The Black Lotus | Vol.1, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

34.

Castle Braexus made Makaela wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

She and her group huddled behind a stubby wall, damaged from past battles, a few yards away from the fortress. Its black walls stretched into a grey sky, crude spikes protruding from faded bricks. The castle itself was shaped like a skull-round in the front with a rectangular rear divided into four separate sections. Towers dotted the bridge running along the walls, each manned by a masked Shade.

Makaela kept her head behind her cover. The element of surprise was on their side. She needed to keep it that way.

Snow hung in the air, frozen around her as if she were trapped in a picture frame. Enclosing the snowy plain were sky-bound trees with lofted branches, thick trunks, and leaves darker than ash. They swayed in the wind, dancing to the song of death in the air.

Shivering, Makaela wrapped her arms around herself.

The others seemed to be fairing similarly against the cold. Except for Sebastian. His black whipped around his sharp face. He kept his dark gaze on the castle's guarded entrance.

She couldn't take her eyes off him.

"So, this is where the Shades live, eh?" Ajax rubbed his gloved hands together. He sported a thick, green parka and long pants. A hatchet hung from his hip and a spear was strapped to his back. "This is pretty much what I imagined."

Sebastian snorted. "This is just the outside. Wait till you get in." He gestured at the Shades patrolling the battlements, their vayrirs in hand and silver masks guarding their faces. The center wall boasted a domineering portcullis crafted out of black iron. Two sentries stood on either side of the gate, their heads on a constant swivel.

They were expecting visitors.

"How are we going to get inside?" Makaela asked.

Sebastian crinkled his nose at the question. "I'm working on it."

"Can't we just shadowjump in?"

"There's charms set around the entire castle. You can't shadowjump in or out. It's only accessible through a portal."

His nose crinkled as he squinted in the fortress's direction. "There's only one entrance and we're already looking at it."

"Can't you shadow-jump us in?"

Makaela's face fell.

She rubbed the goosebumps covering her arms as a frigid breeze passed over her. It pricked at her hands and face, stinging her dark skin. Romania's winter was a lot harsher than Montreal's.

A strange smell reached her nose as she tried to ward off the cold. It put every nerve in her body on edge. She stiffened as the whispers in her head returned.

Set it free...

She scowled.

No.

The only person she had intentions of setting free was her uncle.

"Here's an idea." Ajax popped his knuckles. "Let's just go up there and knock them out."

Everyone threw him a bewildered look.

"Are you crazy?" Imogen hissed at him.

"That's a battlemage for you," Remy quipped.

Ajax held his hands up. "It was just a suggestion."

Makaela set her sights back on the fortress. Her eyes trailed up one of the walls and stopped at one of the watchtowers. Only two guards manned the bridge. Her eyes widened.