#cyogha

You turn down the hall and head for the office, trying to move as quietly as you can. You try the door, and find the old, brass handle agreeable, opening the door with a dense click.

Inside, barely discernible in the torchlight, you can see a small room, a heavy desk at its other end, the surface covered in dusty ledgers, a ring of keys hanging on a hook behind it, next to a painting you cant make out, save for the image of a demon crouching over what appears to be a weeping woman. On the right hand wall is a large wardrobe, its handles shaped like crouching gargoyles, while on the left countless torture implements hang on the walls. You espy several riding crops, some ending in cruel, downward-pointing spikes, whips and flails ending in cruel barbs, along with rods and iron pokers, some stained with blood. You shudder at the thought of how long some of these tools have been used at this purpose, your mind thinking of poor Olivia at their mercy.

Hearing the footsteps grow closer, you carefully open the wardrobe and slip inside. Hanging within are a number of aprons, thick affairs heavy with the scent of musk and blood. You press between them, coarse leather wrapped around you as you do your best to still your breathing.

You hear a sigh, almost like a deep intake of breath.

"Stand up." Lady Midnight's voice is cold as ice, same as it was with Mathilda.

You hear a deep, wracking sob in reply.

"Who else?"

"There was no one!" Olivia's voice breaks under the weight of her confession, trying to hold back the tears you know she wants to shed.

"I have been gentle with you, because I am aware just how fragile you are," Lady Midnight replies. "But that ends tonight."

"Please! I was scared, I didn't know what to do! I would never hurt you!"

Lady Midnight sighs. "Such a waste of good blood."

You hear the sound of heels clicking on stone as the door to the office opens. You clap your hands to your mouth, your breath hitching in your chest.

She walks slowly into the room, and you can see her shadow pass by the crack in the dresser doors. You feel your heart thud in your chest, realizing where you are, where she is, and the absolute horror of what could happen to you.

Lady Midnight runs her fingers across a cruel whip coiled on one of the wall hooks, hooked barbs pitted along its length, metal glinting in the torchlight.

She takes the whip off the wall, coiling it in her hands. "Do you recall the tenets of Castle Midnight?"

"Treat well your siblings, and serve your betters!" Olivia's voice rings out, hoarse from sobbing but positively electric with hope, and the desire to please her Mistress.

"Remain within the grounds unless given leave!" She stammers slightly, tripping over her words with all the grace of a child learning to waltz. You feel your lungs beginning to cry out for lack of air.

"Treat the castle's secrets as your own! Do not pry, nor reveal!" Olivia's words fall out of her mouth like a torrent. You bite down harder, forcing yourself not to breathe, not to move.

"Bleed for your Mistress!" You hear the bars rattle as Olivia presses against them, manic in her desire to please the woman holding her life, delicate and fragile, within her hands. You feel yourself growing lightheaded as your body screams for air, Lady Midnight still standing in the office, whip in hand, her piercing gaze barely visible through the tiny slit which you see the world. One more moment and she'll leave, you think, you hope, you pray.

"I was not asking you."

She turns, and in one fluid motion opens the wardrobe.

"Collaborator." Her hand closes around your throat like an iron vice, dragging you out from within. "Someone has been prying where they ought not be. "Did you think I couldn't hear your heart beating?"

She places the whip back on the rack, grabbing the key ring from the wall, ignoring your struggling hands grasping at her, the cold leather of her gloves pressing into your throat. Stars dance at the edge of your vision, and you cannot seem to blink them back. Dimly, you realize she is dragging you back out to the cells.

"You sent them within to break you free, didn't you?" Lady Midnight's voice sounds distant, so far away you can barely catch it. You hear Olivia shout something back, but it's just a toneless buzzing in your ears. Somewhere behind you, a cell door squeals open, and suddenly you are inside, your breath coming in strangled gasps. The door slams closed, and in front of it, inside it, with you - stands Lady Midnight, her eyes cold fire, muscles taut, fangs prepared to strike.

"That one will not admit her conspiracy," she says, flicking a finger toward Olivia. "But now... I have a new wretch to break."

THE END

Previous entries:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

Part X

Part XI

You take a deep, shuddering breath as you look down the passage, frigid air blowing up from the dark. You stare for a moment, preparing yourself before you take up a nearby lantern and head down into the passage. Whatever is going on, you intend to find out, despite the voice in the back of your head telling you to turn around, to leave, to forget.

The passageway winds downward, carved of weathered stone, the occasional torch providing weak, flickering light. As you continue descending, you realize you must be below even the first floor of the castle. The further you descend, the older the passage gets, and the colder the air becomes. You pull a shawl over your shoulders as you reach what appears to be an opening in the featureless tunnel, opening into a larger chamber. In the distance, you hear an unmistakable sound - a muffled scream, long, guttural, and hideous.

Steeling yourself, you continue forward, your lantern illuminating a larger hall that leads to a heavy iron door. You gingerly open it, the iron squealing as you find yourself in a place you had hoped did not exist. Heavy stone steps lead down into a dank chamber, the sweet, iron smell of blood filling the air and mingling with the sound of strangled weeping that crawls up your spine.

In the distance, at the edge of your vision, you see a number of recesses in the rough stone walls, covered over with heavy iron bars. You count at least ten, five on each side of the long hall, each one scarcely more than ten feet at the widest. You can see the hall continues twisting and dropping to your left and right, while at the end, next to the final pair of cells, you see another door, this one finely decorated with moldings of nude women cavorting under a full moon. A small plaque on the left hand passage reads "wine cellar," while the right passage reads "mausoleum."

You follow the sound of weeping down the lines of cells, most of which are seemingly empty. However, in a right-hand cell, dressed only in a faded tunic, her blonde hair streaked with grime, is the form of Olivia.

You gasp, recoiling at the state of her. She is covered in bruises and bandages, a deep cut seemingly bitten into the side of her mouth. She was pressed against the back wall, shivering under a pile of ratty blankets, but scrabbles to her feet the moment she sees you.

"What are you doing here?!" she hisses, her voice low and quivering. "You need to leave, right now, before she catches you!" She slowly approaches the bars, terror in her eyes.

"What happened to you?!" you ask, staring her down. "Why are you here, what in the hell is this place?!"

Fresh tears begin to fall as Olivia chokes back a sob. "I couldn't handle being a maiden... she just kept taking and taking... I made myself a stake, just in case. I was worried I would die!!!" Olivia's face falls. "I told her to stop, or I would use it... she snapped it in half and dragged me here. She's been demanding I tell her who else is colluding with me, but there's no one else! She's so angry, she's not listening. She just keeps hurting me..." Olivia devolves into wracking sobs, crumpling to her knees.

You feel horror crawl up your spine as everything clicks into place. Lady Midnight has gone mad, expecting some kind of conspiracy, and not believeing the scared girl she's locked in her dungeon.

"We have to get you out of here," you say, gripping the bars.

Olivia shakes her head. "You have to leave, or you'll get worse than me."

"I can get you out!" you continue. "She has to keep a key down here."

"Maybe in her office?" Olivia turns her head to the door at the end of the hall.

You turn toward the door, before you hear the unmistakable sound of heels clicking down the stone stairs.

Olivia's eyes go wide.

"You have to hide! Now!"

Choose Your Own Gothic Horror Adventure:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

Part X

You take in a shuddering breath as you make your way toward your quarters, trying to put what you heard out of your mind. Leaving the castle is unthinkable to you - you begin weaving your own versions of what happened, assured that Lady Midnight must have had a good reason. You also busy yourself cleaning the bloody insult off your mirror, which takes longer than you'd hoped it would.

After getting your mirror clean, you take a moment to breathe before working out your next course of action. You've made a few friends among the fledglings at Castle Midnight, but you're not sure who you can talk to about this - if anyone. Getting your appearances in order, you leave your room, heading for Olivia's, which is not far away.

You knock on the door, pulling the heavy burgundy cloak about your shoulders as you feel a draft swirl up from the stairwell. Silence greets you on the other side of the door, and after another fruitless knock, you try the door.

It opens, revealing a frightening sight. The room has been completely tossed - bedsheets strewn about the floor, the wardrobe thrown open with clothes lying in piles, desk drawers askew, their contents littering the room. You feel the blood leave your face as you shut the door in a flash, hurrying from the bedrooms and making for the library.

You have no idea what is going on, but it's clear from Lady Midnight's actions and the state of Olivia's room that something is amiss. You just aren't sure what - or if you should be worried, given your closeness with her. For the moment you busy yourself in your work, trying to keep your mind from wandering to dark places.

The library is fairly quiet, and you spend your time shelving and organizing in relative peace, having lit a fire in the hearth that crackles merrily. You can see flurries of snow dancing outside the floor-length windows that look out over the craggy forestlands below, and for a moment you lose yourself in that quiet comfort, content to imagine what you've seen was nothing more than a bad dream.

You rest your elbow on a thick tome as you shelve a set of encyclopedias, when suddenly you feel an entire section of the bookcase begin to move. With a heavy groan, the bookcase slowly swings open, revealing a narrow, stony passage leading into what you thought was a wall.

The corridor is old, the stonework rough and completely lacking the care and beauty of the rest of the castle. You see the passageway goes for about 15 feet before curving out of sight, the faint outline of stairs suggesting it leads downward.

You feel a draft come from up the corridor, and for a moment the shiver seems to travel down your spine. You have no idea where this passage leads - you fear what kind of strange depths it could lead you to... but you also have no desire to simply wait for the other shoe to fall. Something is clearly going on, and perhaps this is how you can find answers.

Previous entries:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

For a moment you weigh your options as the woman's gaze seems to hold you rooted in place. A castle, miles from civilization, high in the mountains? It feels almost too ridiculous to be true, and something about the woman sends a shiver down your spine. Whether it's the austere way she stands, the stillness of her body, or the fact that each moment you stand in her presence you begin to feel more and more captivated, you can't be sure.

"It's like I've walked right out of reality," you think to yourself. "And into some Dracula retelling."

Another peal of thunder brings you out of your reverie with a jump. The woman's red lips curl into a smile that seems almost sly - and in that instant you know she has you.

"If it isn't a burden," you reply. "It would only be for the night, until I can figure out where I am."

"But of course not," she says, beckoning you inside with a gloved finger. "Castle Midnight has more than enough space to go around. As you can imagine, we don't get many visitors out in the country." You can see several halls radiating out from this entry area, along with winding stairs leading to cavernous upper floors, all lit by the flickering glow of candles and torches.

You follow her inside the lush entry hall, the sounds of rain and thunder dimming as you hear the doors creak shut. Behind you, shadowed by the edge of the torchlight, is a young woman in a crimson dress who you didn't even notice - she gives you a demure smile before receding down a nearby hallway.

"I am Lady Midnight," the woman continues, walking into a cozy lounge basking in the orange glow of a roaring fire. Beautiful, arched couches, lounge chairs, and sofas sit around the room, which is conspicuously empty. "I am the lady of this house," she continues, "And I extend my hospitality to you as long as you'll have it."

"Okay, maybe I have walked straight into Dracula," you think to yourself, taking in the surroundings, not including that of the lady herself. "But I could have done a lot worse."

"Warm yourself by the fire," Lady Midnight says, her crystal-clear voice as soothing as the crackling hearth, which overpowers the sound of rain drumming at the dark windows.

You do as Lady Midnight says, cozying up to the fire as you feel some of the deathly chill that dogged you on your travels melt away. As you take in the room, you notice a number of sumptuous paintings, half-hidden by shadow, all about the room. You see a number of them depicting gorgeous young women draped in all manner of poses, often nude or covered in luxurious crimson robes, while others are far more grisly, with images of demons and beasts tearing hapless maidens apart. The tall windows flanking the fire look out over a forbidding drop down sheer cliffs, the void illuminated by a flash of lightning before the view is swallowed back up.

Again, you feel a shiver run down your spine. Nothing about this is ordinary in the slightest. You feel Lady Midnight's gaze following you, and you find yourself both wanting to look at her, needing to look at her, and hoping against all hope she finds somewhere else to turn those penetrating red eyes.

"Th-thank you for taking me in," you stammer, looking firmly at a design on the luxurious carpet under your feet. With a start, you realize you've tracked water and mud all over the floor, and horror grips you like a vice. "I... I'm so sorry about the mess, I-"

"Strip off those clothes." Lady Midnight speaks as if she's ordering a dog, and her voice has no hint of its prior warmth. You feel as if she's thrown you into a freezing river, and the undertow is threatening to drag you down.

You slowly look up, and the knot that has been forming inside you twists even further. Behind Lady Midnight, her arms crossed in front of her, stand about 12 other women, though between your horror and the deep shadow of the room, you have no idea if there could be more.

You never even heard them enter - they all wear crimson, though some wear robes or lazily-tied nightshirts, while others are in full lace and velvet gowns with deep, plunging necklines and gorgeous chokers. You notice some have delicate, black handkerchiefs wrapped around their necks, wrists, elbows, and even their thighs.

"R-right, here?" you ask, your eyes darting between the new arrivals. Some of them have curious expressions as they eye you up, while others look positively hungry.

"Is your hearing deficient, darling?" Lady Midnight asks, cooing the last word as if speaking to a child. "You'll catch your death of cold otherwise."

It's a challenge, and she knows it. You feel yourself turning red, your heart racing as it thumps in your throat.

"There's no way I can take my clothes off in front of all these people," you think to yourself. "This is insane! But if I don't do what she says, who knows what will happen."

You feel yourself growing redder and redder as desperation sets in. You hear a barely-stifled giggle from one of the girls as your gaze snaps back to the floor, but you can feel all the eyes on you, not the least of which are those of Lady Midnight.

"I will not ask again." The lady's voice is as cold as ice.

Without even meaning to, you feel yourself slipping your bag from your shoulders as you begin to disrobe, peeling off your wet clothes and gingerly dropping them to the floor near the fire. Before you know it, you've slid out of your underwear, and with a start you snatch up your bag, trying to cover yourself.

The girls begin to laugh in earnest now, but Lady Midnight is stone-faced. She walks toward you, stiletto heels clicking on the tile floor, until she stands mere inches away, the sweet smell of her dark amber perfume in your nose.

She cups your face in her hand and forces you to meet her eyes. You feel your blush grow deeper, and you want nothing more than to look away.

"I like the look of you'," she says, her eyes devouring every curve of your body. She lets go of your face, and for a moment you almost wish she hadn't, a fire growing inside you that you're not sure you can quench. "And so obedient. It's like you're already housebroken." She gives you another smile, and you feel like you might melt into the floor.

You look away again, blushing furiously. " I just, well, it made s-sense, my clothes are wet and all." You feel a shiver run through you as the fire warms your naked body, and you realize you nearly let your bag drop. You jolt back and try to cover yourself again, eliciting more laughter from the girls.

"Make yourselves useful," Lady Midnight says flatly, turning toward the menagerie behind her with a swish of her gown. "Find them a robe and an empty room for the night." With that, she clicks out of the room, leaving you alone as the girls quickly disperse.

By the time a tall blonde girl in a scarlet nightdress returns with a gorgeous velvet robe, you feel quite warm. She helps you into the robe wordlessly, before beckoning you to follow her out of the parlor.

You follow her down twisting, torch-lined halls and carpeted stairways, seemingly labyrinthine in their design, and you realize you'd never find your way back out without a guide.

"Do you just... live here?" you ask the girl incredulously.

She nods. "It's been half a year for me." She sighs. "I wasn't in a much different place than you when I got here."

That surprises you. "So you just showed up?"

She nods. "If the Lady likes you, she finds a place for you."

You notice she has a handkerchief wrapped around the crook of her elbow. She spots you glance, and her gaze turns hard. "If you're smart, you'll stay in your room tonight. It's easy to get lost in here, and even easier to get found."

A shadow falls over the conversation after that, and you decide not to ask any more questions. She finally stops in front of a large wooden door and opens it, revealing a gorgeous room featuring a four poster bed with heavy down sheets, a walnut wardrobe and writing desk, and a plush burgundy chair next to a small, crackling fire and a floor-to-ceiling window, rain drumming against the pane. You see on the desk is a silver plate covered in red velvet pastries, piles of grapes and raspberries, and numerous cheeses and meats with crackers, along with a pitcher of water and a glass.

You take a few steps inside, mouth agape. "This is insane," you think to yourself. "There's no way this is for real."

The girl recedes from the room and pulls the door shut with a click, and for the first time since entering the castle, you're alone. You breathe a sigh of relief and rifle through your bag until you find your phone. You ignore the deluge of texts you received since you left, and spot the "no service" icon in the corner.

"Of course," you think to yourself, sitting down at the desk. "I'm all by myself out here." Your growling stomach overcomes your vigilance, and you eat and drink until you feel some of your energy return.

You lie down on the bed as exhaustion takes you, tucking yourself under the covers. Within minutes, you fall asleep.

"You poor lost lamb, caught in the spider's web."

You try to bolt upright, but freezing cold hands hold you fast. You see Lady Midnight kneeling over you, her red lips inches from your own, a devilish smile revealing a set of canines far too long for her mouth.

"Let's see if you taste as well as you look, darling."

Steeling yourself, you bend down and peer through the keyhole. You feel your breath catch in your throat is your eye adjusts to the room beyond.

Lady Midnight's room is as lavish as it is massive. You see several heavy bookcases flanking a desk against a far wall, opposite a beautiful four-poster bed that looks out over the expanse of woodland beyond the castle.

Standing in the center of the room is Lady Midnight, wearing nothing but a floor length black robe trimmed with fur, her pale skin supple in the moonlight. Suspended in front of her, hanging from red ropes as if crucified, is Mathilda, bloody bite marks covering her nude body. You feel a shiver run through you at the sight, though you aren't certain if it is one of longing or terror.

Lady Midnight crosses the room purposefully, taking Mathilda's breast in one hand, her index finger and thumb idly fondling the woman's hard nipple.

"You have always been good to me, have you not, my dear Mathilda?" Lady Midnight asks, her voice velvety and lush.

Mathilda half sighs and half moans, a shudder running through her body. "And I always will be, my lady. Even when death takes me, I shall be yours."

A flash passes over Lady Midnight's eyes for a moment, and you feel something in the room shift.

"So, then you would know if one of your siblings meant me ill?" There is an edge to the lady's voice.

"I am not certain what you mean, my lady."

You see Lady Midnight digs her scarlet fingernails into Mathilda's nipple. "Think harder."

Mathilda cries out in pain, her body trying to twist against the ropes. "M-my lady please!" Mathilda says, fear tinging her voice. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Lady Midnight releases her, turning and walking purposefully back, out of your view. "You mean to tell me she had no accomplices?" The Lady's voice has lost all of its warmth - it is positively predatory.

"Who, my lady?! What do you mean by accomplices?!" Mathilda's voice has begun to raise, and she struggles uselessly against the ropes.

Mathilda lets out a gasp, as Lady Midnight returns into view, a deep red bullwhip curled in her hands. "Do you know how many fledglings have played dumb with me in a similar position, my dear little Mathilda?" Lady Midnight says, twirling the end of the whip in her fingers.

Mathilda shakes her head violently, her pretty auburn hair clinging to her forehead.

"Enough that I have lost my patience for it."

For a moment you see Lady Midnight's eyes flit to the door, to the keyhole, to you. Your entire body seizes up, breath caught in your throat. Her eyes narrow for a split second, before she turns her attention back to Mathilda, uncoiling the whip and letting it fall to the ground. Mathilda begins to cry in heavy, wracking sobs.

"I know my maidens talk," Lady Midnight continues, her voice a dangerous purr. "Why don't you tell me what you girls have been talking about?"

Lady Midnight flicks the whip into the air and brings it down across Mathilda's chest with a loud crack. She screams out as you see a fresh, bloody cut running between her breasts.

She begins to plead, her words running together, but Lady Midnight pays no heed. You feel yourself nearly fall backwards as you pull away from the door, terror and adrenaline pulsing through your body as you hear the whip crack again, a guttural scream coming from the girl within.

You walk as slowly as you can until you put some distance between yourself and the door, after which you begin to run, countless thoughts whirling through your mind as you race through the halls back to your room.

Previous Entries:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

You think your options over for a minute as you stare out the window, looking out over tree-lined hills and forbidding mountains under a piercing blue sky. They all have their perks, but you like the idea of having some time to yourself to look after the library, and you secretly hope Lady Midnight might be a frequent visitor.

"I think I'd like to be a librarian," you finally muse.

"Okay!" the girl replies, clapping her hands in excitement. "I'll let one of the daughters know, and when you're feeling better, I'll take you to the library." She gives you a warm smile. "I'm Olivia, by the way."

Her excitement is infectious, and you reply with your name, after which she leaves, promising to come check on you later. You have plenty more questions, but you feel a bit too woozy to ask them, and it feels more comfortable to just lie down and look out the window.

It takes the better part of the day for you to recover, between the blood loss and the exhaustion from the prior night's events, and your light-headedness only begins to pass as night again falls over the castle. Olivia checks on you throughout the day, bringing you food and showing you around the east wing, where your room is located.

The next day you visit the library, on the first floor of the north wing. It's a large room the size of most people's houses, its shelves stuffed with books from floor to ceiling, complete with step stools to reach the highest volumes, along with plush sofas and tables with plenty of candelabras to read by. A cheery hearth sits at the north end of the room beyond the mazes of bookshelves, surrounded by comfy armchairs and tables. Near that is the small room where you work, an old pine writing desk stuffed full of ledgers notating each book and its current whereabouts dominating the room, along with a small window.

You spend quite a few days just getting to grips with your new position - there are blessed few instructions written by previous caretakers, so you often find yourself making things up as you go. While you tried to avoid being a cleaner, cleaning the library itself still falls to you, as well as ensuring the books are undamaged. There are all kinds of volumes spanning countless genres, though none are more than 50 years old, and you imagine the lady of the castle likely keeps her own private collection somewhere.

Fledglings, a term you quickly learn applies to yourself and most of the other residents here, often visit the library, reading and checking out different books to entertain themselves when their chores are finished. Most of them are your age, though some are older, and they tend to view you with quite a bit of interest, many of them sharing Olivia's excitement in welcoming the new arrival.

You begin to settle in to your role, though you seldom catch a glimpse of the enigmatic Lady Midnight, who keeps to her own nocturnal schedule and sometimes seems not to be within the castle at all.

After a week has passed, you find yourself studying a manual on book binding by candle light, hoping to fix up an old sewing manual that needs your attention, when you hear the doors to the library open and shut, followed by the click of a bolt sliding into place.

You get up and pass between the shelves, but when you reach the door, you find it's not only shut, but locked.

"Hello?" you call out, feeling a bit nervous. "Is anyone there?" You pace through aisles of books, but no one lurks there, only the shadows that creep in through the windows and the occasional pop of the low fire in the hearth.

"I have fond memories of this book." You whirl around to see Lady Midnight in the chair you just vacated, the old sewing manual in her hands. She wears a tight black dress fringed with lace, its hem ending well above her knees, every voluptuous curve of her body on full display. Her legs are crossed one over the other, and she wears high leather boots over tight black stockings, and you realize you've never seen her in something this revealing before. She regards the book with an air of melancholy, her dark eyes poring over its pages almost lovingly.

"It was brought to me by a housewife who was on the run after poisoning her philandering husband," she continues wistfully. "She learned true love within these very walls."

You take a few steps out of the aisles, until you're standing near Lady Midnight in the lounge. "What happened to her?"

The lady sighs. "She died, as all mortals do." She sets the book down and stands up, crossing the room toward you. "It appears you've settled in to your new role quite well." She eyes you up and down, and you can see a hint of something dark in that gaze.

"Y-yes I have," you reply quickly. "You have a beautiful library here, and I'm happy to take care of it."

She takes a few more steps forward until she's positively inches from you. "Beautiful, mm? You have quite the way with words, darling." She takes a strand of your hair and curls it around her index finger. Her hands are pale and delicate, with sharp nails painted dark red.

"T-thank you, my lady." It feels miraculous you even managed to reply, as you feel yourself shrinking in her presence. Everything about her threatens to overwhelm you, and it feels like all of your senses are on fire.

She takes your chin in her other hand and tilts your face up toward her. You feel yourself falling into her gaze again, but after what happened before, you try desperately to keep your composure.

"Tell me, darling," Lady Midnight begins, her eyes deep pools of scarlet. "Do I frighten you?"

Previous entries:

Part I

Part II

Part III

You feel frustration mount as Mathilda's eyes fall on you, that sneer of hers seeming to peel back every layer of protection you've built since you arrived in the castle. You feel indignant - you're not about to let her get the better of you.

"It's fine if you're jealous," you shoot back. "I'm sure it was a while before the lady took a shine to you."

Mathilda glowers, fingers drumming on the table as her glare deepens. "You'd do well to learn your place," she replies darkly. "Before you're thrown into it."

She fills her plate and then stands, and for a moment you catch a wobble in her legs, as if a sudden wave of vertigo came over her. "The quality of this wing has dwindled," Mathilda says, her eyes scanning over you and the other fledglings, before turning and sweeping away toward a large set of double doors - undoubtedly her quarters.

You finish your breakfast, idly chatting with the others before setting off to the library for the day, hoping to get started on some chores you were... distracted from the night prior.

You head back to your quarters in the evening, tired but satisfied, grabbing a plate of leeks with blood sausage that was left at the dinner table for you, still mercifully warm.

You nearly drop your plate to floor as you enter your room - scrawled on your mirror in red is a single word in ugly, blocky font, streaks of red dripping down the glass: VERMIN.

You look closer, and realize with horror that the insult was scrawled in blood. You hurriedly set your food down on the desk, your mind racing. You suspect Mathilda, but there's no way to prove she did it - and the grisly nature of what was done gives you pause. Either she wrote it in her own blood, or someone else's, and neither thought comforts you.

You hurry out of your room as darkness begins to creep through the castle windows, taking a candle in hand as you head for the top of the castle - Lady Midnight's wing, and also that of the Daughters, the women who have been handpicked to oversee the rest of the castle. There are only two that you know of, pale women in black who look almost like mirrors of their Mistress, and you have yet to even learn their names or anything about them.

You climb the stairs, out of breath as you reach this topmost wing. Red carpet covers these silent halls lit by dancing candlelight - you can see portraits of women all along the walls, all of them pale, with red lips, angular features, and immaculate dresses, some of them stoically gazing forward with red eyes, and others in the middle of loving embraces with fainting young women.

You find yourself staring for a moment, lost in the terrible beauty of it all, before you head off, looking for the daughters' quarters. You recall Olivia telling you that they were on the east and west ends of Lady Midnight's own room, and as you cross the hall you see a pair of massive wooden doors, gold-engraved, at the end of a long hallway, almost threatening to swallow you up. To the left and right other hallways branch, and you turn down one of them, stopping at a smaller yet barely less ostentatious door that must be one of the daughters' rooms.

You take a breath and knock politely, but there is no response. Head whirling, you head to the next hall, and again, you hear nothing on the other side. Your mind races, and you almost consider trying Lady Midnight's door, but the thought of traveling down that long hall makes you shiver, thinking of all the things she might say to you. You take another breath, trying to calm yourself, when you hear a shriek, shrill and halted, come from the direction of the Lady's chambers.

Walking as softly as you can, you creep down the hall, your breathing quickening as you wonder what could be happening behind those doors. You hear a moan, almost ecstatic, drift out from beyond the doors, and you feel a surge of morbid curiosity. You see a large keyhole in the door, and you feel almost tempted to look through... though you feel your heart hammering in your throat at what you might see.

Previous entries:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII