“Th-then keep them imprisoned,” Julia said. “Till after you’re done with your bride. You’ve got dungeons here, right? You can patch my friends up, keep them out of the way, and then let them go after you’re done with your bride.”
“But… what about you?” Morien whimpered.
“Shut up, okay?” Julia hissed. “Just… you need to save your strength.”
“It… certainly sounds possible,” the goat considered. “And I do need fresh blood to repair the damage your friends have caused. Yes, perhaps a quick dalliance before marriage is just what I need.”
“And in exchange, you’ll heal them and let them go?” Julia tried to hold back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.
“Yes,” the monster grinned. “Well, I’ll only heal your magical friends after I’m done with my bride. The boy I can afford to heal now, though. Yes, I think that sounds like an agreeable arrangement.”
“Julia! You can’t!” Erin pleaded.
“What are you doing?” Morien moaned.
“It’s okay, Morien,” Julia whispered. “I believe in you.”
“Varlet!” the creature cried.
“Yes, my lord?” the lantern-man materialized before his lord.
“Heal the boy, and take him and his companions to the dungeons.”
“Of course, my lord,” the lantern-man bowed.
Morien stood in his cell, fuming, while Erin sat huddled forlornly nearby, the still-dead Hobie settled beside her. Unlike the other portions of the castle, the dungeons made no pretense of former glory. They were just as rotten and run-down as the portions Morien had uncovered, but they at least remained sturdy enough to keep the trio of prisoners under lock and key. Even so, Morien refused to believe there was no way out, refused to accept there was no way to save Julia.
“Erin,” Morien turned towards the young sorceress. “This… you called him Bluebeard. What exactly does he have in store for Julia?”
It was a while before Erin spoke. Everything about her seemed crumpled in defeat.
“He’s going to drain her of all her blood. Every last drop. It’s how he… sustains himself.”
“Okay,” Morien gulped. “Does he have any weaknesses? Anything we can exploit to defeat him?”
“I don’t know,” Erin sighed. “I thought he was defeated years ago, before I even met Deus. He’s the reason there’s never been another Blue since him.”
“Okay, but if he’s one of the Seven Spectral Sorcerers, then that means he has the same weaknesses as you, right?” Morien postulated. “Magic burns calories, didn’t you say? That’s why you’re as weak as you are now. So… so if this guy gets his ‘calories’ from human blood… ah! And he said, he said he needed fresh blood to repair himself, his castle. So… so he and the castle must be connected!”
“That… the food!” Erin cried. “The food and the… the atmosphere…”
“And the books!” Morien grinned. “Everything in this castle must be some sort of extension of his power. It’s all an elaborate trap designed to bring new brides to him. But then… wait, why did all the things I damaged disappear? It’s like the house was just an illusion.”
Erin thought about it. “Maybe… maybe because he really was defeated, all those years ago.”
“How do you mean?”
“Maybe all the elaborate displays we’re seeing, they’re just… residue. Maybe, because Bluebeard couldn’t be killed, he was simply sealed, so that his power would eventually fizzle out and die.”
“But he found a way out.”
“M-maybe…” Erin considered it. “Or maybe the residue just began to leak into the environment. Either way, it gave him a chance to replenish his power.”
“With blood,” Morien said.
“Yes,” Erin shuddered. “With blood.”
“So…” Morien mulled over how best to broach the subject. “This… sealing thing, is it pretty much what you did with Deus ex Machina?”
Erin paled at the question, but muttered in limp reply “Y-yes. That’s… that’s what I did. The other Spectral Sorcerers and me.”
“Then you know how it works? How we can get out while keeping Bluebeard in?”
“I… I think so,” Erin muttered. “Morien… I don’t… I still think what I did was the right thing!”
“Okay,” Morien shrugged.
Erin stared blankly at him. “Okay? That’s it?”
“Yeah,” Morien said. “I trust you.”
“But…” Tears began to form in Erin’s eyes. “I…”
“Look,” Morien crouched down to place a comforting hand on Erin’s shoulder. “If you want to tell me about the things you did in the past, I’m more than willing to listen. But you don’t have to unless you want to. I know who you are, Erin.”
“No,” Erin sobbed. “You don’t.”
Morien suddenly realized then what was happening. A tender moment, shared between two people. It was just like in his stories! A perfect opportunity for a love confession! A chance to take Erin in his arms, whisper sweet nothings, and make all her pain go away! It was there, right in front of him. All he had to do was take it, take the moment and make it his own. Erin was right there, ready for him to sweep her off her feet, if he was only brave enough to take her.
Morien knew all that. He knew, and yet for some reason it just didn’t seem right. He couldn’t place why, but it just didn’t. So instead of making some romantic gesture, Morien simply chose to stay where he was.
“Look,” Morien said. “We’ve got a Julia to save. And a Yann. Wherever he is.”
At that, one of the cinder blocks near the cell’s ceiling scuffled and scraped, before finally falling and smashing to the floor. Blinking dumbfoundedly in surprise, Morien and Erin at last managed to turn their gazes towards the gaping hole in the wall, whereout a very dirty, very scuffed-up, but otherwise unharmed Yann managed to squeeze. After dusting himself off and finding himself none the worse for wear, the bard then turned towards his flabbergasted traveling companions to cast a cheerful smile in greetings.
“Ah, good,” Bluebeard turned to gaze upon Julia as she entered the hall. “I trust the bath was to your liking?”
“Y-yeah,” Julia muttered. As her old clothes had been caked in vomit, Bluebeard had provided her with a new, clean dress. It was a beautiful garment. Under any other circumstances Julia would have loved it. But now, in this time and place, the feel of the fabric made her skin crawl.
“I must say,” Bluebeard drew in closer, to the point where Julia could smell his toxic breath. “Without the bile, you look delicious.”
Julia shuddered at his words. Where was Morien? Where was that silly boy in shining armor? Was he really so unreliable? Limply, Julia allowed herself to be led down the winding halls. No longer did they call out to her, no longer did they whisper in her ear sweet words of comfort. They didn’t need to. Julia already knew them for what they were now.
“Will… it hurt?” Julia at last braved the question.
“Oh yes,” Bluebeard smiled. “Very much so.”
“How… how long will it take?” Julia shivered.
“I don’t know,” Bluebeard said. “My first bride is still alive.”
“S-still…” Julia paled, and she found her legs suddenly give out beneath her.
“Yes.” Without pausing for a moment, Bluebeard swept Julia into his arms and continued walking. “Or, perhaps I should clarify. My brides are as alive as I am, which I suppose makes them not alive at all. You see, I died all those years ago, when my master Deus ex Machina cast me out of his order. But my magic, fueled by the blood of my brides, somehow remained, and through it, my soul continued to exist in this plane. And now with fresh blood, hot blood from a virgin pure, my next bride will allow me to return to the world of the living. And your blood will help me lure her in. For that, you have my sincerest thanks.”
“You’ll let them go. You gave your word,” Julia whispered.
“I will, I will. But first you must live up to your end of the bargain,” Bluebeard chuckled as he halted in front of a massive door. A jet-black monolith, it gave off the same musk as Bluebeard, a toxic, manly scent. But behind the door, Julia could smell a far deeper, far stronger stench. It crept and crawled up her nostrils, blackening her insides and choking her throat. Julia knew that smell, that rustic, metallic fetor. It was the smell of blood.
Slowly, the door opened to reveal what lay behind it. It was a room of hooks, and blood, and masses of howling, moaning flesh. Julia saw it and could no longer contain the all-encompassing horror that had been building up inside of her. She screamed, and screamed, and screamed, as all the while Bluebeard leered at her with laughing eyes.
“Okay, up y’go,” Morien hoisted Erin up to Yann, who pulled her into the hole he had made, and through which the quartet was to make their escape. Erin was still very weak, though she at least found the strength to climb up, and Morien cursed himself for having let this whole ordeal transpire. Why hadn’t he convinced Julia to stay away?
Once Erin was safely up, Morien grabbed Hobie and made his own way upward. Still the little orb would not return to life, and Morien wondered now if the poor sphere was well and truly dead. How had he brought Hobie back to life the first time? He did not know. It had seemed to simply come from sheer, dumb luck, which he did not know how to replicate.
“So, what happened to you?” Morien asked once he had squeezed into the narrow tunnel the hole in the wall led to.
Yann smiled, indicating that it was a story for another time. Then, as he motioned for the others to follow, he chanted a strange tune.
“Hi dee diddly um de dum de day,
The chandelier, it is the key, the key to get away.
Hi dee diddly um de dum de day,
The chandelier, it is the key, the key to save the day!”
“Chandelier? How to do you mean?” Erin furrowed her brow as she followed the bard down the tunnel.
“You mean the one in the main hall?” Morien asked.
Exactly! Yann pointed excitedly at Morien, before placing his hand to his breast and indicating a beating motion.
“Huh?” Erin and Morien didn’t understand.
Yann sighed, and tried singing again.
“Hi dee diddly um de dum de day,
The chandelier, it is the key, the key of power fey!
Hi dee diddly um de dum de day,
To strike the chandelier, it is to strike the heart away!”
Erin’s eyes swelled in sudden realization. “You mean-!”
Morien caught on as well. “We destroy the chandelier, we destroy everything in here, and sever Bluebeard’s tie to the world!”
Exactly! Yann grinned. Now come on! And with hurried pace the quartet renewed their trek. Soon enough, they had reached the end of the tunnel, and with a well-placed kick, Yann tore a new hole, through which they plopped out into one of the castle’s many impressive hallways. As Morien looked left and right, he could not make heads or tails of what direction the main hall was to be found. However, as Morien looked down he saw a huddled Erin chanting and sneezing as she always did with a spell.
“Hey, are you okay?” Morien knelt down beside the sorceress concernedly. “You’ve lost a lot of energy.”
“I know, I know,” Erin said as her eyes emitted an unearthly glow. “But I can handle a simple searching spell at least.” Then, as she finally found what she was looking for, “There!”
“You know where it is?” Morien asked.
“Yeah,” Erin pulled herself up with her staff and grinned.
“Then let’s-”
A horrified scream cut Morien off, and the trio of travelers turned toward the noise in terror.
“Julia!” Morien gasped.
“Th-that’s the opposite direction we need to go,” Erin whimpered.
“Then…” Morien glanced at Yann and Erin, before looking in the direction of Julia’s scream.
“Aw nuts…” Morien sighed. “Yann? You take Erin and Hobie to the chandelier. I’ll… I’ll save Julia.”
“What?” Erin cried. “Are you crazy? Bluebeard’ll kill you! The more time we waste, the less chance Julia has of surviving!”
“I know, I know!” Morien moaned. “I know all that! But if I don’t do something, maybe you won’t make it to the chandelier in time. Someone needs to buy us time, and I… I guess that’s me.”
“You’ll die,” Erin whispered.
“Maybe, but… Julia’s counting on me,” Morien sighed.
Perhaps, had the situation not been so dire, they would have had more time to argue. But as it was, time was of the essence. A decision had to be made immediately, and Morien knew this was the right one. And so, before Erin could convince him otherwise, he steadied his shaking knees, calmed his frightened breathing, and steeled his pounding heart as he dashed towards Julia’s screams.
The worst part was not the rolling mass of screaming, bleeding flesh that prodded and pawed at her sickeningly. The worst part was not the leering, laughing, hircine horror that held her in his tightened grip. The worst part was not the all-consuming stench of blood, which she would still be able to smell for many years to come. All this was enough to bring her to tears and screams and whimpers, but it was still not the worst part. The worst part was that, in the end, Julia would die alone. She had known it would end like this. She had always known. Ever since her family had been taken from her, she had known that she would die alone. Like the current of a raging river, friends and lovers passed through Julia’s life. And though she reached out, she knew in the end that she would never find a rock within that river; someone solid to hold on to. She had come close, with the companions she had made on this quest. But in the end, thanks to her own selfish whims, she was set to lose them all. It was all her fault, she thought. She deserved this.
“Calm yourself, my dear,” Bluebeard whispered as he waded through the flesh and blood towards a hook ready-made for Julia.
Julia continued to sob and moan and howl, though she knew it was pointless. This was how it was meant to be. This was how it was always going to end.
Then a clarion cry cut through the howls and the screams and the laughs and the tears. And it was a cry, no, a squeak, Julia knew well.
“H-hey!” Morien almost fainted at the sight of the horror that awaited him within the room. But as he saw Julia there, the young man knew he had to act.
“M-Morien…” Julia could not believe her eyes.
“Ah, the fool in shining armor,” Bluebeard sneered. “Is there a reason for your presence?”
“Uh… um…” Morien stammered and sputtered. “Y-you… let her go! I, uh, I e-escaped, so the, uh, the c-contract, uh, it, uh, d-doesn’t…”
“Doesn’t hold?” Bluebeard pouted. “But my dear boy, even with my power depleted, it’s far more than a match for the likes of you. Why shouldn’t I simply kill you both, right here and now?”
“B-because…” Morien could not think of a single good reason.
So he threw his broken hilt at Bluebeard, striking the hircine lord square in the face. It was only a minor distraction to the monstrous goat, but it provided enough time for Morien to run in, grab Julia, and run away as fast as his feet would take him.
“You… what are you doing here?” Julia managed to gasp out as the pair flew away.
“No talk time! Run, now!” Morien squeaked as the bleating, blue-bearded beast came barreling down the halls after them.
As Yann leapt and bounded down the halls, with Erin and Hobie nestled firmly on his back, he heard the howl of Bluebeard shaking the very foundations of the castle. But even as Erin looked back in horror to see the source of the noise, Yann did not slow down. The chandelier, it was the key. He had known, as he’d been dragged through it by the violet coverings. At that moment, he had realized the truth behind everything; behind Bluebeard, behind this castle, behind the magic that coursed through it all. And as the house had defenestrated him, thinking him dead, the thing that had kept the bard going was the need to find his friends, to find them and to warn them. They still did not understand. His vocabulary was still so limited, and though he had been able to convey the broad strokes, he knew the finer details still eluded his companions. It hardly mattered though. They knew enough to do what had to be done.
“Turn left!” Erin cried, and as Yann gracefully glided across the floor, he at last saw the familiar stairway and stained-glass window. Vaulting the banister in one lithe movement, Yann hit the ground running and did not stop until he noticed the lantern-man, standing calmly beneath the chandelier, as though he had been waiting for them.
“I knew you’d come,” the lantern-man smiled gently. “My lord underestimated you. But I knew you wouldn’t die so easily.”
Yann tensed, trying to gauge how to get Erin past the lantern-man and to her goal. Even as cleverly disguised as it was, Yann could sense the power rippling off the lantern-man’s figure. It scared him more than anything else in this house.
“Personally, I’d… well,” the lantern-man sighed. “It hardly matters. The point is, I’m contractually obligated to stop you. I hope you don’t mind.”
And with that, the lantern-man leapt towards the trio at inhuman speed, thrusting a kick that Yann barely avoided. With a cry, Erin and Hobie stumbled to the ground, and with a smirk, the lantern-man redirected his attack straight to the witch’s face. Instinctively, Erin put up a shield, but it shattered with ease, and the impact sent her and Hobie flying. Cursing and crying, Erin realized just how little power she still had left. It wasn’t fair! She needed more energy!
Before the lantern-man could deal a death-blow to her, Yann was upon him, and the two tall figures were engaged in a close-knit grapple. But Erin knew the bard’s intervention was a temporary fix at best. Already the lantern-man was gaining the upper hand on him. Erin had to act now. But what was she to do? She had used up too much power over the course of the night. From the searching spell to the attack hexes to the natural protective charms, the last of which had drained her of all the food from which she drew her power! She… wait…
Erin whipped her head about to gaze upon Hobie, still covered in that disgusting green bile she had spewed earlier. That bile had come from her magic, protecting her and shielding her from the tainted food on which she had dined. Could it perhaps…?
“Spin, spin, spin,” she whispered the words as she knelt beside the still-dead orb. Nearby Yann was losing his fight with the lantern-man. Slowly but surely, he was being beaten within an inch of his life. But Erin kept up her chant, knowing that if she failed at this, it was all over. Please, she prayed, let Yann live. Let all of us live, and let all of us leave.
With a cry of pain, Yann fell to the floor, his limbs twisted and mangled by the lantern-man, who seemed not at all fazed by the whole ordeal. And as he calmly marched towards Erin, the young sorceress at last let loose her spell.
“Spirits of the Spectrum, your servant Green calls for your aid,” the girl chanted. “Those who color the leaves and the grass, those who decorate the courts of kings, those who fill the eyes of my kin, I call upon you!”
And as she struck Hobie with all the power she had left, the magic orb flew through the air, spinning and glowing a brilliant hue of green. At that moment, Morien and Julia dashed down the stairs, as the blue-bearded beast behind them burst into the hall. Everyone then was present as the shining sphere struck the chandelier at last.
“Mm… what…?” Hobie buzzed to life just before he collided with the chandelier.
“NOOOOOO!” Bluebeard howled as he saw what the witch had done.
“What… what just happened?” Julia gawped.
The chandelier, it was the key, the key to save the day. Yann chuckled from where he lay.
“I think… we just saved everyone,” Morien said.
“But… how?” the lantern-man asked. “I’m afraid your victory eludes my understanding.”
“Don’t you know?” Erin smirked. “Violet becomes indigo. Indigo becomes blue. And blue… becomes green.”
And it was true. As the chandelier spun and spun and spun, its bluish hue transformed into the deepest green. Soon the carpets, the curtains, the stained-glass window, all of it had shifted as Erin’s power overtook the castle. And in the middle of it all, the hircine horror twisted and writhed as it began to shrink and once again take the form of a man.
“You!” Bluebeard clutched desperately at his chest. “Don’t you know what you’ve done? Don’t you know what you’ve done to me?”
“Ah, clever,” the lantern-man smirked at Yann. “You felt it. My lord’s heart.”
Indeed, Yann smiled. And from within the depths of the chandelier, the last mortal piece of Bluebeard began to twist and contract, slowly crushed by the spinning centripetal force. Bluebeard screamed as he felt his heart crunch and compress, and when it at last became too much, and billows of blue blood burst forth from the chandelier, Bluebeard collapsed to his knees, horror etched in all his features.
Then the hall was filled with stunned silence. Nobody moved, and nobody spoke. Until at last, the lantern-man burst into a fit of cold, cruel cackling. Slowly, everyone turned to face him, wondering what the cause of this sudden bout of merriment could be.
“Ah,” the lantern-man at last wiped the tears from his eyes. “I must admit, I didn’t expect it to end like this. And I must thank you, all of you, for finally putting my contract to rest. When my lord was first sealed, I thought his soul to be lost forever. But now, you’ve freed it, for me to acquire… personally.”
“No! No master!” Bluebeard sobbed. “I’ve served you well!”
“Silly boy,” the lantern-man grinned. “You knew the terms of the deal before you took it. Now it’s time you lived up to your end.”
“Who… who are you?” Morien asked.
“You know who I am,” the lantern-man’s eyes cast a crimson glow, like embers of the fiercest flame.
“You… you…” Morien gasped as he realized.
“Now then,” the lantern-man ascended the steps toward his “lord”. “You all are free to leave. But as for this fellow, his soul belongs to me.”
“Please… please…” Bluebeard sniveled.
“Well, since you said please…” the lantern-man chuckled. “I was supposed to take your soul immediately after your complete and total severance from the mortal plane. But… I suppose I could put that off.”
“R-really?” Bluebeard grinned in stunned disbelief.
“Sure,” the lantern-man laughed. “After all, now that your power is gone, all your wives are free. I’m sure they’ve got a few things they’d like to discuss with you, before you’re separated forever, that is.”
Instantly Bluebeard’s hope dissipated, and like a small, scared child, he began to scream and scream and scream. Gently the lantern-man scooped up the sobbing sorcerer, and began to take him upstairs.
“I’ll leave you all, so you don’t have to witness this,” the lantern-man said to the questers. “I think you’ve all suffered enough for one night.”
And with that, he was gone, disappeared as though he had never been there.
“W-wait!” Morien cried, with an urgency that surprised even himself.
“Yes?” the lantern-man’s head popped back into existence.
“Y-you…” Morien gulped. “If you are… who you say you are…”
“Please be brief,” the lantern-man sighed. “I may be immortal, but I don’t have all day.”
“Then… d-do you have the soul of a jinni?” Morien asked. “A blue one, he died… very recently. Is he… with you now?”
The lantern-man stayed silent for a while, before sighing and rolling his eyes.
“You really shouldn’t be asking that sort of thing to the Prince of Lies,” the lantern-man groaned. “But, since you got me this one’s soul, I suppose I owe you all at least one favor. To answer your question, no. No, I don’t have his soul. It’s with the other fellow. You know the one. Even after all that jinni did, he somehow was redeemed. I wonder how. Oh well, until we meet again.”
And with that, he was gone, for good this time. And with his departure, the trappings of the castle began to fade away. The stained-glass window became an empty hole, the stairway a rotting husk, and the tapestries and carpets nothing but ashes and dust. Even the dress Julia wore crumpled and disintegrated, like every fake, beguiling thing in that house. With a cry, Morien noticed the shell-shocked Julia now lay naked, and, nervously averting his gaze, the young man removed his coat, to place it over her for cover.
“Is… everyone alright?” Morien called out.
“I think so,” Hobie hovered down woozily from the skeletal structure that had once been a chandelier. “Would someone mind telling me what just happened? And why I’m covered in vomit?”
“Morien…” Julia whispered, and the blushing boy glanced down to see that tears were falling down her cheeks.
“I’m… I’m sorry!” Julia burst into sobs. “I’m so sorry! All of this, everything that happened, it was all my fault! We almost died, because of me! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
Morien remembered the deal he had struck with Julia, before all this had transpired. He still had yet to tell her that he’d told her so. And under normal circumstances, he would have leapt at the chance to gloat so blatantly in Julia’s face. However, for reasons he did not even fully understand himself, he could not bring himself to brag. As he saw the merchant sobbing and shivering like a small, scared child, the only thing that mattered to him at that moment was that she was safe. It made him happy, happier than he expected, knowing that. But it made him sad, sadder than he expected, to see Julia in such a state of sorrow. Gently he knelt down beside her, and placed his hands comfortingly on her shaking shoulders.
“H-hey,” he grinned. “Come on, this whole… guilt thing isn’t you. Cut it out, huh?”
“I’m serious!” Julia bawled. “I didn’t… I never… I really thought you were going to die back there! I thought I was going to die! Stop making jokes!”
“I… o-okay,” Morien blushed. “Alright. You want the truth? I really thought I was going to die back there, too. But then you said… you said that you believed in me. And I couldn’t let you down, not after you’d said something like that. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t. And I don’t know why, but if you’re safe, if we’re all safe, then that’s all that matters to me in the end.”
“You…” Julia stared at him. “You really mean that?”
“Yeah, I know,” Morien sighed. “Gonna call me a naïve kid again?”
It was a while before Julia spoke, or did anything really. For the longest time, she simply stared in stunned silence at Morien, making the young man feel strangely awkward and insecure. At last though, a smile came to Julia’s lips, and her eyes glinted as she shook her head in disagreement.
“No,” she whispered. “I won’t.” Then, after a moment, “Thank you.”
For some reason, Morien could find no articulate quip to respond with, instead mumbling and coughing, before finally tearing himself away from Julia’s strangely magnetic gaze.
“Uh… l-let’s go,” Morien gibbered. “We’ve got to get everybody patched up and out of here.”
“Okay,” Julia’s nose crinkled as she laughed once again.
After loading up the wagon and making sure everyone was healed, cleaned, clothed, and fed, the band of travelers departed on their journey once again, leaving the ruins of Bluebeard’s castle far behind them.
“So… how’re you holding up?” Morien asked Julia as he rode shotgun.
“I’ll… I’ll be okay,” Julia smiled. “What about you?”
“Me? I’m fine,” Morien said. “Just happy to be away from there.”
The pair sat in awkward silence, neither knowing quite what to say, until their path was intersected by a carriage of seemingly royal design. Morien briefly wondered what such a noble vehicle was doing in the middle of nowhere, when a knight and his steed trotted up from beside the carriage towards them.
With a sneer that took several generations of fine breeding to perfect, the knight scoffed out an inquiry towards Julia. “Tell me, peasant-”
“Merchant,” Julia scowled.
“Peasant,” the knight hissed. “What befell that castle over yonder? My lady and her mother were invited to spend the night on their journey to Aix, but when we arrived we found only ruins.”
Julia and Morien exchanged bewildered glances, neither quite sure how to answer.
“Uh…” Morien stammered.
“About that…” Julia stuttered.
“Yehovah be praised, am I talking to a pack of simpletons?” the knight huffed. “Must I speak in little words to you?”
“Roland?” a sing-song voice called out from the carriage. “What’s going on out there?”
“Nothing, my lady!” the knight shouted. “Merely dealing with the lower classes.”
“I know very well how you deal with the lower classes. Perhaps you could allow me to speak on my own behalf?” the voice sighed as a hand brushed aside the carriage curtains.
“My lady, no!” the knight cried. “I could not permit you to mingle with such rabble! I-!”
“Merciful Ar-Rahman,” Morien whispered.
“Great Yehovah!” Julia gasped.
There, sitting in the carriage, gazing curiously outside, was a face the questers were all too familiar with. Indeed, if it were not for the eyes of deepest green, as opposed to richest brown, Morien would have sworn the girl before them was Julia Ventura herself.