Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

Chapter 16 - The Castle

Chapter 16

THE DAYS in Cosel seemed to merge into each other. Vivienne and Sallen spent their days locked indoors for their safety. Sallen spent most of her time tending to Jaker and pushing his wheelchair around the backyard. Their only trip out of the town was a drive to Diremore Castle about a week before the ball.

Although Vivienne would have never guessed it, the mountains just beyond the factory city were secluded and beautiful. She was expecting a grand castle with turrets and stained-glass windows, but Diremore was just as rundown as the town it bordered.

It was a pile of mossy, broken stones that was barely standing upright. Although the structure of the castle was nothing to gawk at, it clearly had seen its share of history. Lord Henton, Calbert's uncle, was busy that week. So, Calbert had the essential job of checking the castle for looters.

"It's nothing to look at now, but they once imprisoned a pretender to the throne here," Calbert explained as he kicked aside the fallen leaves blanketing the crumbling stairs. "They say this place has mystical powers. Even now, the best Manna City swordsmen come to this site to train."

Vivienne lifted her annoyingly long skirt as she followed Calbert up the slippery stairs. They had brought Jaker and Sallen along on the outing, although for safety, Jaker was restricted to the grassy knoll below the overgrown moat.

"There's nothing valuable here, but it is said that the once deposed prince and princess — Uluric and Ylaria Sarastri — were executed and buried here," Calbert said. "The looters might try to dig around for their bones to make potions out of."

"Really?" Vivienne asked, making a face. "That sounds disgusting."

"Yeah, it's said that the royal bloodline contains healing powers, so even their bones aren't safe from the masses," Calbert chuckled as he opened the creaky front door with an iron key. "Sometimes, an escaped Orlin tries to take shelter here. It is said that these walls nullify all magical ability, so even her Ansura won't be able to track her here."

"Sounds like a great place," Vivienne muttered as she wandered empty halls. Portions of the ceiling had caved in, and rays of sunlight illuminated the halls. Wildflowers were blooming from cracks in the floor. "A real tourist attraction."

"What happens to the runaway Orlins if they are... captured?" Sallen asked. Vivienne saw her standing beside the doorway.

"Depends," Calbert said. "It's a heavy crime to betray one's Ansura. Sometimes, they're executed here if their captor is merciful. If not, they are tortured first. You see, the bond between an Ansura and an Orlin is based on trust, and once that is broken, well, there's no use for the poor girl, right?"

Vivienne and Sallen exchanged knowing glances. Yeah, Vivienne thought to herself, she needed to get out of here before she ended up on Lord Henton's rack.

~*~

Vivienne could not begin to describe her relief at leaving Cosel the night of the ball. Her room in the Henton House was turning into a putrid purple prison in the last month. The only decoration, besides the basic furniture and a depressing view of the Cosel town square, was three white candles sitting in front of an ancient vanity mirror. She had sat there all afternoon, making herself up for the party that night, playing with the thought in the back of her mind that she was going to seduce a handsome waiter who would help her escape back home.

Her dress that night arrived inside a garment bag from Madame Jyger. It was delivered by a white taxi service, which also brought Sallen's dress. Vivienne saw the car come from the darkness of the Cosel hills. Two white bulbs were levitating at the top of the car, like curious antennae. It was all that was left to remind them of the lights of Manna City. For some reason, Vivienne's bag was much larger than the other one, which left her with a sense of intense foreboding. She had a feeling that what was packed inside the bag was a new instrument of torture.