The queen’s spell fully took hold of the king, transforming into a monster. Rough, coarse fur sprouted from his skin, and his teeth jutted out of his skull, growing long and sharp. He stood, taller than any man and stronger than ten. ‘My love,’ the queen called him, the only one who was true to her for all those years. With a single word from his queen, the maddened king turned on the peasants, slaughtering the crowd with claws as long and sharp as daggers.
The tales of what exactly happened at Yureun were inaccurate at best, as very few were able to escape the kingdom before the plague took over. Even less were capable of retelling the events that transpired in the castle. Some said the queen wove dark magic from the blood of the peasants her husband had killed. Others said the plague she unleashed was what killed the people of her kingdom in the first place. But what scholars from other kingdoms did agree upon, was that the queen unleashed a cursed plague that killed all who lived in her kingdom, and rendered the land dead and barren forever more. But rumors persist that the queen and her king still reside in the castle ruins, haunting the kingdom for a thousand years. Together.
It was several hours after Cassendir finished speaking that Loren decided they should make camp. The four travelled in a more or less straight line since entering the Plaguelands. There were no roads, and only the husks of long dead trees served as landmarks. The dead expanse of dry earth stretched on for miles in every direction; it was easy to wander and get lost, but Loren led them due north.
The princess called for rest, and they all dismounted and began to set up camp where they were.
The first night’s camp went well. The night air was as still and stale as it was in the day, but no insects bothered them as they laid their bedrolls across the parched earth. Kae was unable to find many sticks that didn’t crumble to dust once she picked them up, so the campfire for the night was a small ball of magic flame that Cassendir conjured to sit in a ring of stones.
“I don’t like this, princess.” Kae said, laying down her bedroll. Ma’trii paced uneasily nearby. “There are no animals, no trees, nothing. Cassendir said everything here’s been dead for a thousand years. What if we run out of food and water? There’s nothing to hunt for miles. There’s not even any shelter. I can barely breathe in this strange air.”
“I understand your concerns, Kae.” Loren said soothingly, sounding more a diplomat than a friend. “Trust me, we have enough provisions. We stocked up enough food and water from the inn to last us a week.”
“Are you sure that will last us until we leave the Plaguelands?” Kae continued, unconvinced. “You don’t know how big the Plaguelands are, admit it. No one goes to Yureun.”
Loren reached over to pay Kae’s arm reassuringly. She smiled, and for once, the huntress didn’t feel at ease with Loren. “We’ll make it, Kae. Trust me.”
The night passed by uneventfully, but the next day proved to be harder. With the strange, still air, the heat of the noon sun felt hotter and more oppressive. Loren and her companions resorted to using Cassendir’s Kespian silks as head wraps to keep their heads covered and their eyes out of the glare of the sun. Kae even wrapped a length of silk over Ma’trii’s head. They walked on, day after day, always in a straight line due north. By the fourth day, Loren began to realize her mistake. They had packed enough food and water to last three humans and one wolf for a period of seven days. She had forgotten about the horses.
Even with halved water rations to help the horses, they dropped dead one by one from thirst and exhaustion. Kae attempted to butcher the dead horses for meat, but once she cut the first horse, it rotted and withered rapidly into dust and joined the ash and dirt that caked the cracked earth of Yureen. With their horses dead, Loren and the others had to carry their own packs, which felt lighter and lighter after every camp. Soon they would run out of provisions, and join the ancient dead of the Plaguelands.
“Princess.” Kae muttered, staring off into the distance with a hand shielding her eyes. “I’m not dreaming, am I?”
“What is it, Kae?” Loren replied wearily, exhausted and dragging her feet. She didn’t bother looking to where Kae was pointing so eagerly.
“That’s a castle. Gods above, that is a castle.” Kae’s voice grew stronger and more confident with every word. “Shelter, and maybe water. We have to go there.”
Loren finally looked, and there in the distance, was the outline of a castle on the horizon. Tall black spires reached towards the sky in jagged spikes. The princess could make out the impression of crenellations on the walls, a few rough holes in the profile of it that suggested parts of the walls collapsed. There was even the hint of an old gate. Loren agreed that this castle in the Plaguelands would be their best hope for survival. Cassendir bit his lip and hesitated. The legends of Yureun spoke with such conviction that the queen and king of Yureun still haunted the Plaguelands. This castle may be their home. The scholar was about to protest going to investigate the castle, but Loren and Kae already started off towards it.
The walk towards the castle took several hours
