The Gladiator Journalist and Other Murderous Flora by Aaron Frale

Author:Aaron Frale [Frale, Aaron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

The Party That Never Was

The Fae Castle, Summertime

Sissy spent weeks searching for Lady Ameria, however Iver seemed to show up at every turn. When she had discovered a passage behind a painting with a spiral staircase leading into the unknown, Iver appeared behind her to tell her that she had a guest coming to visit. When she attempted to wave him away, he had persisted. Eventually, she relented, and was whisked away to be dressed in an evening gown by her handmaiden.

The guest had canceled, and Sissy insisted that the servants come up and enjoy themselves at the feast. After everyone was good and drunk, she had slipped away, only to find that there was no passageway behind the painting, just a solid wall. After that night, she had made a point to look behind every painting (most were of her).

She found a secret door in a library a week later by pulling a book, but Iver once again appeared in the doorway and shooed her away on another important errand – as before, getting ready for an important guest that would inevitably cancel at the last moment.

Even if guests could come, the magical barrier that kept people out of the castle wouldn’t let anyone past it. She found doorways leading to the outside, including the one where Iver had originally cast the darkness spell that trapped them in his alternate reality. She contemplated attempting to make a run for it and contacting the Silent Legion, but didn’t think she would be able to pass the castle barrier without Lady Ameria’s help.

She shuddered to think about the man with his arm stuck in the drawbridge, dying of thirst. She wondered how many bodies were trapped in the walls.

The magic keeping people from entering the place was very powerful, and it occurred to her that it most likely was not Iver’s spell. If the man had cast the barrier around his castle, then it would stand to reason that he could stroll out and find more playthings for his sick fantasy. The castle should be teeming with servants and “guests”, as they were always getting ready for the social occasion that would never happen. Most likely, this castle had been in some forgotten corner of Carnt until the portals brought it here.

Sissy figured that if people had cast a barrier on the castle, then they must have escaped Iver’s spell. Which meant there was a way out. The magical effects didn’t affect her, but it had everyone else. Maybe she should keep searching for the staircase, which would switch position every time she found it. She had done so five times – twice behind a painting, once in the library, another time behind a door, and the last through bushes in the courtyard. Each time Iver stopped her from exploring.

She had thought about going anyway, but didn’t think going into a dungeon with a powerful sorcerer at her back was a wise idea. No, the best way was to figure out why she had retained all her memories, and her companions hadn’t.

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