by Sara Clancy
Morning light fought against the thick, hovering of clouds. Its muted glow barely pushed back the shadows that lurked around the stones. It turned the open drawbridge into a gaping mouth, the hanging spikes of the battlement into fangs, the fires that dotted the walls into blazing eyes. It felt like the castle was watching them. Waiting for their return.
Mihail didn't have to see Abe's face to know how suspicious he was. It was clear by how hard he was sucking on one of his fangs.
“Well,” Radu's eyes scanned the area as he shifted into a better position, “that right there is a trap.”
Abe agreed with a growl. Frustrated by the lackluster response, he turned to Abe.
“So what do you think we should do?” Radu asked. “Do you see anything out there?”
Abe’s normally intense gaze took on a sharper focus. It was enough to make Mihail very grateful that he wasn't the subject of attention. After an excruciatingly long silence, Abe released a grunt that sounded something like, “Nothin’.”
Radu’s brow furrowed. “What is that supposed to mean? How can you see nothing right now? Did they go away?”
“They're hiding.” Abe shrugged. “Or waiting.”
“Those are two very different things,” Radu snapped.
It wasn't until Mihail tried to tune out the bickering men that he noticed what was missing. Straightening, he looked over his shoulder. Snowflakes slipped through the foliage and wafted slowly down the lengths of the trees, as silent as the forest they invaded.
“Tereza stopped screaming.”
His voice was soft but still drew the attention of his companions. Tipping their heads to the side, they listened for the phantom's cry. There weren't many sounds in the woods anymore. Tereza's rage had scared off the few deer and birds that had dared to venture this close to the castle. The insects that remained had gone to ground for the winter. The bats, however, weren't deterred. They flocked in their thousands, swooping overhead towards the castle towers. Mihail loved the sight. The proof that not all life had abandoned the halls of Castle Vaduva. Even learning that the bats were somehow linked to Draciana's magic hadn't robbed it of its charm. Leaning his head back, he watched them through the thin gaps in the canopy, their enthusiastic screeching making him smile.
“That doesn't seem like a good sign,” Radu whispered, dragging Mihail from his restful moment.
Abe stared at him for a moment, “Ya got a remarkable talent for statin' the obvious, don't ya?”
Turning back to the castle to watch the living stream seeking out its roost, Mihail felt a strong need to get inside.
“Is everyone ready to head in?” he found himself asking.
Mihail wasn’t prepared for the words to leave his mouth. But the men's skeptical expressions distracted him from his shock. If it had just been Abe doubting him, he would have ended up questioning himself a dozen times over. There was something about having Radu here that changed an essential part of their dynamic. He knows next to nothing about me but still thinks I'm weak. The bitter thought shot through Mihail’s mind, leaving a trace of burning rage in its path. It was a new sensation for him, something so alien that he couldn't be sure it originated from within him. The worthless have no right to judge me. Mihail shook his head, trying to dislodge the voice in his head. It sounded like his own thoughts. It's not. That's not me.
“Mihail?” Abe asked. “Ya ok?”
He swallowed thickly and forced himself to meet his friend's eyes. “Yes.”
Abe didn't believe him, “Anythin' ya want to tell me?”
The rage that wasn't his own jerked him a step forward, fists balled and jaw locked. Abe's stunned look snapped him out of it.
“I'm sorry,” he mumbled.
“You didn't do anything,” Radu said.
At the same moment, Abe asked, “Can ya tell the difference?”
Neither of them bothered to explain it to Radu right now.
“Yes.”
“Are ya in control?”
“Yes.”
“Right.” Abe adjusted the duffel bag strap with one hand, thumping Radu's chest with the other. “Keep an eye on both of us. Cut and run if ya need to.”
The officer couldn't decide what to say first. Apparently, he decided to stick to the demands of reality instead of the paranormal.
“We’re just going to walk into the trap?”
“Pretty much,” Abe said.
“Anyone else thinks that’s insane?” he asked, as he looked at each of them in turn.
Mihail smiled and waved his arms wide, “Welcome to Castle Vaduva.”
Chapter 12
Mihail left any sense of security behind with the forest. It was impossible to ignore how exposed they were. The weight of a thousand eyes watched their every move. Above them, the flood of bats twisted around the tower and vanished from sight. Peering through his misting breath, Mihail once more looked for a sign of his grandmother. Or the imposter. He found none. So instead, he searched for anything that could serve as a reminder of something pleasant. A moment in time, when familiarity and warmth could fortify his resolve. A reminder of why he was doing this. They had crossed the bridge and were passing through the shadows of the watchtower before he accepted the fact that there wasn't one. He could recall a few moments that held a certain degree of peace or contentment. But even then, they were tainted. He could never shake the knowledge that something was wrong.
None of them said it, but all three stopped just before the drawbridge ended and the cobblestones of the courtyard began. Mihail remembered an instant too late that it was Radu’s first time here, and that he had forgotten to warn him of the temperature change. In warmer months, it was perceptible and uncomfortable but nothing startling. Now, however, the sudden freeze was an arctic wind that tore at skin and ravaged bones. Radu swore as his body crumbled in half, desperately trying to keep some measure of warmth. Mihail did little better.
“Oh, yeah,” Abe's voice was sympathetic, his smile was nothing but mocking. “It gets cold here. Be ready for that.”
Radu glared at him. “Thanks for the heads up.”
Shivering violently, Mihail struggled to work his lungs against the freeze. His eyes roamed the area around them, relentlessly searching for the slightest hint of a threat. Look all you want, a voice whispered in the back of his head. You won’t see any of them until they want you to. With some effort, Radu straightened himself. His lips were already turning blue. Turning to Abe, he jerked his chin to indicate the area before them.
“Any chance we can get moving? I'm freezing my nipples off out here.”
“It's colder inside,” Mihail said absently.
That earned a disgruntled look, but he refrained from commenting. It was hardly the weirdest thing they had encountered so far.
“Well, I don't like being in the open like this. Abe, are we good here?”
They all knew their roles. Mihail determined the path they would take. Abe decided if it was safe for them to move. And Radu was the backup. With that in mind, Radu and Mihail lapsed into silence, allowing Abe to work without distraction.
He studied the looming walls and the dense shadows they threw over the vast courtyard. At the mercy of the wind, the bright, undisturbed snow had created rolling mounds that covered the cobblestones. A thick layer of ice now covered the small lake that hugged one of the far walls. The last of the bats found their hiding place and, without them, the world was deathly silent. At last, he drew in a deep breath, his eyes alive with both fury and sorrow.
“We've got company,” he added in a deep growl. “I'm gonna rip Draciana's throat out.”
Mihail turned his head just enough to put his friend in his peripheral vision. The huge man was staring straight ahead, his chest heaving, fangs savagely gnawing on his lower lip. The leather of his gloves crackled as he balled his hands into fists.
“What do you see?” Mihail asked.
“A forest of dead people.” It looked as if every word came with a degree of pain.
“This place needs to be leveled.”
A flash of rage scorched Mihail’s insides like wildfire. The notions were back, the thoughts that weren’t his own. It screamed in blind fury at the words and would have passed Mihail’s lips if he hadn’t bitten them savagely. Neither of his companions noticed. Radu was too busy waiting for the explanation that the medium either didn't see as necessary or was unable to give.
Abe stalked forward, twisting his shoulders as if trying to avoid some unseen object. It only took a few steps for the agitated darkness of the house to clash with Abe's otherworldly energy. The result was something akin to an electric charge. It pricked and snapped along Mihail's skin when he drew too close to his friend. There had only been a few times when he was able to sense the physical manifestation of the power trapped within Abe's skin. All of them had been within the castle walls. It seemed to rear up like a cobra to every challenge to crush him. Feeling it now was a bad omen. This is going to get so much worse.
No sooner had he thought it that the snow thickened, dumping onto the earth with heavy thuds. Abe latched onto Mihail's arm and almost yanked him off of his feet. The solid strikes continued, growing louder until the powdery snow gushed up at the impact. Stones, Mihail realized. He snapped his head up, watching as the few rocks became a virtual hailstorm. They bounced off the walls and clashed together. Their paths were chaos, making it nearly impossible for Mihail to judge where they would land. All of that was forgotten the moment he heard it. A hard, crushing noise that brought fresh waves of shrapnel.
“Run,” Abe said. His fingers tensed painfully on Mihail's arm before shoving him forward. “Run! Now!”
Mihail broke ahead of the pack. He dodged the larger stones as best he could, but there was no way to avoid the downpour entirely. Hot blood seeped across his skull as he sprinted up the stairs and grabbed the door handle. He had to throw his body weight into it, but the door swung upon, releasing a bellow of icy air that churned as a visible fog.
“What the hell!” Radu snapped.
Mihail whirled around to find the officer’s focus fixed above them. He looked up and his breath lodged in his throat. A colossal figure curled around the building. It moved like a blur towards them. Its claws crumbled the stone and its wings spread out to block the sun. The gargoyles. Fear rooted him in place. He could only watch it approach, his mind failing to understand what he was seeing. All his mental preparation had been for the small silver ones coming to life. Not the large ones. Not these massive monstrosities.
Abe looped an arm around Mihail's waist as he barreled past, wrenching him off his feet, and hurling him into the bitter cold. A layer of sleet covered the tiled floor. It caught Abe's feet and made him slip. Charging into Radu didn't slow them down. The collision threw them all to the ground and left them to careen across the foyer. The door slammed shut, hard enough to make the walls tremble. It cut off the minimal morning light and encased them in shadows.
An icy cold wind wafted over them and pressed down with crushing force. Captured within the freeze and under a few hundred pounds of muscle, Mihail was barely able to move. For a moment, he thought the blow to his head had affected his vision. Everything was shrouded with white and glistened in the minimal light emanating from the other room.
Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus, but it wouldn't clear. The ice that covered the floor cut into Mihail's palms as he squirmed out from under the others. His movements stirred the fog, making it roll out in ever-increasing ripples. The motion drew his attention to the frost that covered the stairs. The icicles dangled from the walls and formed sharp daggers that dipped from all the twin gargoyle statues that lined the staircase. Mihail had thought himself prepared for whatever strange thing the castle had planned for them. But now, as he looked around the winter wasteland, he knew that he could never conjure the horrors this structure was capable of.
The room trembled as the gargoyles tried to claw their way in. Abe shot to his feet, twisting one hand in the back of Mihail's shirt and dragging him up. Held up by Abe's strength, his feet barely touched the floor as they retreated across the foyer. Despite his show of power, there was a distinct weakness in Abe's stride, a trembling in his fingers, a sharpness of his breathing.
“Abe?” Radu asked as he fell into pace beside them.
Even with the shadows and his reddish beard, Abe suddenly looked pale.
“I’m fine,” he growled through his teeth. He looked to be hovering between agony and nausea, and both sensations never failed to bring a flash of fury to his eyes. Sometimes, Abe truly seemed to detest the restrictions his ability placed upon his body. “Just, keep going.”
An agonized cry left Abe's mouth as he doubled over again. Mihail managed to catch himself, though he struggled to keep the larger man from dropping to the ground like a stone. Abe's hand clutched at Mihail's shirt until the neckline choked him.
“Radu!” Mihail called.
The officer appeared almost instantly for him to take possession of Abe’s weight. Abe was reluctant to let him go, but allowed him to pull forward and lead the way through the ice-drenched hallways and fog filled rooms. Behind them, the doors shattered, reduced to splinters by the stone monsters forcing their way inside. They ran faster, but the sounds of the gargoyles destruction followed them. Growing louder. Closing in.
The ground trembled. Shards of ice crashed down from the ceiling like daggers. Each spike shattered as they hit the ground. The fragments struck Mihail’s pumping legs like hail, creating new waves of panic to course through Mihail. It urged him to move faster. To do what he could to drag the stricken Abe along.
They crashed against the wide door frame and exploded into the dining room. Every chair of the long antique table had been tossed about, their broken remains tripping their legs and slowing them down. Claw marks covered the tabletop, leaving areas for the ice to gather. The wall behind them was reduced to rubble. There wasn't any doubt that it was the gargoyles, but Mihail didn't dare to look back and confirm it.
It seemed like a dream when they finally reached the swinging kitchen door. While the door frame was wide, there was no way that the three of them could enter side by side. Mihail tightened his grip on Abe's arm, straining to be of help as he pulled back slightly. Instantly, Abe was reaching for him, trying to shove him forward. It was a strange sensation to push at Abe and feel his ordinarily unyielding mass and feel it have an effect.
“Go!” Mihail yelled and gave his friend a hard shove.
They toppled inside, dropping to the stone floor and scrambling forward to get away from the door.
“Salt?” Radu asked the moment he deemed Abe to be a safe distance away.
Mihail lurched to his feet and hurled open the pantry doors. Grabbing two jars, he tossed one to Radu, and they each sealed an entrance. Mihail's hands shook too hard to keep the line steady.
Holding their breaths, they waited to see what the monsters would do. The thin trails of white seemed flimsy and useless. Like trying to hold back a hurricane with a fence. Mihail gripped the jar until his hands ached. Absently, he retreated from the door to stand beside Abe. A low, feral growl rolled in from the dining room. He could hear the floor slowly crack under a crippling weight. The creature paced back and forth. It was otherwise quiet. Mihail hated that all the more. He wanted it to growl, and thrash, and rage. This silence almost sounded contemplative. Thoughtful. It suggested that they were facing something with both intelligence and the will to use it. Mihail jumped and Radu pulled his gun when the crunching noise came from the second entrance.
“They have us surrounded,” Radu said. “I trust one of you boys has a backup plan.”
“I’m working on it,” Mihail said.
Radu cursed. “If they come in, get Abe out through that window. I’ll hold them off.”
“They can’t come in,” Abe groaned.
He had managed to pull himself off the floor and brace his body against the counter top. His body trembled as a cold sweat began to bead across h
is forehead.
“Are you sure?” Radu asked.
Abe first glared at them, like forcing him to repeat himself right now was intolerable. But the expression soon gave way to something almost impish.
“I blessed the room a bit back,” he admitted.
Mihail turned to him, “You never told me that.”
“Yeah,” Abe shrugged. “It seemed easier to just do it.”
“Is that why I’ve had relative peace in this room?”
Abe shrugged.
“Oh. Well, thank you. But, you barely come inside and I’m always with you when you do. How did you do this?”
He motioned with his head to the high set window. “That opens up onto the courtyard.”
The idea of Abe blessing a room through a window made a bubble of laughter escape Mihail's mouth. It was just too strange. But the moment he started to laugh, all of his fear and anxiety twisted the noise to near hysteria. He couldn't stop himself. As his cackling filled the room and bounced off of the walls, he began to wonder if he was going mad. The concerned expressions of the others blurred as tears lined his eyes. He couldn't breathe. A sharp ache sparked along his sides. And still, he couldn't stop the manic laughter from trickling out of him. The worst was when other voices rose up with his own. Broken and grating, frantic and crazed, the walls themselves joined his frenzy.
They fed off one another, provoked each other into the depths of madness. He knew it, but he couldn't stop. It was as if some other thing had claimed him, leaving only the smallest space at his core for his own mind, enough to see but not to act.
Radu's hand brought a burst of fire as it struck the side of his face. For an instant, there was only a blinding light, a ferocious pain, and the ringing in his ears. It felt like his skull had shattered and only his skin kept it from crumbling like porcelain. In time, it faded, and he was able to blink the tears from his eyes. He looked up to see Radu standing before him, one hand ready to catch him and the other primed to hit him again.
