Chapter One - 4

II. 1243, Lapis Lazuli Castle, France

 

4

 

Megalithic structures have existed throughout Western Europe since ancient times. Stonehenge in Salisbury Plain, England, the Carnac Stones in Brittany, France, and countless other man made megalithic structures are scattered throughout the region. No one knows what ancient people created them or what they were used for. Some scholars believe they were devices to aid in astronomical observation. Others say they were the creations of sorcerers or demons. Some believe them to be ancient Celtic altars. What is clear is that no human being could have freely assembled a structure made of stones far larger than any person.

No one has ever been able to discover the truth about the megalithic structures. The landscape, lined with these strange creations, has remained unchanged since time immemorial.

In the province of Languedoc in southern France, there was an enormous cross made of stone. The cross lay on a hillside to the east of the fortified city of Carcassonne, which was destroyed in the Albigensian Crusade. The horizontal bar stretched 20 meters across, and the vertical bar reached 60 meters. The huge stone cross lay on the slope of the hill. From up close, it just looked like a series of megaliths, but from a distance, the shape of the cross could be made out as clearly as a pictograph. Unlike the Carnac Stones, it was a recent construction.

The Lourdes River flowed near the cross, and also located there lay Lapis Lazuli Castle. Lapis Lazuli Castle was a fortress surrounded by forests, hills, and high walls. (See figure) It played an important role as a relay station connecting other major forts, but its existence had largely been forgotten by the church and the House of Toulouse, who were more interested in the movements of the Capetian King of France. It was called “Lapis Lazuli” because of the bluish stones that made up the outer walls, which, especially on rainy days, made the entire castle look like a faintly glowing jewel.

 

Lapis Lazuli Castle hadn't been damaged in any of the attacks of the Albigensian Crusaders. The crusaders were remorseless and indiscriminate. They destroyed everyone they encountered, Catholic and heretic alike. However, Lapis Lazuli Castle hadn't been attacked a single time, despite the conspicuous presence of the bizarre megalith cross. The crusaders were avoiding it. However, this wasn't a miracle brought about by the cross. The construction of the cross wasn't an act of faith.

Lapis Lazuli Castle was ruled by Count Geoffroy of the House of Toulouse. Geoffroy was a nobleman from Muret, a town near the Pyrenees.

After he'd received the castle, Geoffroy's wife had passed away. Ever since, he'd shut himself away in the castle in search of solitude, until eventually, he'd ordered his subjects to build the cross. It had taken three years to complete. Neither the church, nor the king, nor the House of Toulouse had told him to build the cross. They didn't even know about it. No one cared about Lapis Lazuli Castle. The castle lay at the end of the world. The forest surrounding the castle seemed to cut it off from everything else.

That winter was cold and rainy. Freezing rain continued to fall from a sky covered in gloomy gray clouds.

Marie stood in a room in Lapis Lazuli Castle, watching the rain.

She had been standing there for some time now. Her thin silk clothes offered no protection from the cold air. Her lips were stained a lilac color. But Marie had nowhere else to go. Even if she returned to her room, she'd only grow more depressed.

The room was so high up that she could see the edge of the huge cross through the window, barely protruding over the castle wall. The rain-slick surface of the rocks had a smooth, eerie sheen.

“It's awfully cold, isn't it?”

From behind Marie came the voice of Raine, a knight. Marie turned around and looked up at him. Raine wore a surcoat decorated with a cross and a seven pointed star. At his waist hung a fine dagger for self-defense. Marie tried to crawl into his coat to escape the cold, but he stopped her. Marie's mouth twitched.

“I can't?”

“You can't,” Raine said, looking into the dark room. “It is against the code of the Order.”

“Raine, you look pale. What is the matter?”

Marie looked at Raine. Raine took a step back and shook his head.

“'Tis nothing. Do not worry yourself, my lady.”

“Is it such a sin to merely be my friend?”

“That isn't it.”

“Then take my hand.”

“Don't embarrass me so. Come, let us return to your room.”

“No. I don't want to go back there.”

“Why not?”

“I'm afraid.”

“There is nothing to fear, my lady. We six knights shall always watch over you.”

Marie frowned and bit her lower lip, frustration filling her. She didn't like how stiff and stubborn Raine was, and she didn't like how hard she found it to communicate. Even if she said what was on her mind, she already knew what the response would be. “Don't worry, everything will be fine after a good night's sleep” – even though it wouldn't. Marie looked at the flickering candlelight. It wouldn't, because what she was really afraid of was an incomprehensible mystery rooted deep in her soul.

Marie was the only daughter of Count Geoffroy. Ever since Geoffroy's strange behavior had begun, Marie's own mental health had grown unstable. For three years now, she had been constantly told “everything will be fine after a good night's sleep.” Nothing had changed. Before she knew it, the chill of the rainy season had come once again.

“I must tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“It's about my mother's death. Ever since her passing, my father has lost his mind. No, it's okay, you needn't deny it. He has truly gone mad. At first, I thought it was merely sorrow to have lost the woman he loved. But perhaps it was something else.”

“My lady, what are you saying?”

Raine's voice was low.

“At the top of the east tower, there is a dimly lit room, a small one with no windows. My mother disappeared from that room. I witnessed her myself. She melted away into the wall, leaving only her footprints.”

“Lady Marie...”

“Wait. Still your tongue. I know my words are strange. But I cannot explain it any other way. My mother was absorbed by the walls. I'm certain I saw it. Three years ago, on a rainy night, I saw her pass into the wall.”

“Is this true?”

“It is.”

“Very well. I shall hear your story. But 'tis deathly cold here, so let us to the dining hall. There shouldn't be anyone else there at this hour.”

Raine led her down the stairs to the dining hall. The hall, the second largest room in the castle, was empty, leaving it almost too spacious. Raine used a flint to light the candelabra. Marie sat in her chair, looking sideways at Raine. They could no longer hear the rain.

It was Raine who started the conversation.

“You saw a vision in the east tower, did you not?”

“No, it was not a vision. It was my mother.”

“They are the same thing.”

“They aren't.”

“...Please, explain what you saw in detail.”

“It was a rainy night, and I slept in my room as I would on any other. But a strange noise awoke me. I was shrouded in darkness, so I assumed it to still be the middle of the night. Though now I am not certain I was correct. Whatever the case, it was black as pitch and I was all alone. I was frightened, but I left the room to investigate the noise.

“You are quite brave, my lady.”

“Yes, I do possess great courage,” Marie said smugly, puffing out her chest. “The sound had come from the east tower. I walked down the corridor towards the tower. It wasn't far from my room, so I thought to check quickly and then be on my way.”

“You should have called one of us.”

“Yes, I should have. But I didn't want to bother anyone if the noise had just been my imagination. So I went to the tower alone. The first and second floors of the tower were both empty. There were round tables for meetings, murals, longswords, and other such things. The third floor was also empty, but the stairs leading to the fourth floor reflected a faint light. I froze where I stood. Right before my eyes, my father and mother walked side by side into the room on the fourth floor. I heard the door shut. I climbed the stairs, endeavoring to remain silent. The light from the candle leaked to my feet. The wooden door was slightly ajar. I hesitated for a moment, but made up my mind. Slowly, I put my face to the gap in the door, determined to witness for myself what lay inside.”

“And what did you see?”

“My father and mother, who were supposed to be in the room, were gone.”

“They had vanished?”

“Yes. There was no one in the room. Before, you called it a vision. It was indeed as though I had been shown a vision. A very strange vision. My father and mother, who should have gone into the room, were nowhere to be seen. But the truly terrifying thing was what happened next. I heard the sound of a strong wind. The wooden cup which had been placed next to the candlestick fell to the floor. The dark red wine contained within spilled out. It looked like a bloodstain. The wine was quickly covering the floor. I watched it spread. Eventually, the movement subsided and the surface of the wine settled. Suddenly, footprints appeared, as though someone had stepped in the liquid, even though I couldn't see anyone. One footprint, then another, then another. It was as if an invisible person was walking through the wine spilled on the floor. The footprints eventually moved in front of the wall. Then, they stopped. I'd watched an invisible person disappear into the wall. I didn't scream. I didn't feel any fear. I merely watched, caught in the grasp of some strange feeling. I had a hunch that the owner of the footprints was my mother, who had disappeared from this world. She was no longer visible, but she had left behind her footprints and disappeared into the wall.”

“That's impossible,” said Raine, opening his hands. “How can footprints appear on their own, much less disappear into a wall?”

“What was it I saw, then? Was it all a dream?”

“No, I'm not sure of that. Your mother, Count Geoffroy's late wife, disappeared, leaving behind only a few hairs and some blood. The hair and blood were found in her bedroom, but the body itself was never found. Even now, it's still missing. If she disappeared into a wall, as you say, then it only makes sense that her body remains undiscovered.”

“That isn't all,” Marie said, her expression growing serious. “My father, who should have disappeared in that room with her, emerged from it afterwards.”

“Count Geoffroy did?”

“Yes. After I saw the footprints, I hurried away from the door and made to go downstairs. I had suddenly grown afraid and wished to return to my room. But then, I noticed the candlelight flickering, and I turned around to see someone inside the room. I rushed down the stairs and hid underneath the round table on the second floor. After a time, my father came down the stairs. I stayed under that table, making myself as small as I could, terrified that he would notice my presence. He didn't. After he left, I exited the tower and returned to my room. When I awoke the next morning, it all seemed to have been an illusion, but my mother was really gone. After that day, my father went insane. And so did I.”

“You didn't. You're alright, Lady Marie. You're alright, and you always will be.”

“Because I have the 'Order of Marie's White Shield'?”

“Yes. We six knights are yours and yours alone.”

“You're just a illegitimate private force created by my mad father. If things like this are allowed, it will be the downfall of the knighthood.”

“Please don't speak like that. It's fine if it's in front of me, but don't talk like that in front of the other knights. We'd all risk our lives to protect you.”

Marie stopped talking.

“Let's return to your story. The problem is what happened in that tower.”

“Have you ever heard of any sinister happenings in the east tower?”

“No, not a one. I've never heard of people disappearing or passing through walls, in the east tower or anywhere else.”

“But I've seen it with my own eyes. The footprints appeared one by one and disappeared into the wall.”

“Didn't you merely have a dream while you lay asleep?”

“Hey, Raine. You don't believe me, do you?”

“No, I do trust you. But I am struggling to make a decision. No, in truth, I am skeptical of the phenomenon of humans who can disappear into walls.”

“Why is that?”

Marie pouted, feeling annoyed.

“Even if his wife disappeared from the room in the tower, how did Count Geoffroy manage to return without incident?”

“Eh?”

“Suppose that some mysterious phenomenon did cause two people to disappear from the fourth floor of the east tower. But of the two people who were supposed to have disappeared, only Count Geoffroy reemerged from the room, seeming calm and unworried. How is it that the Lord was able to remain so calm after being caught up in an inexplicable event? It is simple. The mysterious events witnessed by Lady Marie were not a mystery to Count Geoffroy.”

“What are you saying?”

“I am saying that Count Geoffroy knows something about your mother's disappearance.”

“Raine!” Marie cried in astonishment. “You gravely insult my father.”

“I understand that pointedly, Lady Marie. Will you give me a moment to think?”

“How long?”

“Not so long that you can't stand to wait.”

“Okay, then. Just a moment.”

Marie spread her hands out slightly.

As Raine stood deep in thought, Marie played with the blue gemstone at her chest. She held the jewel's surface to the light of the candle, and the reflected light shone throughout the room. In what little light was cast, she could see a scratched iron pot, a vase that held no flowers, and a broken chair. They looked pale, almost illusory.

Raine looked up.

“Let us investigate the east tower.”

“Investigate it?”

“Count Geoffroy has business in the next town over tomorrow, so he shall be leaving the castle. He shall be escorted by a force of knights, so the castle shall be less inhabited during his absence. This marks a grand opportunity. If possible, I would like our investigation to remain a secret to everyone. Now, we shall head to the east tower and drape pieces of cloth over every window to serve as markers. Of course, the color of the cloth does not matter.”

“What are we playing?”

“'Tis no game, my lady. It's an experiment.”

 

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