The midnight castle
By
Samuel J Macvicar.
Sophie slept calmly, her head resting on Sami's outstretched legs. The ebb and flow of her breath was like the tides of the sea, relaxing Sami as he day dreamed in the back of the old wagon. They had been on the road for days with nothing to do but reminisce on times past. Sami's thoughts drifted into that of his child hood. He never knew his parents, his earliest memories where that of the streets he lived in and the dark alleys where he slept. He had to steal for a living; there was nothing else he could do. It was on those streets that he met Sophie.
Sami could remember that day well, he had been beaten by an angry shop owner, left to die in the alley where he had been cornered. Sophie found him, gave him food and water and treated his wounds with almost expert ability. When he asked her where she learned her talent for medicine, she couldn't remember. She was a child without a past, left to the streets just like him and since that day, they never left each other's side.
"Daydreaming Sami?" Alec was hanging off the back of the wagon, leaning in to the back through the canvas flaps. Sunlight flooded through the gap above him.
"No." Sami said quietly. "Thinking about how I got here, how much my life has changed." Alec gave him a concerned look, his narrow eyes shrinking even more than usual. "That's not like you, Sami. Far too serious!" Alec peered out the back of the wagon, the sun dancing on his face through the leaves of the forest they were traveling through. Sami pulled on the sleeve of Alec's leather armor.
"How much longer do we have before we arrive at the castle?"
"Not that long, really, it can be seen up ahead, Beautiful sight." He looked down at Sophie. "Might want to wake her up soon, you know how long it takes her to get in gear and John will be wanting us to get straight to work as soon as were in."
"Yea..." Sami sighed. He could see her smile when she slept. It was such a pretty smile but it was something Sami rarely got to see anymore. Something was bothering her and for the first time in her life, she was not telling him what it was. This worried him; he couldn't begin to imagine what it could be.
Sophie woke to find Sami hanging over her with a Smile so warm she couldn't help but return it, all be it briefly. She looked into his bright blue eyes, her head still heavy from her sleep.
"I am so sorry Sami; i fell asleep on you again." She made no effort in moving despite her apology instead opting for her morning stretches, preparing her limbs for the day ahead.
"I didn't need to hear that." john's voice was muffled by the canvas flaps towards the front of the wagon. Sophie face flushed red.
"No I didn't mean..."
"He is only joking, Sophie." Sami interrupted. "You know i don't mind anyway." Sami caught himself gazing into her green eyes and quickly cut contact. "Were almost at the castle, fancy walking a little?" Sophie sat up; she needed to change the tone.
"Sure, i could use the stretch."
It wasn't long before they entered the castle, on arrival, they began setting up there stall of ill-gotten goods 'acquired' from the last town they visited. They were a band of traveling thief's, a job chosen by necessity rather than preference as orphans don't have a family name and without a family name, no one dared hire you. It was a life style that was beginning to take its toll on all of them, all of them accept John. He loved his work, especially now that he had two kids to do the work for him and an outcast to guard their wagon. Alec had a second name but he refused to share it. He had a family but something happened and he was stripped of it and exiled from the town where he resided. Sami and Sophie where found by John when they were teenagers and taught them everything he knew when it comes to stealing.
After spending the day selling goods and stealing what they could form a castle that was suspiciously well guarded, john gave Sami and Sophie a chance to rest while him and Alec packed the wagon away for the night. It was a warm summer evening, the sun slowly disappearing behind the low castle walls. Sami sat on the graveled court yard against the back of the wagon, smoking his pipe. Sophie sat above him. Her legs hanging off the back of the wagon swinging along to her musical whistles.
"Sophie?" Sami's tone was cautious and concerned.
"Yea?" she replied with equal caution, recognizing the concern that lined his voice.
"What is it that's been troubling you? You don't smile anymore." Sophie could feel her nerves tingle in her stomach, how could she tell him. Thoughts raced through her head. This could bring them something good, something to hold on to or it could go completely wrong.
"I..." She hesitated, choosing to take more time and think on it. "It's nothing, Sami. I just find our work hard sometimes." Sami gave her a confused look. "You know, this isn't the life ether of us would have chosen." Sami lifted himself from the floor and turned to face her, grabbing her hand, his blue eyes looking deep into hers.
"Are you sure that's the only problem."
"Yea I'm sure." She broke eye contact, she had never hidden anything from him before and it hurt too much to look him in the eye at that moment. He hugged her tight into his chest, taking her by surprise.
"I know it hard Sophie but I promise you we will escape this one day... I promise!" His words rang with so much sincerity and care that it made her blush.
"I know, Sami. I can hold on." Her arms reached around his back as she returned his embrace, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. How she wished she could tell him. Sami gazed into her emerald eyes and with it; he felt something he couldn't explain. She gazed back with equal intensity and she realized she couldn't hide it anymore. "Sami, I..."
Thunder roared in the evening sky, stealing there gaze. It came from nowhere it seemed at first, the wind picked up, sending dirt and leaves into the air around them. John pointed to the sky above them.
"What the fuck is that?" Everyone looked up at the bizarre shape above them; a dark cloud was forming, small at first but quickly growing in size, rippling with magic so powerful it could be seen. Waves of deep purple glowed silently in the cloud.
Sami recognized it, something he had seen in a dream long ago. He pulled Sophie of the wagon and shoved her towards the entrance to the castle interior.
"Run!"
"What is it, Sami!" She screamed.
"I don't know, just get inside, I'll help Alec and John."
"Sami!"
"GET INSIDE!" He roared at her over the thunder and he was angry. She stepped back stunned, he had never shouted at her before. She looked at him, he looked so serious. "Please, i beg you." She turned and ran for the the castle. Sami grabbed John by the shoulder who was frantically pilling his goods into the back of his wagon. "We have to get inside, now!" John looked at him.
"Give me a second."
"Now John!" Sami pulled harder only to meet with john's fist in his stomach. He fell to his knees, coughing through the pain.
"I said in a minute, Sam boy." He sounded so casual. Sami looked towers the sky, the cloud hung menacingly over them, swirling with indescribable dark energy. It was then that he seen exactly what he feared. A thousand glowing eyes of many colours within the storm, peering into this world from another.
"I thought it was just a dream, a really bad dream." Sami had seen all this before in recurring nightmares. Dark storms serving as bridges between this world and that of demons and monsters. In his dream, he watched as the world was consumed by them. This could very well be the first of many. As he gazed into the abyss in the centre of the storm, he didn't notice the dark crystals raining from the sky with lethal force, not in-till it was to late. Sophie was standing in the archway of the castle when it happened, she seen Sami being pinned to the ground. The crystal pierced him through the shoulder. Sami felt nothing as the world grew dark and his mind silent.
