Lucy Snape and the Return of Lord Zuc (Book Four)

Meeting the enemy

Chapter 39: Meeting the enemy 

When the lights dimmed, Lucy refused to open her eyes, her head hitting a hard substance and causing her to clench he head. She tried to stay quiet, but all she could hear was the sound of her breathing. As she forced herself to open her eyes, she met an almighty shock.

She was inside a house.

 It was a mansion, castle...or a...palace? She didn’t have a clue. The hard floor was pale marble colour and it seemed to be a thick as the earth. When Lucy peered up, she saw a grand white ceiling, with white incrusted angels and a ginormous chandelier hanging from the middle of the room. It was drowned in silver and looked as if it could break at any moment.

As Lucy sat up, she could also see a vast oak table, the whole room was indulged in elegance, the oak shining in the pale darkness emitting from the outside. The massive arches where to her left, four in total, as big as the walls themselves. There was a balcony and looked as if it had only just been made. A fireplace dominated the other wall, the room feeling very rectangular. It was covered in black, which was unusual, and spitting out yellow flames in a polite manner.

 She could hear mutters and manly laughter, making Lucy flinch. It sounded like cooks and chiefs, all having a good time. The cluttering of plates warned her that someone could be coming, but her legs had failed her. Then suddenly she had a funny feeling, as though she could sense someone in the room. But there wasn’t anyone.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” A voice echoed from the darkness. Lucy turned her head but saw no one

“Who’s there?” she asked in a quivering voice. The man’s voice chuckled a little before stepping out from a shadow in front of her.

He wasn’t dressed in smart clothing, but he didn’t look rather strange. His trousers were like jeans, but they were also designed like a suit. He wore a simple non-sleeved top as well, and definitely didn’t look like he fitted in.

“Me” he said simply. “You should know who I am, Lucy, for I know you. I know everything about you, and you know very little about me.”

Lucy was stunned, she didn’t know whether she was going to be killed or helped. The man smiled and moved past Lucy to the end of the oak table. Lucy followed quickly and he stopped suddenly

“You do realise where you are, don’t you?” he asked curiously

“No, sir...” she panted. This seemed to entertain him as he looked around more

“I really do love this palace, it does of course rightly belong to me,” he muttered, Lucy struggling to hear over a large clang of plates “I’m sorry about them, there so exited at the moment”

“Why?” Lucy wheezed as the man’s features where outlined in the flames. To answer her question, two guards suddenly came through the door. Lucy screamed as she saw the black hoods and troll like faces.

“You’re scared of them?” he whispered, and Lucy nodded. He stepped forward and they stopped, doing an odd salute.

“Hail Lord Zuc the mighty.”

Lucy flinched.

“Hail you all, I trust you’re having a good time?” he said politely. They nodded, one looking as if he was drunk. “Good, tell the others to prepare to move, I would not like our party to be ruined, I trust you have made all the maps?”

The one with spots and gashes nodded, “oh yes! That marauders map helped!” one roared. Zuc smiled and the two nodded their heads

“Well done, now be prepared to leave as soon as possible,” Zuc said and the two obeyed. They half jogged out and squealed as the doors flew open. Zuc laughed hardly as they both cluttered around dazed, before swiftly leaving. When Zuc turned Lucy was no were to be seen.