The Dark Castle

Chapter 1

Epnosis looked outside, taking a deep breath. It was nearing the end of his shift, and the sun was just starting to peek above the horizon. He sighed quietly, his eyes sad as he scanned the forest outside. His mother still hadn't returned. "She's not here, huh?" his sister asked from behind him, sighing softly. She must have just woken up.

"No," Epnosis slumped slightly. "She isn't...."

"Normal day then," his sister nodded, taking a deep breath. "I'll get Lailos and Flora up."

"Thanks Fauna," Epnosis nodded, staying at the window a little while longer, while Fauna went to wake their other siblings. He heard Lailos grumble and turn over in his bed, not wanting to get up, as Flora bounced up pretty much instantly. She was definitely a morning person.

Fauna chuckled softly, walking into the small kitchen to make breakfast for all of them, as Flora darted over to Epnosis and hugged him from behind. He chuckled, turning and hugging her back. "Morning," he murmured.

"Hi!" Flora giggled, grinning up at him. "Did you have a good night?"

"Yeah," Epnosis said with a smile, ruffling her hair.

"Did you sleep?" she asked, giving him a suddenly stern look.

".....yes?" he lied, looking sheepish, and she huffed, pushing him over to his bed and forcing him to lie down.

"Liar! Now sleep!"

He chuckled, closing his eyes as he curled into the blanket. Flora looked proud of herself, now going to nudge Lailos forcefully out of bed. Lailos grumbled, glaring at her as he finally got up, stumbling over to the table and sitting down. Flora giggled, bouncing over to the table herself, as Fauna served breakfast. "Thanks!" Flora said happily, starting to eat quickly. Lailos grunted quietly, his version of a thanks as he started eating as well.

A few hours later, Epnosis had woken up again, and was back to his post at the window. He was most always there, always looking for their mother to come back. Fauna sighed, getting Flora and Lailos to go out and find food for the next day. "We could look for her," Epnosis spoke up when they had left, looking up at Fauna.

"Nos, we've had this discussion before....." Fauna sighed. "Mom told us to stay here and stay safe."

"But she's not here!" Epnosis huffed, looking outside again as his fists clenched. "She's not here, and she's been gone for a year, and I'm sick of waiting!"

Fauna took a deep breath, running her hands through her hair. "She'll be back, she promised...." she muttered quietly.

"Something must have happened, Fauna!" Epnosis insisted, looking at her with an intensity she hadn't seen from him before. "And we have to find out what!"

"No, we don't, we have to stay safe!" Fauna replied in desperation, a note of fear in her voice.

Epnosis scoffed. "We can't stay put just because you're scared," he snapped, standing up. "But fine. If you're not gonna come with me, I'll go on my own!"

He grabbed his coat and stormed out of the house, ignoring Fauna's horrified protests behind him. He passed Flora and Lailos, ignoring their greetings as he walked further and further into the forest, following the path he remembered his mother taking as she walked away. About ten minutes later, he realized that going out into the dense forest to try and find someone who's been missing for a year was an incredibly stupid idea. He took a deep breath as he looked around; he had never been this far away from the safehouse before. The looming trees blocked out most of the sunlight, making everything darker, and somehow more threatening. A twinge of fear shot through him, but he pushed it down, picking a direction to walk in.

Come to me, a voice hissed in his ear, causing him to jump and look around wildly. No one was there. Come, the voice hissed again, as he glimpsed something moving just ahead of him. Curiosity overwhelmed his fear, so he slowly started walking towards the moving figure, ignoring the looming sense of dread growing as he got closer. The voice kept urging him on, a hazy feeling filling his head as he walked faster and faster towards the figure, idly wondering why the dread had grown into a feeling almost like panic. Then, the ground opened up beneath him, and he fell into darkness.

He woke up in a large stone room, his hands bound behind him. A woman stood in front of him, wearing a large black cloak and a mask in the shape of a dragon. It obscured the top half of her face, casting a shadow over her dark grin. A purple glint came from the holes where her eyes would be, as she looked him up and down.

Epnosis looked up at the woman in terror. "You're one of Vic's boys, aren't you?" she purred softly, her head tilted as she looked into his eyes. "Her eldest....you left the others alone, I thought she told you not to do that."

"I-I needed to find her...." Epnosis tried to stop his voice from shaking.

The woman chuckled softly. "Well, you definitely found where she ended up," she smirked at him. "But I don't think you'll like what you find."

"Where is she?!" Epnosis demanded.

The woman laughed, looking Epnosis up and down. "You're cute when you try to be brave," she purred, grabbing his arm and forcing him to walk with her. She took him down a long, bare hallway to a large room, where hundreds of people were sitting at desks, working. "Vic! Come here!" she called out, keeping a tight grip on Epnosis' arm, causing him to wince.

A woman stood up, walking to the pair. A large smile was carved into her face, dripping blood onto her clothes. Her eyes were glowing a soft purple, as a third eye in the middle of her forehead was stitched open, letting off a faint golden glow. "You wanted me, mistress?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I found one of your children," the woman smirked, as Epnosis stared at Victoria in absolute horror.

"Oh good!" Victoria said, glancing down absently at Epnosis.

"He'll be joining you shortly," the woman said with a smile.

"I can't wait," Victoria smiled, sounding distant. "I've missed them."

"I know you have, darling," the woman snickered. Epnosis was speechless, horrified at the sight of his mother. "Go back to work now," the woman said calmly, and Victoria returned to her desk, closing her eyes so she just looked through her third eye.

The woman dragged Epnosis out of the room, letting him stumble behind her as she walked quickly down a lot of stairs, shoving him into a small cell when they got to the bottom. "I'll see you later," she murmured, the door clanging shut as she locked it and left.

"He's the bait?" a boy was waiting for her at the top of the stairs, his head tilted slightly.

"Of course," the woman grinned. "He's not the one I want."

"Which one is?" the boy frowned, his large rabbit ears flopping to the side as he tilted his head the other way.

"Flora, of course," she chuckled softly. "We've been through this, Thumper."

"Sorry mistress!" Thumper winced slightly. "Forgot...."

"It's alright, darling," she murmured gently. "Come, let's watch the children, shall we?"

"Sounds good!" Thumper brightened up instantly, giving the woman an adoring smile. She chuckled softly, ruffling his hair as she walked up more stairs to the tallest tower in the castle. A large silver screen hovered in midair, showing Lailos, Fauna, and Flora searching the forest in a panic, looking desperately for Epnosis.

"One after another, they shall come to me," she murmured, her eyes glowing a soft purple as silver threads pulsed to life around her. "One by one, until he follows behind. And then we shall have everything we ever wanted."

"Everything," Thumper agreed, moving to stand beside her. She smiled, two large, scarred purple wings appearing on her back so she could drape one of them around Thumper, keeping him close, keeping him by her side as together they watched the children.