Stellan’s voice sounded tight as he spoke. “I…I should go now. Pleasure meeting you. Give Lionel my regards.”
He turned and strode quickly from the hall, ignoring her loud protests and avoiding the icy, fearful stares of the other guests. He hailed a stable attendant and asked for his steed. When it arrived, Stellan mounted, swiping the reins from the attendant in a mad rush. Flustered and dejected, he galloped away from Aldebaran as fast as his horse could travel.
Chapter 6
Katherine stoked the fire with more wood, attempting to produce a rolling boil in her kettle. The second wave of cabbage she and her husband Mathias had planted in the early spring was now rewarding them with thick, bountiful heads, the best she had seen in the past three years. She placed three on her chopping block and began to strip the outer leaves of one. This would make a fine meal tonight, no doubt.
Nearby, baby Andrew began to wail. Katherine looked plaintively back at the doorway of the child’s room. Her heart told her to check on him, but her head believed it would be best to attend to the thin strips of meat now rapidly frying on the stove. “Mathias? Can you please see what your son has gotten himself into?” The water was boiling; the meat looked ready. She dared not leave this delicacy to be burned beyond all recognition, especially seeing how rare it was for the family to have meat these days. “Mathias? My hands are tied at the moment!”
No answer.
Katherine carefully lowered the now-cut cabbage down into the steaming water. Her husband was a good man, she had to admit. He never hurt her, nor drank away their meager savings, but sometimes…at least once a month…she would’ve liked to see his head out of the clouds and concentrating on what he was doing at the moment.
“Land’s sake, never mind! I’ll check myself.” As Katherine turned, she failed to recognize that the sounds of her child, so acutely wailing moments before, had suddenly stopped. No, all thoughts of this fled her mind as she encountered the half-man half-monster before her. It was a shambling mockery of a being, one faintly resembling her husband. But was it really him?
The strange creature leaped toward her. A scream broke from the depths of her lungs–only to never see the light of day. The air began to fill with smoke from the unattended meat left burning.
* * * *
Midnight neared.
Seated in Vandeborg’s highest tower room, Stellan played his pipe organ. He pressed down upon keys that resembled the stained, cracked teeth of a village beggar. When he had first discovered the room, he’d found fragile, wrinkled music sheets in the pipe organ’s storage rack. The tunes predated him by at least a hundred years. Over time, he’d taught himself the pieces, having to squint and guess at smudged or faded notes.
Modest in size, the organ boasted six-foot metallic pipes and mahogany casework. Like the rest of the castle, it had fallen into heart-breaking disrepair. But other than forage for sustenance and ward off the cold, Stellan had nothing better to do in those early years than to fix it–so he had.
The room itself, large enough for the organ, the musician’s bench, and a small fire grate, was always bitterly cold no matter how much wood burned. Stellan’s fingerless gloves provided some warmth while allowing him freedom of movement. He loved the music dearly and played it so loudly the melodies often spread throughout the darkened castle halls. Over the years, many a sorrowful refrain delivered welcome respite from the eternal loneliness of his life. The organ was his pride and joy, and he spent hours keeping it well-oiled and maintained.
Stellan thought about the wedding party, the music a backdrop to his musings. Some parts of that evening he could have done without, particularly the stuffy and pretentious Aldebaran royalty. He smiled wryly, wondering what the wedding guests at Leopold’s court would think about his music, so troubled and mournful. Would Clarysa like it? She seemed so much the opposite, full of sunlight and happiness. After the stunt he had pulled, would she ever be allowed to see him again? Stellan frowned. Most likely the answer would be “no.”
“My oh my, why so gloomy tonight?”
Startled, Stellan slammed his hands down at the sound of the voice. Pipes choked and sputtered as the music died off. He shot a look toward the entrance. A tall, shapely woman in an ebony dress filled the frame.
“What do you want?” he asked with a measured stare. “And who let you in?”
A slow smile curled her lips as she glided forward. She unclasped her lavender cape and slipped the hood from her head. Lustrous black hair emerged. She gracefully smoothed it back, though no grooming was needed. The scent of jasmine preceded her.
Emerald eyes gleaming, she leaned an elbow on the organ’s edge. “Is that how you’re going to greet your loving sister?” She spoke in a low, sultry voice. “I’ve come a long way, and with diligent furtiveness. There’s no need to blame your poor servants. After all, we both know I have my ways.”
Stellan resumed playing. “And may I ask what suddenly brings you back into my life…after what? Four years? Five? How long has it been, Sada? But don’t think I didn’t appreciate all the help.” He pounded harder on the keys.
“Tsk,” she murmured. “You don’t have to be so cranky.” Sada rested her chin in her hand. “Hmmm…that’s a marvelous tune. What’s
