Chapter Eleven, I hope you all enjoy it, cursing possible violence, and scary situations may occur… well at least I would find them scary, me and my phobia of the dark and creepy things that go bump in the night XD… surprisingly they're also some of the things I'm better at writing about XD Well enjoy this next installment, sorry for the incredibly long wait. Please review they make me happy.
Chapter 11 – The Lady of the Shadows
Gwyn was serving soup to the Lady Morgana and Clarisse, who were absorbed in some sort of conversation. They were a bit too far away for me to here exactly what it was they were saying, but I wasn't exactly concerned about it. When everyone's backs were turned I stood being careful of my bad ankle, and limped as quietly as possible over to the door, grabbing a torch along the way, I was almost to the little alcove that slightly hid the door from the remainder of the room, when Gwyn turned. I froze the good old, if I don't move they can't see me trick, which doesn't actually work… this was no exception. Her deep brown eyes caught mine, and held them. I tried to convey without words for her not say anything. There was a nod, almost imperceptible, and I mouthed thank you. She said something a bit loudly, setting down a pitcher of water, and I slid out shutting the door quietly as possible.
Holding up the torch, candelabras and other fixtures and adornments on the stone walls cast shadows that flickered and danced with the flame. I eyed each one warily; terrified that even just one would rise from its position flat against the wall. I found myself in an internal debate; I could turn back, slip right through the door, and sit comfortably in a nice cushioned chair of the Lady Morgana's. I didn't have to face the horde of shadows, but I couldn't leave River alone. Taking a deep breath I took the first step down the slowly spiraling stair down from the noble lady's chambers. I leaned into the wall for support each time my bad ankle had to take the weight, holding the torch aloft with my freehand, illuminating as much as I could in front of me, and glancing back at the darkness I left behind.
Each dragging shamble echoed eerily on the stone wall, coming back to me in whispers that sent shivers down my spine. At home, I would have told myself I was just being silly, that it was irrational. However there is a point, where logic just gets completely screwed over, and if there ever were a time that it happened, it was now. There was no reasonable explanation I could possibly come up with, and at this point I wasn't going to even try.
My progress towards the stable was painfully slow, each step was agony. Not just for my freshly injured ankle, but the lack of distance I was making weighed heavily on my heart. I was going so slow, what if I didn't make it in time, what if it found the stable? I could not lose River, if there was one thing that I could keep constant one thing that could not change in this complete overthrow of everything I had ever known, it was River. He would be the only one who would not change, the only one would stay. Every hair on my body stood up, and my whole body stiffened a scream barely stifled. The clanging toll of the bells echoed through everything, creating a cacophony that eased my nerves no more than the fearful silence I had had before. I had no idea why bells were ringing, though they didn't seem to be very happy sounding.
Moving onward I finally found the courtyard, being extra careful to only step in the swaths of moon light if possible. I didn't trust what lurked in the shadows under the walls, and cast in twisting spires from the fountain. I limped into the stable, and started lighting the other torches and braziers, not trusting the faint silver light that spilled through the windows and doors. I kept my first torch at hand as I walked over to River's, stall stroking his nose while glancing at the door.
Time stretched impossibly thin, I couldn't tell how long I stood, was it minutes, hours? It couldn't possibly be as long as it felt, because still the sun didn't rise, no orange glow or the indigo haze of pre-dawn shone through the window; just the velvety black of midnight and the never ending stars. My nerves too, were being pulled beyond their limits. Despite the warm glow of the torches every shadow that flickered in my peripheral vision, every sigh or snort the resting horses made, or rustle of mice in the feed bags caused me to jump. Outside it was all too silent, the bells had ceased to ring eternities ago, and not a soul seemed to be moving about the courtyard. Until I began to hear them, hushed whispers and the soft wispy sound of thin cloth brushing cobble stones. I stiffened bringing the torch up in front of me brandishing the flame out in front of me, sending shadows down the wall. Slowly, so slowly, the stable door opened, the rusty hinges emitting a long whining creak.
My hands shook as I stared down the door, the shadows my torch I had cast vibrating with it. I wasn't sure to be more wary of the shadows that danced, even if it was I who caused them to twist and turn, or whatever lurked in the shadows behind that thin knotted piece of wood. I waited watching silently; River gave a nervous whicker as the other horse's shifted. The door flung the rest of the way open, and I screamed brandishing the torch. The silhouette of a person flashed behind the fire and I stepped back, Merlin stood next to the wall hands raised. Gaius and Clarisse slid in behind quickly shutting the knot holed door.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Merlin asked, his voice was soft, but its tone was a bit more hard edged.
"I needed to make sure River was all right." I whispered just above the crackle of my torch. "I couldn't leave him alone, not with that thing out there."
"He's a horse Ally. What about you, you could have died." He caught my eyes, and I felt myself falter for a second, I really could have died, maybe I had been stupid. I turned my eyes down as River stepped forward in his stall, placing his muzzle on my shoulder.
"He's all I have left from home." I looked at Clarisse pleading for her back up on this, she would understand. Despite her better position here, she was still from the same place as me. All she had from home was some clothes a pair of boots and her horse, same as me.
"Ally he's right, I know you love River. I love Byrd, but I wouldn't risk everything on the off chance she could be hurt." I stared at her for a minute; I didn't understand how in the course of a couple weeks she had changed like that. Two weeks ago she would have been more than willing to risk anything and everything for that horse, I remember one time when she nearly had her skull bashed in trying to untangle her mare from an electric fence. She must have seen the betrayal in my eyes, because she started talking again. "Ally, I saw the body of that man. I don't want something like that to happen to you."
"I don't want something like that happening to my horse"
"Ally – "she started, but Merlin cut her off with a soft hush. I turned looking at the cracks between each plank of the wooden door. Nothing but darkness was visible, too dark not a shred of silver moonlight, only black. That soft dry hiss was all too obvious, the shadows were there; kept outside only by the thin flickering flames placed around the stable.
"Now what?" I asked, our previous arguments replaced by cold fear.
"We should be fine as long as the lights stay on." Gaius said, just as a breeze slid through any possible opening into the stable. Flames flickered and flared, a few candles disappearing into a thin stream of bluish smoke. I felt as if everything inside me had frozen solid, I had been an idiot hadn't I? Now not only would River die, but Merlin, and Gaius, and Clarisse, and me. Every last one of us mangled by shadows that tore, and snapped, and ripped. I looked at Merlin; he had closed his eyes and started to stumble back towards the wall, brow furrowed in concentration. His knees bent as he slid to the floor, the wind flickered strengthening and weakening abruptly.
Gaius knelt next to him muttering something into his ear; my eyes went between them and the rest of the room. The wind was picking up again and I watched helplessly as more and more candles started flickering out, even a few torches close to the door and windows were extinguished. Clarisse looked terrified, wide eyes flickering between the door and the windows.
"I have to Gaius." Merlin muttered just loud enough that I could hear him.
"But-"the old man protested glancing at Clarisse, who was too frightened to notice.
"If I don't we're all going to die, if she figures it out it will just be me."
The old man frowned, but stood up with a slight groan as his old bones creaked. What was he talking about? What the hell could he do for us right now, as far as I was concerned we were pretty much dead. The jolted wind continued, rising into a gale briefly before completely ceasing. I had given up on watching the impenetrable dark through the slats of the door. Instead I sat and watched Merlin. His eyes remained closed, face contorting with effort, and sweat shimmering on his cheeks and throat in the quickly dimming light. I gave a nervous glance at the door as it creaked ominously, there was only the torch I held and two more on the far side of the stables left. I could hear Clarisse whimper, as the wind died again. I started to rise, wanting to stand with River who was weaving anxiously in his stall.
My hair blew back in a sudden gust of wind, the flame of my torch lunging out in a last attempt of life before turning to spiraling wisps of smoke. That awful dark began to seep in, leaking through the door like some sort of toxic ooze you would see in a cartoon dripping down into pools of black on the stone floor. Rolling and reaching forward towards the nearest being, Merlin.
I cried out leaping forward to seize his arms, his eyes opened and for a second I could swear the regular deep blue of his iris had turned gold, but as soon as it was there it was gone. I yanked pulling him away from the door, half dragging him as he scrambled on the slick straw scattered on the flag stones. Then with an ear splitting crack, the shadows burst in. The nervous snorts and whickers of the horses turned into high pitched whinnies, and panicked bellows. Loudest of all was Clarisse's scream, she was flailing, and swatting trying to strike down the untouchable dark.
"Clarisse!" I yelled, letting go of Merlin I started towards her, just to be pulled back by Merlin's arms wrapping around my waist and dragging me to the floor. I struggled against him kicking out, and throwing punches. More than once I heard him grunt as my fist made contact. I called out for her again and again as the shadows circled and danced whispering menacingly softly under the roar of the wind. I sent back an elbow catching his jaw his grip relaxed, and I leaped up just as the shadows closed around her.
I screamed her name reaching for the mass of darkness. Merlin had jumped up and grabbed me again this time securing my arms. I struggled at first, but eventually gave up falling back against him, tears blurring my eyes. The shadows lifted her from the ground expanding into a whirling sphere and contracting to cling to her body in excruciating detail, moving in synch with each curl of her hair or fold of her gown. She didn't scream as the guard had in his final moments, floating there engulfed in darkness her figure seemed almost serene, noble even. I stood there in Merlin's arms trying to engrave in my mind this image of my best friend, I wanted to remember her like this, not whatever mutilated horror she would be when it had had its fill. I wanted the last thing I saw of Clarisse to be her silhouette in the pulsing darkness, a lady of the shadows.