Chapter 12 cont

Ernie ran a shaky hand through his greasy orange-red hair. His eyes darted around the small used book shop although not one customer had passed through the door in three hours. Once again he reached under the counter and pulled out the book. The yellowed pages were bound in leather that was once dark as a winter night. Now the aged leather was scarred and molted with patches of greenish mildew. Barely discernable was an embossed title in Latin De Damnatus, Book of the Damned.  He threw the book back under the counter as if it had bitten him. Each time he touched its binding the feelings of dread that came over him were stronger. He wished they would hurry and pick the damn thing up.

Ernie wondered how the hell he had gotten into this mess in the first place. His shop was a hole in the wall set in a building that probably should have been condemned years ago. The neighborhood did not get much worse in New York and most other businesses had gone bankrupt or simply got tired of being robbed and gave up. Ernie never had a problem with either. Any would be bandit had only to walk in and take a quick look to know it was not worth his time. Ernie’s Discount Books was a cramped maze of overstuffed shelves threatening to collapse. Even the floor in many places was stacked high with musty old books long forgotten. The shop always smelled of mold, mildew, decay, and whatever cheap takeout Ernie happen to being eating that day.  Ernie himself was no more inviting. He was tall and sickly thin. His hair hung limp around a face that was pale save for the scattered freckles and pimples.

However Ernie’s Discount Books was a treasure trove for those who adored old books and did not mind digging through the volumes. But it was not these patrons that had kept his business afloat. It was Ernie’s little known talent for getting his hands on very rare items. It was a talent he kept well guarded for various reasons. He did not always come by these items by honorable means.

So as he stood behind his littered counter waiting for his new clients to arrive he wondered how the hell they knew to come to him in the first place. Why him?

“Damn fucking vampires” he muttered to himself.

The little bell over the door jingled and Ernie nearly jumped out of his skin. But it was only the cute blonde that worked over at Charlie’s Dinner. She came in about once a week looking for tacky romance novels which Ernie priced a quarter a piece just for her.

The blonde, he thought her name was Jill, or maybe Jane, smiled at Ernie as she passed the counter heading up an aisle.

“Shit, not now.” Ernie cringed. Jill or Jane would be just the sort to earn unwanted attention from his new clients. That sort of attention was not good for your health.

Ernie franticly shuffled through the books littering the counter. Paperbacks flew through the air to land where they may as he searched. “Yes!” he held two paperbacks up in victory. Jill or Jane looked up from the volume she had been appraising to look at him strangely.

“Um a …” Ernie cleared his throat nervously; “These two just came in, I know you like this stuff so I set them aside for you” he lied. It was the only way he could think to get her out of there fast.

“Yeah?” Jill or Jane smiled and moved to the counter. “I will take them and this one” she laid the book on the counter she had been looking at. “That was very kind of you” she fished three quarters out of her waitress apron.

“Yeah um no problem.” Ernie shoved the books in a crinkled paper bag and handed them over.

“Thanks again” Jill or Jane smiled and headed towards the door. As she reached the door, two men shoved their way inside. They were both tall, well built and well dressed. One was handsome in a dark way while the other wore is blonde tresses in long wavy locks. The blonde looked Jill or Jane up and down. His grin reminded Ernie of a hungry hyena. The dark man signaled to his companion and Jill or Jane pushed passed them and out the door.

Ernie sighed in relief as she disappeared out into the night. A loud click echoed through the shop as the blonde turned the deadbolt and swung the Open sign to Closed.

With shaking hands Ernie placed De Damnatus on the counter.  

Chapter 12

Though the journey took mere seconds, her decent seemed to be in slow motion to all her senses. She was acutely aware of the whistling wind in her ears and the breeze against her skin. Her eyes stung with salty tears. The sour taste of fear filled her mouth.

“I don’t want to die!” a defiant voice screamed in her head. The voice was her own but not like she had ever heard it before.

The air rushed from her lungs as she landed. She had expected great pain, her body and bones to be shattered. She only felt numb. It took several moments for her brain to register the reality of her situation. She was lying on her back. It was not the solid ground on which she landed; she was suspended above the ground, supported by strong arms. Audrey opened her eyes and could see the moon shining high above her. She also could see a pair of emerald green eyes looking down at her, intently just inches from her own.

How she had come to be in her host’s arms she could not fathom nor even tried. She threw her tiny arms around his neck burying her face is his raven hair. Audrey wept like a child.

Nicholas stood stoically, waiting for her to finish. Audrey finally raised her tear stained face to look at him. “How …”

Nicholas’s only response was to unceremoniously dump her from his arms and on to her feet.

 “You saved me … how, you were just …” Audrey looked to the balcony above.

“Still want to die?”  Nicholas’s lips parted in a cynical smile.

Audrey suddenly felt as if she had woken from a long dream. She saw things so much more clearly. “No.” she replied in a soft but sure voice.

“Well then, now that that matter is resolved shall we return to the castle?” Nicholas’s mood was once again light and charming.

“What are you?” Goosebumps prickled Audrey’s skin.

Nicholas threw back his head in a thundering laugh. “I am many things my lady.”  He offered her his arm. “Come, the hour grows late, I must take my rest.” He looked up into the night sky as he spoke. The ebony darkness had turned to a deep rich blue promising the sun’s return.  

Chapter 11

Audrey stiffened, tears pooled in her eyes as her life flashed through her mind.

“Strawberry?” Nicholas slid the bowl toward her as he read every image that passed through Audrey’s mind. “Come now Dorothy dear, there is no need for tears. The Great and Powerful OZ has every intention of granting your request.” Nicholas laughed, the sound chilled Audrey’s blood. 

.

“You …” Audrey’s voice threatened to fail but she managed a small croak. “You are …”

“Evil? A Monster?” Nicholas offered her a Cheshire cat grin. “That my dear is a matter of opinion. You know nothing about me, nor what I have endured in my life and you would be so quick to judge me so? Tisk Tisk. After all I have given you the benefit of the doubt and welcomed you into my home, would you not offer me the same courtesy?”

Nicholas stood up and filled both of their glasses. He offered one to Audrey with a slender hand. His other hand he held out to her. “Please, join me on the balcony wont you? It is a clear evening and the moonlight is simply enchanting. And there is a lovely view of the garden below.”

“Your garden lay in ruins, I saw so myself earlier.” Audrey managed in a voice that sounded much too small to her ears.

Nicholas laughed, once again playing the part of the charming host. “I assure you my garden is as it always has been. Come I will show you.”

Audrey rose from her chair with reluctance. She took the offered wine glass but declined his hand.

Nicholas only continued to smile, not in the least offended. Audrey knew he found the whole situation, her fear, to be most amusing. On one level this infuriated her. But on another level, though it made her feel uneasy it also left her intrigued.

Nicholas led them across the room, throwing open two large French doors. The sheer, airy draperies billowed in the evening breeze. He stepped out on to the balcony breathing in the night air with relish. Audrey joined him at the stone railing. The beautiful garden spanned as far as the eye could see, but it was the moonlight that held Nicholas captivated.

“Your garden?” Audrey sucked in her breath in surprise. “It … it is alive again.”

“It  has never been otherwise.” He returned flatly, not bothering to look at her.

Audrey did not understand, was she truly that turned around previously? Had she become that lost? But she decided not to pursue the subject, yet. Nicholas’s demeanor had changed once again. Audrey found his new mood to be dismal, melancholy. Audrey fidgeted with her wine glass feeling awkward in the silence.

“It it a weak, pathetic mind that cannot be idle in silence and maintain a state of grace.” Nicholas scolded her, his eyes still fixed upon the moon. “Do you always fidget so? It is quite unseemly.”

 Audrey opened her mouth to form some apology but Nicholas waved a hand at her in annoyance. Then he locked his green eyes upon her. “Tell me why someone so young would wish to throw away the gift of life?”

“I …” Audrey’s mind grasped for a lie but she replied with all honesty. “I want to be free.” There was no reason to try to lie anymore and telling the truth lifted a great weight from her soul.  Audrey felt like the little girl she once was, sitting in the confessional bearing her sins to Father Hartley.  “I want to be free” She said again, more confident.

“I see.” Nicholas was clearly unimpressed. “Apparently this freedom is not so important to you or you would carry out the deed yourself and not burden me with your demise.”

“I … I tried.” Audrey shook her head.

“You are the worst kind of coward!” Nicholas sneered. “What self-important, foolish problems do you face that would convince you that death is your only option?”

Audrey’s hand moved unconsciously to her stomach and traced the scar that hid beneath the silk gown. Her mind played a series of scenes, years of bruises and broken bones. She once again felt the cold steal of shackles around her wrists and ankles. Familiar feelings of hopelessness, fear, and her own worthlessness washed over her. Her throat became dry and began to constrict. Her breath came in shallow gasps. Nicholas was right, she was a coward.

Nicholas continued to glare at her in contempt. “I have seen innocent men and woman lose their heads merely to protect another’s politics. I have seen men dying on the battlefield crying out to their Gods to spare their lives. I have seen men lost at sea by Mother Nature’s fury.” His voice was rolling thunder, flecks of spittle flung from his lips unnoticed as he raged. “I have seen children murdered while their parents watched helplessly before meeting their own end. I have seen whole villages burned to the ground, innocents slaughtered down to every man, woman, and child. I saw the Red Death wipe out three fourth of the population across this continent. There are not many who know as well as I do how very precious life is! And you would come to me to end your miserable existence? Because you are too weak and pathetic to perform the deed yourself? You sicken me!”

Audrey opened her mouth to speak but then clenched her jaw shut. Her eyes narrowed in defiance. She lived most of her short life a prisoner to another man’s sadistic pleasure. Starved, drugged, and repeatedly raped, she had survived unbelievable torture and abuse. And though it was the greatest pain of all, she endured the loss of the only child she would ever have. She had lived through it all and escaped her fate. No, Nicholas was wrong. She was no coward.

“You … you...” Audrey struggled to find a word that would properly convey her anger and growing hatred for the man before her.  The best she could manage was, “You …you ass!”

Nicholas laughed clearly amused. “Oh my, you do realize that is the least insulting of that which I have ever been referred.”

“There are no words to describe what you are ….” Audrey replied through gritted teeth.

“I am growing quite bored with this” Nicholas rolled his eyes but he was watching her with interest now.

In response Audrey set her wine glass down and climbed up onto the stone railing. She struggled with her balance for a mere second then stood steady, her gaze turned up above to the moon.

Nicholas’s lips parted into a smile, his voice calm and soothing. “And there you are my dear, on the precipice of life and death. If it is freedom you seek, what form would you have it take?”

Audrey willed her mind to clear as tears streamed down her cheeks. Then one by one she allowed visions of her past to present themselves to her.

She sees herself as s small child, one of six in a close Catholic family. Then she sees herself a friendless and awkward girl in her old Catholic school uniform. Next she is a teenager, on her sweet sixteen. But instead of sneaking a first kiss at her birthday party she finds herself at her parent’s funeral. The years flash by, touching on the few boyfriends she had, all drunks, abusive. Then she sees herself walking down a lonely stretch of highway. A cars stops to offer her a ride. She knows better than to accept, but the rain is so cold. She forces her mind to skip ahead; she is pregnant and scared but so very happy. The last image she is shown is of herself very pregnant, shackled to the bed. There is blood, so much blood. She passes out from the pain as they slice into her abdomen, performing a crude c-section. She remembers when she woke three days later being told the child was dead. She is almost sure it was a lie.

Audrey watched all of these images with a strange calm, as if it were someone else’s life and not her own. She saw things so clearly now. It was not only the pain of the past that plagued her, she could perhaps learn to deal with that. But she had lived so long a captive she did not know how to live any other way. And he would be coming for her. He swore it; he would find her and kill her. Perhaps he had already found her, several times in the village she felt she was being watched, even followed. Audrey shuttered, death at his hands was one she did not relish. It was better to do it this way.

Audrey took a long deep breath and looked down at the garden below. The moment had arrived, all she had to do was take one step and she would be free. She had the courage to do it now. Just one step.

Nicholas had been watching Audrey’s inner debate in silent, rapt attention. He now made a small unnoticeable gesture with his hand. The wind rustled through the trees as it rose. The gust reached the balcony, toppling Audrey from her perch. She pitched forward over the railing, her screams following her towards the ground below.

Chapter 10

Max led Audrey to the study she had been brought to the night before. Nicholas was seated at one end of an elegantly laid table. He was attired in much the same was as he had been the night before. He wore a white silk shirt with ruffled cuffs and collar and black trousers. Once again his attire puzzled her. If he had only a feathered hat and eye patch he might have been a pirate she mused quietly to herself. The truth remained; he dressed as a man from a time long long ago.

The surface of the table was covered in a cloth of rose colored silk, overlaid by a delicate lace. A center piece of fresh cut rose’s entwined around several burning candles. The roses filled the room with a cloying scent. Crystal goblets twinkled beside gleaming white china.  Nicholas sat in one ornately carved chair and another stood empty across from him. A fire blazed in the hearth offering the room a warm glow.

Nicholas looked up to regard her. “I trust the gown is satisfactory?”

“Oh yes! It is beautiful, thank you” Audrey flushed under his scrutiny.

“Yes well” Nicholas frowned as his gaze reached her bare feet. Chipped red nail polish seemed to glow next the pale skin of her feet. “I regret I could not acquire adequate footwear on such short notice.”

Audrey resisted the urge to look down at her feet in shame. “Yes … I seem to have misplaced mine somewhere in your beautiful garden.”

Nicholas allowed a glint of disdain to cross his visage then his manner softened. “Please” Nicholas rose and moved fluidly to the other end of the table, pulling out the empty chair there for Audrey to sit down.

“Thank you.” She replied, as Nicholas pushed her chair forward.

“I hope you do not mind dining here, I find the formal dining hall too impersonal. It is a very large room and quite unpractical. I prefer to take my meals here.” Nicholas returned to his seat and sat down.

“This room is fine thank you.” Audrey replied, gazing around the room. Not plagued by shock or fear as the night pervious she was really able to survey the room. There were paintings on the walls she had failed to notice before.

Max popped the cork on a bottle of wine, handing the cork to Nicholas. He held it beneath his nose a moment then nodded his approval. Max poured a small amount of deep red liquid into the glass and waited for Nicholas to sample it. He first raised the glass to let the candlelight illuminate the liquid, then he swirled it lightly in the glass. Nodding again, Nicholas replaced the glass on the table. Max filled it and then moved around the table to fill Audrey’s. Max set the bottle at his master’s elbow and retreated from the room.

Nicholas pushed a basket of breads forward to place it in reach of Audrey. “You must be starved. Dinner will be served presently.”

“Thank you.” She took a steaming slice of some artesian type bread and placed it gingerly on her plate then took a linen napkin and placed it daintily in her lap.

“I trust you have recovered from your misfortune earlier?” Nicholas raised a brow in a disapproving manner.

“Yes um,” she stammered uncomfortable under his gaze. “I am sorry I disobeyed …”

Nicholas waved his hand in a flourish, “What is done is done. Curiosity is a trait I can admire.” He took a sip of wine. “Although, I would in the future try to keep said curiosity in check? Particularly while you are a guest on my estate.”

“Of course.” She nodded, wondering if she were truly a guest or a prisoner.

“In another regard I have saved you twice from becoming hopelessly lost on my estate, you have come here a trespasser and I have graciously adopted you as my guest. And it has occurred to me that all I know of you is your name. I was so hoping that perhaps we could use the fine meal Max is preparing for us as a means to rectify that situation.”

“I do agree it is only fair” Audrey picked nervously at her slice of bread with tiny fingers.

“For instance I am very curious why you have been here a full night and day and you have not requested to contact anyone to make them aware of your safety or current location.”

“I am on vacation.” She refused to meet his eyes. “No one will be worried,” she was careful to add, “yet.”

“Ah a vacation. To a remote English village, not London or some place more suitable for tourism. Curious, curious indeed. Then might I ask where you reside” he smiled, “when not on …vacation?”

“I live in America” she supplied quickly.

“I see, do you live in the whole of America or in some certain part then?” Nicholas returned with sarcasm.

“California” she lied.

Max entered the chamber pushing a metal dining cart. He began transferring dishes from the cart to the table.  In silver serving bowls he sat before them, roasted vegetables, pheasant, and for dessert fresh strawberries and crème. His task complete he stood by his master’s chair for further instructions.

“That is all Max. Please have a wonderful evening, give my regards to your wife and children” Nicholas smiled.

“Thank you Sir, I shall” he then bowed to Audrey, “Good evening to you as well.”

“He doesn’t live here?” Audrey asked curiously once Max had left the room.

“No, he has a family of his own.” Nicholas replied. “I provide them with their own lands on the estate. But we were, I believe, talking about you.” Nicholas smiled as he carved the pheasant and placed two slices on each of their plates. “California, you were telling me. I have been to America but never to California, dreadfully warm and sunny there I hear.”  He served the vegetables, placing two spoonfuls on each of their plates. “What brings you to England then, a vacation yes, but why England? And why here, as I said London has much more to offer the American tourist”

“I did visit London; I have a great love of art and so explored the museums there.” Audrey explained, truthfully for the most part. “But I also wanted to see the country. I detest large cities, with its greed and impatience; I wanted to see how the real people lived. I wanted to experience the simple life.”

“The simple life, indeed.” Nicholas smiled. “And what brought you to my humble estate? Surely not the ‘simple life’”

Every lie that had thus far rolled from Audrey’s tongue had done so easily. It was a skill she had to force herself to learn since deciding to take her “vacation”. But as Nicholas’s emerald eyes were fixed upon her she knew her lies were useless. He already knew the answers to the questions he posed. He was toying with her. Nicholas was the cunning cat playing with the meek mouse. She was sure of this. But what was uncertain to her was how long he would play this game before he devoured her.

She told herself death did not scare her; she had come here seeking that very thing after all. But sitting across from her host now, she began to realize there were things much worse than death.

“Are you well?” Nicholas smiled, taking a sip of wine.

“Yes … of course” Audrey stammered, realizing she had been ignoring his question and staring into space much too long.

“You have barely touched your meal, is it not to your liking?” Nicholas inquired with a concern that was just short of sincere.

Audrey had not given the meal one thought since Nicholas began his barrage of questions. Her nerves were quickly shattering; her stomach was a mass of churning knots.

With her host still watching her closely, Audrey delicately sliced into the pheasant willing her hands not to shake. She took a bite of the succulent meat and though it was perfectly prepared it felt like leather in her mouth. She managed to swallow it then forced herself to take another bite. “It is very delicious. But you should not have gone to this trouble for me.”

“I seldom get visitors here as you can imagine” Nicholas laid his napkin in his plate pushing it away. “Which brings us once again to the question you hesitate to answer. But I shall let you off the hook shall I?”  Nicholas looked across the table at her, his greens eyes so piercing they surely looked right through her. “I know why you came here.”

Audrey’s heart plummeted, “You …you do?”

“Of course, you were drawn here because of the rumors. This place is quite famous in the village.” Nicholas’s features shined with pride. “The people fear this place; they speak of a great evil that dwells here. It is quite delightful and serves me well. I cherish my privacy and solitude. It would not do at all if one of them actually found me here. It would be … most unpleasant for all involved.”

“I understand.” Audrey tried to remain casual in light of his ominous words. She gathered a bite of vegetables on her fork but her shaking hands gave her away. The fork fell back to her plate with a ringing thud. This seemed to please her host.

“Yes Audrey I know why you have come.” Nicholas’s lips parted in a smile exposing teeth that were much too white. “You came here seeking death, and I am afraid you have found it.”

Chapter 9

Audrey pursed her lips into a frown, lowering her head. She turned and entered her own chamber looking every bit the proverbial dog with its tail between its legs. Nicholas had scolded her as if she was a child and she felt every bit the part.

She waited for that familiar voice deep inside her head to tell her she should be offended, and should have said so. The voice always spoke up at times like this, when she was feeling belittled. In past relationships she always found herself the submissive, not quite worthy to have an opinion or any rights of her own. It was something she had accepted long ago. On some level she knew it was foolish and untrue. And there was always the voice to remind her.

This time the reminding voice remained silent. With Nicholas it was different. He really was much more than her.

She closed the chamber door behind her then retreated into the bathing chamber.

The porcelain bath tub stood regally upon its lion paws but it no longer appealed to her. It seemed too massive now for her childish form. Its golden fixtures almost seemed to be offering her a condescending smile.

Audrey moved to the wash basin instead. She looked at her pale, dirt streaked face in the mirror. Her eyes were blood shot orbs squeezed between puffy lids. Her dark hair tangled and dotted with debris. Just when she felt tears were sure to come she began to laugh.

“He is right you know? You do need a bath.”  She chuckled to her reflection.

The reflection in the mirror afforded her a view of the gold stand on the opposite wall. On the top shelf luxurious towels had been placed there for her, along with a few other items.

She went to the tub turning the fixtures to begin filling the tub. Then she sat on the edge of the tub and inspected the stand while she waited. In addition to the towels several vials and dishes had been placed there as well. There was a vial of shampoo, and a handmade bar of soap, both offered the sweet scent of lavender and a touch of rosemary. A small dish contained rose petals and delicate purple flowers of lavender. A glass bottle sitting next to the dish contained fragrant oils of rose and geranium. Audrey smiled in delight and emptied the contents of the dish and the bottle into her bath water.

Even though the tub was massive it did not seem to Audrey it took long to fill it. Turning off the tap, she slipped out of her filthy clothes and slid into the steaming, fragrant water. She leaned back in the tub until she was total submerged, her dark hair fanning out through the water. She opened her eyes, watching the flower petals float across the surface. It was as if she were in a different world. The whole castle seemed like a different world.

She stayed under water for as long as could hold her breath then resurfaced, leaning her slender back against the far end of the tub. She slide down into the water until all but her neck and above were not submerged. Her milky white breasts seemed to float on the water’s surface, the pink nipples small delicate flowers.

How long she laid there she was unsure. It was not until she heard the bedroom chamber door open that she was roused. She sat up and instinctively grabbed a towel and clutched it to her bosom. But the footsteps in the next room retreated and the door was closed once more.

Fearing she was late for dinner and would further displease her host, she quickly washed and left the tub.

Audrey hastily ran the towel over her wet body then towel dried her hair. She combed her raven colored tresses before adorning them with a few elegant hair pins she found on a littered shelf. She also made use of perfume but did not use any of the cosmetics. She hated makeup, it was too fake, not her.

Audrey hurried across the bath chamber to retrieve her clothes. Her lips creased into a deep frown. Her clothes were filthy; she could not possibly wear them to dinner tonight and may possibly never be able to wear them again. Even if she were to try to wash them by hand they would never dry in time.

Crestfallen she carried the ruined clothing into the bed chamber, prepared to slump across the bed in misery. But instead she found herself squealing in delight.

Laid out across the bed was a beautiful gown of the softest silk. Crème in color, the style resembled that of a sun dress. The garment was sleeveless, the bodice snug and drawn at the waist. The skirts flowed from the waistline in uneven layers.

Audrey dropped her dirty garments where they would fall and slipped into the gown. It fit perfectly, the longest layer of the skirts ending just below her knees. In her mind she no longer felt the spoiled child. She had been transformed into a beautiful princess. She twirled around the room, her skirts floating about her graceful form.

She halted her playful dance only when Max arrived to escort her to dinner. 

Chapter 8

Two men stood guard on either side of the doorway. Their faces were expressionless masks as they opened the heavy double doors for Malachi, allowing him entrance into the library.

The room was wreathed in shadow as he always found it on these visits. It was not kept dark from threat of sunlight. The room’s towering walls had not one window, only bookshelves rising up to disappear into darkness before reaching the vaulted ceiling high above. No fire burned in the massive stone hearth. It held only the dusty skeletal remains of kindling from long ago. His master liked the darkness and that suited Malachi just fine. The shadows gave Malachi a false sense of ease, as if they could protect him from his master’s disapproving glares and maybe hide his fear from the man he served.

The room offered almost no furnishings. There was a grandiose writing desk, probably a rare antique of some kind. It seemed grossly out of place is the tomb like setting. There was one chair in the room, positioned behind the desk, and it was currently occupied by his master. Anyone entering this room was offered no comfort, they stood before their master. This also suited Malachi, for he never stayed in his master’s presence any longer than was required.

Malachi forced himself to stand tall, trying to keep his choking fear in check. After all he had good news to impart. But every moment his master ignored his presence, Malachi’s resolve threatened to crack. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to turn around and go, but he knew he would never make it to the door. No, it was way too late for running.

An exaggerated sigh followed by the shuffle of papers told Malachi his master was ready to acknowledge his presence at last. But his master’s deep commanding voice still surprised him, making him jump slightly. “Well? What it is?”

Malachi dipped his head in a humble bow, “My Lord, thank you for seeing me it is always a pleasure to be …”

“Enough of your sniveling! You have news for me?” his voice boomed from the shadows.

“We think we have tracked him to a small little known village in England my lord.” Malachi spoke with an air of confidence and pride, both of which were quickly banished by his master’s displeasure.

“You think? You disturb me with assumptions?” the voice was now rolling thunder.

“My Lord there is a very old legend that circulates among the villagers, a great evil that haunts a forest …”

“You idiot, there is a similar legend in every back wood village in England and anywhere else in the world you care to look. Humans are pathetic creatures! They have always created demons to blame for their own ignorance. The Christian church has thrived employing the very premise!”  The master waved his hand in disgust.

In a moment of sudden bravery Malachi persisted “My Lord, I have traveled there myself, I believe there is truth in this legend.”

“Enough to risk your life?” his master issued a deep chuckle that had not a hint of mirth. “Fine, tell me why this time is different. Please enlighten me.”

  Malachi suddenly felt like a mouse caught in a playful cat’s paw. “A girl has gone missing…” Malachi struggled with his thoughts. If he was not convincing there was little chance he would leave this room.

“There better be more.”  His master began to rise from his chair.

“Yes my Lord, of course. I already had someone, Arimis, checking out the village, like we usually do when we hear strange stories. This girl, a young woman actually, an American appeared in town. We think she was a tourist. She was asking the villagers a lot of questions about the legend of the forest. He saw her several times, night after night, leave the village on foot and travel the road to the forest.” His master reseated himself and leaned forward in his chair, giving Malachi a boost of confidence to continue on more comfortably. “At first I discounted it too when Arimis sent me the report, I thought it was some young girl just curious, you know how humans tend to be drawn to dark places, and this place was as dreary as they come. There is a massive stone wall encircling a dense forest and judging by the smell a nasty bog as well. There is only one gate that even we did not find at first, it is almost covered over completely by vines. Even the parts of the gate you can look through you cannot see anything but trees and brambles. But she would stand at this gate all night. Then every morning after sunrise she would return to her room at the Inn. Then one night she never came back.”

“And? Was she seen entering the gate, going into the forest? What proof do you have that she disappeared as you say?” his master’s annoyance was quickly returning but Malachi could tell he was also intrigued.

“Unfortunately, no my Lord.” Malachi replied timidly, bracing himself for the lashing that was sure to come. “Arimis was watching the girl stand outside the gate again when he abandoned watching her to report back to me. I had just arrived in the village to see things for myself. We had no way of knowing she would not return that night …”

“Anything could have happened to her you fool. I would not be surprised if she simply left town, her holiday over. I do not find it hard to believe you imbeciles simple did not  notice!”

“My Lord we did verify that the woman never returned to the Inn for her belongings.” Malachi offered, trying his best to keep the conversation rolling in his favor. “And she didn’t pay the bill.”

His master rubbed his chin. “That proves nothing; she probably skipped out on the tab. But still … I suppose it is worth looking into further. Go back to this village; I want you to oversee this investigation personally. You may keep Arimis and take any other resources you feel you need.”

“Yes my Lord” Malachi stifled a relieved sigh. He would survive another day.

“Discretion is a priority, on the rare chance there is something to this I would rather not have him know he is being sought. The fool is in hiding, living in an ignorant bliss, I would like to keep it that way for now.  This is strictly an investigation at this point, whatever you find you report to me. No action is to be taken without my authorization. Do you understand?”

“Yes my Lord” Malachi was already backing himself towards the exit.

“And Malachi … if something goes wrong I am holding you responsible.” His master smiled, fangs gleaming even through the shadows. “I pulled your dying human corpse from the gutters; I shall have no problem returning you there.”

“Ye...yes my Lord.” Malachi burst through the double doors without looking back.

Chapter 7

Audrey turned over in the enormous bed to lie on her stomach. She nestled her head into the thick soft pillows and smiled, content in her half sleeping doze. The fire had burned to embers during the night but sunlight streamed through the windows bathing her body in its warm glow. She lazily opened her eyes to half mast and peered out one of the windows. The sun was fiery ball of brilliant orange, the sky a deepening azure embossed with streaks of pink clouds.

Thinking to her self the sun was not at its full height she decided she could afford to doze back off again. She had slept better and deeper than she had in a very long time and yet she found she could sleep even longer. Her eyes slid closed and instantly she felt her mind slip into that dreamy half state that is not quite asleep or awake.

Suddenly her eyes bolted open as she raised her body up on her arms to peer out the window again. Something about the position of the sun was all wrong. It took her sleepy mind but a second to realize it was not sun up, the sun was going down. She had slept the whole day through.

She sat up on the edge of the bed and rubbed her eyes.  Then she scooted forward on the edge of the tall bed until her toes barely scraped the floor, then she hopped down. She eyed the chamber pot, considering, and then decided to wash up first.  Besides the night before she had not taken a look at the bathing chamber and she was curious as to its look and style. She had no doubt it would be as enchanting as the bed chamber.

The room was about a third of the size of the bed chamber but ample for its uses and furnishings. In the center of the room was the largest bath tub she had ever seen. It seemed to be made of some porcelain material. The tub was raised high on both ends, swooping down in the middle, she was sure it was wide enough to fit two. It sat on four lion’s paws that appeared to be wrought in gold, as were the fixtures.

“Well at least our host believes in indoor plumbing” she laughed to herself, quite pleased to see a matching toilet tucked into a curtained corner.

On one wall lay a bank of cabinets topped with a marble counter top. A large porcelain basin sat upon the counters top beneath a gold facet and fixtures. A mirror, gilded in gold hung on the wall above. On the opposite wall, with in easy reach of the tub, was an elegant stand of gold, having three shelves. The sides of the stand were formed into whirls and curves of twining ivy. The shelves were made of frosted glass. Scattered across the shelves were glass vials of various shapes, colors, and sizes. On some the handwritten labels were so old they could no longer be read. Of the ones she could read, she found exotic oils of many types. Ceramic dishes littered empty spaces on the shelves. These contained flower petals, presumably from the garden, and hand made soaps. There were also vials of shampoos and crèmes.

Audrey spun a few lazy circles about the room, trying to decide which she wanted to do first, soak in a long hot bath, or call for something to eat. A knock on the heavy door of her bed chamber made the choice for her. She hurried into the next chamber and opened the door. Max stood on the other side holding a silver tray.

“Good evening madam, I trust you slept well” his lips parted in a wide, toothy smile. “Madam has not called on me and the day is slipping away, I took the liberty of bringing you light refreshment.”

“Thank you” Audrey moved aside to allow Max entrance. “And yes, I slept very well”. Too well she thought but did not say.

Max set the silver tray on the writing desk. Audrey could smell the coffee straight away causing her stomach to growl. Inspecting the tray from her vantage point she spied a croissant and a small bowl of fruit.

“Strawberries” Max smiled as if reading her thoughts, “From my Master’s garden. They are quite sweet.”

Thus far Audrey had not wished to seem to anxious but she could hold back no longer, she crossed the room to join Max as he was finishing pouring a cup of coffee from the decanter into a china cup. A small bowl of sugar cubes and a pitcher of cream were also on the tray.

“I shall leave you to your repast” Max backed away towards the chamber door. “My master wishes that madam join him for dinner this evening. I shall arrive to escort madam to the dining hall at 8 pm.”

“Thank you” Audrey replied, quickly swallowing the coffee she had just sipped. The hot liquid burning her tongue.

Max bowed and made his exit, closing the door behind him. 

Finally alone, Audrey lept into the desk chair and pulled her feet up under her. She tore into the croissant with relish, popping strawberries into her mouth between every bite.  She gulped the coffee poured for her by Max and then refilled her cup from the decanter. She felt as though she had not eaten in ages. And now that she thought about it could not remember when she ate last.

Audrey finished her meal and felt invigorated. She rose from the chair carrying the china cup with her. She moved merrily about the room, sipping her coffee. She had plenty of time before she needed to bathe for dinner. She moved to one of the large windows and pulled back the heavy drapes. A small balcony with an ornately carved stone rail seemed to run from one window to the other. But venturing out onto it would prove impossible. Though she could open her windows to allow in the breeze, both windows were encased with iron bars. Still she leaned out the open window as far as she could to hopefully catch a glimpse of the garden below. However all she could see was forest, weeds, and brambles.

“My room must be on the opposite side of the castle.” She mused. This assumption made perfect sense to her. Sir Nicholas’s rooms were across the hall and he surely possessed a balcony of his own for which he could gaze upon his beautiful garden below. She would not be privy to the view from her accommodations.

This disappointed her greatly even in her high sprits. “I shall go down and have a stroll in the garden.” She decided. “I shall not stay long, only have a peek and then I will return and prepare for dinner, and it would be lovely to have fresh blossoms for my hair.”

Sir Nicholas’s warning did play in her mind, but not more than a few seconds. Audrey was quite sure his request was only meant to protect her. But she was just as sure she did not need protecting. There was still ample daylight outside, and she was only going to stay on the pebbled path.  And as far as traversing the castle she was reasonably sure of the way.

She gave Sir Nicholas not another thought as she looked around the room for her shoes. Finding one, she realized the other had never made it into the castle. A fact that was all the more reason to venture down to the garden. She could not very well join her host for the evening meal wearing only one shoe.

Audrey decided to go for her stroll barefoot, she slung the one lone shoe at the bedside then moved towards the door. She opened it slowly and gingering. She cringed and physically gritted her teeth as the heavy door creaked loudly on its aged hinges. Audrey tentatively poked her head from the door and looked down both ends of the corridor. Both ends disappeared in darkness. She knew the study she had been taken too was towards the right, and so was the stairwell leading down.

Audrey hated the thought of bringing attention to herself but light was going to be a necessity while still in the confines of the castle. She ventured back to her room and searched the mantel. As she thought there was a small porcelain jar filled with matches. She used one to light a single candle. Its holder was sleek and much lighter than the candelabras. She moved again to the door and carefully looked both ways. It seemed she had the corridor to herself. Smiling, she moved into the hall and shut the bed chamber door behind her.

Her bare feet grew cold against the stone floor but she didn’t mind. Making her way down the hall, Audrey counted each door she passed so on the return trip she would easily find her room among the many doors along the corridor. She came first to the study where she had officially been introduced to Sir Nicholas. The room seemed grey and cheerless with no fire in the grate. Or was it the absence of Sir Nicholas beauty that dulled a room that had been so grand only the night before.

Audrey proceeded further down the hall and as she had expected the stairwell twisted its way down into the shadows. Fearful she would become dizzy and fall; Audrey placed a small hand firmly on the railing and focused her vision on her steps. This seemed to prove successful but like the night before she thought the stairwell would never end.

But at last she was on the ground floor once again. She found herself in a round antechamber. Three stone carved archways provided the only ways out of the chamber save for climbing the stairs she had just descended.  Light seemed to be coming from one of the arches. She tip-toed in the direction of that arch, straining to hear if anyone was moving about. All seemed quiet so she peeked through the archway to the next chamber. The room was indeed empty. There was light streaming in through the windows now and she realized she had been led in through the kitchen the night before. Across the chamber she saw clearly the door in which Sir Nicholas had bid her follow him into his castle. Now with daylight diffusing the shadows the room seemed much less sinister. In the daylight it was a cozy kitchen. It was home to a large and cheerful hearth, cooking surfaces, and a large central island for preparing meals for the Lord of the Manor.

She stepped forward into the room with renewed confidence. And there it was, the wooden door she had been guarded through the night before. And on the other side lay the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. She could already smell the fragrant breeze and the soft feel of grass under her bare feet. She crossed the kitchen quickly and opened the door. Eyes squeezed shut in anticipation she stepped out the door and into the day light.

There was no fresh fragrant breeze; the foul aroma of decay assaulted her senses. She opened her eyes tentatively then a sharp gasp escaped her mouth as she raised her hands to cover her mouth.  

In her vision lay nothing but brambles, weeds, and gnarled trees. A misty dampness seemed to cling to everything. Perhaps she was wrong, and this was not the way she came in. But she had been so sure. She kicked at the leaf litter and found that the small pebbled path lay beneath.

Audrey chewed her bottom lip unsure whether to proceed or return to her rooms.

“Gardens do not simply just disappear” she argued with herself. “I am just turned around.”

With renewed resolve she forced herself to move forward, her hands balled fists at her side. The path was buried and unrecognizable but she made her away along easily enough at first. She felt quite sure if she moved along the path as best she could and always kept the castle’s stone wall in sight she would eventually come to the garden.

It seemed a reasonable and logical idea, one she easily convinced herself of.

The underbrush and weeds soon became denser. The surrounding tree’s large twisting roots seemed to reach out for her ankles. The thickening canopy of forest above her blocked out much of the sunlight. And when she came upon a break in the cover they did give her a minimal view of the sky she saw it getting darker each time. It was becoming dark quickly. She needed to go back inside the castle or she would risk becoming lost in the dark.

Audrey wondered if she could continue on or turn back. She had walked a long way already, but an entrance could appear at any moment. She looked to the stone walls of the castle as if it would give an answer to her quandary. The wall was gone. Her heart filled with panic as she turned small circles where she stood. How could this be? She had been so careful to keep the castle wall insight.

She shook her head violently to try to banish the fear threatening to seize control of her senses. No matter what she had to move. Standing there was no going to help find her way back to the castle.

Audrey scanned all directions around her. All looked the same. Overgrowth, dead plant debris, and trees.  Sighing she picked a direction and hurried forward at the fastest speed she could and not fall victim to the treacherous surroundings. To fall and become hurt out there would be her doom.

As the days last light fled more quickly from the sky, her terror began to rise. A thick mist began to settle on the forest floor. The sweet acrid aroma of decay was becoming increasingly pungent. She quickened her pace. The shadows in the tree lengthened. Their long leafless branches reached for her. The wind began to moan.

Audrey began to run. Her heart pounded in her ears, her lungs burned. The brambles snagged her flowing skirts and scraped her legs. Her bare feet caught on sharp rocks and twigs. Still she ran, ignoring the pain.

Day passed into night and she was plunged into shadow. Tears of panic filled her eyes threatening to spill down her cheeks. She pushed them back and ran on. The faster she ran the more sure she became she was not alone in those woods. Some horror was right behind her, closing in. Any moment it would catch her, reach for, and devour her.

In the looming shadows she noticed too late some form block her path. She tried to slow and swerve but it was no use. She slammed into the form, immediately knowing it was no tree, but some form of living entity. She screamed. She began to beat the creature with her little balled fists. 

Unbelievably strong hands closed over her wrists. Bright green eyes peered down at her in the darkness.

“Nicholas?” Audrey was afraid to hope.

He said nothing, releasing her wrists.

Audrey threw her small arms around him, burying her head in his chest, her tears finally beginning to fall. “I was so frightened” she sobbed, “Oh Nicholas it is so heartbreaking, your garden, it is dead, all of it dead.”

He offered no words or gestures to comfort her. He stood stoically his hands at his sides, waiting patiently for the distraught woman to compose herself.

After a few moments Audrey’s sobs turned to sniffles as her senses came back to her. “Your beautiful garden … its all dead isn’t it?” she whimpered raising her head and tilting it upward to look at him. “I was only going to have a peek and I became lost.”

Nicholas stepped aside and began moving through the trees. “I did warn you.”

He never turned back or slowed his pace. But Audrey knew enough to follow and keep up.

They traveled not far at all when the castle’s stone walls loomed ahead of them. As it had the night before, the castle seemed to appear out of thin air. As before, Nicholas held the door for Audrey, then lit a candle to guide their way. 

Nicholas stopped outside of Audrey’s chamber door then surrendered the candle to her. “Dinner shall be served in an hour. I shall send my Valet to collect you.” He seemed to scan his eyes over her, a look of disgust passed across his features. “I suggest you use the time to clean yourself.”

Not waiting for any response Nicholas crossed the corridor and disappeared into his own apartments. 

Chapter 6

Max entered his Master’s bed chamber baring a silver serving tray laden with a bowl of fresh strawberries and crème and a crystal goblet of a rich red wine. “Your guest is safe within her quarters my Lord.” He sat the tray down on a table within easy reach of his master’s hand.

“You take to many risks my Lord.” Max moved quickly around the chamber shuttering all of the large windows and pulling closed the heavy draperies.

Sir Nicholas, reclined in his favorite chair, did not move his gaze from the pages of the book he was reading. “You worry too much my old friend.”

“You have been lucky too many times before.” Max persisted, now turning down the bed linens.

“Oh dear, you are not speaking of those children again?” Nicholas chuckled.

“You are very lucky they did not return here, or worse.” Max’s frustration with his master’s refusal to take matters seriously shone clearly across his reddened face.

Nicholas lowered the book to his lap, folding it closed over one slender hand to keep his place. “It worked out well as I knew it would, the child found what he wanted and had no need to return. And if he spoke of it to the villagers they either thought him mad or it further fueled their fear of the “cursed woods”. And as for the coins I felt responsible, I did, after all, kill their father.” 

“Another unneeded risk” Max went about fluffing the many pillows scattered at the head of the bed. “The villagers could have easily come here looking for him. Many knew his plan to come here to find the secret of these woods.”

Nicholas waved an unconcerned hand, “The man was a drunken scoundrel and a thief, no one in that village felt his absence, least of all his wife whom was made to suffer his abuse.  They assumed he abandoned his family and that was the end of it”

Max was not satisfied or finished. “Too what end did you allow this woman here? Did you kill her father too perhaps?” Max’s placed a meaty hand on each hip, now facing his master.

Whether from Max’s words or the mere image of his stance Nicholas laughed merrily. “I might have indeed my old friend, one never knows.” He tipped Max a wink and resumed reading.

Max’s pursed his lips into a disapproving scowl, “I find your continued well being on this earth not so amusing as you.”

Nicholas put down his book once more. “My dear friend, I do not make light of your concern for me. If it were not for your trust and diligence I would have been vanquished from this world long ago. It is a debt I can never repay. But you have nothing to fear of her. She is no threat to me, far from it. Her presence here amuses me, for now.”

“She is no child, you cannot let her leave here alive.” Max insisted.

“I have no intention of doing so.” Nicholas smiled.

Chapter 5

Audrey was still reeling from Nicholas’s abrupt departure when a man entered the chamber. He was dressed in a dark suit, obviously designer, and expensive. He was tall, easily six foot five or so. His frame was enormous, but Audrey was quite sure there was not an ounce of fat on him, he was solid. All muscle. He looked more the part of a bouncer or a body guard than a man servant. While his size was intimidating his facial features were softer, and kind. His hair was dark, peppered with grey. He wore it shoulder length but neatly trimmed. His eyes were a sparkling blue. He possessed a smile that lit up his entire face.

“Good evening Madam” he bowed, “My name is Max, I have been instructed by my lord to see to your every whim. I assume you will be our guest for the night?”

“Yes I suppose so” Audrey answered, though the words seem to come from someone else. She was trapped in a fog, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. She had come here seeking a great evil and she had found something else. Or was there evil disguised beneath the enchanting beauty of that place? Her host was certainly eccentric but so were many that possessed great wealth. He was wealthy, of that there was no doubt. Eccentricity was not evil in itself.  There was something about this place that filled the nearby villagers with terror. Audrey truly believed all rumors begin with some measure of truth. Was Nicholas the source of these stories, these fears? Did they even know that the castle stood in these woods surrounded by its breathtaking garden? After all the existence of the grand estate was not even hinted at from outside the tall stone wall and rusted gates. But it seemed illogical for all this grandeur to lay undetected for all this time.  How had Nicholas managed to remain unknown, and more importantly, why?

“Shall I show you to your chamber now, or would you prefer to remain here for a while? Perhaps you require something from the kitchen?” Max offered with that same jovial smile.

Audrey shook her head slightly, as if the gesture would banish the troubling thoughts from her mind. “I am suddenly quite tired.”

“Of course” Max retrieved a candelabra from the mantel then offered Audrey one of his massive arms for support, helping the lady from the settee. He escorted her out of the chamber and back out onto the landing. The cold, darkness descended on them immediately. It felt oppressive to Audrey; Max seemed not bothered at all. The candles he carried barely lit their way; they did nothing to bring cheer to the dank stone corridor.

Audrey was thankful when her guide did not move towards the long staircase but instead led her further down the corridor. “Your Lord does not use electricity?”

“No madam, he prefers to live more simply. This castle remains little changed since it was first erected here.”

“And when was that?” Audrey looked up at him as they walked; Max kept his gaze straight ahead.
 

“Too many years have passed since then to be sure.” He smiled.

Audrey knew she was not going to get any other answer. Instead she looked away from her guide and tried to discern more of her surroundings. As they passed soft candlelight splashed along the walls. In those brief moments she saw ornately carved wall sconces, which held unlit candles, adorning the stonework. Several wooden doors in arched frames lined the corridor. No light shone underneath them. Along the walls elaborate tapestries depicted scenes she could not quite make out in the gloom. Paintings, mostly of women of great beauty, dotted the walls. All of the subjects were garbed in fashions of long ago ages. The images made Audrey feel even more small and plain.

“Ah here we are” Max stopped in front of one of the wooden doors. He produced a large and rather old fashioned key from his jacket pocket. He inserted it into the lock and it turned over with a resounding clunk that echoed through the corridor.

But Audrey was not paying attention; she was intent instead on the door across the hall. A small sliver of light shone underneath it. Though she did not understand why, her heart skipped a beat as a brief shadow passed through the light under the door.

“Madam” Max gestured for her to enter her chamber ahead of him.

Audrey, startled, turned around sharply but quickly recovered. “Thank you” she forced a relaxed smile and passed him and entered the room.

“I do hope it is to your liking” Max followed her inside. “I took the liberty of lighting a fire and the wall sconces. There is fresh linen should you like to freshen yourself before retiring.”

He continued on but Audrey was no longer listening, she was entranced by the bed chamber she now found herself in “It is beautiful” she sighed

The stone walls had been plastered and papered in an elegant antique gold. A large fireplace added a warm brilliance to one wall. Its mantel carved from the purest mahogany. Several candles and fresh flowers adorned its surface.  The floor was covered with a plush rug of a deep crimson; her feet seemed to sink into its depth. A massive four poster bed, also of mahogany, extended from the wall across front the fireplace. The bed was dressed in a plush velvet coverlet of crimson, golden pillows of various shapes and sizes were scattered about the head. From the beds canopy flowed think velvet draperies of the same color as the coverlet. Beneath these draperies and drawing all around the bed hung panels of sheer pale silk.  An antique armoire and a small writing desk and chair were positioned on one wall beside the bed while the opposite wall offered its mistress an elegant dressing table and velvet covered stool.  The dressing table was littered with silver brushes, and combs, perfume bottles of all colors and design, cosmetics and crèmes; truly anything she should desire or require. A dressing screen stood poised in one corner while a velvet covered settee lounged in another. A small archway lead to another chamber which she assumed was a bathing room. Although eyeing the brass chamber pot beside the bed with much distaste she had given up hope of indoor plumbing. Though the object, she had to admit, added even more charm to the room.

“If you should require anything at all please ring for me” Max gestured to a golden rope tasseled at the end that hung from the ceiling by the bed.

“Yes, thank you.” She replied.

Max moved to the door, the huge key still in his hand.

Audrey felt a sudden panic wash over her, “You are not going to lock me in are you?”

“Of course not madam” Max smiled and tucked the key into a pocket. “Good night madam.” He bowed deeply and retreated from the room, closing the door behind him.

Chapter 4

A fog, so gentle it's almost a mist, creeps through the white stripes of Ash in the darkness and blankets the path up to her waist.  Her fingers trail, causing ripples along the surface that spread on both sides.   She can no longer see her footfalls as she slowly picks her way down the path toward the gathering moonlight ahead. What appears to be another wall emerges from the fog, reaching much higher than her mere five and a half feet of height.  

The closer she edges, the less certain she is, both of her footing as well as what she sees.  It appears the wall is moving and when she finally comes close upon it -- it actually is.  

Strong stalks of Hollyhocks, the size of her wrist at the base and more than six feet tall tower over her and sway very slightly in the nearly nonexistent breeze.  Punctuated every few inches by a beautiful flowers their entire height, Hollyhocks of red,  pink, yellow and white - their colors rendered indescript by the soft moonlight show their beauty in an oddly diffuse way.  Mouth agape, she realizes that they are just far enough apart that she can pass between them.  Slipping sideways very carefully, she begins to weave forward into this forest of flowers, jostling them very softly here and there.  From the centers the pollen begins to drift down on her as they are disturbed, sparkling in the moonlight, leaving enchanted traces of light and dancing as they fall.  They cling to her long dark hair and eyelashes.  As she blinks, they fall upon the delicate beauty of her cheekbones and lips.  She continues and the stalks become tighter -- she's forced to twist and turn more radically, bending and bumping yet more of the flowers that release swirling cascades of glittering dust, covering her shoulders and resting on the small of her back.  It's increasingly difficult to see.  A tendril from a stalk catches her hair, which causes her to gasp in fear and turn too quickly -- bending a stalk nearly to breaking and further tangling her hair in another.  

Turning again and again, nearly blinded by the silting dust, feeling the tendrils not just catching in her hair but seeming to reach for her.  She hears her own heart racing in her ears, eyes watering in panic, she's suddenly seized with the urge to sneeze.  

"Achoo!" she lets go with a giant wracking sneeze.  "Achoo! Achoo!," two more and she's doubled over but pushing forward toward a faint light without much regard for the flowers or the pulling and snagging of her hair as she pushes and rushes to get out of this place.  

Bursting from the Hollyhocks onto a path of pea-sized gravel, she fails to notice the large stones that border it.   She trips hard and launches face down from the flower forest and lands on the gravel with a thud.  

"Oouff!" the air knocked from her lungs leaving her momentarily stunned, frozen face down, arms out to each side, one shoe above her head, resting where it landed after flying from her foot.  

"Well shit," she mutters.  

Rolling over and gazing at the full moon, recovering her composure and learning how to breath again, she sat up, slowly surveying the damage.  It appeared she was okay with the exception of a severely bloodied knee.  Carefully picking two small stones from the cut, she wipes upward, smearing but removing most of the blood that has run down her shin, then realizes she has no where to wipe it.  

Staring at her bloody fingers, shining slick in the moonlight, she quickly poped them in her mouth, licking them clean of blood.  A soft, low moan lofts across the path from the darkness of the woods.  So faint she's unsure she heard it, yet every hair on the her neck stands straight up and she sits stock still, listening.

It is the eyes she sees first, peering at her through the foliage. They were piercing green and cat like, but much too large to be those of an animal. Her heart began to race. Feeling you are not alone is eerie, but knowing it is terrifying.

The eyes seemed to blink out as leaves began to shuffle; what ever was hiding in the shadows was coming for her now. She knew it, and she was frozen in fear. But was that not what she had come there for? To be consumed by what ever evil dwelled there. Was she not seeking this evil to end her suffering by releasing her unto death’s sweet bliss? An act she herself could not seem to perform although her many efforts.

Audrey swallowed her terror and pursed her lips in defiance. She had no time to rise from the ground to meet her end, but she squared her shoulders and lifted her head high. 

But the creature that stepped out of the darkness was no monster. It was a man. A man, who was so peculiarly dressed for his time he seemed to have just walked out of the past. He was garbed in black pants and a white shirt ruffled at the cuffs and collar. The ensemble was completed with a dark cloak lined in red silk.

He was beautiful. She realized that was a term not normally applied to a male but to say he was handsome would not have done him justice. His hair was raven black, framing his pale features and curling around his neck in long layers. His features were elegant with high cheek bones and full lips that possessed a natural pout. His eyes were an almost cat like piercing green. All of these features were made more pronounced by his pale complexion which might have been chiseled from the purest marble. He was not a tall man, standing only a few inches taller than she, and his frame was slight. But still his presence demanded attention.

He knelt before her on one knee. He uttered not one word as he procured a lace handkerchief from the folds of his cloak and begin to administer to her wounds. He cleaned the wound the best that could be done with the tools at hand then tucked the cloth back into his cloak. He stood, holding a slender hand down to her.

“Thank you …” she stammered, taking the offered hand. She stood on her own though her knee throbbed. “It is a pleasure to meet you sir, I am …”

“Trespassing” he cut her off abruptly then turned to go.

“I know, I am sorry” but her apologies fell on deaf ears, the man continued on. “Wait … please.” she begged him in confusion. Who was this man that suddenly appeared out of know where. Did he live here, was there indeed a dwelling in this dense forest. Or was he some spectral being that had refused to pass from this world to the next. The latter seemed more likely to her. Regardless, she had to no more of him. “Please … do not leave me alone out here … it is dark and I fear I shall loose my way.”

He did stop then but he did not retreat back to her, he merely moved his body in a half turn to lock her in his emerald gaze. “You managed to find your way in, I am quite sure you are capable of finding your way out again. However, if you wish not to be alone, I suggest you follow.” He turned abruptly and continued on his way.

Audrey wanted to defy him and return to the village; but she found herself flopping along the gravel path behind him, limping with only one shoe on, leaving her other shoe behind her forgotten.

He kept his same steady pace, never looking back to see if Audrey followed or not. It seemed not to matter to him one way or the other.

Audrey for her part tried to quicken her pace to close the distance between them. But the man’s long stride was too much competition for Audrey’s small gape. They walked for some time. Both sides of the path were lined with tall flowering hollyhocks, making it impossible to discern anything about what lay beyond. Audrey could hear the faint sound of falling water; it seemed to grow louder as they traveled though she never saw its source. She thought she caught a glimmer of moonlight on a body of water’s surface but she was not sure.

When the man finally stopped at the end of the pebbled path, allowing Audrey to catch up, her small lungs were given out. Her breath came in ragged puffs and her calf muscles burned. The man seemed not effected by the trek at all.

“My Home” the man extended his hand in front of him in a sweeping gesture.

Audrey looked up where indicated and what little breath she had was caught in her throat.

Seeming to appear out of no where, a massive stone castle loomed before them where moments ago only trees stood. It rose from the leaf littered forest floor and then disappeared in the canopy of leaves and branches above. The stones of the fortress were slick with age in many places. The castle was partially obscured by moss and clinging vines of ivy, making the structure almost seem part of the forest itself.

He moved forward and opened a large wooden door, its frame set inside a stone archway. He held the door for Audrey’s admittance then closed the portal behind them. They were plunged into darkness.

A light hiss sounded in Audrey’s ears.  Then she jumped as a pair of Emerald green eyes set in a pale face appeared next to hers.

The man twisted his lips in a delighted smile. “My apologies. Your eyes shall adjust to the candle light in a moment.”

The man took the lead again and began venturing deeper into the castle. Audrey was sure to keep up, as the small circle of light provided by the candle he carried did little to banish the darkness.

The floors, walls, and ceilings were comprised of aged stone, slick and gray. In many places the smooth stone gave way to an elegantly carved relief depicting various mythical creatures.  Ancient suits of armor stood proud guard from arched alcoves.

Brilliantly colored rugs lay scattered over the stone floor while richly embroidered tapestries adorned the walls. Ornately carved sconces clung to the walls through out granting the dim corridors their only light.

“Do watch your step” the man instructed as he led them up a long winding staircase. Audrey looked below her, the shadows seemed to swallow up where they had been. And then as she gazed ahead, the stair’s top faded into the shadows above.  It almost gave her a sense of vertigo, as if the staircase was suspended in mid air. As they continued upwards Audrey thought the stairs might spiral on for eternity.

The stairway eventually led them onto a landing with several corridors snaking off in different directions. They ventured but a few feet down one of these passages and then came to their destination.

The man pushed open a heavy wooden door, the portal creaked under the effort.  Audrey followed the man into a massive chamber. Audry moved further into the room and found her self no less enchanted with that chamber than she had been the rest of the castle. This room seemed to be a large study small. In the fireplace a roaring fire blazed accompanying the wall sconces in giving the room a soft warm glow. The stone walls were completely obscured by towering bookshelves. The floors in this chamber were also sprinkled with thick richly colored rugs of varying shapes and sizes. The room was sparsely furnished. Dominating the room was a immense ornately carved desk made of polished mahogany. On either side of the desk there stood tall and proud a Queen Anne chair upholstered in a plush maroon velvet. The only other furnishing in the room was an easel, a blank canvas perched upon it.  

The man moved across the room to stand behind the grandiose desk. His movements were fluid, graceful. He turned his back upon Audrey and the room. His arms folded behind his back he stoically studied a pair of French doors through which he could see the moonlight beyond.

Audrey approached one of the book shelves so she might scan the spins of the many books housed there. Most of them were incredibly old, and though she longed to touch them she was afraid they might fall to dust in her hands. A lover of books, she was enchanted by the ranging titles and the timeless quality of the tomes.

“My God, these must be original printings.” She sighed in longing.

“They are.” The man said in reply.

Audrey jumped with freight. He was standing right next to her although she had not heard him cross the room. It was almost as if he had materialized out of thin air.

“Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you.” He painted on a smile that seemed genuine but yet cold somehow.

Audrey shivered.

“Ah, I am a most appalling host it seems, please …” he gestured to a settee placed near the hearth. “Warm your self by the fire. Wine?” he crossed the room again to his desk and filled two crystal goblets from a bejeweled decanter. “You will forgive me, you are the first visitor here in many long years.”

“Of course.” Audrey took the offered seat by the fire but she did not recline. She sat stiffly on its edge, her hands knotted together in her lap.

The man glided across the room, his footsteps appearing as though they never touched the stone floor beneath him.

“My name is Sir Nicholas Rochester.” He announced with out fashion, handing Audrey a goblet of wine. “Welcome to my home, Audrey … may I call you such? Or do I presume too much?” He flashed a charming smile.

“It’s …its fine” she offered a smile she did not feel, as her mind tried to recall when she had told this man her name. Surely she had, she had just forgotten. After all she was quite shaken from the fall and the man’s sudden appearance. Feeling she must say something to engage him in conversation she issued forth the only words she could think of. “Your garden is really quite remarkable.”

“Thank you, you are very kind to say.” He offered her a very pleased smile. “You saw just a small portion of it I am afraid. I would be happy of course to give you the full tour if you should be so inclined.”

“I would like that very much” Audrey took a sip of wine, the dark red liquid warmed its way down her throat, warming her body and setting her nerves more at ease. She immediately followed it with another, deeper drink from the crystal goblet. “I have always had great interests in plants, especially flowers. You have chosen some interesting specimens.”

“I have precious little to occupy my time; my garden is thus a labor of love. I do so adore beauty in all its forms.”

“Painting included?” she gestured to the easel holding the blank canvas.

The smile he had portrayed to this point faded quickly away. “I shall be glad to give you a tour of the garden, but not this night. The hour grows late and I have matters of business to attend to before I take my rest.” He deposited his wine glass on a nearby table and proceeded towards the door. As if it was merely an afterthought he turned towards her once more.

“I shall send my valet to attend to you” he informed her coldly, “He will see you safely off my estate, or if you wish not to travel by night he will provide you with suitable accommodations. I am afraid I must make one point very clear.” He casts his green eyes on her with such intensity she physically shrunk away from his gaze. “I shall be engaged until tomorrow evening. If you wish, you may remain until my return and I will happily provide you with the tour of my garden so promised. But you are not to enter into it alone, nor are you to wander about this castle without my company. This is an immense estate, if you decide to wander off and become lost I shall not waste a moment of my time, nor that of my valet, looking for you. I do hope that is clear. I bid you a good night Audrey.” With a dramatic bow and a twirl of his cape he was gone.