The Lullaby of Treble Castle - part 12

"The Lullaby of Treble Castle"
part 12

Alyssa and Severin were heading back in the way they came, but the dark hallway never seemed to end. The further they went, it was as if the shadow stretched to follow them. They were about to conclude that they were lost until they found a familiar young man holding a candlestick coming from the direction they were going.

"Ka-Karoly?!" Alyssa was dumbfounded. She was sure they were following him in there, how was he behind them. "What are you doing here?"

"Funny, I was about to ask you two the same. Severin knows that's the way to the dungeon," Karoly said plainly. "I was going to tell you not to expect Linda for lunch or dinner today. I'll be taking food to her. What happened this morning has put her in such a mood that she just can't face any of you." He frowned just a little. "What? Were you two looking for me?"

"As a matter of fact, we were," Severin answered. "Lucien has a way to reverse the spell cast on Rachel. We need the book Linda used." It wasn't a request. His tone demanded it.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have the book," Karoly replied. "Besides, with how happy Lucien and Rachel are right now, I don't think they want the spell broken." He shrugged. "Such passionate love-making atop a desk in a library! Who would have thought, right?"

Alyssa couldn't believe her ears. "You're a lying piece of shit," she said angrily. "Lucien said it himself that he didn't want to take advantage of her while she was under the control of a spell. There's no way in hell I'll trust you. You convinced Linda to turn on her cousin!" She was about to throw a punch in his face, but he blocked her with his magic.

"Now, now," Severin said carefully. "We need the book, Karoly. We'll break the spell and everything will be fine. Let's not get violent over this."

"I don't think you understand at all, Severin," Karoly whispered. "Take your little angel and get out of this hallway. Leave the spell alone. I will not warn you again." He pursed his lips. "We'll all be one big happy family!" He said it loudly, extending his arms with a great burst of light emitting from his hands. The hallway was lit and appeared familiar. Then he snapped his fingers and vanished.

"The hell was that?" Alyssa asked. "That prick is playing us!"

"The only way to stop someone so magically inclined as Karoly is by using magic. We're all imbued with magical ability the moment we become afflicted with the Queen's curse, though it will take some practice to become as skilled as he is," Severin said, leading her back to her room. "He's had centuries of practice. We might need just that much time to be able to beat him."

"By then, I don't think it will matter," Alyssa muttered. "We really should check up on Lucien and Rachel, though."

"No..." Severin whispered in her ear. "I will go alone. I need to meet with Florence and Lucien to decide what to do about Karoly."

"But we're all in this mess together, it shouldn't just be the three of you."

"Don't you realize because of the virtue of this curse, we're not allowed to put you in harm's way?" Severin asked.

"Oh yeah? What happened to Rachel this morning, then?"

"That did not endanger her life."

"You're joking."

"Not at all. Rachel is alive and breathing, even if she is under the influence of a spell." Severin explained, trying to be as clear as possible. "The curse will take over. It's because of this that I do not fear for Linda. Karoly might manipulate her, but he cannot strike her. I don't know how long this will take, and I can't have you outside your room close to sunset. If you need me, just call me. I will hear you."

When they arrived at Room Four, she went inside as she was instructed; and Severin marched straight to the library. What he found inside was Rachel and Lucien sitting together and looking through the book she discovered that morning. It didn't appear that they had even kissed, let alone had sex on a cluttered table. They were flirty and laughing together, sure, but it was nothing like what Karoly described.

"Lucien,"  Severin said, only loud enough to catch their attention. "Where is your brother?"

"Florence should be tending to Arianna," Lucien replied. "Why?"

"Take Rachel to her room, then come meet us. It's about Karoly."

Rachel grabbed a few more books. "I think I'll spend the afternoon reading. Maybe I'll find something you'll find interesting?"

"What a wonderful idea, princess,"  Lucien said, passing her a smile. "You can tell me all about it when things are all taken care of."

Lucien nodded. He expected this. He helped Rachel up. "Fair enough. Go find Florence."

"On it,"  Severin said, running back out the door and heading to the garden. He ran as fast as he could, not really paying much attention to what he was doing until he ran straight into Florence. "There you are! We need to meet up with Lucien. Now." He looked around. "Where's Arianna?"

Florence grunted. "She said she wasn't feeling very well, so she went to rest before we have lunch. Ever since we left the dining hall, she said the entire castle feels weird." He picked himself up off the floor and asked, "So, we're meeting with Lucien about Karoly, I have to assume."

"You're right. It's not safe to talk about it here, though," Severin added. "Meet us there."

Florence gave him a salute and ran around a corner as quickly as he could manage. "Right. I'm on my way."
Severin concentrated his power together and vanished from the hallway to appear a few seconds later in a very dark place. One column of light fell from the ceiling, but otherwise, there was no light inside. There were no visible doors. Lucien leaned up against a wall and his younger brother sat next to him on the floor. Severin cracked his knuckles to catch their attention.

"Are the ladies safe?" Severin asked.

"As safe as they can be," Florence replied. "They all have been told not to leave their rooms without us."

"Good," Severin said. "I need to tell you about this. Karoly tried to trap both me and Alyssa in the dark hallway leading to the dungeons. We couldn't get out of the hall without his help. The assistance came with a warning not to mess with the spell placed on Rachel." He shrugged. "Personally, I don't know what to do about these kind of outbursts."

"He has been puzzling since the ladies showed up at all," Florence said quietly. "Karoly was afraid ever since they got here."  He picked himself up, brushing off his pants. "I get the feeling he was always planning something like this."

Lucien pushed his bangs out of his face, tucking them behind his ears. "Personal feelings aside, this is still a direct violation of the curse. He must be getting punished in a way we haven't seen yet. The curse orginally affected the four of us, so I don't know what will happen if we try to take him out. It could come back to hurt us all."

"Including our little ladies," Severin said, clenching a fist. "I don't know how to stop him from acting like this, but it's driving me insane."

"I was thinking of a way to try to get the spell off of Rachel, and this might work for Linda, too," Florence said. "There's a spell to supress short-term memories."

"I can only imagine how horribly that could go," Lucien muttered. "No doubt Karoly might start feasting upon Linda on a nightly basis and she have no way to letting us know."

"Who's to say he hasn't all ready started? You know of it's addictive nature. Even if she remembered it, she might not be able to refuse it now,"  Severin thought aloud. "It soothes a deep need they have while we feed on their energy. The little one would have a hard time resisting. Speaking of resisting, Rachel-"

Lucien shook his head. "She asked that I not break the spell."

"What? Why?" Severin asked, incredibly confused.

"Rachel said she was afraid of losing the ability to show me affection. She... made me promise that I'd leave her the way she is," Lucien continued quietly. "I have to say that I... I'm afraid of the same thing, really. Rachel told me that if she's going to be cursed to stay by my side, she'd rather be in love with me than trying to constantly find a way out." He hung his head in shame. "It's wrong of me to let it stay, but she asked me to leave it be."

"If this is her wish, then I can't tell you to go against it," Florence said calmly. "Even if it is against your sense of honor."

"Do not tease me, little brother."

"I'm not teasing you at all. I'm trying to be honest with you."

Severin cleared his throat to catch their attention. "Whatever you decide, Lucien, that doesn't matter. Karoly wants to ensure the curse isn't broken at all odds. We can't have him make Linda cast spells on the other girls. We have to get all of this out in the open and find out exactly what he wants."

"Then that's what we'll do," Lucien agreed with the plan. "Next time you see Karoly, tell him to meet us here. Tonight, hopefully. For now, we'll check on our lovely ladies and make sure they're fine with holding tight until tomorrow. If they object to staying, then have them sleep until things are safe. I know a few who might get in the spirit of adventuring."

"Yours included," Severin said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Yes, mine included."