Steel Roses

Hunter of Tales

As soon as he saw his partner he reached for his gun and froze at the sound of hammer being pulled back.

“I wouldn’t,” Beldon said softly from the shadows and the man slowly lowered his hands.

“So what are you? A shadow? A mask?”

“A man,” Beldon said calmly.

“Such things are found in this castle?”

“If you bother to look, you’ll find it’s full of them,” Beldon said, just before the maid came yowling out from under the sofa, terrifying the man, making him whirl around, his hand flying to his gun and Beldon swept up behind him, slamming the butt of his sword into the side of his head, dropping the man like a dead weight.

Collecting the holster to carry the new weapons, he then turned to the maid, holding out a hand.

“Thank you,” he said.

She placed a paw in his hand and nodded. “I shall call for help to make sure these two do not escape when they wake. Be careful, Sir.”

“Of course,” he said before he stood up and slipped from the room.

Looking around, he pulled the mirror shard from his pocket, lifting the fabric a little to see the surface.

“Show me The Beast,” he whispered and the blue was replaced by wind and shadow. Beldon’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t know this area. He had thought he had found everything in the castle, where was this? And where was The Beast?

Fairray appeared in the reflection and his body tensed.

“Where are you, monster?” he called, his smile wide despite the blood that stained his face. “Or should I call you Beast, like the little master? He’s a fine young man, isn’t he?”

He walked out of view and something moved in the shadows. Beldon blinked, it was The Beast, perfectly hidden in amongst pillars, his razor eyes watching Fairray pass.

Beldon looked past The Beast. They were outside, that was clear enough. And beyond The Beast he could see the forest. That view, it was a higher vantage point of the view from one of the balconies of his own quarters. They had to be on the roof of the towers. How did he get up there?

He put the mirror away and raced through the halls to the staircases that would lead him higher.

A hand flying out in front of him to stop him almost had him driving his sword through Christian’s chest but his friend recoiled quick enough for Beldon to see his face and stop.

“I would like to live,” Christian hissed.

“Sorry.”

“There are about thirty men in this team,” Christian said and Beldon stared.

“Thirty?”

“I know. We should have it under control however. But The Beast?”

Beldon pointed upwards. “I’m looking for him now. He’s up there somewhere. Thank you, Tain,” he said, slipping past and running onwards down the hall, racing up the stairs.

Christian watched him go, his brow creasing in worry. He knew Beldon could handle himself… but seeing him go made his heart feel sick.

~~~~

Beldon glared at a wall at the top of a tower that looked perfectly solid but it was the only wall that was high enough to lead up to the roof. There wasn’t space for hidden stairs or anything else in the other towers and rooms. Surely the entrance didn’t start on the floors below.