Chapter 105
The Invisibles had removed most of the glitter as promised, but their powers had been weakened for a time, as punishment for letting Avalina hear them again. Therefore, the Horned King and Creeper still glittered faintly and gave no end of amusement to the girl.
"Man, I'm tellin' ya, the Fates are no fun," one of the Invisibles complained.
"They take everything way too seriously. And now we have to install these panes the hard way instead of just conjuring them."
"We wouldn't *have* to do it the hard way if you two would just keep your mouths shut for once," the first Invisible snapped, steadying a plank.
"You always manage to say something stupid at the exact wrong time!"
The Invisibles were currently installing little wooden doors with bolts across all the windows of the castle, in preparation for the colder months. It would have been completed in less than an hour if their conjuring abilities had not been revoked for the time being.
But since they did not have them at the moment, it had to be done the hard way. One window at a time.
"How much longer can this take?" The fourth Invisible exclaimed, drawing up measurements for yet another hole in the stone.
". . . .Um. . ." The third one answered, "it's kind of a freaking castle, soooo. . . ."
"Maybe another month?" The second suggested hopefully.
Groans from the others were heard.
"I've got news for you troublemakers," the first bit out.
"One more episode from you two while we're doing this, and *you* will be doing this on the entire 'freaking castle' all by yourselves."
"Sheesh, Dusty Rainbow, there's no need to be cranky," the second muttered.
"We made Avalina laugh even harder then she was already, so it's not like we were doing something wrong."
"If you would be good and obey the rules the Fates gave us it would be far better for everyone," the first Invisible said crankily.
"Then technically, you've been just as bad as us," the third answered, a grin obvious in its' voice, "I seem to recall the most flawless trolley band. . ."
"Shut up," the first Invisible bit.
"IIIII'M A YANKEE DOODLE DAANNNDY!"
"A YAAAANKEE DOODLE DO OR DIIIIIIIIE!"
"A REAL LIVE VERSION OF MY UNCLE SAM!"
"BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULYYYYYYYYY!"
"I can hear the entire band behind you, is that a bad thing?" The fourth Invisible asked.
"SHUT UP!" The first Invisible shouted angrily.
"I'VE GOT A YANKEE DOODLE SWEEEAAAT-HEEAAAART!"
"SHE'S MY YANKEE DOODLE JOYYYYYYY!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
The first Invisible swung one of the boards at them in a fury and missed, instead hitting the bucket of nails sitting on the window sill.
For a single second it seemed to hover in midair, before dropping out of sight.
All the Invisibles gasped, crowding around the window to watch the bucket get smaller and smaller.
The tiny "sploosh" it made upon hitting the moat was accented by a white dot of bubbles, before it vanished too.
For nearly a full minute none of them spoke or moved. Only stared in shock at the tiny place in the moat where their tools had disappeared.
"Well...you can't get any lower than that," the second Invisible said finally.
"Yes," the third agreed amiably, "You could say it hit rock bottom."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
". . . . . . . . AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
". . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The first Invisible flew at the other two in a rage, screeching bloody murder. The pranksters, screaming in mock terror, fled the scene with the first Invisible right behind them.
The door to the room was violently wrenched open and slammed shut three times in rapid succession as they exited. Their roars and screams could be heard for a very long time before the castle eventually smothered it.
The fourth Invisible peeked out from under the table, where it had fled when the screaming started, and steadily surveyed the situation, having been witness to many more before this of striking similarity.
After neatly stacking the boards in a pile and getting a tremendous length of rope, it opened the door, calling calmly.
"Oh, Creepeeer!"
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THAT!" The first Invisible screeched in rage as it chased the others all over the castle.
"YOU'RE GONNA REGRET EVER LEARNING THAT SONG!"
"WE REGRET NOTHING!" The duo bellowed in unison, streaking through rooms and halls, trying to lose their furious comrade.
"ITS NOT OUR FAULT IT'S SO CATCHY!"
"WHEN I GET A HOLD OF YOU YOU'RE GONNA PAY!"
All through the castle they sped, racing past a very startled Avalina and Horned King at least twice, before rocketing out the massive doors and into the courtyard, where the duo split up, taking two separate directions.
The first Invisible charged after the nearest one, which happened to be the second.
A herd of flying soap bars appeared from nowhere and slid right across the stones, instantly creating mayhem and conveniently throwing the first Invisible completely off course and spinning away across the courtyard, while the second ducked behind one of the buildings and high-fived the third.
"Smart thinking!" It complimented its partner, "But I thought we still couldn't conjure stuff?"
"We can't," the third admitted, "All that was Avalina's saddle soap. We've got to get it all before she misses it later. It was the first thing I could find."
"Ohhhh, I see. My friend, you never fail to amaze me."
"Thank you. Same here. Now, where were we?"
The first Invisible was still yelling murder at them, throwing soap all over, trying to regain its' balance.
"Well, I guess we better get back in the castle before-"
"HOLY COW!"
"HOLY COW!"
All three Invisibles turned as one up to the walls they'd been working on in time to see a small green goblin fly out the very window they'd been repairing, screaming his head off.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Creeper screamed, clawing at empty air.
All arguments forgotten, the three Invisibles in the courtyard shot back into the castle and swept through all the rooms and corridors like tornadoes, racing for the room they'd been working in.
They heard the goblin hit the moat just as they crashed through the last door, blowing it right off the hinges.
"CREEPER!"
They all screamed, flying to the window and peering out.
In the moat far below them, they saw the little green goblin floating in the water, held mostly above the surface by the longest stretch of rope they had ever seen.
Slowly, they all followed it up, to the window directly beside them, where the fourth Invisible sat, calm as could be.
"Hey," the fourth greeted in a deadpan voice.
"How's it goin'?"
There was silence for nearly three seconds, before the others all tried to talk at once.
"What happened?"
"What did you do?"
"Did Creeper try to kill himself?"
"What-what-what-what-what. . .!?"
"What-what-what-what-what. . .!?"
"Did he jump?"
"No," the fourth Invisible said calmly, "I threw him."
Leaning over the side, it shouted, "How's it goin,' Creeper?"
His reply was so quiet compared to the distance none of them could understand what he said.
"Well, don't just. . .sit there!" The first Invisible spluttered.
"Explain! Why is our goblin in the moat?"
The other two, despite the situation, cackled.
"Guarantee no one's ever said that before in the history of the universe," the third sniggered.
"Agreed," the second cackled, "It's worthy of being ours!"
"Explain!" The first nearly shouted again.
"Alright," the fourth said, "I will. As you know, the moat is beyond the courtyard, meaning we can't go there. So, I got the only one that could."
"What's he doin' down there?" The second queried.
"Bucket-bobbing," the fourth said cheerfully.
"He. . .wanted this?"
"Of course not. Why else would I throw him out the window?"
The rope they had tied to one of the pillars twitched three times.
"That's my cue."
Hauling up Creeper with a bucketful of water and nails, the Invisibles placed them all in the floor, untying everything and taking in the dripping, shivering goblin by the water-and-nail-filled bucket.
"I hate you," the goblin sputtered, shaking his head to get the water out of his ears, "I hate you all. Everyone is mean to Creeper."
"Hey you did a great act today," the second one reassured him.
"You boldly went where no goblin has ever gone before."
"Straight out the window and into the moat with the most epical freefall we've *ever* seen. Am I right?"
Murmurs of agreement filled the room.
"Come on, Glitterman, we'll get you dried off and some hot tea in you," the second said.
"Follow us!" The third tagged on.
Chattering, the goblin followed.
After the door clicked shut the room was completely silent for a moment.
"I have never seen that before," the first Invisible said, shock still evident in its' voice.
"That's something the others would do, but not. . .you! What were you thinking?"
The fourth began to lay all the nails out on a towel to dry.
"Oh, I guess I just wanted to see how the other halves live. It's cool, huh?"
". . . .Don't do that again."
"Why?"
"Cause when you do that, my friend, I feel I am truly the only sane one left in this entire blasted castle."
"You have Avalina," the fourth chuckled, "She seems sane to me."
"You threw a goblin out a window! For heavens sakes, that's exactly something *they* would do!"
"Well, it got your precious nails back, didn't it?"
The first provided no more argument, instead helping the fourth dry off the nails.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Besides, I had a blast."
". . .That worries me."
"I'm sure it looked hysterical from the courtyard, though."
The two of them chuckling together was the only sound to be heard in the room.
Shivering in excitement and more than a little fear, Avalina felt him enter the room right before his shadow fell over her, making her heart rise to her throat.
"You cannot hide from me," he rasped out, making the hair on her neck stand up as he loosed a soft chuckle.
"You are trapped."
Slowly, he turned to the door and locked it, before coming farther into the room.
The rain had greeted Avalina that morning, which at first disappointed her, but her slightly gray feelings had vanished upon seeing the Horned King.
Most of it had been removed, but he was still shrouded in clouds of multi-colored glitter that reflected every tiny ray of light that hit him.
They talked for a long time before music, and then afterward, Avalina had suggested they play a game. It had taken many minutes to persuade the Horned King to agree, and in the end, he had agreed on one condition. The one condition Avalina had prayed he wouldn't bring up.
What he would do if he caught her.
This game had been going on for hours now and had progressed through the entire castle at least twice, with Avalina running like her life depended on it, the lich more often than not right on her heels.
He had made his intentions quite clear at the beginning of this game, and she was equally determined to avoid it.
He had played with her all through it with the greatest enjoyment, almost catching her many times, but she had always managed to barely escape him. When she saw him lock the door, however, she knew he was ready to end it.
Hardly daring to breathe, she pressed herself further into the corner, watching him draw ever closer to her hiding spot.
'Don't find me, don't find me.'
Calculating the increasing distance between the Horned King and the door, she tried to estimate how much time she would need to leap from her hiding place, wrench the door open and flee before the Horned King could reach her.
Her hammering heart made it very difficult to breathe softly, but she was determined not to let him catch her this time.
Her legs trembled slightly from exhaustion, but she was not giving up. She couldn't.
Avalina readied herself as she watched him, preparing to make a desperate run for it.
The Horned King knew she was in here. He had tracked her here. Calculating all the possible places she might be hiding, he scanned the room, searching.
His own excitement was rising. His eyes glimmered faintly red, and as he stepped backwards a couple feet, he felt her aura drift against him.
The lich grinned to himself in triumph. She was his now. He paused for a moment, however, letting her aura wash over him. It felt like Life.
He had paused a second too long, forgetting that she could feel his too. The girl exploded from her hiding place behind him and took off across the room to the door.
Avalina yanked on the bolt once, twice, and then a third time.
The door wouldn't open. The stupid bolt was either a lot stiffer or a lot heavier than it looked.
Glancing behind her, she screamed and ducked away as the Horned King tried to grab her and ran across the room, the lich pursuing in a smaller circle nearer the center as she ran around the walls, giving the bolt on the door a good yank each time she passed it, but it was stuck tight.
She was exhausted, and the Horned King was grinning in triumph. She fought to keep her desperation at bay as she made another lap, yanking on the door for all she was worth.
It opened!
Throwing herself against it, she was nearly out when she felt his hand close around her right wrist.
"No!" She cried in panic.
"No, no!"
The Horned King dragged the exhausted girl back into the room, victory written all over his face.
Pulling her to him, he twisted her around in the same position as the first time, chuckling darkly.
"Please, don't!" She panted, trembling with exhaustion.
"You knew the consequences when you agreed to play this game," he rumbled in amusement.
"So don't try to get out of it."
Avalina screeched as the sensation rolled through her, twisting in his grip.
"Stop, stop!" She cried as her laughter bubbled forth.
"After I've spent all day chasing you?" The Horned King questioned, sounding far too pleased for her liking.
"I think not."
Avalina screamed in laughter as the sensation increased, her very nerves seeming to sprout wings.
She tried to plead with him to stop, but she couldn't even draw a proper breath.
She twisted from side to side in a vain attempt to keep him at bay, but it was impossible.
She was more exhausted this time than the last, and her legs had already given out on her as she jerked about uncontrollably.
"Stop, I beg of you!" She managed to choke out.
"Please! Have mercy!"
It happened all at once. The room disappeared from around her, and she felt as if she were drowning in blackness. She was back in that nightmarish place the Horned King had woken her from only last night.
She fought to breath, but she couldn't even feel her lungs working, and she loosed a gasp of horror.
"NO!" She screamed, kicking at the darkness that surrounded her.
"NO, NO, NO! HELP ME!"
Panic struck her and she cried out again, fighting with all her might.
"DON'T LET HIM GET ME PLEASE!"
Sobbing in panic, she didn't realize the Horned King had stopped and was shaking her shoulders until he roared in her face.
"AVALINA!"
She snapped out of it with a sharp cry, staring at him with horrified eyes as the darkness around her vision faded and the room came back into focus.
"Avalina!"
The Horned King was kneeling in front of her on the floor, gripping her shoulders. She noticed him with a start.
"What is it?" He asked, and she could see concern in his dark, deathlike eyes.
"What is wrong?"
The next instant she had latched around his chest and showed no sign of letting go anytime soon.
"Him, him!" She sobbed, feeling as if she had been dunked in ice water.
"Don't let him get me!"
The Horned King had felt the change immediately. How her aura changed from joyful to horrorstruck, how her screaming changed from mirthful to terrified in a split second, and he didn't know what had caused it. Had he done it somehow?
He had been forced to roar at her to snap her out of it.
The next instant she had attached herself to him, sobbing so badly he couldn't understand anything she said.
He had been about to push her off, but after a moment, he had managed to pick out a phrase or two, and then it all clicked together.
He growled low deep in his chest, his eyes burning a brilliant ruby as he held her to him, trying to ease her shuddering.
He felt his hatred for his master compound in that very instant, more so than ever before.
He hated him. For everything he had done, he hated him.
"Sire, it wasn't Arawn directly this time," an Invisible whispered softly to him.
"She had a brief flashback of last night, we think."
The Horned King shot them a fierce look, to which they quietly replied.
"We cannot stop the natural occurrences, sire. Only the unnatural ones."
The lich could do nothing except slowly run his claws through her hair in what he hoped was a comforting manner and wait for her to calm, his hatred for his master growing with each passing second.
After several minutes, Avalina had calmed down enough to stop crying and get to her feet, leaning slightly on the Horned King.
"I'm so-sorry," she managed, flushing in shame.
"I didn't me-mean to. . ."
The lich held up his hand for silence, his heart heavy.
"Do not apologize. It is anything but your fault. It is mine for bringing this on in the beginning."
'I should not have lost my temper last night.'
Avalina was about to say something more, but had no time to as the Invisibles blew past the door screaming like maniacs.
". . .Should we?" Avalina asked wearily.
"No," the lich responded, thinking of something to ease her current state of mind.
"Will you accompany me to the library?"
Avalina managed a tiny smile around her tears.
"Of course."