Getting into the castle itself was as easy as Vayne made it out to be. They moved together focusing on the portion that had collapsed into pieces of brick and rubble. Crossing over the pile that was at least a dozen feet high they came in through a courtyard. The castle itself was smaller than Zodiac castle and the Sanctum.
It was a medium sized square courtyard with high walls on one half of the place and a gaping hole letting in the night. An old crooked tree was in the center with cobblestones across the ground. Their feet echoed faintly as they spread out to get their bearings. A massive archway that led into the dark of the castle was awaiting them, the former door in pieces on the ground.
“Was it smart to leave those two back there?” Vincent asked. “They’re just kids.”
Scorpio glanced at him, “Don’t underestimate them. They’re stronger than they look.”
“Well said,” Morrigan nodded. “And Cancer was right. We need to keep moving.”
“Agreed,” Ryza looked toward the top of the castle just barely able to see the top from her angle. “Where would our mother be?”
“The top,” Ryze pointed toward the nestled between two spires. “Right there most likely.”
“Then let’s fly up there and deal with her,” Scorpio said quickly.
“It won’t be that easy,” Vayne said. “They’ll be watching. Especially after Wrath’s display.”
Penny began to say something and then grunted swaying on their feet. Vincent was there to catch them and they looked at him gratefully. “You alright?” Vincent asked but they shook their head some of the black veins receding.
“This place is draining,” they said grunting. “We may have to give control back to Alison soon.”
“How do we move forward?” Orion asked looking at the pair of necromancers that knew this place.
“By walking through it,” Ryze said shaking his head. “It’s going to be a process. The castle is bigger than it appears and we’re starting from the bottom.”
“Then let’s get going,” Scorpio said walking toward the door and Penny falling into step with her. They started walking toward the door when the ground beneath their feet shifted. It was like stepping on ice that had been solid and suddenly was thin as a sheet. It collapsed and pair of them sank into the darkness below.
“Scorpio!” Virgo shouted.
Vincent rushed to the edge of the hole, “Penny!”
They all broke away from the sudden pit in their wake and grouped around the edge. It was a black maw as empty as the sky above them and as the noise and stone settled silence eased back on the group. “Alison can you hear me!” Alistair shouted and had his echo bounce back to him.
He looked up at Vincent’s equally panicked face and then an orange flame appeared within the pit. Coughing echoed back and then Scorpio’s voice came out saying, “We’re alright!”
“It’s like we’re in a dungeon,” Alison shouted. “There’s a tunnel. We think we can hear water or something like it.”
“The tunnels are still down there,” Vayne said surprised. “They’ll lead back to the keep. As long as they follow the main tunnel.”
“Can you fly out?” Vincent asked keeping his eyes on the flame knowing that was Alison. In the flickering flames, he could barely make out her face.
“No,” Alison lowered her head in the light of the flame. “Helping everyone cross and this place drained us. We need a chance to recover.”
“What about you Stingie?” Virgo asked crouching down and looking closely with her glowing eyes. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Scorpio said evenly.
“Then we’ll come down to you,” she said but Vayne was already shaking his head.
“We can’t risk getting hurt going down there,” he said. “We need to keep going.”
“He’s right. We’ll catch up I promise,” she shouted back. They could loosely hear their footsteps splashing along on whatever floor was below them. They stood around listening to the echo of their steps and then they were gone.
Morrigan sighed heavily and glared toward Vayne, “Are there any more traps that we should know about before we continue?”
“Not that we know of. However, this is an old place. Independent of Pride’s meddling this dimension isn’t meant to be inhabited. It crumbles and falls apart.”
“So you’re not useful,” she said scowling.
“Majesty.” She glanced at her Troupe Master as he approached and bowed to her. “Our eyes were blessed by your hand. We can see things not intended to be seen. Allow us to lead you through this territory.”
Morrigan stared at him and then the other who dipped her head behind her mask. “Alright. Lead the way you two.”
“Thank you, majesty.”
“Thank you, majesty.”
The two stepped around the pit and walked toward the door slowly. Their path was simple enough to follow through after the collapse everyone was wary. Once bitten twice shy.
The interior hallway of the castle was almost barren. The carpeted ground was frayed at the ends and stained y substances that they didn’t want to know the identity of. The walls had no pictures, candlesticks, or even windows. But the thing that was really unsettling in the air was the scent. Just underneath the stale air was the smell of a graveyard. Moist dirt, clammy air, and the overwhelming smell of decay. As if dead bodies lined the walls and honestly none would be surprised if they were.
The hallway they walked down was long, the Harlequin taking their time leading them forward. They didn’t find traps or anything of that ilk but there was no harm in taking it slowly.
The hallway started to open up first at the edges and the roof and then opened up to a wide foyer. To the right was the massive door of the castle gate but that door was sealed tight. To the other side was a grand staircase ascending high into the castle.
Morrigan walked past them tentatively taking in the environment. She scanned the floor slowly and then the walls and finally the staircase. But when she turned back around light flashed and she winced. Through cracked eyelids, she saw that no one else was there. Her eyes flared to life and as she moved, she saw the shape descending the steps.
She recognized the black leather cloaked necromancer as they started to descend the stairs. They flicked their hood back. Thick strands of hair fell down her head and covered her face. Her skin was a pale brown, could have been golden with some more life in her cheeks. But where both her eyes should have been, instead were small dried out orbs with glowing pupils. Her lips were dried and cracked forming into a wide smirk. Purple veins flowed down her eyes and across her neck.
She walked down the steps with perfect poise and began to clap, “Well well. My knight. It has been some time since I’ve seen you.
“You,” Morrigan growled. “I remember you.”
“Oh you do? I’m so happy. You enjoyed our playtime together as well then? It was definitely some of my best work. Unfortunately, we got interrupted.”
“Where are my companions? Or is this another one of your illusions?”
“Your companions are still here. Wandering the halls of the castle thinking they are coming ever closer to their goal. But they’ll fail and become toys for us. A little reward for after we succeed. I hope Pride lets me have you and your boys. I’d love to have fun with them.”
Morrigan grasped her katana and spread her stance slightly. “I was going to enjoy dispatching you for defiling my Queen’s body. But now I’ll kill you to free them.”
‘It’s time my Knight. Strike down this arrogant interloper and all of their cult,’ Morrigan felt her blood rush through her suddenly like a shot of electricity through her veins. This was different than anything she’d ever done before. Her fingers spasmed and then they wrapped around the hilt of her sword again.
Her eyes flared with a red far brighter than any other blood she could have manifested. And then she disintegrated, turned into smoke. As she moved it was like being in a hundred small places at once. Part of her was at the base of the foyer, part was racing across it, another at the foot of the stairs, and finally reformed behind Lust herself.
She drew her sword and cut through Lust’s body in one swift swing. Lust gasped and then fizzled out of existence like a heat mirage. Morrigan scowled looking back and forth trying to find where she’d gone. Before she could get a bead on her she felt pain across her back.
Morrigan turned to smoke again and slid forward putting distance between them. Lust watched her with long knife like fingers. She chuckled and walked down the steps and slowly vanished again. “Well well. You’ve learned yourself a new trick. You almost got me with that one.”
“Show yourself you undead coward,” Morrigan barked readying her weapon.
“Such language. Why would I ever show my real self to someone such as you?”
Morrigan heard the steps behind her and she whirled around raising her sword. Her sword was a second too slow as the rapier pierced her shoulder. She swung her katana knocking it free and hopped backward. For a second Morrigan’s heart skipped a beat but she shoved her backward her eyes burning with hatred.
“You dare use Her visage like this!” Morrigan almost screamed.
The queen chuckled behind her veil and raised her rapier taking a step back and lunging again. Morrigan’s katana flared and deflected the sword and then lunged. She swung in wide strikes that the queen blocked stepping back and forth through the barrage but not cleanly, some strikes getting through at her shoulders and hip.
The queen was on the back foot as Morrigan lunged with a savage downward slash. The rapier came up to block but then it snapped in half as the queen was split in half and the glamor disappeared revealing a zombie.
She stared at the pieces and then whirled around glaring, “Show yourself Lust!”
Light flashed and she covered her eyes recoiling away. But when she opened her eyes, she saw the others in the room, rubbing their eyes and groaning. Morrigan looked at each of them her eyes resting on Alistair and Benidict and she relaxed for a second. Benidict looked at her and smiled back.
“Morrigan you’re alright,” he took a slow breath and walked toward her.
She nodded meeting him halfway, “Where’s Lust?”
“I don’t know,” Vincent scowled. “One second she was there and then the next I was seeing shit.”
“We believe it happened to us all,” Vayne said pressing a hand to his head. “We need to be on guard for more attacks.”
“How far do we need to go before we find Pride?” Virgo asked. “And what about Scorpio and Alison?”
“They should be somewhere near here. Likely below us. We should keep moving,” Ryze said not waiting for anyone else to catch up.
Benidict walked over to Morrigan and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to lead her forward but in a flash of red Morrigan plunged the blade of her sword through his chest. His eyes widened and he coughed. Morrigan turned a cold eye onto the man she loved and slid the sword free. “Morrigan. Why?”
He let go of her shoulder and started to fall away but she moved quickly and grabbed him around the neck and pulled him onto the sword driving it as deep as she possibly could. She rested her hands on his eyes taking a slow shuddering breath and when she removed them she watched Benidict rot beneath her and became a corpse.
“I guess the same trick won’t work on you twice,” Lust said from her shoulder. She wrapped both her arms around Morrigan’s chest and pulled her close against her. “But you don’t have to worry my dear knight. I won’t let you go this time.”
She felt the touch of the necromancer against her body and it seeped into her body like dozens of needles. She shut her eyes and tried to fight it but she couldn’t wrestle her off. Her vision bled away from red and slowly started to dip into violet and she felt her own ability to control herself fade away. Grinding her teeth together she tried to fight it and suddenly she collapsed to the ground.
She barely caught herself before hitting the ground panting. Looking over her shoulder her eyes widened and she watched Lust’s body from the neck down hit the ground. Her head was in shock being held aloft by Benidict. Alistair stood beside him his sword drawn and bloodied.
Benidict tossed the head to the ground and Alistair grabbed Morrigan’s hand pulling her up to her feet. She still hesitated, looking at the two of them warily but Benidict shook his head, “It’s us Mori. All of us.”
Benidict looked over his shoulder and watched as the others came forward to stand around them. They were all their own forms of frustrated or dazed. And at everyone’s feet were zombies. Ryze pointed his hand forward and set Lust body and head aflame. The green flames illuminated the foyer and the crackling was the only company they had.
“How did you two break out?” Morrigan asked them still somewhat on guard. But when she looked at them both closer she saw the red in their eyes, saw the faint glow that was deep within the pits of them.
“We had some help. It didn’t last but,” Benidict looked at his hand. “I heard Her Majesty’s voice in my head. She guided me. Told me that you needed help. And I was able to act.”
“Same for me. She told me to draw my weapon and strike,” Alistair sheathed his sword against his back. “Have faith and trust in Cerise.”
“And you saved me from being entrapped by that necromancer again,” Morrigan scowled and flicked the blood from her sword and then sheathed it. But her face relaxed and she smiled at the two of them wrapping her arm around Benidict. “Never stop calling me that silly nickname.”
Surprised he smiled and hugged her back, “Not on your life Mori.”
“Is she really dead?” Vincent asked staring at the ashes.
Vayne sifted through the ashes slowly until he picked up shards of glass. He stared at it seeing something that Vincent couldn’t’. “Her phylactery is broken. Her soul has no home. She is dead.”
“That’s one down then,” Vincent punched his fist into his hand. “I just hope that Alison’s alright. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
Alistair made a face but nodded again. He started to say something when it hit them all. A wave of magic raced across their skin like an electric shock. Everyone flinched away from it and looked up sharply. “What the hell was that?” Vincent asked keeping a hand on his head. His tongue felt burnt and he heard a ringing in his ears.
“That was necromancy,” Ryza said softly.
Ryze rubbed his face slowly and glanced at his sister. “Pride. She’s starting the ritual. We need to hurry.”
“Up we go then,” Vayne said recovering quickly and started walking. “This castle has three floors. Pride will be at the top of the third and the staircases aren’t straight forward.”
“He doesn’t really get the whole, part of a team thing, does he?” Benidict asked putting a hand on his hip
Shaking her head Morrigan fell into step behind the necromancer. “I can’t imagine he does.”
The Harlequin Library 