Snippet #2218052

It had been a strange experience, existing in the castle, living amongst nobles, like she was walking in a dream. In the back of her mind, she knew that Duke was out there somewhere, blinded and injured, trying to survive with Luli. Spirits only knew what that woman was up to.

Lark was gone. Railynn kidnapped. So much was going on outside of the castle walls, but she was removed from all of that, like a sparrow who had her wings trimmed.

She knew of a sauna, open to the evening air, but so high above sheer cliffs that it would definitely be a death wish to attempt climbing down. With far too much on her mind, she headed that way, the swirls of her skirts swishing around her ankles as she moved.

She came to the edge, staring out over the distance, chilled from the high mountain air and the bleakness of the atmosphere. Her breath left her in a cloud, brow furrowing as she continued searching, searching for what...something she couldn't find.

"Duke." She said in a soft sigh. More than anything, she wished he was here, if only to tell her how ridiculous she looked in this dress.

There was a creak of the door to Taylor's right, suddenly, and it swung open. Strangely enough, if she had expected to find anyone there at all...there was nothing. The wind had blown it open, with a frightful bang onto the wall. The breeze whipped by the trees with an eerie howl.

She cried out sharply, spinning around and staggering back, her hands clutching the fabric of the cloak that hung from her shoulders. Her eyes, wide with anxiety, scanned the doorframe, the door that swung aimlessly, and the trees that rustled violently in the breeze.

A snow spirit leaped by underneath, flakes in the wind just barely making a recognisable figure. It blew down the mountain, out of sight.

Leaving just Taylor and the wind.

Shuddering involuntarily, she made her way over to the edge, one hand reaching out to steady herself against the stone parapets, and then, against her better judgment, she looked down.

And two pairs of eyes looked back up at her, the whites all around them visible, almost glowing for their brightness. They stood out from an oily, black body, devoid of hair, simply staring until a slit appeared where its mouth should have been.

Rows, upon rows, upon rows of teeth grinned back at her.

"Spirits!"

She stumbled back, wishing more than anything that she had her knives on her. Anything was better than this awful dress, and being one arm short certainly didn't help. Heart pounding, she turned and rushed for the door, eager to get back inside, perhaps to drink with Enda.

It was clear that she wasn't sleeping enough. So very clear.

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Naught but the sound of her breathing, and the impact of her body against a rubber mannequin could be heard through the secluded training room. Enda had given her a few exercises to strengthen her arm, and she'd gone at them with gusto.

She could feel it, the ache, but it was good kind of feeling, and as she allowed herself to move through the motions, she could feel her body falling into the movements as easily as if she were walking, or breathing. Fighting was second-nature, and making it look like nothing at all was a talent.

If the mannequin fell, she righted it, up until she couldn't make herself move anymore. When that happened, she let herself sit, rubbing at her sore shoulder and tilting her chin to her chest.

"I'll get out of here." She said to herself, looking towards the door. "Soon. I will." Somehow.

Scrtch scrtch scrtch.

Scrtch.

Scrtch scrtch scrtch.

It started very silently, at first, the small sounds of scratching. It was as though someone was digging their nails against soft wood. It gradually became louder, and as soon as Taylor lifted to inspect the sound, which came from behind a large pillar, it stopped.

A small animal scurried to the other side of the room. Perhaps it was someone's pet. Or a rogue animal let in by accident.

Taylor furrowed her brow, rising to her feet and crossing over towards where the animal had disappeared, just behind a few mats. She hesitated, hoping it wasn't something venemous.

She lifted her foot, nudging the mats with the toe of her boot before taking a step back.

A rat, more than likely.

But as soon as she nudged toward the mat, where the rat quickly scooted from toward the door, the noise started again.

Scrtch scrtch.

This time, like nail against rough cement. Closer, now. But not in front of her...but...behind.

Scrtch.

Gehehehe.

She spun around, her breath catching in her lungs as she took another hesitant step back. "Whose there?!" But there was nothing. Not anything she could see, anyway. But...the sound continued. Behind her. Over her shoulder this time.

Scrtch. Gaha! Scrtch.

And this time, when she turned around, only darkness would envelop her.

She hadn't had time to sit, or lie down, yet upon awakening in that familiar haze, she found herself lying down. She wasn't in the sparring clothes either, but one of Cass's gowns. It splayed around her figure, in that cold grass, like liquid that had been poured overtop of her.

Grimacing, she sat up, looking around for that one face she'd been most eager to see. Where was he?

"Duke," she said, her voice flat. It never echoed here. The air was always so close.

"Here."

He was right behind her, their backs nearly touching they were so close. He sat with his elbows upon his knees, looking straight ahead of him. Dark shadows lurked in the mist, and Duke's eyes, though burnt still, followed them. "Where are you?"

"The castle at Karyuse," she breathed, her eyes flickering out towards the shadows that danced in the mist. "I thought it was safe, but there's something lurking there. I can't explain it."

She glanced over her shoulder. "You?"

"Shyshallow." he replied, trying to turn around. "There's something wrong with where you are. Something's trying to come through." He scratched at the peeling skin around his eyes, which looked much better than before, though they were still badly damaged. "Be careful."

"I'm trying." she replied, her voice low. She felt strange, like something, on the outside, was touching the bare skin of her arms. She reached for his arm, gently clasping his hand.

"The princess is keeping me there, like I'm some kind of prisoner. I haven't seen the outside in weeks." Her brow knit. "I can't help but feel like she knows something."

That feeling, the squirmy sensation of being touched came over again, and she grimaced.

"I'm going to get out of there. I have to. Staying might be the death of me."

"Getting out might be, as well."

He turned around completely, then, to face her, his blue eyes just peeking out from between his blackened lids. As though they were clear skies after a terrible storm. He reached out a hand to grip her wrist, but before he could...

"Taylor!"

Icy, white hands wrapped around the archer's waist, dragging her down into the darkness once more.

Those eyes were the last thing she saw. She barely had a chance to grasp for his hand before the darkness swallowed her up, like a thick, black pool of warm water.

On awakening, she found herself staring at the ceiling, breathing hard. The crawling feeling had disappeared, but the image of his eyes still lingered in her mind. She slapped her hands to her face, gritting her teeth before she shoved herself to her feet, walking to the mannequin and kicking it so hard that the head tore clean off.

Growling, she turned and stalked from the room, tension making her spine rigid.

She needed to find Enda.

Especially with he princess keeping a close eye on her. From right behind one of the pillars. Still and white as a marble statue.

Grinning.

Grinning.

-------

Enda had been walking down the halls hastily after hearing about Taylor's collapse. She needed to see her. She needed to find her. "Taylor!" The knight called, her brow furrowed deeply. She brushed past several ladies in waiting, nearly pushing them over, and stormed down the hall. "Where's Taylor? Do you know where Taylor is? Someone has to know!"

The knights hand slid down her face until she turned towards the woman's room. She had to be there, right? "Taylor! I'm coming!" cried Enda one last time, storming down the extravagant left hallways, where Taylor's room lay. But before she was able to take the final turn, a guard, clad in his silvery armor, lowered his spear to block the way.

Enda glared, placing her hand onto the weapon to shove it out of the way rudely. "What are you doing? I'm one of your head knights. You're not in any position to stop me." The weapon came back down, blocking her path.

"Princess' orders. She's questioning the traitor."

"Traitor? What traitor!" Enda cried furiously.

Taylor's eyes flickered towards the door when she heard Enda's angry cries. She said nothing, however, her expression was dark, her stance tense. She was staring at the woman across from her, a woman who, at one time, had groveled on her knees to beg for Taylor's forgiveness.

She was not groveling now, and Taylor was not of the inclination to perform similarly.

"So, Highness, am I to know of my crimes?" she asked, her hands gripping into tight fists. Cass had made her a dress of midnight blue, dark, to match her mood. "Or are we going to continue to play games? I know you've been keeping me here against my will, and it is not because I've done anything wrong."

"What crimes? We are simply trying to keep the knight Klee under control. She will simply do nothing but persist if we give her any other excuse!" chirped the Princess, sitting at the edge of Taylor's bed. "I am only doing you a favor, Ranger."

She spoke so softly- so genuinely! But more than a few things had changed about the princess to help Taylor see through the gracefully spoken lie. The princess was now deathly pale, unhealthily so, like the snow that fell right outside her windowsill, and dark circles hung below her eyes. Her lips were unnaturally red. Like a fresh apple. Or like fresh blood. How had everyone failed to notice such drastic changes? The way she hunched over, how her mouth hung open in an almost hungry gape. Zombie. She was a zombie. A doll. A tool.

"You shouldn't have to worry at all."

Taylor stared for a long while.

"What's happened to you? Why won't you let me leave?"

She took a few steps back, closer to the doorway, as if she intended to flee. What had possessed the princess? Was it the same ugly darkness that had consumed her parents too?

She turned her head over her shoulder.

"Enda!" she shouted. "Enda, I'm alright." It would be okay. She hoped, anyway. Her eyes went back to the Princess.

"You have to understand...I need to get out of here. There's someone I need to find."

The princess tilted her head to the side, then laid herself onto the bed.

The door slammed behind Taylor, and there was a distinct click as the lock slid in place. "No. Things...will be...completely fine...if you stay here."

Taylor spun around, staring at the door with wide eyes, before turning to look back at the princess.

"This is where I'll have to politely disagree, highness." she said, looking around for something, anything, that might get her out that door.

Nope. The only way out was the window.

The corpse of a woman followed Taylor's eyes. At first, she seemed so fragile that she would even have a hard time getting up from the bed, but this soon proved false. Inhumanly fast, the princess slid from the bed and was crawling toward Taylor, her eyes inking over black, till only small white dots could be seen within the pupils. Her body lost all semblance of fullness, and her skin sucked in toward her bones.

"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING!"

The princess' screech was frightening. Demonic. Several voices fused into one raspty cry.

Oh, Spirits...

"ENDA!" Taylor cried in panic, grabbing the closest thing to her...a chair, and heaving it over her shoulder before swinging for the princess's head. She stumbled back a step, her back meeting the cold, hard glass.

The creature leaped after her, soaring through the air, just before she grasped Taylor's shoulder in her cold...scratchy fingers, drawing her with her as the window shattered into millions of light-reflecting shards, which carried down the cliff with he Princess.

Enda had burst through the door just in time to witness the fall.

"TAYLOR!" she all but screamed as she hustled toward the window, looking out, willing and ready to jump if need be.

She was there, perhaps ten feet below the window's edge, clinging like a mad woman to a stone parapet that was dangerously slick with ice and snow. "Enda!" she gasped, briefly meeting the other woman's eyes.

"A rope! Quickly!"

"Rope? Who needs a rope?" sighed Enda, closing her eyes. Her hand wrapped around the hilt of her sword, drawing the clear blade free from her hip. She then placed both hands upon it, and a wind stirred her hair.

A spirit that often wandered around the Karyusian grounds flew down from the rooftops. The same that Taylor had seen just the previous day. Summoned by the knight's call, a stone shelf slid out underneath Taylor's feet, and several more after that, completing wobbly stairs.

"You forgot who I am and what I can do, didn't you?" said the knight smugly.

"I'm not in a position to think clearly, Knight Klee!" Taylor replied, unsteadily putting her feet down on the stairs, before beginning the tentative ascension. Enda was smirking, but Taylor was clearly frightened. Her dress was torn, and she was bleeding in places where the glass had cut her.

She steadied herself on Enda's arm as she finally stepped back into the room, her body shaking from the cold and the stress of the ordeal. Looking down at herself, she shuddered and closed her eyes.

"I need to leave, Enda." she murmured.

"As soon as possible."

"You know what? I was thinking the same thing. There are strange things going on here...and I can't say I'm terribly fond of the changes. I mean, look at this! Why would the princess take out the windows? There's a draft!"

Pulling the Ranger in, Enda looked down the mountain, making sure, making sure...

"She's gone...for now. The guard outside is knocked cold, but I think you startled the whole castle."

"Just...help me get what I'll need. I know where I'm going." she said, dusting glass shards from her hands as she looked about the room. Nothing useful in here that she'd want to take with her.

"A cloak and a horse....how far is Shyshallow from here, Enda?" she asked, turning back to look at the Knight.

Enda urged Taylor on, peering outside of the door before rushing out. Her sword was sheathed, just to avoid suspicion. She could not be seen as an enemy to her own house, especially at a time like this. Even for Taylor.

People were rushing through the halls, inquiring about the loud noises and the whereabouts of the princess. Enda stood straight and acted blissfully ignorant of what was going on. "Out of the way! I've got a meeting to attend- will you move?" she spat coarsely at anyone who dared clog the halls. With Enda's reputation, people moved out of the way rather hastily.

"Shyshallow is quite far away, Taylor. I have a friend who can help you get there, though. I-"

There was a shrill scream, so piercing that Enda closed one eye and cringed slightly at the sound. She twirled around to face a window. Yet another that soon shattered into small shards as a body was tossed onto the ground, dyed in red and white.

The princess. Dead.

And crouching on the window sill, dressed in Karyusian garb, was Ateles, cheek in his hand,looking down at the princess as though he were surprised. "Oops." he grinned.

Enda was speechless as chaos broke out around her, and she grabbed for her sword. "Taylor...get out of here now, if you can. Get to the barn - take the best Vulk you can find, it doesn't matter!"

She pulled her sword and rushed toward Ateles, flames igniting around the knight in a brilliant display of light.

Taylor stumbled back, eyes widening as she focussed herself, turning and beginning to run down the hall. She shoved people out of the way, the skirt of her gown swirling out around her ankles as she pushed past. She saw a break, an opening in the crowd, and made for it, gritting her teeth before making one final push and running at a full sprint down the hall.

Stone stairs fell before her, and she descended them quickly, picking up her skirts to avoid tripping over them before she pushed herself into a run as she reached the lower landing. The hall was cavernous, but the shadows concerned her. Things moved that shouldn't have, and whether it was fear or adrenaline or something similar, she didn't stop moving...

...that is, until a thick hand grabbed her arm and jerked her to a stop. She saw the glimpse of metal, the knife in hand. Reacting immediately, she spun, delivering a vicious kick to the man's knee.

It shattered, his leg bending at an awkward angle. He howled in agony, and Taylor, in a burst of panic, snatched the knife from him and in one, swift motion, sliced his throat wide open. No armor at the neck.

Arterial spray decorated the polished white marble as he collapsed, silent and gaping, and she was left to stare.

"...M-Miss...Miss Taylor?"

A meek, frightened voice came from behind the ranger, barely audible within the madness. Turning around, Taylor would see the redheaded designer for the royal house. Trembling, eyes wide, mouth open in a gape.

Her head snapped in his direction, and she felt her heart sink.

"Cass, I..."

"THERE SHE IS!"

Taylor's gaze snapped back to the half-dozen guards who were barreling towards her at an alarming rate. Swords drawn, there was determination in their eyes, and she knew they weren't coming to check on her well-being.

"I'm so sorry," she said, loud enough for Cass to hear. She looked to him one last time. "I have to go."

Knife in hand, she turned to sprint down the hall, throwing herself against a side-door that she knew lead to the bottom level, and the armory. Once through, she barred it from the inside, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

-------

The yard was empty, with all of the guards piled inside the castle in search of her, and most likely, Ateles. She was clad in white, wearing an insulated, form-fitting tunic and slacks. Brown leather boots kept her feet dry, and the cowl and cloak she had wrapped around her shoulders guarded her from the wind. A pair of knives were strapped to her hips and, beneath the cloak, the rib of a bow protruded. The quiver of arrows she held in her hand.

She only felt sorry for the lad she'd stolen these from for a minute, up until the point where guards passed her by without so much as a glance. She made her way to the stables, as Enda had told her, ducking inside and turning to select one of the massive Vulk. It resembled a silvery furred wolf, in many ways, or perhaps a coyote or fox. The royal greens and golds were dyed into the saddle. It stood up, towering over Taylor by at least a foot. Curiously, the animal sniffed at her, before walking out.

"Come on," she murmured, reaching for the reins.

"We got a long trip ahead of us."

Funnily enough, there had been another Vulk right outside, just standing around, all saddled up, packed with a variety of pouches and satchels...and weapons. It rose its head to stare at Taylor and her own ride... just before someone fell out of the sky, landing on its back. With a yelp, the animal sprung into action, sprinting down into the nearby woods.

Ateles hooted in excitement and looked back towards Taylor, the biggest smug grin on his face.

Taylor's eyes narrowed, smiling beneath the cowl.

Swinging up onto the Vulk's back, she dug her heels in, taking a tight hold of the reins and encouraging the animal into a sprint. It exploded from the barn, sending a few stableboys scattering as they ran across the yard. It wasn't long before she was right on the flank of Ateles' mount.

"Couldn't you have been a bit more subtle?!" she shouted over the roar of the wind. The castle was beginning to fade into the distance as the forest blocked her view.

"They didn't HAVE to know it was you!"

"You sound like an old love of mine. She didn't understand the enjoyment in being an assassin, either. If you're not loud about it, you're not doing it right!"

He galloped ahead of her, the tails to his coat flickering upward, revealing their blackened edges...and the rather angry burn on his skin. Either the adrenaline rush kept his pain at bay, or he was mad. Possibly a mix of the two.

It didn't escape her notice.

Pushing the animal to run up alongside him, she gestured with her gloved hand to the wound on his back.

"When we set up camp, I want to take a look at that!" she called. Last thing he needed was some kind of ugly infection. He'd be completely useless, and they wouldn't be in a position to seek help.

"Look at what? You've been a bit touched in the head, haven't you?" he called back, keeping his eyes on the castle a moment just to make sure they weren't being too closely followed. There were several figures in the distance behind them. "We won't be stopping soon. I hope you understand."

He couldn't feel it? That wasn't good.

"I do." she called back. "Regardless. That burn is going to bother after a short while. Just let me know. I'll be able to find something to help it." She hesitated a moment, glancing behind at the figures that were beginning to disappear.

"Can you take me to Shyshallow, Ateles?" she asked.

"Shyshallow? Mnn. I'm not sure. That's a far ways away. It'll be another two weeks to get there from here."

"Take me half-way, then tell me the rest of the way." She said, nearly insisting. "I'm going with or without you, Ateles. You owe me anyway. If the princess hadn't smashed herself out the window in an attempt to drag me with her, you wouldn't have gotten your hands on her."

"You really think that? Huh." he said, musing. "I might have to change that later on."