Page 18 of Lord of the Castle
The vile scent of sulfur filled the air. But there was no time to recover. Another beast was upon me, and another. Behind me I heard Lord Cedric roar as he fought, skewering the creatures with his sword. I whirled, driving my blade in and out, quickly losing ground. There was nothing but the beasts, their cries, their claws, their teeth, their blades, and the rot as they died, as though they were already dead beings that had come back to life.
The air stunk of death. Sweat trickled down my neck and gathered under my arms. Fear drove me on as I realized exactly what this horror was. The fight for life, the fight for the village and the fight to stop these creatures, even just one, from escaping out into the village.
The eyes of the villagers, uplifted in joy as they celebrated, flashed before me. The young and old, the women and children, they all deserved better than this. For what if these ghastly creatures broke into their homes? What then? Perhaps they knew the danger, and it was why they were thankful for Lord Cedric. For they knew what he saved them from.
I spun, trying to catch sight of him through the madness. Year after year, how could he stand this horror? We’d only just begun and already I’d had enough. Enough of the blood, the violence and the darkness that seemed as if it would overwhelm me. My fingers would not let go of the sword, and my arms shook from fatigue, but there was no rest, no stopping, only the fingers of death which reached out greedily, ready to suck life away.
A beast knocked me to my knees, and I slashed at it, slitting the back of its legs. I stumbled to my feet only to be knocked down again. This time I rose slower. A blade slammed into my gauntlet, and my teeth clattered in my skull. A battle cry came out of my lips, but it was raw and hoarse. My blade was heavy in my hands. Another beast slammed into my back. I fell, catching myself on my hands and knees.
My throat was parched, my hair hung in my face, soaked with sweat and blood. I peered up just as a roar split the air. The sound of it reverberated through me and it seemed as though everything froze. The beasts halted their attack, and even the forest seemed to hold its breath.
Light caught my eye and my mouth fell open as I saw that Cedric’s staff had bloomed. Ominous purple light spread out in an arc around him. He held up both hands, his gaze fixated on the trees, and his mouth wide open in a roar.
My breath stole away as I watched his human form change. His hair grew longer, wilder, almost covering his face and body. The muscles of his arms and legs lengthened and stretched, his hands turning into the claws of a monster. Those eyes I loved to look into changed from purple into pools of endless black. His open mouth revealed a row of teeth as sharp as the edge of a knife. His clothing ripped and tore as he transformed, and horns appeared on his head, curling up like branches of the great trees.
Bile rose in my throat as I watched the man I loved shift into something horrible, evil and impossible. When his transformation was complete, I dropped to my knees. Dread crushed my heart for I knew I had come face to face with the Lord of Darkness.
Chapter Thirteen
My heart sunklike a stone seeking its watery grave as understanding washed over me. My stomach clenched for now Sasha’s unkind whispers made sense. The Lord of the Castle was the Lord of Darkness. Surely the kingdom did not know this for a fact, and yet they still sent a guard to kill him. Or was it kill and be killed?
Once my initial shock and fear faded, a cold numbness came over me. Roars shook the forest as the Lord of Darkness fought on all fours like a wild beast. He was a barbarian after all, and the dark creatures flew as he ripped and tore, bellowing as he mowed them down like wheat during the harvest.
The creatures of the wood came on with a manic madness. They fought long and hard until the bodies piled up around us and the scent of death filled the air. And then, the onslaught decreased until there were no more. The Lord of Darkness walked away from the melee back to his staff which stood alone in the glade, unbothered. He dragged one of his legs behind him and then rose up on two feet, like a man.
I watched as he looked around, and then those orb-like black eyes settled on me. We stared at each other, breathless and I searched that monstrous face for a sign of Lord Cedric. Was he in there, somewhere, deep inside the monster? But I saw nothing, not even a faint flicker of recognition to give me hope. My hand, fisted around my sword, loosened and the blade thumped onto the forest floor. My limbs were weary with exhaustion but my heart hurt as though it had been thrashed with a hundred whips. I hadn’t become a shield-maiden for this horror. My training taught me that monsters must die, but this situation was complex. There was no one to tell me what I should do. If I ran he might overtake me, and I could not be sure he was lucid inside of the monster’s body. If I fought or fled, would he slay me?
Finally, the Lord of Darkness tore his eyes away from me, grunted and reached for the staff. Motes of purple light danced around him as he transformed and the flower on top of the staff closed, resuming its dormant position as a bud. His hair grew short, and his limbs changed back into those of a man. His clothes hung in tattered rags on his body. When he faced me again, he was the Lord Cedric I knew. But suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed.
I was by his side in a moment and decisions ripped through my mind. I had to leave. I’d done my duty and the past month had gone by like a dream in which I was suspended from reality. But now I knew the truth about Whispering Vine. The villagers refused to face the truth and lived in blissful ignorance. The monster they should fear most had already entrapped them. He held their trust, he cared for them and protected them. Perhaps they knew. Perhaps they didn’t. But it did not matter as long as they were safe and happy. And could I, a shield-maiden, sworn to protect the crown, allow such darkness to live, unquestioned, unaccountable.
Tears streaked my face and my vision blurred more than once. I pulled my knife free and held it in both hands to keep them from shaking. The pointed end would drive into his heart, but I couldn’t make my arms move, couldn’t take the plunge. It was a curse that the man I loved was also the Lord of Darkness. But how could a lord reign in the realm of humans if he wasn’t human himself? Such darkness would ruin all. But why did it have to be me? The man I saw the most potential with. The villagers celebrated him. The rose garden grew under his care, and everything and everyone he touched loved him. Was this his curse, the gift of being loved by all when damnation happened every year on the night of Samhain?
His chest rose and fell, steadily breathing. He was still alive. But mine would be the killing blow. Even as I lifted the knife higher, I knew it would not come down. For how could I kill a man I loved, misunderstood and yet loved all the same? Now his actions made sense, the way he’d turned from me every night, as though he only deserved stolen glimpses of happiness. But I knew he deserved so much more.
“If you kill him, the wood-wrights will walk free,” said a voice.
I whirled, my hair flying in my face as I caught a glimpse of red. The knife shook in my hands, now pointed at the intruder as I stared at a woman. She looked like a human, standing a bit taller than me with brown skin, wide brown eyes and glossy black hair that tumbled free to her waist. Her hands were empty but she wore a red dress, and behind her a man stood, his naked sword glistening with blood in the low light. He kept his gaze trained on her, admiration written across his face as the woman in red strode toward me. Her presence was commanding, and even as I rose to my feet, I knew she was a kind of royalty.
“Who are you?” I breathed.
She glanced briefly at me, but then her gaze went to Lord Cedric and studied him. “I am called Yula, Queen of the Wildwood, and this is my knight, Sir Aelbrin. And you are the one who was sent to kill Lord Cedric.” She spoke matter-of-factly.
“But,” I paused. This was the woman Lord Cedric had spoken to the day I spied on him. “He is the Lord of Darkness. He is a monster…”
“Yes,” Yula waved her hand over his body, and her brow furrowed. “I did not know he was lame.”
“It pains him,” I added, “If anything can be done—”
The Queen of the Wildwood stared at me. “Yes, if anything can be done. You were going to kill him?” She pointed at my blade.
My face went hot, and my fingers shook. “I cannot kill someone I love.”
The Queen of the Wildwood crossed her arms. “Then don’t. He is nothing compared to the monsters that inhibit the wood. I warn you, if you give your heart to him, you must understand that he will always be the Lord of Darkness. When the wood-wrights rise, he is the one who will keep them from invading the village and slaying all who live there.”
I took deep shuddering breaths as I tried to make sense of what she said. “Will more come?” I asked, emotion making my words thick.
“It is done,” she said.
