Let the Darkness In

I nearly flung myself at her in a bone-crushing hug but I managed to hold myself back. It was like being tethered by chains.

I merely nodded and resumed eating my pie, although it was very difficult to swallow and the blood was rushing to my head.

“Spend the morning here to recover and then you can come with me.”

I nodded again.

Tomorrow I would meet the king and possibly the prince. I would finally be within touching distance of revenge.

I hardly slept that night, even though my body needed to fight off the last of the malady. I cursed the mandrake heartily and snatched what slumber I coud.

I woke to the sound of the door closing. My eyes opened speedily - that was the quietest I had ever heard Ainesilver.

My body was back to normal, all poison gone. I lay in bed for a while longer, imagining the moment I met the prince. I would take the knife and stab him right there until the blood ran down my hands. I would run, escape everyone, back into the forest and call Madb. Then the others would rise and humankind would pay. Or I could take the mandrake root and slowly tip him into madness.

Ainesilver and Ysymay were the only people who had shown me kindness. Ainesilver would join us, her past fuelling her need for justice. And Ysymay helped our kind so she would be protected.

Finally, I could lie no longer and rose. I snacked on the rest of the pie, dressed slowly and tucked the small vial back into my belt. Whether I would have need of it today, I had no idea, but it was worth keeping close.

When Ainesilver returned for lunch, I was ready. It was an agonizing wait for her to finish her portion of the pie and drink down a mug of ale. I resented her. Was she taking this much time on purpose?

Just when I was close to running out the door by myself, she was ready to go. We walked out together and up the main street. The castle watched us coming and as we came nearer and nearer, its bulk grew. The doll-like shape of guards poked their heads between the crenellations, some moving up and down. The outer wall shadowed us as we approached. Through the tightly wrought iron gate, I spied a wide space where people came and went.

Two guards snapped to attention, hands resting near their swords. I swallowed. I knew the iron was deadly to fairies but it was pretty lethal to us humans as well. But Ainesilver gave them a beaming smile.

“Hello boys.”

The younger of the guards issued a loud whistle, eager to get the old crone out of sight. There was an answering shout and the portcullis squeaked up. We waited until it was head height and passed through, the shadow blocking out the sunlight. As we emerged into the bailey, the gate slammed shut. I tried to control my heavy breathing. Nothing was alive here. All the plants, flowers and trees were shut out by layers and layers of walls. My body trembled to duck back to outside.

In all the stories I had read, kings and nobles had left the gates open as a sign of welcome to their people. Was there a reason today the gates were closed?

“Does the castle normally keep to itself?” I asked Ainesilver as we trudged towards the main keep. Glancing up, it was hard to see where the tower ended against the glare of the sun.

“Oh yes. It’s not just you and I who hate him. I’ve lost count of how many murder attempts there have been. Of course, the reason the royal family is still here is because of yours truly.”

“Have you ever thought of...you know...for what he did?” I muttered, aware of people coming to and fro around us.

Ainesilver gripped my elbow and pulled me close, bending down to whisper in my ear. “If anyone heard you saying that, you will be hung. Keep your mouth shut.” She pushed me away and by the tilt of her chin and the way she was avoiding my gaze, I knew I had hit a sore spot.

The doors were manned by two more soldiers. Each time we passed through a door, I felt like I was heading deeper and deeper into a trap. I was finding it harder and harder to breathe. I had never been surrounded by so many walls and the building was growing with every second.

The stench hit me first. As our feet kicked through dirty rushes, remnants of food were uncovered. Bits of bone half chewed by dogs went flying. Dead plants crunched underfoot. A few servants were working their way down the vast interior. After our brief interruption, they went back to their work.

The air was warm and rifled with the stench of unwashed bodies. There was the stale bitterness of left-over alcohol. My breath began to wheeze out of my lungs. I could feel the sweat beginning to form in beads on my forehead.

We moved towards the corner of the room where a wooden door led deep into the walls. Two more guards aimlessly watched us pass. I was getting an idea of how reinforced this castle was. My heart fell a little. This called for all my skills and clever thinking. Ainesilver opened it onto a flight of circular stairs. We couldn’t see the way up but I was more than convinced anyone would have heard us coming a mile off.

Our feet slapped against the worn stone of the stairs as we made our way up. Small doors appeared every so often and I wondered if perhaps the prince was behind any of these. The stairwell seemed to harbour the cold, it seeped through the walls and into the soles of my feet. I crossed my hands across my chest and moved a little quicker.

Finally, we halted at one of the doors. Ainesilver gave a knock and a moment’s silence fell. I wiped my clammy hands on my skirt and prayed my companion didn’t notice how they were trembling. There was a creak and a thin face peered out.

With a bald head and gaunt features, I half expected the man to let out a gobble. His head tilted up, he looked down at Ainesilver. His lips curled and his shoulders dropped. Ainesilver let out a smile and forced her way past him. He was shunted aside but as I walked forward, an arm shot out, barring the way.

“And she is?” The voice was clipped and abrupt. It was as if I had bought the plague into his domain.

“That is my apprentice and you will be wise to let her through, else she curses you!”

My eyes shot to the elf as I worked to suppress a gasp. But the old woman glanced back and cackled as she looked at the man. He stood up stiffly, muttered something that sounded like an insult under his breath and pulled me into the room. The door slammed as he left.

“He’s the royal physician. Hates my guts but if he wasn’t so incompetent at his job, I wouldn’t be here.”

I grinned. Our secret was still safe.

I finally had a chance to look at the walls around me. The room was warmed by a blazing fire, tended by a young boy wearing royal livery of deep red and gold thread. He glanced up at our approach but went back to his duties. A large-backed chair rested just behind him next to a small round table with a tray, an empty mug and an empty board.

Huge tapestries lined the walls depicting hunting scenes, scenes of some sort of religion. All of them were vibrant and dominated the space.

Underfoot, fresh rushes released the scent of lavender and thyme as they were crushed underfoot. Ainesilver crossed the room to another door, manned by one guard this time. He was an older man, a faded scar slightly splitting his lip. His skin was sallow and looked as thin as paper. He wouldn’t be so hard to get past.

“Morning Harold,” Ainesilver muttered, shuffling past. “She’s with me,” she interjected as Harold’s mouth began to open.

He grunted and let her into a room bathed in a dirty yellow. Once again, the stench of sickness wafted out, making my stomach turn. I gritted my teeth. This was scouting the field. Anything I could glean would be useful later on.

It took a moment to adjust to the darkness within. This nobility liked to keep the sunlight out. Letting out a huge sigh, Ainesilver moved to the boarded windows and began folding back the planks of wood. “Every single time,” she muttered ferociously. Light flooded in, making my retinas burn.

Once I had blinked away the blobs of purple, the room swam into vision. Lying in a magnificent bed that shrunk him was a frail-looking man. If I had thought Harold looked the worse for wear, I had been mistaken. Cheekbones sticking out of his skin, ashen smudges beneath barely-opened eyes, and a matted white beard made up the man propped on the pillows.

Around me, Ainesilver was greeting her patient and setting up her various paraphernalia. Dimly aware of her clattering presence, my eyes struggled to leave the king’s face.

Here before me was a man who hated anyone who was not like him. The more money, the better chance you had. People like me, who were born with gifts that could have once helped, had been pushed away, marked as being less than human. My parents had left me to die, the village had tried to kill me.

As for Ainesilver...my eyes flicked to the old woman sat spooning medicine into the patient’s mouth. He had, from what I had gathered, killed her love and forced her into hiding. She could never return to her own kind….and what was she doing now? She was helping a murderer heal and recover.

Red swirls dotted my vision and my soul exploded through the walls around me, trying to search for any form of organic life. There was nothing in this castle, save the scurrying heat pads of the animals and humans.

Don’t you dare young lady.

The voice sliced through my head and stunned me back into the small sick room. I knew that voice but the woman was sat a few feet away. With eyes wide, I stared at the elf. Her head turned slowly, and her eyes flared. In a tiny motion, she shook her head.

You’ll kill us both.