Inkway to Albreton

Chapter Six

Everything was chaos. Prince Albert rode behind his father, sweaty and armored atop the flurry of Swift's hoof beats, dodging arrows and deflecting enemy spears and swords. The King whipped the reins hard and his palomino mare raced faster towards the brink up ahead. Down in the valley below would be Kingdom Myriad and their destination: the castle of that kingdom and the home of the King's brother, Marcus. It had taken them five days to reach this point, and three battles along the way. The King knew his troops were almost spent, but he had to keep going, had to figure out why Marcus had betrayed them. With Albert behind him, they broke through the last clump of enemy soldiers, thankful none of them were on horseback, and instructed Albreton's knights to keep the enemy contained.

Metal on metal, the swish of a sword cutting flesh and the cries of those being trampled echoed through the forest behind the King and Prince Albert. On their whole journey, they hadn't encountered a single Nymph. That was testament enough to the noise, to the bloodshed.

Another body fell. Prince Albert paused a split-second to look back and assess the troops before he and Swift leapt off the brink together and landed beside his father, who had taken lead for the entire journey. Alongside the King, Prince Albert cascaded toward the castle sitting lonely and unguarded amidst the long, wafting grasses of the valley. The world grayed undertow as the horses galloped down to the castle gate: tall and impressive, yet somehow not foreboding. The gate shone silver, but the castle itself was constructed of a rich, black stone called knightglass. There was no mote and no other obvious means of defense aside from the thick castle walls. The castle stood much taller than it was wide, melancholy and silent, just as it had in the prince's childhood memories. It was an untouched, dry rock settled above the current of waving grassland, poignant and obstructive.

The sky turned dusk.

"Father," Prince Albert said between choppy breaths as Swift skidded to a halt before Castle Myriad's gate, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He sliced empty air, whipping the excess blood off of his blade before he sheathed it. His armor was growing heavy and, though he would never tell his father this, he was apprehensive about this meeting with his uncle. Prince Albert hadn't seen the man since he was a mere child, only tall enough to reach the back of his father's knees. He had a feeling Marcus would still be just as intimidating as he was back then, that he would still carry that cold-eyed stare above his garish smile.

"Do not question your elders," said the King. For once, it sounded as though it were an afterthought, not stated with the conviction Prince Albert's father was so known for.

If anything, that made the prince more nervous. He swallowed his fear and dutifully responded, "Yes, Father."

The gate creaked open, leaving a faint echo on the air. The bellows of the castle seemed to encroach, pitch darkness crawling out from beyond the gate. The prince heard his father swallow and then clear his throat, pronouncedly. The horses were hesitant to enter that place, but they did not disobey their riders. As they cantered inside, the dark consumed them, shifting along and over itself like a pile of snakes. Instead of slamming closed like Prince Albert thought it would, the gate remained open, inviting anything else foolish enough to enter. If he concentrated hard enough, the prince could hear the gate speaking in a voice so smooth and soft it ought not to have spoken at all.

"Exit this place," it was saying spookily, in a curling vernacular barely audible in the crevices of Prince Albert's mind, "I dare you." Tearing his attention away, he focused on the sound of Swift's hooves, on his father darting faster down the corridor in front of him, on thoughts of Jasmine and if she would miss him until he returned to Castle Albreton. He heard the gate snicker and close with a boom somewhere far behind them and it was then that the black encompassed everything.