BXBX NOVEL Chapter 33 - 33 The Castle
Chapter 33: The Castle
A massively intimidating gate loomed over them at the entrance.
On bothsides of it were formiddable stone walls. And above the gate, was a great stone arch- white and well crafted.
They entered the city, and Nexus was wowed. Not in a worshipful kind of way. But in the way a person might be fascinated by a relic of the past. The houses were built in the shape of manors in walled estates- reminiscent of medieval European architechture, only a lot more organized, and kind of neater.
The streets were laid out with stone, traversed by stable boys, prancing knights, and black carriages.
Nexus watched excitedly as a door opened suddenly, and a fat drunk man was kicked out rather wildly into the street. Pubs! They had pubs!
Whores, in loud makeup, called out freely from the balcony of a three-storey building, clutching their fans, and smiling seductively.
"Wanna have a gud time haney?"
"Don\'t be shy shugarr, I can make ya feel real real gud,"
Nora went off the major highway, took a diversion on the left, and led them through the streets of the city, heading deeper and deeper towards the western part. They didn\'t go too far.
Just at the crack of dusk, they arrived at their location- the gates to a castle.
Nexus had never felt so small before in his life.
From the moment the guards lifted up the steel gate to let the group in, he knew this was it.
Ignoring the fussing of the servants, Nexus let his eyes feast on the edifice.
Under the dull grey of the setting sun, the magnificent castle apperead like a scene of out a gothic novel. The three towers, in stone-brick-like design, shot towards the sky at great heights. Stationed at the top were fiery burning lamps, and unmoving guards.
Massive stone statues of gargoyles were set in array on the balcony of the main building. The novelty of it all was simply overpowering.
Like silhouettes, the group moved through the yard with the lifeless eyes of the winged gargoyles following their every move as they trotted in. A stable, with twelve pillars and thirteen entrances came into view around the corner.
"Lady Nora!" some wide eyed, adolescent boy came running out; "You\'re welcome! We\'ve long been expecting you!"
He grabbed the reins eagerly as Nora dismounted; "Waleran, is everything alright?"
"Yes my lady. I shall instruct the kitchen to serve you at once."
"Later." she rasped; "Have it known that I will be dining with guests tonight. Let the kitchen standby with dinner."
He bowed his head; "As you wish my lady."
She looked back at Nexus, and mouthed; "Come with me."
As Nexus dismounted, the men led the horses to the stables, he realized he had not exactly gotten any information about Nora. All he knew was that she was some kind of lady boss hunter. But even that no longer seemed viable They followed closely behind her.
While climbing the twleve stone steps that led to the main building. He saw the numerous windows. How big could her family possibly be? There was obviously a lot of space. But only a couple of buildings had light coming from them.
Nexus\' frown deepened.
The equation was just not adding up. If she lived in a castle like this, then she must have a really large family. And large families attracted an equally large domestic staff.
He counted a few guards, and a handful of servants. But that seemed to be just about it. He glanced at the east wing of the castle and saw he had been carried away. In the dwindling daylight, evidence of decay streaked all across that section. It was visibly overgrown with weed and moss. In holes on the ground, stagnanted rainwater formed puddles of muddy water.
By the time they got to the twelfth step, Nexus had seen enough. The estate was not living to its full potential.
The massive oak doors opened with a noisy swing, creaking at its ancient hinges, revealing a great hall. Its vastness was outstanding- like some kind of underground crypt. Nexus whistled softly as he noted how high the ceiling went. Four or five apartment units would certainly fit in this hall alone!
Flames danced up ahead in the massive fire place, lining the edges of the hall with ghostly shadows. On the walls were dozens of shields with a pair of spears crossed inside of them in an \'X.\'
But there was not a single soul present.
The emptiness howled with a deafening silence. No one, not even the master of the estate was there to welcome them in. The long dining table, and the great throne-like chair at the end were gathering dust. There were no sounds of children giggling. No dogs barking. And no men jesting with each other.
Concern danced across Nexus\' eyes. Something was wrong. And he felt it in his bones.
"Welcome to my home Nexus!"
Nora had to scream to be heard from that distance.
"I apologize for the state of things, but it\'s been long since we\'ve had proper guests here."
She collapsed into the big chair so casually- like it was hers.
"I must confess, when you invited me to your home, I didn\'t think it would be a castle."
The girl boss poured herself some crimson colored liquid from a jug- into a much smaller vessel. Then, she lifted it to her eyes, and stared a him over it;
"You said you were looking for an adventure right? Well–" she spread her left hand; "–a castle is always a great place to start!"
She had started on a high note, but towards the end, was the unmistakable taint of sadness.
Nexus walked across the hall towards her, with Crystal following closely. It was annoying, and frustrating just how long it was taking to get to Nora. She was just at the other end of the hall.
"Pardon my rudeness," she gestured to the seat adjacent to her; "Please have a seat, "
His footsteps finally stopped echoing as he stopped. He clasped his arms around the seat and pulled it out. It squeaked noisily for a moment. Luckily, that particular one was not dusty. He sat down. She poured him a cup. It was rich grape juice- slightly souring.
None of them said anything for a full minute.
They just sat in silence.
After taking a long sip, Nora began;
"I don\'t even recognize this place anymore." Her voice was hollow, almost hoarse; "Growing up, this used to be the heartbeat of the castle. You wouldn\'t be able to tell, but every single night was like a festival here."
She looked up dreamily at the ceiling;
"Massive chandeliers with dozens of candles lighted up this place at night. With the wildness my father\'s men put on every night, its a real wonder this place never burned down."
She chuckled;
"One time, I snuck out of bed because of the rancour- lord! those men could be loud!" She pointed at a door to her right;
"Six year old me hid behind that door, peeking. And I swear, I saw a grown man riding on the back of a wild pig! Everyone was laughing wildly as they watched him trot around. That was the biggest damn pig I\'d ever seen till date!
"The man was butt naked, dead drunk and swinging a helmet carelessly. But I\'ll never forget the look in his eyes that day. It was the look of life- at its fullest. He might have been intoxicated, but he was high on life."
Her tone grew sadder;
"Those were my father\'s men. Those were my father\'s days. Just before he died."
She pursed her lips;
"Maybe that\'s why I\'m always trying to surround myself with wild men. It makes me closer to him."
The early evening wind blew through the windows, howling as it came through, not minding the solemness at all.
Through the window slits, Nexus saw that night had come. It covered everything in a blanket of blackness and coldness, making the fireplace a safe haven. The intrusive breeze fed the flames more oxygen, making them blaze even brighter- briefly illuminating Nora\'s face, and bringing her sad countenance into the light.