Bound To; The Wish of the Witch

XIII

The dried charcoal colored branches of the fading grove chattered as the wind began to pick up. The setting sun, just barely keeping the eastern sky from dusk as dark clouds began to make their way overhead from the south. The four travelers emerged from the grove to see a small, blackened village tucked between the surrounding forested hills. Just past it, behind an ash colored field of rotting tree stumps, loomed a castle baring tall black iron gates and ebony bricks that were darker than any stormy night sky either of them had ever seen.

The stygian colossus stood on the edge of a tall cliff overlooking the eastern ocean and was guarded by two walls; one relatively short, outer wall bearing the black, iron gate up front and one significantly taller, inner wall that concealed a majority of the castle aside from the three towers jutting into the sky. With windows gleaming a soft violet light, the Dark Castle's main spire was nearly skewering the slate colored clouds rolling over it as Tori, Scinthia, and Locke gazed up at it in awe from the backs of their horses.

"First time seeing the Dark Castle kids?" Ghaz asked with a laugh, halting Dalton. "She reeks of dark magic, but all the same, she's just as beautiful as her older sister in the capital." He said, admiring it now as well.

"Older sister?" Tori asked, confused as to what Ghaz was talking about.

Ghaz turned to him.

"Why yes, I thought you were more observant Tori. You mean to tell me you don't recognize it?" He sounded a bit surprised.

After hearing what Ghaz said, Tori took another look at the castle and realized that it was identical to Korandale Castle in the kingdom's capital city. He couldn't help but feel slightly foolish for not noticing it sooner.

"Oh now I see, the likeness is actually quite remarkable, isn't it?" He mumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"What? Did the witch get jealous of the Queen and build her own castle to live in?" Locke asked sarcastically.

"Locke, don't you know the story behind this castle?" Scinthia asked, now sounding surprised as well.

"It's not just the story behind the castle my dear, it's the story behind this very kingdom." Ghaz added.

"No, I can't recall hearing any stories about where this thing came from before. Why? Is that weird?" Locke asked.

Tori thought back on if he had ever heard any stories about where the witch's castle came from, but couldn't recall anything that he considered relevant.

"I can't say I've heard the story either. I've heard plenty about the witch and that she lives in the castle, but never anything about where the castle itself came from." Tori admitted.

"I'm surprised. Not even your parents ever told you two as boys?" Ghaz asked.

"Well, Locke and I both have been part of the Rangers' Corps for as long as we can remember and they weren't too big on telling us bedtime stories..." Tori said, beginning to get a little annoyed.

"Oh, I see. What a shame. Well then, in that case, let's get into town, get my things moved into the new house, and I'll tell you the story over dinner." Ghaz suggested. "Now come along then. Before it begins to rain on our heads." He added, waving his reins to get Dalton moving again.

The four travelers continued into and through the blackened village. Blackwood was a relatively large settlement with a surprising amount of people moving about, performing tasks any common person would. Shop keepers closing up their stores for the coming evening, farmers and other day laborer's heading home or to the local tavern, pairs of town guards paroling and making small talk with the other townsfolk. Here, nothing seemed out of the ordinary in comparison to any other peaceful village Tori had ever been to. At first, he found how normal the place seemed to be a bit odd considering the village's proximity to the witch's castle, but quickly figured that it was probably just part of the environment and the locals simply didn't care. Tori's train of thought was interrupted when Locke rode up and nudged him with his elbow.