Chapter 790: Clarus Castle (Patreon)

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Evander whispered. He fidgeted with his helmet. The helmet wasn’t the right size and the small eye slits were somewhat off.

“Stop it, or you’re going to draw attention to us,” Gale whispered harshly.

“Sorry.” Evander went rigid, arms at his side. Gale had barely spoken a word to him since he had awoken from the ambush. It didn’t take a scholar to understand she was angry at him, but as to why she was angry, Evander still couldn’t figure it out.

“Keep quiet and let Victoria lead us,” Stryg said.

“She can talk?” Tauri asked.

“Not exactly,” Stryg admitted. The four of them followed Victoria as her retinue to the front gate of Clarus’ castle. They were all dressed in armor of House Greymark. Stryg had shapeshifted his complexion to the reddish-brown of the horned sune folk. Though he didn’t have the horns, he hoped the helmet and armor would be enough to dissuade anyone from taking a closer look. Complex shapeshifting requiring extra horns or other body parts was still beyond his abilities. Tauri, on the other hand, had opted to cover her face in a cloth mask and her hands with gloves. 

The castle guards stood under the gateway and commanded Victoria to stop as their group approached. Though she was a little paler than normal, Victoria appeared alive. She nodded at the castle guards and waited for their inspection.

Stryg stepped up and gave a salute to the guards. “Captain Victoria Greymark and her squad, here to give a direct report to Lady Lydira Clarus, as she requested.”

Victoria gave a grunt of acknowledgement. Though she could not speak on her own, Stryg could give her simple commands.

One of the guards glanced at their log book, noting the expected appointments for the day, while the other guard walked around the Stryg and the others, searching for anything that might appear off. He stopped in front of Evander and frowned as he leaned forward for a closer inspection. “Trouble with your helmet?”

“Nothing serious.” Evander gave a wide smile, his perfect teeth seeming a little too perfect for an ordinary soldier.

“Right…” The guard frowned.

“Lady Clarus is expecting you. I wouldn’t keep our mistress waiting if I were you,” the other guard snapped his log book closed and ushered them along.

Victoria gave another grunt and walked on ahead, the others quick to follow.

“That wasn’t too bad,” Evander said after they had made some distance.

“Are you kidding me? We almost got caught because you couldn’t keep your hands off that stupid helmet,” Gale hissed.

“It’s not my fault. This thing was clearly made for a sune with large horns. I don’t even have horns,” Evander said.

“Enough, both of you. We’re here.” Stryg looked up at the looming castle in front of them. “Evander, you’re up.”

Evander took a deep breath and nodded. “Right. This way.” He led them inside and down a hall to their right. Though he had never been inside the castle, he was well acquainted with the structure of Olduun. The kitchens would be located in the east wing to take advantage of the sea breeze that would blow the smoke from the cooking fires away from the castle.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long until they found themselves standing in front of the largest kitchen Stryg had ever seen. He had thought the Veres’ manor’s kitchen was large, but it was barely a quarter of the size in comparison. Over twenty cooks bustled about, chopping vegetables, marinating meat, grilling the food over the fires, and more. There was an entire table dedicated to food ready to go out and still they were cooking more. Stryg wondered if it had to do with having to satiate the appetites of dragons. 

Did dragons eat less when they were shapeshifted into smaller forms? Or did their bodies still require the same amount of sustenance? He had no idea.

“The rest of you wait out here. I’ll figure out where Titania’s room is,” Evander said. But Stryg wasn’t listening. He had already wandered inside, entranced by all the scents.

One of the cooks noticed their arrival. She cocked her hips and put a hand on her waist. “Can I help you?”

“Uh…” Stryg blanked.

“Hi, sorry to bother you.” Evander gave a charming smile. “Bit of a strange situation. We were sent to deliver some food to young Lady Titania’s room. Seems like there was some mix -up of the food, maybe? She didn’t like what they served her earlier. No judgment, of course. You know how nobility can be, not your fault.”

“Ugh, it wasn’t a mix-up. I told Ailee to not add the tomato sauce with the fish.” The cook shook her head. “Children are always so picky with their food, especially when they are in a bad mood.”

“I honestly wouldn’t know. I wasn’t there. I was just given orders,” Evander said. The fewer questions he had to answer, the better.

“And that’s why you’re a soldier. Do what you're told and nothing else, ey, lad? I wish my assistants were like you.” The cook selected a platter of food on the table and covered it with a metal cloche. “Here you are.”

“Thank you so much.” Evander grabbed the platter and turned to leave, then he winced and slowly turned back to the woman. “I’m sorry, I’m not too familiar with the noble’s living quarters. Any chance you know which room is the young lady’s?”

“She isn’t in her room. Her mother sent her to the dungeon cells on account of her disobedience,” the cook said.

Stryg froze. “What? They put her in a dungeon cell?”

“I know. Poor girl. Wait.” The cook furrowed her brow. “Isn’t that why they sent you to bring her her food? A guard from the dungeon?”

“Yeah, of course. Silly us. It’s been a long night. Haven’t gotten a wink of sleep. Hehe… Okay, bye.” Evander turned on his heel, pulled Stryg’s arm, and walked out with the food.

Gale and Tauri waited for them in the hallway outside the door. “Did you get it?” Tauri asked.

“Yeah. But she’s not in her room. She’s in the dungeon,” Evander said.

“What? Why?” Tauri asked.

“Her mother,” Stryg growled. 

“She sounds lovely,” Tauri said dryly. “So, what’s the plan? The soldiers guarding the dungeon are going to ask questions if we try to see Titania.”

“I don’t care. I’m getting her out of there,” Stryg walked off on his own.

“Wait, where are you going? Do you even know the way?” Gale called out in a low voice.

“I’ll figure it out,” Stryg said.

“Wait. Dammit—” Gale tried to run after him, but Tauri pulled her back.

“Don’t run,” Tauri hissed. “You’ll draw attention to ourselves.”

“But—”

“He’s the Traveler’s son. He won’t get lost,” Tauri said. “Just follow him, casually.”

“Is that like a magical gift, or something?” Evander asked. “He’s a walking compass or something?”

“No, I don’t think so. But Stryg always found Lunae in the forest when he was only just a toddler. If he can do that, maybe he can find Titania?” Tauri said.

“Maybe,” Gale muttered.

“There you are, Captain Greymark. We were expecting you in the main hall.” A guard approached them.

Victoria turned to the sune man, her eyes vacant.

“Shit.” Tauri grimaced underneath her helm.

Gale glanced at Stryg, he was already at the end of the hall. She could make a run for it and catch up, but the guards would definitely try and stop them to investigate.

“What are you waiting for, captain? This way.” The guard gestured for them to follow.

“What’s the plan?” Tauri whispered.

“Play along for now. When we get a chance, we’ll make a break for it, and find Stryg,” Gale whispered as she followed a few steps behind the guard.

“Sounds like a plan,” Tauri nodded.

“May I remind you both that the undead can’t actually speak?” Evander whispered, panic rising in his voice.

“We’ll handle it,” Gale said.

~~~

Whether it was luck, divine providence, or something else, Stryg found himself walking down the steps into the dungeon. There was sunlight down here, only the gloom-filled torchlight of a few sconces. Several guards were sitting down at a table, playing a game with small wooden pieces and bone dice. A platter of untouched fish lay to the side. They hadn’t even bothered to feed Titania her meal.

The guards all looked up at Stryg as he walked in. “Who are you?” asked one of them as he stood up.

For a moment, Stryg wished he could cast a purple spell of invisibility like Plum, but he never had the talent for it. And then Titania’s innocent smile appeared in his mind’s eye and the moment was gone. He didn’t want to hide from these animals.

Stryg rushed forward with unnatural speed to the guard who had stood up and struck his chest with an open palm. The guard’s armor caved in along with his chest as he went flying back into the wall. The other guards scrambled to their feet, but it was too late. Stryg grabbed the table by its edge and swung it across the room like a giant club. The guards were crushed like flowers underneath a boot. 

In less than ten seconds, the room was covered red with blood. Broken bodies lay across the floor covered with viscera and shattered bones. Their bodies were too mangled to be recognized. The thought suddenly occurred to Stryg that he might have crushed the keys to the cells during the scuffle.

He briefly considered searching for the keys but dismissed the idea. Stryg walked over to the iron door and channeled brown. He dug his claws into the small space between the door and the wall for grip and pulled with all his might. The steel buckled under the force before the door was ripped off its hinges in a loud screech.

The cells beyond were mostly empty, save for a few desiccated bodies. None held a child. Stryg walked to the end of the dungeon and found a trapdoor in the last cell. A pit of worry filled his stomach at the sight. He crouched down and ripped the door open.

~~~

Titania awoke in the dark. There was no light, not from a candle nor the sun. How long had it been since she had fallen asleep?

The light of Aleirune had disappeared. With a worried breath, Titania looked around, desperately hoping the monster was gone. The burning eyes stalking her from the shadows were nowhere to be seen. She was alone.

The thought should have elicited some semblance of comfort, but all Titania could think about was how truly alone she was. Her parents had disowned her and sold her away to the monster who had killed Lena, arguably the only person in her life who had genuinely been kind to her with no ulterior motives.

Titania curled into a small ball and wrapped her arms together for warmth. The floor was icy cold and the air stagnant. Her eyes stung with tears as she remembered the final look in her mother’s eyes. A look of apathy and utter contempt, and an impatience to get it all over with. 

‘You are not alone.’

Titania scoffed at the final words Aleirune had left her with. She was alone. She always had been.

The trapdoor above her squeaked from its hinges. Titania looked up and squinted as light flooded into the pit. A familiar silhouette looked down at her from above.