Valadel

Chapter XIII

"This place stinks," said Siegfried as they ventured within the dark halls of the castle. His nose scrunched up, and his scowl was almost permanent.

Danticus scoffed. Then you should feel at home here...

Miles nodded. "Aye...it does. Like the stench of death..."

The torch light illuminated a circle of light around the travelers, bouncing off stone floors and marble walls. The entrance was surrounded with broken and jagged ice, much to their amazement. Skeletons and empty suits of ancient armor filled the halls, telling a story no one could piece together. Scorch marks were on the walls and floors, chunks of broken ice, the color of a dull, dark blue decorated the floor. Broken rusty swords were logged in some of the oddly shaped skeletons, human like, but not quite the same. They were slender, and thin, and quite long.

Irving knelt next to one of the skeletons, and traced the dry, white bone with his finger. He picked at their robes, dingy and grimy, a long faded white traced with black and gold. "Jazmyn, look at these skeletons..."

Jazmyn came over quickly, and knelt beside her mentor. Her mouth hung agape and her eyes were puzzled. "These skeletons, they look like, like they're -"

"Elven..." Irving interrupted. "As I've suspected, this castle and it's," he gestured to the numerous skeletons, "residents were from the time before..."

Jazmyn leapt up to her feet, and smiled uncontrollably. "This is astounding!" She was touching and feeling the ancient architecture, running her hands over the smooth walls. "This stone must be hundreds of years old! Look at how the marble runs through it! Like veins...as if the castle were alive. And look at the banners! They must be ancient. No record in the College speaks of a castle like this! I've never seen one so intact. The revolutionaries tore down every elven made structure, to see one so preserved, even after years of exposure to the sea, it still manages-"

"Jazmyn, calm yourself," said the Magus, standing from the skeletal remains.

"Irving, this is amazing! How are you able to restrain yourself?" She asked

"Because I'm a professional. Learn some humility, girl."

Danticus examined the old castle walls. It was indeed well intact. Well, the walls were. The banners decorating them had been aged and discolored. Broken vases and crumbled pedestals littered the ground. He had never seen anything made by the elves, a race long forgotten. He stopped in his path when he came across a crack in the ground. In the crack was a dark red blood, still in a liquid state.

"Sir Thornshield, come over here," he said.

"What is it?" Gallador asked as he walked to where Danticus crouched.

Danticus pointed and Gallador followed his finger. "Blood...."

"Blood?" Said Irving, his interest suddenly piqued. "Are you sure? What state is it in? What is it's color?"

"It's still a liquid and it's dark red...this has to be only hours old," said Gallador.

Danticus felt suddenly as if something was watching him. His spine shivered, and eyes strained to see further into the darkness ahead. He suddenly felt as if something was breathing down his neck.

"By the Gods...we have to go further," said Jazmyn.

"If we should do anything, it's leave," said Siegfried.

"The rest of you can do what you wish. I'm not going anywhere. This blood came from somewhere and I intend to find out."

"Jazmyn's right," said Edwin. "We have a mission to do, so let's get on with it."