Chapter Two - 4

V. 1243, Lapis Lazuli Castle, France

 

4

 

Six knights had disappeared from the castle. Marie learned of the incident the day after she'd found a head removed from the armor's storage room.

That morning, Marie was woken up by one of her maids, dressed, and left her room having completely forgotten about the mannequins from last night. But as soon as she left the room, the memories came flooding back, and she remembered the helmet she'd found lying on the floor. She grabbed the maid and shook her by the shoulder.

 “Where is Raine?”

 “I haven't seen Sir Raine today...”

It turned out that nobody had seen Raine. She had seen several knights around the castle who weren't part of the Order of Marie's White Shield, but Raine, Flanders, Annaud, Yves, Horace, and Matthias were all nowhere to be found.

Marie went to Geoffroy's room. Geoffroy's private chambers were located in the far end of the castle. Marie stood in front of a sturdy iron door, took a breath, and rapped the door with its handle. She heard a voice from within, and opened the door. There, sitting on a large red throne, was Geoffroy. He sat with crossed legs staring at a spot on the wall. The room was bleak. It was so simple and unadorned it was impossible to envision it as a count's room. All that was visible were stone walls.

 “You're so noisy.”

Geoffroy narrowed his eyes and looked at Marie.

 “Raine has gone missing. Not only he, but Flanders, Annaud, and the others, they're all gone.”

 “I already knew that. I have sent some knights to search for them, so there is nothing to be concerned about.”

“What about the mannequin in the basement?”

“The mannequin? Whatever are you talking about?”

“Raine's helmet was dropped in front of my room last night. I was curious, so I went to investigate the equipment storage room in the basement. The only thing missing was the head of the mannequin that held Raine's equipment. His cloak and shield had also been moved to the floor.”

As Marie explained what she'd seen, the color drained from Geoffroy's face, and his eyes went wide. His fingertips trembled slightly. In a shaking voice, he asked Marie if she was telling the truth. Marie nodded.

 “Did it still have its armor?”

“What?”

“Was Raine's chain armor missing?”

“I'm not sure. The mannequin was wearing its surcoat, so I couldn't see inside.”

 “I see.”

Geoffroy's expression slowly turned inward as he appeared to come to a conclusion. Marie regretted her decision to come to Geoffroy's private chambers alone. If Geoffroy really had murdered her mother, it seemed dangerous to be alone with him. In her desire to find Raine, she hadn't thought of that. Marie stepped back and placed a hand on the door.

 “There's nothing to be afraid of, Marie,” Geoffroy suddenly said in an eerily gentle voice. “Everything is for you.”

Marie ran from the room. Geoffroy's words echoed hauntingly in her ears. She ran through the cold, dark, shadowed corridor. She didn't call for help. There was no one to hear. She ran back to her room and immediately jumped into bed and wrapped herself in her blankets. The faint traces of warmth she'd left earlier had yet to completely fade.

Geoffroy knew something.

Marie was terrified. She felt as though her entire world had been created by Geoffroy. Why had she been born? Geoffroy had asked her that once. Marie couldn't answer. Why had she been born?

There was a knock on the door. Marie shrank away and decided not to answer. But the person merely knocked again.

 “Lady Marie, what would you like to eat today?”

The voice was one of the maids. She was a year older than Marie and had always taken good care of her.

“I'm not hungry.”

“But...”

“I don't want anything.”

“I understand, my lady.”

She heard footsteps leaving the door. Marie suddenly felt uneasy again. The entire room was dark. She pulled the blanket over her head. If she focused, she could hear her own heartbeat. She hunched her shoulders, hung her head, and clutched the jewel at her chest for dear life.

There was another knock on the door, and she heard the maid's voice.

“I have brought you your meal, my lady. Will you be taking it here?”

Marie was relieved to hear the maid's voice and patted her chest. Throwing off the blankets, she ran to the door. She threw it open and addressed the maid, who was holding a tray.

“I said I didn't want anything.”

Marie took the tray. It held a bowl of mutton soup and a piece of bread.

“Are you worried about your knights?”

“...I am. I don't know where Raine and the others have gone.”

“If it pleases you, my lady, I'd be happy to talk about it with you.”

Marie nodded and let the maid into the room. She sat down on the bed, put the tray in her lap, and began to eat the bread. The maid stayed standing.

“Last night, I witnessed a meeting being held in the east tower. I saw a group of people sitting at a round table. They were the same people who disappeared today.”

“Raine and the others disappeared from the east tower?”

“Yes. Lady Marie, have you heard the rumors? It is true that six knights have disappeared from the castle. However, there is no sign that they left the castle, either. The gatekeepers stood in shifts at the gate all night long, and they didn't see anyone leave. However, it is also not possible to leave on one's own without using the gate. Climbing the walls is clearly impossible. Moreover, there were not even footprints left anywhere on the castle grounds. The ground had been muddied from last night's rain, but there wasn't a single print from man or beast within the courtyard, upon the walls, or on the hillsides surrounding us. It pains me to say this, but it is a similar situation to the disappearance of Count Geoffroy's wife.”

“If no one has left the castle, then Raine and the others must surely still be inside, no?”

“No, they are not. Under Count Geoffroy's command, the knights thoroughly searched the castle and found no one. Apparently, some of the equipment kept in the basement was scattered, but I don't believe it was considered relevant and probably Count Geoffroy wasn't even informed. Count Geoffroy appears to have given up on solving their mysterious disappearance, just as he did with the late mistress.”

“Six knights disappeared from a castle that was completely closed off from the outside world. It's impossible.”

“In the village where I was born, people disappeared quite often. We all agreed that they'd probably just wandered off into the woods. It is said that this forest eats people. I can only hope that Sir Raine and his compatriots have not wandered into the woods themselves...”

Marie suddenly remembered the moving wall in the east tower. There was a secret chamber. With a secret window. Those vague memories seemed to contain something important.

“The tower!”

Marie jumped up as though she'd been shot. She narrowly managed to grab the bowl of soup and prevent it from spilling, then handed the entire tray to her maid.

“Lady Marie?”

“Now is no time for soup. I have to go to the tower!”

Marie ran from the room. Then she realized she had run off in the wrong direction and ran back. She crossed the hallway, turned several corners, passed several confused servants, and finally reached the east tower. The meeting room where the maid had seen the six knights was on the second floor. It was completely silent, as though nothing had happened. Marie went up to the fourth floor. Opening the door to the fourth floor, she entered and faced the moving wall. The smell of blood assailed her, filling the room. Marie put her hands on her hips and hesitated for a moment. What was on the other side of that wall? Perhaps a terrible reality awaited her. Slowly, Marie put her hand in the hollow of the wall. It took a while, but she opened a gap large enough for her to pass through.

Marie looked through the gap. The faint light of the window shone on the small staircase. There was nothing else there.

With mixed feelings, Marie closed the wall. That space was too small to fit six people, anyway.

Two days later, one of the knights sent on the search returned to the castle in a wounded state. He explained that he had been attacked by bandits on his way back and one of his partners had been slain. He reported that he had found dead bodies near Cross Spring. As evidence, he had brought with him six daggers. On the hilt of each dagger was a seven-pointed star, each engraved with a number from I to VI. Finally, he reported that all of the bodies had been decapitated. He said that the bodies were being stored temporarily in a private storeroom, and that he would collect them later.

Marie was as surprised by his report as Geoffroy. Geoffroy was struck speechless, but Marie nearly lost herself. She was so distraught she broke down sobbing, for which she was ejected from Geoffroy's chambers.

Marie locked herself in her room and thought about Raine. “It's awfully cold, isn't it?” he'd asked. Yes, it was so very cold. She'd tried to crawl into his clothes. That it was for warmth had been a lie from the beginning. She'd wanted him to hold her. But he'd stopped her. “Then take my hand,” she'd asked. But he'd just said not to embarrass him. Of course Raine would say that. Now Raine was nowhere to be found. He was nowhere to be found, so she would never see him again. And if they were never able to meet again...

Marie curled into a ball and fell asleep.

 

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