Chapter 3 – The Castle of Terror
Midnight has past, and all of sudden, everything had a very eerie atmosphere. Thick fog spread throughout the town, the full moon glowed brightly, and decrepit trees swayed back and forth by the cold wind, which whistled in a ghostly manner.
The six dragons bravely made their way towards Bran Castle. Cynder left Darky under the care of Octavian earlier on. As they approached the castle, it gleamed under the moonlight, giving it a rather spooky appearance. Draco started to shiver upon seeing the sight of the castle. "Guys, I'm getting the creeps from this place," he said.
"I know it looks scary, Draco, but we have work to do," said Cynder. "There's no other time to search for the treasure but now."
Torden looked at Draco, and a devilish grin spread on his face. "I don't blame you for being so scared," he started. "Cause I heard the stories of those who dared to enter the castle."
"What are you talking about?" asked Draco.
"Well, did you hear that this place has a secret laboratory?" asked Torden. "That's where they create a race of mutants that are said to roam the depths of the castle."
Cynder rolled her eyes. She has heard many tales about Dracula's castle, but she found Torden's story to be rather ridiculous.
Percival was curious, but the same time, he started to feel spooked by Torden's tale. "What is it about the mutants that you know of?" he asked nervously.
"They say the mutants are made out of the visitors that they have trapped inside," said Torden as he lowered his voice to sound creepier. "What they do is skin them, cut open their heads, and take out their brains, all of that while the victims are still alive!"
Draco, Lily and Percival huddled each, now shaking in fear at the thought that they could meet the same kind of fate if they were not careful.
"Quit it, Torden!" grunted Jakkin. "That's enough fooling around!"
Torden ignored him, for he already had his back turned, about to give the final scare. "They say that under a full moon and a foggy night, the mutants walk… right NOW!" Immediately, he turned around, revealing a face so scary. His eyes rolled up so the veins can be seen while he utters a terrifying growl.
Draco, Lily and Percival screamed with fright. "No! We don't want to end up like that!" they wailed.
Torden laughed at his story and cruel prank. Cynder have had enough of it. "Torden, stop it right now!" she said angrily. "That wasn't cool at all!"
"I was just messing around with them," said Torden. "They really need to shape up so they can handle anything scary."
"But that wasn't funny!" exclaimed Jakkin.
"It was really worth it," laughed Torden. "Besides, I'm not scared of anything, whether it's ghosts, mutants, or even vampires."
"Says you," retorted Cynder. "You shouldn't boast about not being scared, because chances are you might be."
"Just you wait and see," replied Torden in a smug tone. "I'm gonna show you guys that I am absolutely fearless."
"Let's just go inside the castle already," said Cynder. "There's no time to waste."
As the dragons approached the castle entrance, Cynder knocks on the door. To nobody's surprise, there was no answer, but then after a few moments, the door creaked open. Cynder bravely went inside while the other dragons followed her closely behind.
The interior of the castle looked very forbidding. The hallways were dank and dingy and as the dragons explored the inside, there was seemingly no sign of life. It was eerily quiet and dim. Fortunately, thanks to Draco's tailflame, they had some light to guide around. As they investigated the anteroom, they heard faint creaking.
"What was that?" squeaked Draco.
"Relax, Draco," said Jakkin. "It's only the floor we're treading on."
"This place sure looks decrepit," said Percival. "I'm starting to get a chill."
"What do you mean?" asked Cynder.
Percival look cautiously all around the room. "Does anyone get the feeling that we are being watched?"
The dragons looked at each other. "No, I don't so," replied Torden. "All I can tell is that this castle is deserted."
For a moment it seemed as if there was nothing to worry. Suddenly there was a loud banging sound which caused Draco, Lily and Percival to jump. Immediately they hurried back to find that the entrance door has been sealed shut. Draco tried to turn the knob open, but to no avail.
"Darn it!" he groaned. "We're locked in!"
"How could this be possible?" asked Cynder as she with Jakkin and Torden joined in. "The wind couldn't have been that strong to close the door."
Just then, evil laughter echoed throughout the castle, surprising the dragons. A loud sinister voice followed. "So, ye dare to cometh to thy domain?" it boomed. "Well, thou had made the biggest mistake! Abandon all hope, for disturbing thy keeper's slumber and for trespassing, thou shalt remain in thy castle for all eternity!" And the voice continued to cackle before it finally stopped. Draco, Lily and Percival were trembling. Now there is no escape for sure.
"What are we going to do know?" they asked worryingly.
"Looks like we have no other choice," said Cynder. "The only way we can find a way out is if we search for the treasure and then confront the keeper of the castle."
"You mean we really have to face Dracula?" asked Lily.
"If we plan to escape the castle, then yes," replied Jakkin.
"Like Octavian said, we'll have to stick together so that we won't get lost," said Cynder. So all the dragons grouped together and made their way further through the castle.
Outside the castle at the other end, the Pyre Squad were trying to find their entry. Equipped with some excavating tools, the sinister dragon trio searched around the castle walls for an entrance.
"Nothing like doing dirty deeds for a cause," said Ciara.
"If we can accomplish this goal, the Dark Queen is sure to be pleased with our efforts!" exclaimed Scorcher.
"Just tell me how much sooner we'll find an entrance?" grumbled Cronk. He hated doing hard work. "It would have been easier if we went straight for the front door."
"Cronk, do you think it is worth getting caught?" frowned Ciara. "If you want things done, it's best to take the hard way in such cases like this, dimwit!"
The Pyre Squad soon found some bricks jutting out, and using their pickaxes, they tried taking out the loose bricks. Eventually they managed to make an opening wide and large enough to squeeze through. Ciara beamed as she entered inside. "Alright!" she cried out. "The treasure will soon be ours for the taking!"
"But hold on just a minute, Ciara," said Scorcher as he squeezed through the opening. "I've heard about this place before, I don't remember where, but it has been in horror stories and such."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Ciara.
"Call me crazy, but rumours say that this castle is inhabited by a terrifying vampire," continued Scorcher. "I believe his name is Dracula or something."
Ciara snorted. "Oh, please," she scoffed. "Do you honestly believe in fairy tales like that? Vampires do not exist, so we'll be fine!"
"Yeah," said Cronk. "Besides, what are you anyway? Don't tell me you're scared of a spooky castle, aren't you?"
"I'm not! I'm not!" shouted Scorcher indignantly.
"Well, good," said Ciara. "Now come on, coward! Quit dawdling and let's get searching for that treasure!"
Scorcher huffed and followed Ciara and Cronk into the dungeons ahead. Neither of them noticed the entrance they made had caved in, trapping the three inside. As they explored the dungeons, they wandered aimlessly for clues to where they could find the elusive artefact.
"Are you sure this place where the treasure might be hidden?" asked Scorcher.
"I'm positive," replied Ciara. "This has got to be place as it looks secret enough."
Just then, they heard a strange noise. "What was that?" shrieked Cronk.
"How should I know?" said Ciara. "Stop acting like scaredy cat and keep looking!"
The Pyre Squad continued exploring the dungeons, but while they were busy with their search, a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the darkness, watching the three dragons and waiting patiently…
Cynder and her friends climbed their way up the castle and soon they entered a vast library. Like everything else they saw in the castle, it was very gloomy.
"There has got to be something that says where we can find the treasure," said Cynder. "And hopefully something that can tell us how we can get out."
"I certainly hope there would be something," said Draco. "I don't like the looks of this place, and I can tell it's only going to get worse further ahead."
"Hold on a second, I think I might have found something!"
As she took out a certain book from the shelf, Cynder found what appeared to be blueprints of the castle. It looked very old as the page was tainted brown with tattered and torn edges, so she handled it with care.
"Hmmmm, this could give us a clue to where we are," she began. "But I think for the sake of preserving it we should leave it where we found it."
Just before Cynder could put the book back in place, a small piece of paper fell from the book and landed on the ground. Curious, she picked it up and unfolded the paper and as she took a close look at it, her eyes widened. "Whoa!" she gasped. "This is something really interesting!"
"What, what is it?" asked the other dragons.
"Guys, have a look at this!" exclaimed Cynder. "You'll never believe what I read! This could actually be our lucky break!"
As all the dragons crowded around Cynder, they took a look at the piece of paper she was holding. On the paper was some writing in fancy letters. Draco inspected it and read out loud. "'Taketh thy right path, down the chambers ye shalt see, then upwards at thy north, thy treasure awaits thee,' seems to be like a clue or something."
"Exactly," said Cynder. "We have a guide to where we have to go to find what we are looking for!"
"I guess that is good news," smiled Percival. "Now we just have to know where to start."
"The right path from the library, that's what I presume," said Cynder. "So that's where we'll have to go."
Following what the paper instructed, Cynder and the dragons made their way from the right path of the library until they reached a door. Cautiously, she opened it and as they entered, they reached a circular chamber which seems to have no other path.
"This is very peculiar," said Draco. "There seems to be nowhere else to go, possibly a dead end."
"Don't give up just yet," said Cynder. "Maybe there's a secret door disguised as a wall."
But as the dragons searched the chamber, they could hear the floor groaning under the pressure of their weight.
"Tread carefully, guys," said Percival. "The floor seems very unstable, so if a sudden change in weight happens, it could collapse."
The dragons moved very gently and slowly while they searched the walls. Suddenly, Torden slipped and crashed on the ground. All the dragons cringed, anticipating the floor to break, but to their surprise, it didn't.
Cynder sighed in relief. "Whew, this floor's stronger than I expected…"
Draco almost nodded in agreement, but then it happened. The floor broke open and the dragons screamed as they fell in. Eventually, they landed on a chute which sends them sliding down rapidly.
"Thank goodness this slide broke our fall!" exclaimed Draco. "We might make it safely!"
"I don't think this is over yet!" shouted Jakkin. "Look down ahead!"
The dragons saw that further down the slide was a fork split into three routes. They all held tightly, but then the fork separated them.
"Cynder!" cried Draco as he hopelessly reached his paw out for her.
"Draco!" called out Cynder as she could only see him and the other dragons get split from the fork. All screamed as they plummet deep into the dark abyss.
Author's Note: Uh-oh, the dragons have been separated from each other! What will happen to them now? Let's hope they're all in one piece!
