1
The castle stood atop the hill like a sleeping animal, covered in vines and moss. No one dared approach, for they said in the taverns and alleyways that the shadows had eyes, that the stones murmured, that the gargoyles moved when no one was looking.
The oldest villagers still remembered the stories: a cursed place, forgotten by the centuries, abandoned even by echoes, inhabited only by ghosts that plagued the castle and gargoyles that nested in the roofs.
But she didn’t care. The rumors and old stories only increased her curiosity every time she heard them. That’s why she had bought that ill-reputed castle along with all the territory that people fearfully called: “cursed lands.”
Alice observed the place with eager eyes, full of an emotion that others did not share with her; that they considered strange and inappropriate for a noble viscountess, even if she was a solitary woman like her.
She had discovered at a very young age that she was different from all the ideals she had been taught. Nobody liked ghost stories, nobody found the idea of riding a gargoyle to fly through the skies funny, and above all, nobody thought that minotaurs were “cute and fluffy” as she used to say.
They didn’t seem to share her love for the black she always wore either.
“Don’t talk about that. A curse could befall you,” some would say when she asked them about the gargoyles perched on tall buildings.
“A young noblewoman like you shouldn’t get involved in such dirty things. If you see a ghost, it’s best to call a priest to exorcise them,” others would say when she asked about the ghosts she saw hiding in ancient books.
“Are you listening to yourself?! Minotaurs must serve us. They are monsters! They don’t deserve to be treated as equals!”
“First learn to dress as if you weren’t going to a funeral. Black is the color of sorrow! Of misfortune! Do you want to tell everyone that you live in misfortune?!”
Alice couldn’t understand them, what was wrong with her way of dressing? Black was an elegant color, beautiful as night. It didn’t hurt anyone to have a little black in their lives.
For her, ghosts, gargoyles, and minotaurs were interesting creatures that she desperately wanted to know. She wanted to talk to them, she wanted to be able to live with them; ask them their names, their tastes, if they liked sweet or salty food.
But it wasn’t strange to find disdain in the voices of all those flamboyant nobles towards these topics that everyone in the kingdom seemed to want to ignore. Anyway, it seemed that their biggest concern was what they were going to have for dinner that night.
That’s why Alice had ordered all her lands, all the mansions she had inherited from her deceased parents, to be sold. She didn’t need to be near such venomous people with expensive suits and precious stones so enormous that they were simply ridiculous.
The castle in front of her and all the surrounding territory was now hers, she had bought it with the money she had earned from those sales. It was not only cheap because of its bad reputation, but the territory was vast, full of forests, nature and, of course, full of gargoyles and ghosts that seemed to live in the castle where she would now live.
Alice could barely stop herself from jumping for joy.
She entered the castle at a calm pace. The structure seemed quite strong, although the place would undoubtedly need remodeling. She didn’t know how long the place had been abandoned, but judging by the layers of dust, she knew it had been quite a while.
The atmosphere felt different, a feeling of being watched from the shadows by luminous figures was potent, she could hear the sound of the stone bodies of the gargoyles turning towards her and observing her through the windows and balconies; but it didn’t scare her, no, Alice was quite excited.
She had been studying these creatures a lot. Ghosts were the creatures with the most magic in existence, having the ability to influence the environment as they wished; they could make a place feel colder, even if it was infernally hot, they could do many things at once because of their ability and control of the place, they could move heavy things as if they were nothing.
Gargoyles were protective creatures that could see people’s intentions and detect the threats one might attract, they were large and strong, and they could expel you from an area under their protection if they wished. That’s why they were always in high places, because they were judges. And a gargoyle can never be deceived.
They were simply fascinating, but for the same reason, one had to be careful with them. Alice knew that, although she was the new owner of that castle, she had to respect her tenants.
“Dear inhabitants,” she spoke in a firm but respectful voice. “I am Viscountess Alice Smoore, new mistress and lady of this castle and these lands.”
The atmosphere grew colder, she could feel how many eyes were fixed on her and how they slowly surrounded her, she could hear murmurs around her that seemed to come from everywhere. They were on high alert, she could feel their hostility.
“I come in peace, I don’t come to evict you from the castle. I simply want to live with you in peace.”
“In peace? IN PEACE?!” Mocking laughter began to be heard around her, echoing in the walls and ceilings.
“Those of your kind have always despised us, why wouldn’t you do the same?” She could hear the gargoyles moving their wings with disdain.
“This castle has been our home for decades, do you think you’ll let us keep it simply because you bought it? DON’T BE NAIVE!”
Alice knew it wouldn’t be easy, but luckily, humans possessed a magic that, although less spectacular than that of ghosts and gargoyles, was very useful.
“I am different, I can demonstrate my honesty to you here and now if you allow me,” Carefully, Alice took a bottle of ink and a small dagger from her bag.
The ghosts and gargoyles watched in amazement as the viscountess used the dagger to cut one of her fingers and then pour blood into the ink bottle, mixing it, then she took a parchment that already had a contract ready to sign.
The magic of humans only had two uses: Exorcism (which could only be done by priests or those who knew how to do it) and making blood pacts; pacts that were recorded on parchments or sheets, written with a mixture of the blood of the person making the pact and ink. By making a contract in this way, the person whose blood had been mixed with the ink was obliged to keep their word, and if they did not, the contract would punish them.
Alice was willing to make a blood pact with the ghosts and gargoyles so that there would be no doubt about her will with them.
“I wish to live here, I wish to live with you in peace,” Alice spoke to them again. “I wish to build, in these lands cursed by all, a town, a happy and prosperous town that will silence the mouths of all those who say that ghosts, gargoyles and minotaurs are monsters with whom one cannot live.”
“Why would you do that?” A gargoyle with a feline head approached her, as if wanting to read her intentions, intentions that she knew he could see, because a gargoyle could never be deceived. “What would you gain from that?”
Alice looked at him and gave him a smile so sincere that it made the creature take a step back. “I adore you,” she said, looking at him intently. “And for that very reason, I would be more than happy if I could have you by my side,” she looked around. “I am looking for servants, not to subdue them to my will, but to help me build a place where I can prove that this kingdom was wrong about you.”
All eyes were fixed on her, inspecting her.
“She’s telling the truth,” the same gargoyle spoke. “I can see it clearly. She doesn’t want to enslave us... she wants to be our friend, our guardian,” he pronounced it almost incredulously.
What kind of noblewoman was this woman?
A scandal without a doubt. Alice knew that what she was doing was unprecedented and that the opposition would be immense.
“Don’t you fear getting into trouble?” a ghost, a whitish figure, approached her. “Yours won’t like this.”
Alice smiled. “To be your friend, I only need your permission, not theirs,” the murmurs began again. “I am willing to make a deal, with my blood, with you. And if I fail, I will deserve no less than death.”
Everything fell silent, the condescending tone and the mockery had disappeared. Everyone seemed to hesitate.
Then the feline-headed, dragon-winged gargoyle approached her. “It seems like a rather interesting deal, Viscountess.”
Alice smiled at him with a gleam of excitement and relief in her eyes. “Are you in?”
“I’ll give you a chance,” he corrected. “If you’re so willing to put your life on the line, then we could see where this leads us.”
Alice took a pen and dipped the tip into the ink mixed with her blood. “So be it.”
To be continued....
