Into the Dread Castle
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 59070
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Exotica looked back at the castle of her father. It looked even more
eerie in the strange colorless gray world that she had somehow stepped
into. Odd shadows leapt out from its quivering walls; the straight lines
of its tall towers were bent; the sculpted curves of its balconies and
alcoves were flat and stiff. And there was no sound whatsoever.
Without a word she turned and walked toward the castle. The priest smiled within the darkness of his cowl and Mary could not help but shiver. Standing before the great door of the castle, Exotica gazed upon the head of the mighty lion carved into its surface. This was the emblem of her family. And not for the first time Exotica wished that her brother were here. But Prince Exeter had gone off on an embassy to Hespan some weeks prior and he could not yet know of the foul evil that had descended upon their family. Pushing open the door, Exotica stepped inside. The vestibule was as dark as night but still she could see, for the darkness was gray, not black. Torches lined the walls but the light that billowed out from them was a noxious faded white and did little but cast strange shadows down the long hall. The great doors set into the walls on either side of her were all closed and Exotica wondered if they could ever be opened, for it seemed to her eyes that they were not true doors anymore but were mere pretenses painted on the walls. At the far end of the vestibule though she did come to an opening that was real enough. And beyond it was the castle's reception chamber. Exotica paused. She did not want to step into that chamber. She could not see what awaited her, but she most assuredly felt that something was waiting. Something inhuman. Something unclean. The Priest sidled up to her. "Why do you hesitate?" he asked. "You have made your choice. You are upon the Path. Now all that is left is to follow it until the bitter end." Exotica glared at the man, but he matched her stare with a cold, glinting one of his own. And it was Exotica who turned away first, for she knew that he was right. And so, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the chamber. The feeling of a presence became much more intense, but at first she could not see where it was coming from. After a moment she decided that it was coming from everywhere. But although she could not see this thing that watched her, she did spy out something else that grabbed her attention. Three things actually. To her right was a brazier whose twisting flame was a bright emerald green. This was the only true color she'd seen since stepping onto the Path. To her left was a large tapestry showing a tiny man standing in front of a massive golden cube. And the man was actually waving at her. And at the far end of the room in front of her was an amorphous winged shadow that seemed to throb like a beating heart.
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WolfRun
6/14/2006 9:57:17 PM
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