Slaves of the Night

Chapter 15

Kaisa

I realize I should be sleeping, but I'm not. I'm breaking into the late princess's rooms. From her memories I can recognize them I think. And I did say I'd help her. She chose to show me those memories for a reason. One, that she loved Eero. That's fine; I think he's an idiot. I may not go through with this marriage at all—the other memory was the letters. Now it's been years, but I'll bet she saved those letters. I find her chambers on my third try. The other three rooms they'll just have to wonder why the lock's been tampered with.

The chambers are identical to mine, a bit more red to the color of the curtains. But essentially the same. They're a couple of doors down from the girls' nursery.

I cross to the writing desk. Nothing touched? It's all dusty---they must be saving her things for the children.

I open the drawer. Sure enough, stacks of pressed envelopes sit, all lovingly stored and tied with ribbon.

I take one of the stacks at random and open a letter. It does look like Eero's writing. I've only received a few letters from him, instructions to wear the jacket and wishing me well on my journey. All very formal but still.

I open the envelope and take out the letter. It's signed from him. A love letter.

My perfect one

I don't have words to explain all the mysteries that haunt this great house of ours. As you well know I never have words to speak to you. I do far better in writing, or when we are truly alone.

I do not wish to alarm you in any way, for with me you will always be safe. But there are things I must tell you before we are married tomorrow.

We are not alone here.

Never in this castle are we alone. Everything that has ever come to pass remains somehow, haunted in these walls. Being born here, I am more attune to it than others. And the spirits, they grow restless, and angry often. I will always protect you from it. But they haunt us, as they will haunt our children.

I don't say these things to make you want to leave. On the contrary. You would take my heart with you and I would remain a shell here, in this shell of memories. Nothing but whispers of the past to console me in my solitude.

I'll write to you always. My words come easier then. But we must be careful. We shall always be haunted. And there are others living that know of this. They are---infected. And they will seek to end us.

No matter. I have a plan. I've had long prepare it. Because one day my love, you and I, we'll be free. Free from this torment and pain. Free from the hauntings of this castle.

But for now we must wait and bide our time. I'll come to you in secret. Ask me few questions. The walls wish to know our secret. Leave your messages in this drawer. There I will find them.

Our secret is love. Something in short supply in these places. And they will seek to sap it from us. Drive us apart. Possess you or I to say unkind words to the other.

Never let them win.

We will beat on to a more perfect end. We will make a history for us my dear. For us and our children. And one day we will walk in the sunshine of a beautiful morning, and I will kiss you as I did today. And we shall know let the world know the truth that is our love.

But until then we must walk in darkness, remaining slaves of the night. We'll hide in shadows until we are finally free to emerge. And once we do. It shall be glorious my love, my one and only, the reason my heart beats.

Yours

Eero

That's disturbing. This is getting worse not better. Please let this be a trick? It has to be some sort of joke. That was a whole lot of fine words to say we're being haunted and might be murdered.

No, it does look like his hand. I take his letter to me from my pocket. The signature is nearly identical. The only difference between this letter and the to the poor dead princess is a few smudges from his hand on this old one. He must be left handed. My sister is, she would always smear the ink the same manner. The current letter is clean and crisp, perhaps he got better at it.

I look at another letter, just a love letter, I quit when it gets graphic. Another is more of the same. Trust me. I know there are things I can't tell you. One day we'll solve all of this. Essie is going to demand we read all of them. I just take the first one. We can always come back. Some appear to be just fluff though, short letters or notes telling her how much he loved her. Creepy.

There's a scream from the hallway. A little girl's scream.

I stuff the letter in my pocket and run out just in time to see Leena screaming and pointing, as the woman in white slowly drags away Liala, who is also screaming as she's dragged down the hall by one leg.

I scream too and run at the monster.

"Let her go!! Let her go she can't go with you," I say, trying to drag Liala out of her arms. The woman's long yellow nails rip the little girl's skin. Laila screams and tries to cling to me, tugging my scarf and shirt but to no avail the woman has her fast and is disappearing quickly into the void.

A sword slashes through the air. I don't know where Eero appeared from, but he's here now, slicing through the woman's arm. She screams and moves to claw him, loosening her grip on the baby.

I free Liala and snatch her up, backing away from the fight.

Eero stabs one more time and the specter screams and vanishes. Faster than I thought possible he's at my side, basically ripping Liala out of my arms as she sobs bitterly. Leena runs up to us also sobbing.

"There there---daddy's here---shhhh—daddy's here," he says, kissing her face a dozen times and bending so Leena can crawl into his arms as well, his sword still in his---left hand, he is left handed okay.

"It got me--- it got me," Laila is sobbing.

I'm mostly standing there shaking. Why did she do that? She was reasonable this afternoon. I know the answer: she wants her baby. Safe from whatever else haunts these halls.

"I know I know, daddy would never let it hurt you. Daddy loves his flowers," Eero says, still basically ignoring me as she clings to both of them.

"Should I---ring for someone?" Rax? Like your short boyfriend might be helpful right now it's pretty obvious he can heal people. "She's bleeding."

"Shut up---go to your room," Eero growls.

"But---" they're bleeding? We just got attacked?

"I said go to your room. You'll be safe there," he adds the last bit just a little bit nicer.

"I can ring for a doctor I'm not afraid," I say, as the little girls sob into his shirt. He has his face nestled in Laila's hair as she weeps bitterly.

"Go. To. Your. Room. Now, speak of this to no one if you want to live."

Now, I'm about as good at responding to threats as Essie, not as good her come backs are sharper. But he just watched his daughter nearly die and now she's sobbing in his arms. I'm going to assume it was a 'if you don't want to be kidnapped by the ghost' live and not a 'if you don't I'll stab you myself' live.

I go to my room, thoroughly shaken. I can't stay here. We can't stay here. Where is Essie?