Into the Casle

The Kingdom of Luria’s centre was quiet. The town surrounding the castle was eerily desolate, like a ghost town. A lot of villages had moved away, escaping was more accurate.

Those left went on about their daily lives. Their new daily lives.

Orders from the castle came from left to right, some of the vampire subjects operated things down in the town and no one was left without work. Guards watched the streets; no one was getting in or out without their permission, which ultimately was Acheron’s.

In a bush by the outskirts hid Liam and Karth. They were observing. Had been for quite a while.

“Where could Gwen and Colinus be?” Liam whispered.

“Why are you in need of other people's company?” Karth asked. His delusions had worsened. He was very keen on making up troubles and new scenarios; as if he wasn’t useless before, he didn’t help much now either. He was helping less, actually.

“Stop it,”

“No. I demand to know. It’s your father, isn’t it? I’ll ask him for your hand, don’t worry. If he disagrees I’ll just end-”

“Karth! Please, stop making things up. You’re embarrassing me,” Liam pleaded.

He was a bit worried because he didn’t hate Karth being weirdly affectionate. It was nice. Just knowing you had someone by your side, knowing you had a particular someone by your side. But he also knew that Karth didn’t feel like that, it was the potion at Guk’s that had made him like this.

Lady was rubbing against his neck. She had been since they reached the outskirts.

“Lady?” asked Liam, ambiguously.

Karth then responded, “You have a lady? Who?”

Liam sighed. “She’s a bug. You keep making things up, and what even is the problem. Jealous?” he asked, not expecting an answer.

“Why, of course I am, I’m yours, aren't I? Then you should be mine as well. Don’t hang around others,”

He was surprisingly a very jealous character, Liam thought. It made him chuckle. Perhaps he would attempt asking Karth out after everything was restored. When all was good again and the damage he’d done was, as most it could, fixed.

He felt playful, “That’s quite romantic of you,”

“I am a romantic for you only,” Karth smirked.

Liam couldn’t hold his laugh. He held Lady at the tip of his finger so he wouldn’t accidentally crush her. He missed Gwen, she would’ve laughed as much as him if she had heard this. She seemed the kind of person who didn’t sway for romantic lines or cheesy gestures. How she was in love with the prince was a bit of a mystery to him but it didn’t matter. They liked each other, didn’t they?

With all his giggling, Liam eventually did utter his want out loud, “Haha. I wish I could tell Gwen,”

“Another lover?” Karth asked, with mild spite.

“Nothing of the sort,” Liam laughed.

“Liam?”

He heard a female voice from behind him. He turned around so fast his hair slapped him. Gwen and Colinus stood behind them. Colinus had a dishevelled look, he held a map in one hand and a purple flower in the other. He also seemed very confused.

Gwen ran up to Liam, she embraced him in a big and warm hug. Liam couldn’t help but reach his arms around her as well. It felt like coming home; it was comforting.

“I’ve missed you,” she shouted out, she observed their spot and asked a question from her deductions, “Why didn’t you call for us earlier,”

It was obvious from their looks that Karth and Liam had been sticking to one place for a while, so Gwen was curious about why they hadn’t called earlier. She had given Liam the bug, Lady, so they could find each other when they returned to meet.

“I called you? Didn’t you find us just now?” he asked, they let go of each other. Karth glared at Gwen. Colinus glared at Karth.

The prince walked up to them. “Are you alright, Liam?” he asked, caressing Liam’s cheek while running his eyes past his face and to Karth. “He didn’t do anything?”

“Ah, no I’m fine-”

“It’s you!” Karth suddenly voiced, pointing at Colinus.

Everyone's eyes widened. Was there a fight about to begin again? Another bickering session of those two going at each other?

“What?” Colinus said sourly.

“Allow me to ask for Liam’s hand in ma-” Karth was interrupted by Liam sprinting at him, crashing into him, and covering his mouth.

Liam whispered aggressively, “What are you doing?! That’s not my father! Did you hit your head?!”

Karth responded in a similar fashion, but calmer, “Are you getting cold feet?”

Liam was done. They stood up and Karth was placed to stand by a tree. He did so only because Liam threatened to call off the engagement if he spoke to anyone other than him.

Colinus sharply asked, “What was he going to say, hm?”

“Nothing. He’s, um, he’s sick! Caught something on the road.” he lied.

“Really?” Gwen asked, “he looks fine,”

“Yeah, well, looks aren’t everything,” said Liam, jokingly.

The two were a bit reluctant but decided there was no time for arguing. Gwen grabbed the flower from Colinus’ hand, “Where’s the book?” she asked, hurriedly.

“Here,” Liam answered, giving her the book.

She flipped through the pages like a storm at sea until she found the one she was looking for. It was filled with scripture, a language Liam couldn’t read. He glanced up at the others hovering over it with great interest.

“That’s so simple,” Gwen said, disappointedly.

Colinus nodded, “Agreed, but we still have to make that monster consume it,”

“What is simple?” Liam asked.

“The spell,” Gwen answered wholeheartedly, “The flower is made into a liquid using a pretty standard spell,”

Liam gave it some thought, “So we have to make sure Acheron drinks it?”

“Precisely,”

“And how do we do that?” he questioned. Liam noticed the atmosphere bumped down, so for some relief he added a joke, “Put it in his afternoon tea?”

“...”

Liam hurriedly said, “Sorry,” after feeling that his joke wasn’t well timed. But Colinus put out his hand in protest.

“Actually, that might work, don’t you think so?” he said to Gwen.

She gave a slight nod, “Maybe… If someone could go in disguised as a servant, they could offer him a drink,”

Both turned to Liam. He backed away.

“What?”

“You!” Gwen exclaimed, “He won’t recognise you. He’ll recognise Colinus and me from frames on the castle walls. And,” she gulped and glanced back at Karth, “He is recognisable everywhere… That leaves you,”

“Me? I’m supposed to infiltrate the castle? But-”

“I think only you can” Gwen added, she grabbed Liam’s hand.

He gazed into her eyes. It was difficult saying no, could he even say no? After some time thinking, and feeling the pressure, he caved.

“Fine, I’ll do it!” he said with determination.

The inside of the caste was surprisingly quiet. Liam and Colinus sneaked along the cold stonewalls. They wore appropriate clothes to melt in with the other servants.

The plan was to have Liam carry in a drink with the liquid that would make Acheron fall asleep and Colinus would be hiding close by in case of any changes. He couldn’t be seen directly by the enemy but he could definitely be the back up.

Gwen had stayed with Karth, whose situation had been explained by Liam in a hush as he didn’t need Colinus knowing about it as well. The way in was very simple. Both Gwen and Colinus, being of high magical abilities, had summoning spots in their rooms.

This meant they could practically teleport into their rooms whenever they were within the borders or Luria. Lady was of the same summoning spell, when Liam said Gwen’s name, the triggering word, he summoned them to him. Very convenient.

They stalked the workers by the kitchen. Colinus had left with another group of workers to enter the grand hall and hide somewhere. Liam entered the kitchen, his palms were sweaty.

The head chef was a bulky old vampire-looking man. One of his fangs stuck out from under his pale lips. His hair was grey and thinning. He had a sort of raspy voice, with an occasional hiss. The chef noticed Liam lingering by the door and slammed a pot onto the oven to startle him. Which he did.

Liam jumped out of hiding, and nervously met the chef’s eye. He only had one. The other was gone, mostly covered by thin strands of hair, but still visible as an empty hole.

“What’re ye doin’? Take this damn tray and deliver it! I can’t be doin’ all the work around here, now can I?” he said in a thick, unrecognisable accent.

Liam took the tray in front of him. It was filled with three smaller plates of food. There was one resembling black spaghetti, the sauce was scarcely blood-resembling; the next platter had a small cake, but there was an eyeball on it, the iris was red; the last held a bowl of clear liquid.

A grimace took over his face. Liam could feel some of his consuming wanting to exit the wrong way. He took a deep breath and focused on the long, thin glass of water, he presumed. After entering the hallway he placed the flower liquid in the drink and moved towards the grand hall.

He came across the chef once more, and got a firm scolding. “Get movin’ ye nut. Er else I’ll cook ye up nicely and ye can satisfy the king in another way,”

His scolding terrified Liam who quickly scurried away to deliver the tray of dinner. Eventually he reached the room. Upon entering, a cold gust of wind nearly made him drop the tray. He walked in, on the throne in the far back sat Acheron.

He had a mischievous smile plastered on his countenance. It was unsettling.

Liam saw something in the corner of his eye. It had to be Colinus lurking in the shadows. He put the tray down by a table next to the throne. Acheron gave him a curious look, he stood up. He whirled his cape around for a moment then asked, “Are you new?”

Liam gulped, “Yes. sir,”

Acheron rolled his two coloured eyes, “Clearly. Refer to me as ‘my King’ in the future. I’ll let you off for today,” he said loudly and dramatically.

“Sorry, my King,” Liam said apologetically.

“Ha! You learn quickly,” Acheron laughed. He wandered back to his seat, he grabbed the drink and put it to his lips.

Liam held his breath.