Candles flickered in the darkness.
Outside, sleet lashed down from dark skies. A chilling breeze drifted in through an open window.
Centuries ago, it had been a lavish banqueting hall; home of great feasts and laughter. But no more. Now it was a mere shell; cold and empty, like the rest of the castle.
Sadie, Scar and Vadim were sitting at the huge wooden table in the middle of the room. Their journey back from the UK had been long and miserable; their moods were foul.
A fierce argument was brewing.
Scar’s eyes bulged in his gruesome face; balls of pure hatred.
Sadie was forlorn. Her black hair hung limply in front of her eyes; tears of anger rolled down her pale cheeks.
Vadim wore a dangerous smirk on his horrible bruise-coloured lips.
“You had him” Scar growled at Sadie, “And you let him go!”
He shoved the remains of a raw sausage into his mouth and chewed, angrily. He had no interest in the taste of food; in fact he resented the necessity of eating, just as he resented everything
else in the world.
Sadie glared at him ferociously, “I didn’t let him go! You didn’t stop those others! You are to blame!”
“You delayed!” Scar retorted, spraying slimy chunks of sausage out of his open mouth, “You were too slow!”
Sadie glowered at him. Her dark eyes sparkled menacingly in the candlelight, “I would have had plenty of time but for you. You didn’t even try! You shrank away from that man like a
child. You’re pathetic!”
Scar was on his feet in an instant, standing over her. His bulky frame threatened violence, his pasty stubble-covered face was cruel; his eyes itched for bloodshed.
“You forget yourself little girl” he growled.
Sadie jumped to her feet and glared up at him. He was a foot taller than her and easily three times her weight. But she stood up for herself, unlike the other inhabitants of the
castle. A few shreds of personality had survived the darkness; she still had feelings; there was still a flicker of pride inside her.
Across the table, Vadim’s eyes widened. He yearned for suffering. He craved pain and misery. The glint in his eye betrayed his hope of a blood bath... the anticipation of Sadie
gauging Scar’s eye out of its socket as he smashed her head in.
And Vadim was about to get his wish, when Yens appeared at the door and silenced them with a sickly cough. |
Yens stood motionless in the doorway, staring at the sorry gathering. His lank greasy hair hung down in
front of his scrawny miserable face. His voice was cold and slimy, “I assume you failed”
After a moment of silence he added, “He wants to see you, now!”
Fear descended over the room.
None of them wanted to see him. It would not be a pleasant interview. And yet they had no choice; it was not a request.
Yens turned from the doorway, summoning them to follow...
It was the walk they all dreaded – the walk down to the dungeons, to see him. He was strong; he had strange powers; he could do terrible things to them; and
he often did.
Yens led them down the narrow stairway, deep underground. Along a stone corridor he led them, into the darkness of the dungeons. Then he stopped beside a rusty iron door and opened it,
slowly, smirking at the fear in his quarry’s faces.
“In you go” he whispered, insipidly, “I will enjoy this”
Sadie scowled at him as she edged through the doorway.
Fear hung thick in the cold musty air.
A fluorescent light flickered on and off, momentarily illumining the horrible little room in a ghostly pale light, before plunging it back into darkness. Rusty chains and shackles hung on the
shadowy walls.
The curtain was, as always, pulled across the width of the room, hiding him from view.
Yens moved forward and spoke in a dangerous whisper, “They are here, my liege. It seems they have failed in their quest to ensnare the boy”
He shot a spiteful look at Sadie. She snarled her mouth at him.
A moment of silence lingered before the voice replied in a chilling whisper, “I...see...”
Fear was consuming Sadie; fear and anger and hatred.
“We did not fail” Scar growled, mounting his defence, “She had him! She had the boy in her hands! But she was too slow!”
His words struck fury into Sadie’s heart.
“I was not!” she spat, “The boy was stolen from me! And HE was too weak to stop them!”
The voice hissed in the shadows... “I see...weak is he?”
“No!” Scar growled, “I am not weak! She–”
“Yes you are. You have always been weak. Did I not entrust this task to you? Did you not assure me you could handle any...intervention?”
Scar scrambled for some words, “I was... SHE...”
”It was the black-haired one who thwart your plans, was it not? The one they call Julien?”
“It was” Sadie hissed.
“I see...”
Anger intensified in the atmosphere. The light flicked on and off, illumining the scene in ghostly freeze frames. Sadie’s eyes filled up with fear in the darkness.
“Take them away!” the voice hissed, “The girl is excused. To the dungeons with the other two...give them a week to reflect on how they failed me!”
“NO!” Scar growled.
“I will not tolerate failure. I consider this lenient” the voice hissed, “Shall I reconsider your punishment?”
Scar glared at Sadie. The devil danced in his eyes.
Yens bowed at the curtain, then he ushered the group impatiently out of the room and carefully shut the door, shutting him away in solitude.
Back in the dark stone passageway, Scar spun aggressively towards Sadie, “You’ll pay for this Sadie!” he spat, “This was your fault! You should be the one in the dungeon!”
“See you in a week” Sadie hissed, spitefully, “I hope you enjoy yourself”
Scar jerked towards her but Yens intervened, “That’s enough” he whispered coldly, “You heard his orders. Sadie, go upstairs and make yourself scarce, Scar, Vadim, follow me”
Scar’s eyes were saturated with hatred. He gave Sadie a final furious glare then he turned and headed off down the tunnel, into the cold damp darkness.
Yens turned to Sadie, “You were lucky, little girl. If I’d had my way you would all–”
“Well, you didn’t have your way, did you?” she snapped, glaring at him with furious eyes.
Yens snarled at her then turned and followed Scar and Vadim down the stone passageway, towards the damp secluded cages that would be their home for the next week; trapped away in isolation... no
negative energy to feed on... alone with their dark disturbing thoughts. Mental torture.
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