Chapter 4
887 Words
I woke up.
Again.
Thankfully, in my own room.
No mysterious men.
No glowing eyes.
No floating skulls.
No disappearing hallways.
For once, life seemed normal.
Then I remembered the red-eyed man from the library.
My peace vanished immediately.
"Who the hell was that?"
I sat upright.
There was only one solution.
I needed answers.
---
After getting dressed, I marched directly toward the library.
Or at least where the library was supposed to be.
I stopped.
Blinking.
Then blinked again.
The door was gone.
Completely gone.
The wall was smooth as if the entrance had never existed.
"What is wrong with this place?"
I touched the wall.
Nothing.
No hidden switch.
No secret handle.
No door.
Wonderful.
Either I was losing my mind or this castle was.
At this point I wasn't sure which one was winning.
---
A maid appeared beside me.
"Good morning, Miss Zilla."
I nearly jumped.
"Do all of you enjoy appearing out of nowhere?"
The maid smiled politely.
"Are you hungry?"
I stared at her.
"Yes. Very."
She nodded.
"Please follow me."
---
The cafeteria was already busy.
Servants moved between tables carrying food.
The smell alone nearly made me cry.
I sat down immediately.
Fresh bread.
Eggs.
Fruit.
Coffee.
Beautiful coffee.
I picked up the cup.
"This is the only sane thing I've encountered since arriving here."
The maid tried not to laugh.
---
After eating, exhaustion hit me.
Three days in Navigas felt like three years.
I returned to my room.
Then promptly fell asleep.
---
Elsewhere...
Deep inside the castle.
Three men sat around an ancient table.
Silence filled the room.
Then the Second Master leaned back.
"We finally found her."
The Third Master smiled.
"It only took seven thousand years."
The Second Master rolled his eyes.
"Only."
The First Master remained silent.
His gaze rested on the fire.
Finally, he spoke.
"She's here."
The room grew quiet.
"At last."
The Third Master crossed his arms.
"Good. Now we can finally deal with that witch."
The Second Master's expression darkened immediately.
"You shouldn't say her name."
The Third Master scoffed.
"Why not?"
The Second Master pulled back his sleeve.
Scars covered his arm.
Ancient scars.
Scars that glowed faintly.
The room fell silent.
"Because she gave us these."
Nobody spoke.
Not even the Third Master.
The First Master's eyes narrowed.
"The past is not finished with us."
He stood.
Walked toward an enormous bookshelf.
Pulled out a massive ancient book.
Its pages opened by themselves.
Strange symbols floated above the paper.
The First Master began speaking.
Ancient words.
Forgotten words.
Words that didn't belong to any human language.
The room trembled.
The candles flickered.
Then everything went dark.
---
The next morning...
I woke up feeling strangely refreshed.
The sunlight poured through my window.
For once, Navigas looked almost peaceful.
Almost.
A knock came at the door.
Immediately, I locked it.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Perfect.
Three locks.
Maximum protection.
Only then did I open it.
The maid stood there patiently.
"Miss Zilla."
"Good. You're not a floating skull."
The maid looked confused.
"I have a message."
"Hopefully from Earth."
"The Royal Coronation begins in three days."
I blinked.
"The what?"
"The Royal Coronation."
I stared.
She stared.
"What exactly am I supposed to do with that information?"
---
After she left, I decided to explore again.
To my surprise, the front door actually remained where it belonged.
Progress.
Small progress.
But progress.
The gardens outside were filled with activity.
Servants hurried everywhere.
Decorations were being prepared.
Guests were arriving.
Carriages rolled through the estate.
People whispered among themselves.
Everyone seemed excited.
Everyone except me.
I was still trying to figure out why doors disappeared.
---
As I walked, I noticed something strange.
Groups of nobles stood together.
Whispering.
Constantly whispering.
Nobody spoke normally.
Everything was murmurs.
Everything was secrets.
Eventually, I snapped.
I turned around.
"What is wrong with all of you?"
The whispers stopped.
Everyone looked at me.
I pointed dramatically.
"Use your voices."
Silence.
"If you say things out loud, will you explode?"
More silence.
"Then SPEAK."
An older noblewoman stepped forward.
Her expression was horrified.
"Young woman."
"What?"
"We are nobles."
"Congratulations."
"You should show respect."
I folded my arms.
"And you should speak louder."
Gasps erupted.
The woman nearly fainted.
"How dare you!"
I tilted my head.
"Pretty easily, actually."
The entire crowd looked offended.
I was having a wonderful time.
---
"Miss Zilla."
A familiar voice interrupted.
The Third Master appeared.
Trying very hard not to laugh.
The noblewoman pointed at me.
"Control her."
I pointed back.
"Control yourself."
The Third Master finally lost the battle.
He burst out laughing.
The noblewoman looked horrified.
"What's funny?"
The Third Master wiped a tear from his eye.
"Everything."
I grinned.
The woman looked ready to start a war.
"Come," the Third Master said.
"We need to prepare you."
"For what?"
"The Coronation."
I narrowed my eyes.
"That sounds dangerous."
"It probably is."
"Wonderful."
Then I pointed at the furious noblewoman.
"If she attacks me while I'm gone, I'll remove her bones."
The Third Master nearly choked.
"Is that even possible?"
"Would you like me to test the theory on you?"
He immediately stepped back.
"No."
"Smart answer."
And together we walked toward the castle.
While behind us, the noblewoman looked seconds away from collapsing.
- Writer
