Mystery Noir

Little Monsters Part 4

With a hiss of fear, I yanked my hand backwards and stumbled back a couple steps, turning to look to where Penny was watching me in concern.  I realized that she had not left the roadway and the oddness of that struck me, but shook my head to dispel that thought.  I was being weird, trudging through the rain and clamouring over fallen bricks and debris.

"What is it?" Penny repeated her question, now stepping toward me, the rain dripping off the edge of her hood.

"That... thing... I think it has been here.... Tearing this wall down."  I shook my hand out, trying to get rid of the stinging numbness as I walked back up out of the ditch and approached Penny and the car.

The feeling of terror dissipated as the sensations normalized in my hand. It disappeared so quickly that I questioned if I had felt it at all as Penny and I had climbed into the warmth of the car.

Penny pulled her hood back and frowned, glancing toward me, offering a nod. "So it wants something in the house? Or... already got it? Those marks... whatever they are, they're on the outside, trying to keep something out. Do you think once the wall was torn down there, it got in?"

I shook my head as I pulled back onto the road, the car rolling forward. "We would have to look at every section to confirm, but I think it's pulling them down bit by bit. Maybe whatever those symbols are, they're a ward... that keeps it all intact. Maybe..."

"Maybe the wards are intact as long as all of wall is there.  A physical manifestation of the ward, strengthening it, grounding it in the physical world." Penny nodded.

"So... How did I get in?" The thought hit me as I asked, and I saw a flash of surprise cross Penny's features, before she shook her head and let out a slow breath. "I was curious about that too. It would have... taken me a lot to go down there with you. The ward is strong enough to make me feel very strongly that I should not to leave the road. You didn't feel that?"

I shook my head and glanced over to her, raising a brow. "Maybe, being non-magical, I don't pick up on those things."

Penny laughed and shook her head again. "Oh, You're magical, Nina. I don't know why you think that you're not. Even humans are magical creatures. Society has been crafted in a way to disconnect us all from the powers and magics that move around us. But we're all magical in some way. Even a rock is magical."

"They call those crystals." I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the road. "Maybe my lack of perception..."

"Or maybe its cause you grew up in the area. Maybe the ward feels like you belong.  The town, you told me its always been more of a tourist town, right? Maybe the reason why people aren't able to get onto the property, is because they're not from around here." Penny offered, before nodding toward where the road was met by what appeared to be a driveway.

The drive, which looked like it had not been used in ages, was really a small, ornamental stone bridge that ended in a gate.  The pillars of the gate stood strong and tall, and each side had intact sections of wall for several dozen meters. The wrought-iron gate initially appeared to be a twisted mess of metal, but as the car rolled to a stop on the bridge, it was obvious that the metal had been shaped that way on purpose. It was a tangle of brambles and thorns, and they all seemed to make a variety of symbols like the ones carved into the stones. In the centre was a large metal circle, which must have held the family crest at some point.

"I should I park the car on this?" I asked, though Penny could only shrug as we climbed out of the car.

I glanced toward her, frowning at her uncomfortable expression. When she realized I was watching her, she gave me a sheepish look. "I don't feel welcome. I don't feel like I should go any further."

"So you can't come with me?" I closed my door and approached the gate, my eyes scanning for a lock or chain. All I could see was what looked like a latch and a handle to lift it.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Penny's voice was strained.

I reached out to touch the gate latch, pausing before I made contact to turn back to look at her. "Of course I want you with me, Penny, we're here together."

Penny shuddered and nodded, finally taking a couple steps toward me. "I think you have to invite me. What you said, helped... but not completely."

If I had not spent the last several years hunting down supernatural creatures, or spoken with witches, or seen magic and wards at work, I would have laughed at Penny. As it was, the sheer power of whatever the wards were surprised me. I had felt magic wards before; I had pushed against the invisible barriers or seen shimmers of colour from the magic. 

But I felt none of that now.  I had barely considered the cabin home, though I had played in the woods that separated where I lived and this place. I had come nowhere near this property before in my life. But for some reason, the place thought I was a local.

"Penny, come in with me. You're as welcome as I am." I murmured, before grasping the latch and lifting it open.

The metal, despite how old it had to be, moved easily in my hand, only making a noise when it clicked open and allowed me to push the two gates open in front of me.  I swung them out of the way of the drive and glanced into the mysterious property beyond.

Dark trees, the drive lined by what appeared to be gargoyles, long covered in vines and moss, though none of them appeared damaged.  The drive curved out of sight, leaving whatever the manor looked like a mystery still. I paused for a moment, before turning and walking back to the car, glancing at Penny who stood, staring past the gate for a long moment.

"Did it work?" I asked, feeling bad when I caused her to jerk in surprise.

Penny shot me a brilliant grin and nodded. "Sure did. Let's go find those Urisk's. You drive the car forward and I'll close the gates behind us. I don't know if it makes a difference, but if that thing is still trying to get in, I don't want to leave the front door open."

I nodded and climbed into the car, easing it forward through the gates and stopping to wait for Penny as she closed and latched the gate before climbing into the car beside me.

I laughed away the oddness of what had just transpired. "Do you think there even are any Urisk's in there? Maybe it was just the ward."

"Can't hurt to check, I guess." Penny leaned back into the car and let out a slow breath. "That took a lot of energy. Are you not tired?"

"Not at all." I drove forward with caution, frowning at the fact that I felt more rested than I normally did. "I guess it would be good to try to figure out what that thing wants with this property. Maybe there's a clue as to what the thing is. How we can stop it."

"Good point." Penny sat up then, giving me a thoughtful look. "Kind of strange coincidence too, that we're pulled here, where the creature has been trying to get into."

Penny was right. What did our client have to do with the creature that was killing good people? Was he working with the being? I was still pondering if I was playing into some nefarious plan or being directed to help solve a problem when we made one last turn and the woods dropped away, exposing a massive courtyard and a veritable castle.

A small castle, but it was still complete with towers, a huge stone staircase and parapets.