ailaaurie
patreon
Summer Jams 4: Moss Hill - Part I
🕑 Added 2023-03-29 05:00:03 +0000 UTC“Legend has it that on the night of a full moon, if you walk east of the castle’s old walls for two hundred steps, you will stand on top the most ancient tomb of the O’Tuagh Warlords. If you stand above their tomb when the full moon reaches its peak, you will feel them. Ba-dum, ba-dum...the steady beating of their buried hearts, but that’s not all....” Eili looked around the table of children and teenagers with wide, dilated eyes as her hands gripped the edge of the dining table. “Count the heart beats. Ba-dum - one. Ba-dum - two...for when it reaches ten....” She lifted her hands and slammed her palms on the table, making several children jump and Ava, Fiona, and Ilyana scream. “Their souls reach for those with O’Tuagh blood to exchange their hearts so that they may sail again!”
Sonia chewed on a piece of bread pudding and nodded calmly from the other end of the table. “There’s a kind of romanticism to that.”
Constantine nodded. “I was thinking that, as well. That they loved the ocean and where they felt freest, that they’d want to return to it even in death.”
Henrik and JP nodded in agreement while Ewan and Albert looked at them in dismay. “That’swhat you two think?” Albert choked out.
“There are many cultures in which death was just an extension of life,” Tori replied as she patted Ava’s back to calm her. Her usually intense little cousin was stiff in her seat with wide eyes and a paler than normal face.
“Cousin Eili, are they ghosts?” Fiona asked, shaken as she and Ilyana hugged each other. “Do they come out every night?” Her voice grew tighter as she spoke.
Eili chuckled and shook her head. “Of course not, Fifi.”
The child relaxed and let out a nervous giggle. “That’s good-”
“Only when the moon is full.” Fiona gasped once more. Eili smirked. “And guess when the next full moon is?”
Half the table’s head shot up, looking up at the night sky to look for the moon. From the seat next to Robert, a boy his age with dark skin and light, yellow-ish eyes swallowed hard. “Umm...the moon looks...almost full, doesn’t Robi?”
“It’s not that full yet, Vivi,” Robert told his friend, though there was some uncertainty in his voice. He probably wanted to seem brave in front of his friend who was visiting Moss Hill with them.
Aiden, who sat across from them, was the oldest of the group of children. He sighed, as if bored of the story. “It’s tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night!?” Several of the children, and Albert and Ewan, almost yelled, drawing the attention of the older adults of the family sitting at a table on the garden terrace above, just outside the dining hall.
“Eili, don’t cause trouble down there,” Siobhan’s exasperated voice came from the terrace.
Eili clicked her tongue. “Why do you assume it’s me?”
“It’s always you,” Bridget said with a small snort. “Whatever she’s saying, don’t listen to her. She just enjoys scaring children.”
“The beating hearts of the O’Tuagh Warlords is just a bedtime story to scare children,” Siobhan assured them.
“Didn’t you say that you once felt the heartbeat when you went out there during a full moon?” the former Marquis O’Tuagh asked with a laugh.
“I was so young then; it was just my nerves. I went back again, and nothing happened,” Siobhan replied with a dismissive wave.
“There’s only one way to find out if it’s real,” Mateo said as he leaned forward and looked at his brother and cousins. “We have to go.”
“You are not wandering outside of the castle in the middle of the night to go ghost hunting,” Auntie Lucia said in a dull voice.
“Mom, it’s within the castle grounds! It’s completely safe to do so, right?” Marco looked at his O’Tuagh cousins, who nodded.
“Yeah, Cousin, the east grounds are still within Moss Hill and there is a wall surrounding us before the lands become part of King’s Fields,” Maeve said with confidence. “We won’t get in any trouble.”
Siobhan sneered. “If letting you children out in the middle of the night to ghost hunt in a field isn’t setting up for trouble, I don’t know what would.”
“What if we have adult supervision?” Robert asked. “Perhaps Cousin Eili-”
“Sorry, Robi, I’m not as young as I used to be,” Eili said, rejecting him at once as she lifted a hand and rubbed her shoulder, as if to emphasize her old age body pains. “I can’t stay out that long. I still have training in the morning.”
Fiona furrowed her brows for a moment and then her eyes widened. “Auntie Tori is an adult!”
Nooooo.... Tori silently screamed as her blue eyes stared at her niece. She already got her soul pulled into a body in a game world; she didn’t know what other weird, possibly paranormal, things existed and did not want to check. “I am also old.” On the inside.
The table looked at her with several blank stares, obviously not believing her excuse for a minute.
“If you’re too scared to go, just say so,” Henrik said with unimpressed eyes.
Tori did not hesitate. “I’m too scared. I don’t want to go.” No shame.
A few groans came from the table and Ilyana pouted across from her. “But aren’t you curious?”
Tori gave her a dumbfounded look. “You’re actually willing to go?”
“It sounds interesting,” Ilyana said as Fiona nodded her head beside her earnestly.
“Yes! We’re not O’Tuagh, so the ghosts won’t get us!” Fiona said, as if reassuring Tori. Tori stared at Fiona and crinkled her eyes. Did her niece forget that Tori’s grandmother was an O’Tuagh and, therefore, she carried O’Tuagh blood?
“Wait, is that why you’re willing to go?” Ava choked out and looked at Fiona. “Because they wouldn’t try to take your body and exchange your heart so they can sail again?”
Fiona nodded eagerly. “Yes, I’m safe.” Also, no shame.
“When she puts it like that....” Robert said with a slight nod. He looked at Vivi and Vivi looked at him, exchanging a silent look that reassured each other that their bodies would, indeed, not be vulnerable to possession. It made them a little more daring.
“I don’t know Robi...you and Fifi and Vivi never know,” Eili said smoothly. “These are the hearts of the ancient O’Tuagh warlords. There are many out there who have blood, but just not in the direct line.” Her eyes narrowed as she gave them a sinister smile. “Who knows whose blood you have...why not check?”
Robert and Vivi froze in their seats. Only Fiona looked unmoved.
“I’m too small, they won’t be interested in me.” She tried to rationalize it. Truly, she was Kasen’s daughter.
“It's summer right now, so even at night, it’s a bit warm. It’s actually the best time to go out into the east grounds at night as there isn’t any fog,” Maeve said. “Every time I want to go, no one wants to come with me. Aiden’s scared.”
Her brother bristled and shot her a glare. “I’m not scared.”
Maeve smirked. “Then why don’t you ever go?”
“It’s a ridiculous ghost story to scare children.”
“You’re a child.”
“I’m going to Lycée in the fall!” Aiden glowered at his little sister, but Maeve continued to wear a cocky, knowing grin.
“Scaarreeddd....”
“Fine! I’ll go!” Aiden snapped. He looked over the top of her head. “I’ll be with you, okay, Fifi?”
Fiona nodded. “Don’t worry, Cousin Aiden,” she told him seriously. “I’ll protect you.”
Aiden’s lips tightened into a line as several people held back their laughter while Ava and Maeve laughed out loud.
“Did I not say that no one was going to go ghost hunting in the middle of the night?” Siobhan asked. She had stood up and come to the edge of the terrace to look down at their table with arms crossed and a brow raised. “It’s too dark and the ground is uneven. You could easily fall and hurt yourselves.”
“We can bring light crystals, Ma!” Maeve said.
“Light crystals scare off ghosts,” Eili replied. Maeve wrinkled her nose. That certainly put a damper on her plans.
“What if we bring the light crystals and keep them on while we’re walking and then turn them off when we get to the east grounds?” Maeve asked. “That way, we can see our way there safely, and then not scare off ghosts.”
“Why do you not want to scare off ghosts?” Robert looked at his cousin with horror.
Maeve sighed. “If we go that far, then we should see ghosts, right? Isn’t that why we’re going?”
“Why do you want to see ghosts so badly?” Sonia asked her.
Maeve shrugged. “Seeing is believing.”
Ewan nodded. “I’d also like to see.” Albert whipped his head around and looked at him.
“Are you crazy? Ewan, you can’t fight off ghosts with a sword.”
“But I’m not O’Tuagh.”
“We don’t know whose blood you carry!” Albert cried out.
“But we have Constantine and he’s a priest,” Ewan said, motioning to Constantine seated across from him.
Constantine’s head shot up and his eyes were wide, as if wondering how he’d gotten involved in this. “I didn’t plan on going.”
“You have to go,” Ewan said. “You’re a priest. You can protect us from ghosts.”
Tori’s eyes crinkled up. Was that even in the job description of the priests here? And technically, Constantine had just finished theological studies and was, at best, an entry level priest. Aside from leading prayers, helping at religious sites, and doing minor blessings on charms, he wasn’t qualified to do more.
Constantine also seemed to think the same. “I don’t think I have that ability.”
“You can at least bless charms to protect us right?” Albert asked.
JP raised a brow. “You’re this scared, and you still want to go?”
“I’m curious....” Albert averted his eyes.
“It sounds fun, I want to go, too,” Sonia said as she dabbed a cloth napkin across her lips. “JP and I haven’t done something like this before.”
JP furrowed his brows. “I didn’t say I wanted to go.”
“It’s a group effort. You have to go,” Sonia said. “Look, we’re all going. Ewan, Albert, Ilyana, Constantine, Tori-”
“I’m susceptible to possession, so no, I’m not going,” Tori cut her off.
“And I’m not losing sleep to go run around in the dark.” Henrik looked around the table, as if daring anyone to stop him.
JP shrugged. “I don’t believe in this, but I’ll come.”
“It’s always good to have a skeptic!” Eili nodded with approval.
“Eili, stop encouraging them,” Bridgette frowned.
“I’m not, I’m not....” Eili looked to the side. She lowered her head and whispered. “All right, I’ll arrange with the guards tomorrow to let you guys sneak out. Meet here and take the garden around to the east grounds.”
“Cousin, are you going to come with us?” Marco asked.
Eili shook her head. “No, if Siobhan finds out I assisted, she’ll cut my yearly bonus.” She patted Ilyana’s shoulder and Marco’s, as they were on either side of her. With an encouraging look she gave them a nod. “You’re on your own.”
★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★
“What are you two doing here?” Before Ilyana could take another step forward, Sonia and Ewan clamped their hands on her shoulders to keep her from lunging at the second Prince of Soleil and his friend.
They’d managed to get away before Ilyana found out that Tori was kidnapped because Gideon had no sense of danger, and as long as they stayed away from Ilyana’s sight, they’d be safe. When they showed up at Moss Hill all of a sudden, it only confirmed to Tori that he really didn’t have a sense of danger.
Or he was just incredibly stupid.
Then again, maybe it’s both. Tori stood behind the group, holding her half eaten fried cheese stick in one hand and Fiona’s hand in the other. At the same time, both she and her niece lifted their fried cheese to their mouths and bit them as they watched the drama unfold.
Gideon visibly paled as soon as he saw Ilyana and nearly jumped behind Fabian, who took a step back and moved into a defensive position as soon as Ilyana stormed forward.
“Training Commander O’Tuagh invited us, Lady Agafonova! We have a rest period this weekend from training camp, and she said to come because there were people our age staying over!” Gideon quickly answered. After a few weeks at the naval camp, he had ruddy cheeks and was darker than when he left. Fabian was the same, as both had likely gotten sunburnt earlier. They were still wearing their training uniforms and from afar, if it wasn’t for Gideon’s silver-white hair, she wouldn’t have noticed them.
Sonia looked at Gideon as if he were an idiot. “Did she tell you that we were the people staying over?” she asked in a sharp voice.
Gideon’s eyes darted away. “She said Guevera was visiting with her family-”
“Everyone knows that she’s traveling with us this summer, you brainless jinx!” Ilyana yelled and pulled against her friends, but Ewan alone was strong enough to hold her back without hurting her. He calmly restrained Ilyana and kept one eye on Sonia in case she decided to attack instead.
“Auntie.” Robert leaned closer to Tori and lowered his voice. “Isn’t he the second prince?”
Tori nodded her head. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Vivi looked at his friend and then at Tori. “Why do they not address him as such? My instructor says that an imperial family member must always be addressed with respect.”
“Unless they are in an informal situation and they have a close relationship,” Robert replied. He furrowed his brows. “But...Auntie Ilyana and the others aren’t close to His Highness.”
“Why do you call him His Highness, but call the Crown Prince ‘Uncle’?”
“Because Uncle Piers is going to marry Auntie Tori, so he’s going to be my uncle. Probably.”
“I’m right here, Robi....” Tori said in a dull voice. “And to answer your question, Vivi, while we let them occasionally play with us, these two are acquaintances at best.”
“You saved our lives and we’re only acquaintances to you!?” Gideon choked out as he looked at her with betrayed eyes.
Tori shot him a glare in response. “I have a duty to the empire and you’re Piers’ brother!”
“Well, what about Fabian?”
“Have you heard of the term ‘package deal’?” Henrik asked as he raised a brow.
“What is going on out here?” Eili walked in from the terrace and looked around at the group of teenagers and children standing around the informal dining hall. “I can hear your yelling all the way outside.”
Huh...sometimes Cousin Eili can sound like an adult. Tori bit into her cheese stick once more.
“Training Commander, what are these two doing here?” Ilyana demanded with as much respect as she could pull into her voice.
Eili’s face lit up and she looked around. She lowered her voice as she walked forward. “I thought they may be interested in what’s happening tonight.”
Ava, whose face was covered with crumbs after devouring her fried cheese stick, tilted her head to the side, confused. “What’s happening tonight?”
Maeve rolled her eyes. “The full moon over the old burial site, remember?”
Ava gasped as her brows shot up. She opened her mouth only to be cut off by a stern female voice.
“What did I hear you plan to do, Maeve Teeran O’Tuagh?” Maeve immediately tensed into a stick at the sound of her mother’s voice coming from the hall behind them.
“Ma!” Maeve whirled around and tried to put on an innocent expression. Now it was her brother’s turn to roll his eyes. “Nothing! Just play games on the terrace with Auntie and her friends!”
Siobhan, looking dashing in her naval uniform, unbuttoned her jacket and shrugged it off, her suspicious eyes lingering on her daughter and then on to her younger sister. “That’s what I thought. I don’t want to hear about any of this nonsense of running out in the middle of the night to go ghost hunting. It’s dangerous out on the moors at night. The ground is uneven, and you all know this. Don’t drag your cousins and their friends out there to be injured.”
“I know, I know....” Maeve lowered her eyes, looking rightfully chastised.
Tori squinted. Somehow, she didn’t buy it.
Siobhan cast one firm look at her sister. “Eili, you’re a grown woman. Don’t encourage the children. It’s just a story anyhow.”
“Yes, right, I know!” Eili laughed. “I just thought it would be fun for them to hear some of our local legends.”
Siobhan sent a withering look at Eili, as if knowing she had an ulterior motive. When Eili looked nervous enough, she finally looked away.
“Tori, when you have a moment, I have a favor to ask you as a dancer.” Siobhan turned to her, and her voice was much more pleasant.
“Of course, Cousin,” Tori said with a nod. “Just let me finish eating my snacks.”
“No rush. Come to my office when you’re done,” Siobhan told her. She looked back at Eili and gave her one last look of warning before heading back out into the hall.
Once she disappeared from view, Eili craned her neck. “All right, she’s gone. Let’s go over the plan tonight.”
“Cousin....” Tori squinted her eyes, but Eili looked too excited to stop. She ushered the group out towards the terrace. Fiona wiggled her hand out of Tori’s and ran to keep up.
“I want no part in this,” Henrik said in a dull voice as he took a seat at the dining table. A knight escorting them put a large box of food they’d picked up while visiting King’s Harbor on the table.
Constantine reached for the back of the chair next to Henrik. “I’ll also-”
A hand clamped on his shoulder, and he slowly turned his head to see Albert’s smiling face. “You’re a priest.”
The underlying words were to remind him that his job was to ‘protect’ them from whatever supernatural forces appeared.
Constantine took a deep breath and looked at Albert with a tired glint “We’re not supposed to go looking for such things. It is taboo in a way,” he said, albeit weakly.
It didn’t detour Albert in the least. “Which is why you should come.”
Tori took a seat across from Henrik and watched with pity as Constantine was dragged off.
“I don’t know if they want to see ghosts or don’t want to see ghosts,” Tori said.
“You’re just going to sit here and let them do what they want?” Henrik asked as he unwrapped a fish sandwich. “The Marquess said it’s dangerous to run around there at night and usually, if it’s dangerous, you’ll try to stop them.”
Tori snorted. “Does it look like I can stop them?” She motioned her hand out the door where Eili was giving a detailed explanation on how to get to the east grounds without being caught by knights. “If they trip and fall in the dark, it’s a hard lesson they must learn.”
“That alone should scare them from going.”
Tori raised a brow. “Henrik, are you scared?”
“Of falling off the cliff, yes,” Henrik said after taking a bite of his sandwich. “They want us to go out in darkness to explore some field adjacent to a cliff that drops into the ocean? I’m not an idiot.”
“But you’re not afraid of ghosts?”
“Ghosts don’t exist and the beating that they feel is likely the rapid beating of their hearts that they’re overly sensitive too in such an environment,” Henrik replied. “I’d much rather get some sleep.”
“I doubt Eili will be able to really clear out the knights,” Tori said as she found the crispy pork hock marinated in fish sauce she’d excitedly bought.
“From the Marquess’ reaction, she’ll probably have more knights than usual stationed around the grounds.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Tori agreed. She bit into the pork hock and let out a pleased moan. “This is better than I expected.”
“Cut me a piece.”
“How much food did you all buy?” Kasen wandered in, dressed in training gear and appearing as if he’d been working out. His off-white, loose shirt was still tucked into his dark pants, but the cuffs of his shirt had been ruled up past his elbow. His hair was damp, and he was flushed.
“A lot. Do you want some? This pork hock was marinated in local fish sauce. It’s crispy and salty.” Tori offered as she took a knife to a part of the pork that she hadn’t bitten.
“I’ll take a slice.” He looked around them and knit his brows together. “Where are the others?”
“Eili’s talking to them outside about their little ‘excursion’ tonight,” Tori said with a roll of her eyes.
Kasen took the slice of pork hock that Tori offered him, stuffed it into his mouth, and walked outside with a frown.
Henrik continued to eat. “You’re really not going to stop them?”
Tori shook her head. “No. They have to learn.”
A moment later, they heard Kasen’s stern voice telling them not to go outside at night, how it was dangerous, and that he expects his children to know better.
The group slowly trudged back in, and Tori was a bit surprised. She didn’t think that Kasen would detour them when Siobhan failed.
“Oh, don’t be such a stick in the mud, Kasen! It’s all for fun!” Eili said as she followed Kasen back inside. Kasen snatched another piece of pork hock from the plate Tori had prepared as he passed.
“If you’re not going to listen to reason, then I’ll have to make reason beat it into you,” Kasen replied as he walked out into the hall with Eili following him. “Siobhan!”
“No, how dare you!”
Tori shook her head as she watched them leave. She looked back at the group and while somewhat disappointed, she had a feeling they were still going to go on their little excursion.
“Guevera, do you have a minute?” Gideon remained standing by the door to the terrace. Tori bit into the remainder of her pork hock and looked around. The group was starting to spread out the food they’d bought and so she stood up.
“All right.” She still brought her pork hock with her. She walked out and Fabian stood with Gideon. “What is it?”
“Further out,” Gideon said in a quiet voice as he continued across the terrace and down the steps to the lower level.
Tori narrowed her eyes and took another bite of her pork hock, but followed. She had a feeling she knew what this was going to be about.
Gideon led them near the old stone walls at the edge of the terrace. He turned to her and opened his mouth, but seemed to hesitate.
“Is this about Hart?” Tori asked before taking another bite.
Gideon took in a sharp breath and looked towards Fabian, who lowered his head, as if ashamed to ask about it considering what Tori had been through because of them.
“My brother said that Father has made the decision,” Gideon said.
Tori slowly chewed her food, thinking. “Soleil doesn’t exile traitors for obvious reasons. They become a liability. Typically, traitors are executed, but there is another, lesser-known option.”
“Bloodline termination,” Gideon said in a quiet voice.
“Bloodline termination, yes,” Tori said. “And it’s cruel, because it is voluntary.” At first, when Kasen told her about it, she thought that the Emperor would just give the order and those involved would be sterilized.
It was a bit crueler than that. It wasn’t a distant authority figure who gave the sentence.
Bloodline termination required approval from all those who would be sterilized. That was why it wasn’t just a traitor’s immediate family. It was some of their extended family, as well. If one person in that group, not including the traitor themselves, refused to be punished because of a traitor, then bloodline termination would not be carried out.
Instead, the traitor would just be killed, usually by beheading. Quick and simple.
This meant that if the traitor’s family agreed to bloodline termination, they would have to live with the fact that they screwed over their family. It wasn’t just sterilization; it was forced labor and imprisonment for life. No contact with the outside world.
In the beginning, perhaps the family would agree to it as at least they were all alive, but as time wore on, resentment would build up and they’d regret their decision. Death appeared quite welcoming if life was torture with no hope.
On the other hand, if there was refusal to take part in bloodline termination, the traitor would be killed knowing that their family let them die. The family would still be stripped of any wealth and privilege, but they would survive, likely with some resentment.
“She will be sterilized?” Fabian asked.
“As will her father,” Tori said. “When I read up on the punishment, I could count the number of times this has been done in several thousand years of the empire’s history on one hand. Hart would be the third.”
It was only her and her father. All her father had to do was agree to it to save his daughter’s life. No one else would be affected. Tom was an unrelated party and had already been rejected.
Gideon’s eyes closed and his hands tightened into fists. “Sir Mallory woke up yesterday.”
Tori’s head rose. Sir Edgar Mallory was a young knight in Gideon’s escort. Very cheerful, very energetic. A bit like Ewan, if Tori had to compare. He was one of the two knights who was in critical condition, and the one they believed wouldn’t make it.
“How is he?” She was almost afraid to ask.
“Axton said that he won’t be able to walk and will have permanent breathing difficulties,” Gideon said as his voice tightened with pain. “He’d only been my knight for a year.”
That was a massive blow. Sir Mallory was young, and he’d lost the career he had been working towards for at least half his life.
“He is refusing medicine and wants to die,” Fabian said in a quiet voice. “Countess....” He looked at her, silently asking for her help.
Tori grit her teeth. She had limitations. “I’m not a doctor...at best....” Tori squeezed the remainder of the pork hock wrapped in oily paper. She wiped her hand on it and took out her comcry. “Call Axton Alvere.”
It didn’t take long for Axton to answer, and his cheerful voice faded when he heard what she wanted to talk about. “I’ll go to the hospital after work.”
“Go now,” Piers’ voice sounded. “This is an urgent matter.”
“Don’t forget to explain to him what is offered and what can be done to accommodate him at the delta,” Tori said. “Try to give him something to look forward to.”
“I know,” Axton said. “I’ll let you know the details.”
“If he wants, have him talk to me,” Tori said. “I’ll be at Moss Hill the rest of the afternoon.”
She ended the call shortly after and Gideon bowed his head. “Thank you.”
“Be more cautious next time,” Tori told him in a cold voice. “If you’d listened to me and stayed, none of this would’ve happened.”
Gideon shrank back, but kept his head down, guilty. “I didn’t know. I trusted her.”
Tori took a deep breath. “I know you did.”
“Guevera...is it terrible to prefer her execution?” Gideon asked.
“No.” Tori shook her head. “Depending on one’s thoughts, it may have been more humane to kill her than keep her alive with no future.”
“What did you ask for?” Fabian asked.
“I didn’t know if I had any say and assumed she’d be executed regardless of what I said,” Tori said honestly. “My brother told me about the sterilization, and I brought it up to Mr. Hart, who accepted it immediately. If given the choice, I would like her to live and pay for ignorance that caused people to die and become so injured, their lives are ruined. Why should she be allowed to die, free of guilt and spared the pain she inflicted on others?”
Fabian nodded, understandingly. “I agree.” Gideon looked at him with a bit of surprise. Fabian clenched his jaw. “It could’ve been you. You could’ve died,” he told Gideon.
Tori took a deep breath. “At this point, the punishment is out of our hands. It was Mr. Hart who agreed to bloodline termination over execution.”
Gideon took a deep breath and nodded. “And...how are you feeling?”
Tori squinted her eyes. “That is what you segue into after asking about the punishment of a traitor?”
Gideon scowled. “You were asleep for a month and couldn’t get off that crystal bed when we came to see you last.”
“I couldn't get off because they wouldn't let me off,” Tori snapped. “And aside from my grounding, I’m fine. I’m enjoying my vacation of just traveling around and eating.” To emphasize this, she took another bite of her pork hock. She gave him a glare. “And if you’re thinking about galivanting around the moors tonight, don’t even think about it. If you fall off the cliff, all your training at the naval academy camp isn’t going to help.”
Gideon sneered. “There is clearly a wall along the cliffside.”
Fabian grimaced and stepped forward. “I doubt we’ll make it far even if we try. Marquess O’Tuagh will make arrangements.”
Tori narrowed her eyes. “You’re grown men. There is no reason for you to go ghost hunting with children.”
“Agafonova and Conner are going,” Gideon pointed out. “And I also have O’Tuagh blood from...er...generations earlier. I also want to feel the beating hearts.”
“Gideon....” Fabian gave him a look of dismay. “Perhaps we should not go looking for ghosts.”
Gideon looked proud. “We’ve come this far. It’s too late to go back!”
★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★
“Alexander....” Fiona whispered, but the cat didn’t move from where he was sleeping on the pillow, just above Auntie Tori’s head. Was he ignoring her? “Alexander....”
He didn’t so much as move his tail. Fiona frowned. She opened her mouth to call for him again, but Auntie Tori shifted in her bed, and she gasped. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands and pressed herself back against the wall.
If Auntie Tori woke up, she’d make her go back to bed and she wouldn’t get to go out with her cousins. As quietly as she could, Fiona reached for the door. She was just tall enough to unlock it now. If it were last year, she wouldn’t be able to escape.
The door creaked as she opened it and Fiona grimaced. She looked over her shoulder, towards the bed. Auntie Tori hadn’t moved. Fiona held back a giggle and squeezed through the small gap in the door.
The hallways of Moss Hill had light crystals on sconces along the walls, but they were dimmed for the night.
“Young Miss, are you in need of something?” a quiet voice spoke up behind her and Fiona almost screamed. She clamped her hands over her mouth once more and looked up. The two knights guarding their door looked at her curiously.
“I’m going downstairs,” Fiona whispered as she brought a finger to her lips.
“I’ll come with you-”
“No!” Fiona held out arms to stop the female knight. “I can go! I’m just going to the dining hall. There is something I have to get there!”
That wasn’t a lie. The thing she had to get was a light crystal to use to go outside. The knight hesitated and gave her a suspicious look. “Young Miss, it is dark-”
“I can see, don’t worry! I know my way there and can make it with my eyes blindfolded-” She turned around and ran into a corner of a hall. Her face heated up as she rubbed her arm that smacked into a stone wall. Behind her, she heard the knights hold back a muffled laugh and she snapped her head around, narrowing her eyes.
The two knights quickly straightened up, pretending they didn’t see her run into a wall. Fiona’s face was still hot as she shuffled along and then peered out into the hall.
“Fifi!” Fiona’s eyes lit up as she saw Auntie Ilyana and Auntie Sonia waiting for her. She scrambled to reach them and held out hands so they could hold her.
“Is your auntie still asleep?”
Fiona nodded. “Like a baby!”
“I’m still suspicious that she didn’t try hard enough to stop us,” Auntie Sonia said. “She probably wants us to learn a lesson.”
Auntie Ilyana shifted awkwardly. “We’re not doing anything too bad, right? I’m sure if it was really dangerous, they would’ve locked us in our rooms.”
Fiona nodded and confidently pulled her two aunts forward. “Daddy wanted me to stay with him because he was worried that I’d go.”
“Didn’t you tell your dad that you wouldn’t go?” Auntie Sonia asked with a slight smirk.
“I didn’t say where....” Fiona’s eyes dodged around.
“Fifi, you can’t do that to your daddy all the time. What if something happens and he needs to find you?” Auntie Ilyana asked in a gentle voice. “Tonight, we’re with you, but if we weren’t, you can’t hide it.”
“But I’ll be with you and everyone,” Fiona insisted, gripping her hand tightly. “I’ll be safe! Daddy trusts you!”
They reached the main floor and made their way to the informal dining hall, which was always open, as sometimes, members of the family were up late and would eat late. Upon arriving, the lights were dim, but it was clear that there was a group of people gathered around the doors to the terrace.
“Fifi, did Tori wake up?” Uncle Ewan asked.
She shook her head. She was super quiet just to make sure her aunt didn’t wake up. “Nope! She’s still sleeping!”
Robi was standing next to him with Vivi, holding a light crystal.
“Wait...I thought you were bringing Alexander?” Robi frowned as he looked around his sister.
Fiona scrunched her face. “I tried to bring him, but he wouldn’t let me pick him up. He wouldn’t come when I called and wanted to stay with Auntie Tori.”
“Isn’t he a Declyan Temple Cat?” Vivi asked, some worry crossing his face. “He’d be able to protect us from ghosts, wouldn’t he?”
“I don’t think a cat can do that,” Uncle JP said.
“Actually....” Uncle Constantine began as his eyes crinkled up. “Cats have long been associated with death as guardians of the underworld and passages between the living and the dead. They protect the living from being harmed by the souls of the dead, and keep the souls of the dead from returning with malice. That is why Declyan Temple Cats exist in the first place.”
“I feel like we’ve lost our one big anti-ghost charm,” Marco said, already sounding defeated.
“We have one right here!” Uncle Albert patted Uncle Constantine, but Uncle Constantine didn’t have a very confident look on his face.
“I’ll do my best....”
“All right, who’s leading us out there?” Uncle JP said as he stood on the terrace. He looked around the group and Fiona counted eight adults and the rest were her cousins and Vivi. She nodded to herself. This was a good number.
With so many adults, even if the ghosts of the O’Tuagh warlords could possess someone without a blood relation, they wouldn’t pick her since she was a smallest. She puffed out her chest. She was invulnerable!
“Aiden’s leading us,” Cousin Maeve said as she clutched her light crystal at her side. The light crystals weren’t strong, so as not to attract too much attention. They were a dim yellow glow that was just enough to show them where they were stepping.
Cousin Eili said that anything brighter would send the knights after them and Cousin Siobhan would make them come back.
Cousin Aiden scowled. “Why do I have to lead?”
“You’re the future Marquis O’Tuagh! You’re supposed to lead!” Cousin Ava looked at him with frustration and her cousins mirrored it. Fiona nodded, as well. When she was at the Fortress, Uncle Seb would always lead when they had a mission.
Cousin Aiden groaned. “Fine...” He looked towards the terrace and furrowed his brows together. “It’s surprisingly foggy tonight, so stay close.”
He walked to the edge of the terrace and Cousin Maeve followed behind him. A small train of people began to follow. Fiona held Auntie Ilyana’s hand while Auntie Sonia took Cousin Ava.
“Aiden, it’s getting too thick to see,” Uncle Ewan said. He sounded more serious than normal. “We should link up and confirm who we’re with to make sure we don’t lose anyone.”
“That’s a good idea. Everyone hold.” From where Fiona was standing, she could see Aiden’s light crystal through the fog, and his hand gripping it, but not him. “Link up. Each person should hold on to the person in front of them. Ava and Fifi, you hold on to Lady Ilyana and Miss Sonia. They will hold on to Sir Ewan.”
Uncle Ewan was the largest of the group, so his shirt was enough for Auntie Ilyana and Auntie Sonia to each grab on to.
“Hold on tight. I’ve got Constantine in front of me,” Uncle Ewan told them.
One by one, each person spoke up to say who was in front of them. “Wait...,” Cousin Aiden froze. “Where are His Highness and von Dorn?”
Auntie Ilyana let out an irritated groan. “They’re always causing problems....”
“Should we yell for them?” Uncle Albert asked.
“No! If we yell, we’ll alert the knights!” Cousin Maeve hissed. Fiona wrinkled her nose. Auntie Ilyana was right, they were causing problems.
“They were with us when we were on the terrace, when we left the dining hall,” Uncle JP said. “They couldn’t have gone far. We’ve only gone a few steps.”
“Still, shouldn’t they see our lights?” Auntie Sonia asked. “All of us are holding one.”
“Huh....mine’s off,” Cousin Marco said. “It’s not charged.”
“But these light crystals should always be charged,” Cousin Maeve said, sounding suspicious. “You’re not playing tricks are you?”
“Why would I play tricks? Look for yourself!” Fiona heard shuffling and saw a light crystal trading hands.
“...It really is dead.” Cousin Maeve sounded stunned.
“Mine is dimming,” Uncle Albert said. “Maybe they weren’t well charged.”
“We’ve lost the second prince and his friend, and now our light crystals are dying,” Cousin Aiden said. “I think we should abort the mission.”
“No!” Cousin Maeve complained at once. “We’re almost there!”
“What do you mean ‘almost there’? We’re not even halfway to the east grounds,” Cousin Aiden retorted.
“We’ve come this far, let’s just keep walking ahead. Maybe we’ll run into His Highness and von Dorn,” Uncle Constantine suggested. “They may have gone ahead of us.”
“In that case, keep holding on. We’re going to start moving,” Cousin Aiden called back. Their little train of people began to move forward, and Fiona brought her light crystal closer to her chest. The subtle glow was dimmer than she thought.
“Fifi, is your crystal broken?” Cousin Ava asked. “Do you want to trade? Mine works.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll hold on to Auntie Ilyana,” Fiona replied as she walked beside her cousin with big, careful steps.
“Aiden, I thought you said that there isn’t any fog this time of the year,” Uncle JP said towards the front of the line.
“There usually isn’t,” Cousin Aiden replied. “This is strange...it’s usually not this cold either.”
“Okay, now you’re saying some disturbing things,” Uncle Albert said.
“But he’s telling the truth,” Cousin Maeve told them. “It’s usually warmer at night this time of year. Like how it was when we ate dinner.”
Fiona felt Auntie Ilyana shuddered. “I’m suddenly questioning my decision to come.”
“It’s fine,” Auntie Sonia told her. “We’re not that far from the castle and I doubt we’ll see any ‘ghosts’.”
“Ghosts don’t exist.” Uncle JP’s words were firm, but Fiona wasn’t so sure. She lowered her head and looked down at the dark grass they were walking across. Cousin Ava’s light was just enough for her to see. It was uneven, and sometimes rocks jutted out, so she was very careful.
She held onto Auntie Ilyana for balance.
“My light crystal is also out of energy...What is going on?” Uncle Constantine sounded confused.
“Maybe it’s ghosts....” Cousin Maeve said in a spooky voice.
“Shut up! What do ghosts have to do with lights?” Cousin Ava’s tense voice shouted beside her.
“Ooh...are you afraid, Ava?” Cousin Maeve teased. “Scared?”
“I’m not scared!”
“There you are!”
“Ahhhh!!” Several voices screamed out at once as another voice came from the side, and Fiona felt Auntie Ilyana release her hand. She looked up and through the thick fog, saw Auntie Ilyana twist her body, her hand in a tight fist as it flew forward.
A grunt was heard as someone stumbled back, gasping for air. Fiona saw a light crystal fall as Auntie Sonia grabbed her hand and held her back.
“Auntie Ilyana is kicking a ghost!” Fiona couldn’t help but shout as her wide eyes looked down at the figure curled into a ball. “Get him, Auntie!”
“Stop kicking me! I’m not a ghost!”
“Is that Prince Gideon?” Uncle Constantine asked.
“Lady Agafonova, stop!” The second prince’s friend, von Dorn, was trying to get into between them, but Auntie Ilyana kicked him, too.
“I’m pretty sure she knows who they are,” Uncle JP said in a dull voice.
“Stupid, useless idiots!” Auntie Ilyana showed no signs of stopping and Fiona was in awe. Auntie Ilyana was usually so composed and delicate, like a pretty doll. It turned out, she was strong, too! As expected of Auntie Tori’s friends.
“Lady Ilyana, that’s enough!” Cousin Aiden managed to grab Auntie Ilyana’s arm and Uncle Ewan seemed to finally step forward to pull Auntie Ilyana away.
“The ‘ghosts’ know what they did wrong, Ilyana,” Uncle JP said. “Calm down.”
Cousin Aiden and Maeve circled around and held up their light crystals to find a ball of a man on the ground, coughing and clutching his stomach. Beside him, von Dorn was kneeling down and trying to help him up.
“Gideon? Gideon, are you all right?”
“You knew it was me, didn’t you, Agafonova?” The second prince wheezed, and Fiona wrinkled her nose. He wasn’t very prince-like. Not like Uncle Piers.
“What are you talking about?” Auntie Ilyana said in a sharp voice. “I thought you were a ghost.”
Fiona gave her a confused look. “Auntie, I don’t think ghosts scream like that.” She heard someone snort.
“I didn’t scream.” The second prince frowned at her and lifted her chin.
“You did scream. I heard you,” Cousin Ava confirmed.
“Where did you two go?” Uncle Constantine asked. “We linked up and you two were missing.”
“Our light crystals died before we stepped off the terrace,” von Dorn replied. “We were close enough to the hall, so we went back to get new ones. When we came out, the fog was too thick, and we couldn’t see you.”
“We heard your voices, so we followed them,” the second prince added. He was finally pulled to his feet and let out a hiss. “Agafonova, did you forget that I’m a prince?”
“I thought you were a ghost.”
“Hitting an imperial family member-”
“I also thought you were a ghost,” Fiona piped up and moved to stand in front of her aunt. “If you don’t believe me, I can call Uncle Piers and tell him, and then he’ll tell you it was your mistake.”
The second prince’s face turned uglier than usual. “You think tattling to my brother will let you get away with it?”
Fiona gave her useless light crystal to her cousin, then reached into her chicken purse slung around her. Daddy always said to have her comcry with her in case of an emergency. “I can call Uncle Piers right now.”
The second prince crossed his arms over his chest. “I can also call my brother.” He produced his own comcry and flipped it open. “Call Piers du Soleil.” The light pulsed on his comcry, but after some time, no one answered. His face turned red.
“It’s late. His Imperial Highness is already sleeping,” von Dorn told them. Fiona wrinkled her nose. She didn’t believe it. Uncle Piers always answered when Auntie Tori called, no matter how late.
“Call Piers du Soleil.” Her little voice filled the air, and she held out her comcry. After two pulses of light, a man’s voice came out.
“Fifi, is something wrong? Where is your aunt? Is everything all right?”
Uncle JP let out a low hiss. “I have never been so embarrassed for another person in my life....”
“Uncle Piers, Auntie Ilyana defended me. We’re outside and the Old Man Prince-”
“Don’t call me that!”
“What did you do to Fifi? Gideon, she is a child, and you are an adult.” Fiona couldn’t help but feel smug, though she saw her brother’s embarrassed face.
“Fifi, I told you not to call Uncle Piers unless it’s an emergency. He’s very busy!” Robi whispered as he rushed towards her.
“This is an emergency...he scared us.” She pointed at the second prince, who was locked on to her comcry.
“I didn’t do anything to her! We got lost in fog and we couldn't see them. When we finally found them, I called out and Agafonova attacked me!”
“I thought you were a ghost!”
Everyone seemed to look at the comcry, waiting for the response. “....She thought you were a ghost. It was an accident.” The Crown Prince had spoken.
“Piers-”
“I trust you all will be more careful next time. Fifi, don’t stay out too late or your father and Auntie will worry.”
“Okay, Uncle Piers! I love you, good night!” They heard a hum from the comcry acknowledging her before Fiona closed her comcry. She looked at the defeated second prince. “Did I tell you he gave me birthday money?”
“Fifi!” Robi grabbed her and pulled her back. “Stop it. He’s already devastated.”
Cousin Aiden ran a hand through his hair. “We’re just a few steps away. Let’s go and stand and wait. The fog is a little thinner here. These few light crystals that still work will do for a bit before we go back inside.”
“Spoken like a leader,” Auntie Sonia said with an approving nod, still holding her hand. “Lead the way.”
Fiona put her comcry back into her chicken purse and took Auntie Ilyana’s hand. She could now see Cousin Aiden ahead of them, leading them towards the east grounds. Behind them, the Old Man Prince was still clutching his stomach, but followed with his friend.
It didn’t take them long to get to a grassy clearing. Like the rest of the ground, it was uneven with stones sticking out. It was damp, for some reason.
Fiona looked around.
“Now what?” Uncle Ewan asked the question she was thinking.
“We just wait?” Cousin Maeve said, also looking around. “Does anyone feel anything?”
“No....” Her twin cousins were looking around. “We can’t see the moon,” Marco said. “Do you think it’ll have the same effect if we can’t see the moon?”
“Cousin Eili said the full moon was important. Maybe it has to do with moonlight?” Mateo suggested.
“Are we looking for ghosts or werewolves?” Auntie Sonia asked in a dull voice.
“Either way, we wasted our time if that’s the case,” Uncle Albert sighed as he looked up. “I can’t even tell where the moon is.”
Cousin Aiden let out a tired breath. “See, I told you there weren’t any ghosts,” he said to his sister.
Cousin Maeve shook her head. “We just got here! Give it a few more minutes!”
Fiona looked around and then down at the rocks at her feet. She gently poked at a piece of white stone sticking out of the ground with her shoe. She felt her heartbeat in her ears and she jerked her head back. She touched the rock again, and this time felt a light wave wash over her.
She looked up. Everyone else was still standing around, quiet. She looked towards her Cousin Ava, who was standing in her spot, unmoving with wide eyes.
Just as Fiona opened her mouth, there was a dull sound that filled the foggy area making all of them jump.
“What was that!?” Uncle Albert yelled.
“You felt it, too right?” The Old Man Prince said.
“How can we not feel it? It went through my bones!” Cousin Maeve gasped.
“Maeve...where is your light crystal?” Cousin Aiden’s voice shook. Fiona looked around and realized that aside from Auntie Sonia’s light crystal, all the others had gone dark.
“Umm....” Auntie Sonia lifted hers up and the last thing Fiona saw was the surprise and alarm on her face as the light crystal dimmed. “Mine’s dead, too.”
“Does anyone’s light crystal work?” Uncle Ewan asked.
“No.”
“Nothing here.”
“Mine’s completely out of energy.”
“How are we going to find our way back?” Cousin Ava cried out.
Fiona felt a warmth through her, and she didn’t feel any panic. She looked around the darkness, unable to see anything, but she knew that Auntie Ilyana was holding her hand tight.
“Fifi?” Robi sounded nervous.
“I’m here!”
“Don’t let go of Auntie-”
The sound of crashing metal filled the air along with a heavy thud that seemed to vibrate through their bones.
Someone screamed and suddenly, everyone was screaming. Fiona’s eyes went wide as she looked around, confused. Why was everyone screaming?
Suddenly, she could see a flame in the distance. She squinted. Were those the ghost flames she heard Cousin Eili talking about?
Fiona was pulled into Auntie Ilyana’s arms as they huddled together with Auntie Sonia, Cousin Ava, and everyone else. Torches appeared to surround them as a faint yelling seemed to be coming closer, and closer, yelling as if about to dive into war. There was the sound of metal; swords clanging over shields. She recognized this from the Fortress.
Were the O’Tuagh warlords coming? Her heart shot to her throat. The ground began to move, and Fiona’s eyes widened.
Was she about to get possessed!?
“Daddy!?” Her brother cried out and Fiona’s head shot up. Their father’s frowning face was illuminated by the torch light as Cousin Eili’s hysterical laughing came from his left.
Daddy crossed his arms over his chest, one hand pinching a charm, and frowned. Fiona swallowed hard. They were caught. “Fiona Victoria de Guevera de Rivere, Robert Benedict de Guevera de Rivere. I thought you said you weren’t going out?”
★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★
Comments
John Jeppson
Yay! So glad it's back! I was expecting to see Tori meeting with Siobhan and then planning an epic scare together. With crystal effects and everything
nugitoBambino
the punch was fun, but the repeated kicking was what really got
Keith
I cheered out loud when Ilyana punched Gideon. That was the highlight of the chapter!!
Silvermane177
Honestly I'm a bit disappointed none of the crew suspected sabotage when all their crystals lost their energy. Hanging around Tori enough should have clued them in! Also, I giggled at the thought of Constantine running around going "Turn undead! Turn undead! Nature's Beauty~ Turn undead!"
