shadows

0 - 02

No one knew exactly when the blue castle was built. Or by whom.

It was discovered a few hundred years ago. And claimed by the witches. It wasn’t until a few more decades that the queen gifted the castle to a princess who had lost the battle for the crown as a way to appease the defeated princess. That princess had been the queen’s daughter, and thus that little bit of partiality. A few generations down, this had become a custom. The blue castle was gifted to a princess who relinquished the crown. A few more generations down, the custom changed to the blue castle being given to one of the princesses with no clauses attached.

The current owner of the blue castle was princess Emerald. Twenty one years old. Dark haired. Small eyed. Thin lipped. Stunningly pretty. And very, very powerful.

Emerald was sitting in the main hall, inside the castle. Her grandmother and her grandmother’s young friend were with her. Her grandmother, Eustace, was an elder witch in the council. And the young friend was Krom, an elemental and of repute too. It was the middle of the night. And the three sat wide awake. Neither showing the faintest shadow of sleep.

And neither was sitting relaxed. They were leaning forward, standing on their arms, with their elbows rooted to their knees. Their eyes glued to the rune drawn on the stone floor between them. The rune was drawn with mana, a skill proficiently displayed by Krom, proving that his reputation was deserved. The outline of the rune shone with a golden brilliance. This was a sign of the purest mana activated in a powerful spell. The brighter the brilliance, the bigger the spell. And the rune dazzled like the sun, lighting up the wide hall in its brilliance. Outside might be the middle of the night. Inside was as if the middle of a summer day.

The absolute silence in the hall made the sounds of battle coming in from the outside through the window loud. The three didn’t have to look outside to know the progress of the battle. And with them watching over the spells and the disruptions in the energy of the world, they could see just as well.

“Ready?” Eustace asked, as the assassins broke out of the woods.

It wasn’t really a question. And so, no answer was given. This time, Emerald sat quietly by the side, watching. And the elders, the witch and the elemental, poured their mana into the rune. It was a spectacular sight. Eustace’s mana was a deep violet. A steady stream following the soundless incantation. The ancient words rolling off of her tongue with such ease, as if she was an ancient herself.

And Krom’s mana was a mix of red and blue and white, following the path he visualised in his mind’s eye. He wasn’t a spectacle as eye catching. But there was an inexplicable beauty about him. It was as if his mana embraced him as it flowed out of him, and only when it had its fill did it flow away.

The two streams flowed into the rune, filling it up rapidly. The whole process was no longer than a couple of seconds. But time was relative. When the spell contained within the rune was activated, the two stopped pouring their mana. And the rune lifted off the ground. Floating up to eye level. Where it held itself, like a floating cloud. And it spat of a red mist.

The red mist seemed to have a consciousness of its own. It flowed to the window. And outside. Unhindered.

-

The assassins shared a look, communicating through their eyes, the distance between them inconsequential. They weren’t surprised that only seven pairs made it through the woods. Not because this was within their calculations. There was just nothing that could surprise the assassins. That they came prepared for.

The serenity of the clearing threw them off momentarily. They knew beyond any doubt that there was something waiting for them. A spell. An attack team of the witches. Assassins. Something. Someone. Their expectations were met when they encountered the red mist.

It was sudden. One moment there was nothing. Next, the red mist was rushing at them. They didn’t know what it was. They didn’t dare underestimate it. They had no idea. Them not giving up was already underestimating the red mist.

As soon as they came in contact with the red mist, it was as if the ground gave away under their feet. As if the world itself gave away, throwing them into an endless abyss.

A fraction of a second was all it took. The red mist swallowed them whole. Consumed their lives. Spat out the rest. And continued onward. To the woods. Where the unsuspecting and unprepared elementals were waiting to be swallowed up too.

And when there was no one left within the castle’s enchantment, the red mist receded. Returning to the hall. Returning to the rune.

-

A bit of mist tore away from the main body. Like a detached limb. Floated a different direction from the window. This bit of mist was red and blue. And it floated upward. To the ceiling. And through the stone slab. Unhindered.

“What are you doing?” Krom screamed, as he realised what was happening. His face filled with horror. And disbelief. He had been betrayed. By someone he considered a friend.

“Do you really expect an apology?” Eustace asked. And though her words were harsh, the grief in her expression gave her away. This wasn’t what she wanted. At least not entirely. She was helpless. And understandably so. “What did you expect.”

“Not this,” Krom answered. His voice and his posture showing defeat.

Yes, he was defeated. There was nothing he could do now. Tears flowed from his eyes. Tears that were tinged red, and it wasn’t all to be blamed on the blood night or the mist. He was furious. And he couldn’t contain himself.

Eustace was expecting this. Her hands are clenched. Her lips moving rapidly. Soundlessly voicing a spell. A spell that put a barrier around her and Emerald. A barrier that she hoped would be enough against Krom’s attack.

Just when his attack was ready and her spell was complete, the tension was abruptly broken. A fourth person had appeared in the hall.

“Oh my, what do we have here?”

Despite their complicated emotions, the three were bursting with excitement as they looked at the boy who had arrived so quietly. And they were cheering. The spell worked. The summon was successful. The three bowed deeply at the boy, at the god they had summoned successfully.

“Che,” the boy spat unkindly. His face showing that he wasn’t the least bit amused.