AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A terrified Olivia watched as the castle drew closer. The road leading up to the main gate was made of stone, grey and grim—just like everything else around it. The mountain behind the castle rose, dark and mysterious, along the horizon. Fog crept in from the surrounding woods, which were filled with bare trees lifting crooked branches.
The castle itself was enormous. Black roofs peaked at the top of thick, grey stone walls that had dotted square windows. The structure looked majestic and yet like something out of a medieval horror movie.
“This looks . . . creepy,” Olivia said.
Christian chuckled. “Mm-hmm.” They were approaching the main gate now—a huge, black construct of iron with pointy tips like pitchforks.
“Don’t be creeped out by this place. None of those ghost stories are true. The castle is really interesting, and I should know.”
“Because you’re a tour guide, huh?” she asked, and he nodded.
She didn’t seem too convinced. She rubbed her arms as they stopped by the main gate.
Suddenly, the front gate creaked and opened. Christian could tell that Olivia was holding her breath as she watched the moving spiked iron tips. The night was now sinking into blackness as the caws from those damn birds still raged in the distance like a soundtrack. A soft orange glow cut through the fog as a man holding a lantern approached through the open gate. Christian squinted.Who the hell still uses lanterns these days?
The man stopped right in front of the gate and raised the lantern, the bright orange glow lighting up the grim expression on his face. He was an old man, large and incredibly tall. His clothes could have been from any century, really. He was wearing brown leather boots and mud-stained cream pants. A dark wool coat with a hood covered the rest of his humongous body. Standing in the fog, with his face lit only by that dim light, he looked pale with rumpled skin folded by his deep frown. It seemed as if the face of an old man had been pulled out and stuck onto the shoulders of a muscular giant. The expressionless glare in his eyes made him look scary, Christian admitted. This was definitely not the small, friendly old keeper he remembered when he toured the castle last. He had never seen this giant before—he would remember a man like this!
“Relax,” Christian said to Olivia when he heard a soft gasp escape her lips. He almost reached out to pat her hand, which was close to his, but he stopped himself.
The orange glow moved along the side of the van as the old man approached them, the lamp squeaking as it swung back and forth. Christian got out of the van and stepped in front of the man.
“Where is the old keeper?” Christian asked—in English. The man grunted and regarded Christian as if trying to determine whether he deserved an answer or not.
“Not here,” the old man finally spoke in English, with a thick Romanian accent.
“Yeah . . . exactly. What happened to him?” Christian had to speak loudly over the humming of his van.
“He quit,” the old man responded. “After the death of Andrei Rusu.” He moved closer, his teeth bared as he spoke. “Said something about a curse. Superstitious old fool. I’m the new keeper of the castle. I’m Mihai.”
Nodding, Christian looked at Olivia and then at the old man. “I’m supposed to drop the lady here off.”
“I know,” Mihai said, glancing at Olivia, who looked away immediately. He grinned and stepped aside, motioning them to continue.
Christian drove the van around the circular fountain, parking some distance to the main entrance. He glanced at Olivia again. She looked shaken, wide-eyed and silent, her fingers pinching the hem of her coat.
“That guy Mihai gives me the creeps,” he said. Olivia nodded. He glanced at the side mirror, at the new keeper pushing the gates closed. The castle would be empty and silent.How the hell is Olivia going to stay here alone?he wondered and squeezed the wheel. He tried to push away whatever dreadful thought popped into his head about Mihai, and the weird way he looked at Olivia, but that was impossible. The old keeper had been his father’s friend, was well known in town, but this guy . . .
Before exiting the van, Christian turned to Olivia with a smile. “Hey, would you like a little tour of the castle? I’ve been here before. Not many times, but the old keeper was a friend of my father’s and let me tour the castle sometimes when Andrei Rusu was out of the country.”
Olivia smiled back at him, her eyes bright with gratitude. “Yes!” she quickly answered. “That would be wonderful!”
