Chapter 05 — A Quiet and Lonely Castle

  Rook didn't make it hard for them to follow, but she didn't exactly make it easy, either. The woman moved through the forest at a brisk pace, never stumbling or slowing even for the most difficult patches of trees and brambles. Melody and Zoë had to scramble and even run to keep up, as the rifle slung over Rook's shoulder served as a flag to follow, a glint of steel shining from the morning sunlight poking through the canopy.

  Every step forward, Zoë felt a little more trepidation. If we'd come this way last week, we'd have been sent away by a gunshot. If we came here a month ago, we'd probably be dead. What are we doing now? This isn't a good idea.

  Mel's face was enough to restore her confidence. Her eyes were set, her expression determined, and her footing sure. Zoë stumbled far more often, and Melody was the one to keep her going. They didn't give up, they didn't turn back even for a second.

  Every step forward brought Zoë a little more sense of magic, of spells wrought with power far beyond what she could imagine. It scared her, but it was a little bit exciting, too. I'm going to be the first to see what's changed. See the new Rallsburg, the new Natalie. I didn't know the old Natalie, but still… this is something really big.

  Zoë didn't necessarily want to be at the center of anything big. She liked to read about huge happenings from afar. The Hailey Winscombe adventures were a delight in armchair adventuring, living vicariously through a girl flying around the world like a real superhero. Once Zoë actually believed them, she'd enjoyed reading back through everything, getting to feel the same sense of wonder that Melody always had.

  Doesn't mean I want to be in those stories… they usually have a lot of tragedy to go along with them. Oh god…

  Without warning, she reached forward and grabbed Melody's hand. The other girl looked up, startled. Zoë winced.

  "Just needed a hand," she murmured.

  Melody smiled. "Anytime."

  They saw a wide open space ahead, and structures they couldn't make out behind the tree cover. Rook had emerged into the bright morning sunlight. Melody clutched Zoë's hand tighter as they approached the edge—her turn to be anxious, as their goal neared. Together, they walked out of the treeline, shielding their eyes from the sun.

  A castle stood before them.

  It wasn't like any castle Zoë had ever seen, but to be fair, she hadn't seen a great many castles in her life. The structure was made of smooth stone, rising several stories into the air. The place was triangular, two turrets at the front flanking the gate and one taller tower at the opposite point. Within the walls, a wide open lawn surrounded the main castle structure, and bridges crossed between the walls and the second story on all three sides.

  Tall windows dotted the walls, seemingly at random, and many with glass of varying colors. Zoë saw bright pink, deep blue, green, purple, gold… it was as if the designer couldn't settle on a particular style. Most weren't even of the same shape. Likewise, one turret was pointed with windows, the other flat-topped and open, and the rear was flat with a raised cloth covering.

  "Oh, wow…" breathed Melody, who'd stopped in unison with Zoë, taking in the huge structure. "It's incredible."

  Zoë's attention was already elsewhere, looking at the rest of the town—or more accurately, the empty space where the town had once stood. It looked like Natalie had cleared out the rubble, and only the plots where houses once stood remained, surrounded by dirt and paved roads. On the opposite side of the town from the castle stood the only remaining structure—the old library, half caved-in, the last vestige of the old Rallsburg.

  The castle's exactly where her house was… Zoë realized with a start. She'd studied the map of Rallsburg once out of idle curiosity, and it popped back into her head as she looked across its remnants. Natalie built her new home atop the ruins of her old.

  "Come," said Rook again. Their eyes snapped back to her, gesturing for them to keep moving.

  Melody started forward as if a zombie, walking across the tall grass, her hair blown around by a sudden wind. The trees whistled and bent around them, only adding to the foreboding sense of danger. An eerie unease crept through Zoë's body, seeping into her skin.

  The whole town was empty and deadly silent. As they passed through the huge gate, a portcullis hanging above their heads waiting to crash down, Zoë didn't see a single person inside the castle grounds either. All that stood to greet them was an enormous golden mountain lion, casually prowling the space within the walls.

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  Zoë tensed as the cat approached, muscles visible in its powerful stride. It walked in front of the castle doors and stopped, eyeing Zoë with a fierce gaze.

  "Ystävät," said Rook calmly.

  After a few moments, the cat nodded. It stepped aside. Behind it, the castle doors waited—a pair of handsome brown wooden panels, each as tall as Melody's house, with a simple outline of a wolf carved into the surface. The whole place didn't seem foreboding, exactly. As castles went, it actually seemed relatively open and inviting. Still, she couldn't bring herself to just walk in.

  "Mel…" murmured Zoë. Wandering through an empty ghost town was one thing, but once they entered the castle, who was to say they could ever get out? "I don't like this."

  "I want to go in," said Melody, as Rook began to walk toward the door, hand outstretched.

  "What if—"

  "You may leave at any time," said Rook abruptly, interrupting their conversation. She pulled open the door. Inside, a flicker of firelight promised warmth and comfort, out of the chilly winter air. "There is nothing and no one that will hold you against your will."

  Melody turned to Zoë, excitement glimmering in her eyes. "Will you come with me? Please?"

  "Yes," said Zoë, before she could stop herself. "'Course I will."

  Her girlfriend's face lit up, and Zoë's reluctance melted away. She still had more than enough anxiety and caution for the two of them, and she resolved to keep a good getaway path in her head at all times, but if this might lead to Melody's awakening, then Zoë was in it for the long haul.

  Inside the castle, the stone hallways had long, plain rugs lining the floors, and torches stood in stone sconces which seemed to be shaped into the walls themselves. As Zoë passed one, she realized the fire was self-powering. In much the same way as Cinza's fires, the wood fibers repaired themselves, using energy drawn from somewhere Zoë couldn't figure out.

  She built all of this herself, in only a month… It must be true then, that she's one of the special ones like Hailey. Wonder if she can fly too.

  Rook led them through a small maze of hallways until they reached another set of double doors, with an engraving matching the wolf from the front. "The throne room," she said, gesturing forward. "Enter when you are ready."

  Without another word, Rook turned and walked away. Zoë stared after her, watching the rifle bob on her shoulder until she turned the corner and vanished.

  "What are we doing, Mel…" murmured Zoë.

  Melody had been about to reach for the door handle, but she hesitated. "What do you mean?"

  "We already nearly died once out here. You open that door, we're part of their world again."

  "You're already awakened," said Melody. She tried to say it with a smile, but Zoë could hear the painful melancholy behind her syllables. "You'll always be a part of that world."

  "There's a big difference between being awakened and walking into Natalie Hendricks' castle."

  "We're already inside the castle."

  "You know what I mean, Mel."

  Melody nodded. "I know. I'm scared too. But this could really be it. Everybody says if awakenings are ever gonna come back, it'll be because of one of the Eight. Natalie's one of them."

  "'Everybody' tends to be wrong about a lot of things," said Zoë, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

  "What do you want to do?"

  Zoë hesitated. She hadn't expected that question—but of course Mel's always gonna ask me straight, instead of trying to guilt trip me or anything else. "I want you to awaken. I don't know how that's gonna happen. I guess…" She sighed. "I guess this is as good an idea as any."

  "Thanks," said Melody. She leaned forward and kissed Zoë on the cheek. "I'm really glad you decided to come talk to me in the computer lab."

  "...You mean when you flat out rejected me and didn't talk to me for six months?" said Zoë, smirking.

  "Six more months I could've had with my Zoë," murmured Melody dreamily. "I'll have to make up for that sometime."

  "I'm just glad you decided to actually give me a chance."

  "Let's go," said Melody, holding out her hand. Zoë took it, savoring the warmth of her skin, and together, they opened the throne room doors.

  ...This is a throne room?

  If anything, it looked like a living room. There was a fireplace set into one wall, with couches and chairs surrounding it. Zoë guessed they must have been the most intact pieces of furniture left in Rallsburg, repaired by Natalie or Rook. Across the room, a table with more chairs and a huge rug covering the floor. A window peeked out onto the rear lawn, facing the turret at the far end from the gate.

  A huge grey wolf sat curled next to a chair close by the fire. In the chair sat a girl with purple eyes, a spiral scar filling the side of her face, and pointed ears poking through the curtain of brown hair now reaching down past her shoulders. She was the daughter of the Traitor of Rallsburg, the most powerful awakened outside the Three Gods—perhaps even more powerful than the new one, Hailey, if the rumors were true—and as they entered, Zoë had the most startlingly obvious revelation.

  She's just a kid.

  Natalie Hendricks looked up as they entered, one hand on the neck of her wolf. She looked as nervous as Melody, but given how she had built every stone, every scrap surrounding them, Zoë felt she needn't worry a moment. Natalie practically radiated power, so much that Zoë sensed it from across the room.

  "Hi," said Natalie. She gestured for them to come forward to the other chairs near the fire. "This is Gwen," she added, gesturing at the wolf. "She won't hurt you."

  The wolf growled, giving the exact opposite impression Natalie suggested.

  "You built all this, Natalie?" asked Melody.

  She shook her head. "I did, but I'm not Natalie."

  The girl scratched the wolf's back, eliciting a faint purr, before turning back to face the two of them. She gestured toward the other mismatched chairs.

  "My name is Linnethea."