Order of the Golden Dawn (Neophyte Series 2)

CHAPTER 8 : UNMASKED

        The sight of the old ruins was wondrous to behold; vast and breathtakingly beautiful. From where we stood, most of the stone walls of the old castle still stood strong, plant life covering almost every surface. Three of what looked to be five of the remaining towers reached up and stretched towards the heavens, alive with green foliage and basking in the sunlight. Waterfalls cascaded from elevated, crumbling sections of the castle into ponds and rushing streams which seemed full of life, as did the land itself. Many species of animal life moved freely, completely devoid of threat from one another. Packs of wolves playfully scuffled; not even paying attention to the deer, goats or smaller creatures freely roaming the area. Otters swam playfully amongst the snapping turtles and small woodland creatures ran about without fear of the birds of prey that perched and soared high above.

    'What is this place?' In awe, Jordan stepped closer to the castle, her jaw hanging as though she had wandered into her own Wonderland. She met me within the circular courtyard, all fear of me vacant from her actions, as though she somehow knew the beast within me had fled.

    As we surveyed the area from where we stood, our eyes caught several unusual anomalies; such as trees and fruit that could not possibly thrive in that part of the world. Massive palm trees stretched toward the sky throughout the grounds, banana and coconut trees thrived in a part of the world that should not support their growth. Jordan bent and picked up a pineapple from the ground and studied it with a sense of wonder.

    'It must be warm here year round. How else would fruit like this be able to grow?'

    'Well if that's true, it solves at least one of my worries. If winter comes, we should be able to survive — assuming we are indeed safe on the grounds. I mean, why else would we be instructed to come here, and why would the beast put up such a fight to keep us away?'

    'I guess we'll have to wait and see.'

    'I'm sorry about—'

    'It wasn't you, Meric. Let's just put it behind us where it belongs. We made it, and that's what's important.'

    Smiling, she gestured toward the castle, and without a word we raced toward it. Through the many crumbling stairwells and garden paths we ventured, until finally we reached what had to be the entrance to the main structure. Before us stood the remains of a wide, yet crumbled, stone bridge. Carefully moving forward, we glanced down at a ravine that separated us from the castle and seemed to split the land in two. It had to be at least a few hundred feet wide, but studying the layout, it was obvious that a moat had once encircled the fortress, as two waterfalls poured a steady stream of water into the ravine below, on either side of the towering perimeter walls — the remaining evidence of the moat. Surveying the gorge, I could see the base where a rushing stream echoed the sound of rapids up the rocky walls.

    'The split in the earth seems to stretch beyond the boundaries. I'd like to avoid leaving the grounds if possible.'

    'Do you think there's another way in?' I asked.

    'There's got to be. Let's go!'

    The Sanctuary was the perfect location for a pair of explorers such as us. Back in Warwickshire, the Sanctuary was a place that existed only in our imagination; an ideal that no other abandoned ruin could possibly live up to.

    The land was wildly overgrown, and it was obvious that no one had inhabited the area for a very long time, which only made our adventure all the more exciting. We combed through each structure and garden carefully, only guessing who may have lived there, or what each room was used for, but the castle itself quickly became an overbearing itch that we just weren't able to scratch.