Sisters of the Fallen

Once the man had finished his polishing he used a feather duster to try and clean some of the dust and cobwebs around the fireplace. He sneezed and coughed throughout his work as dust filled his nostrils. Mirela approached him and noticed the man had upset a nest of spiders while cleaning and the bugs had started crawling every which way on the mantle. A large, hairy arachnid that must be the mother of the several smaller spiders creeped around in a desperate attempt to salvage the web the was its home. The servant plucked the large spider between his fingers and considered it carefully. He didn't seem to mind at all when the creature bit down on his thumb in self-defense. Mirela was about to get his attention when she saw the man open his mouth and pop the spider inside. He chewed with a sickening crunching noise and swallowed loudly. Mirela felt a wave of revulsion that made her stomach churn while she watched the man eat his disgusting meal.

Mirela attempted to overcome her distaste and approached the man. After all, she still required answers to help in locating Loredana. "Excuse me, my good man," Mirela said pleasantly to the man as she drew closer. He turned and raised his brow at her with an appraising eye. "Could you please tell me where I might find the housekeeper?"

"You're lookin' at 'em," the man answered gruffly as he turned back to his dusting.

"I was wondering if you might be able to help me?" Mirela asked. The man sighed as if she were the worst inconvenience in the world and turned back toward her reluctantly. "We haven't seen our sister yet this morning and she left us no word where she might be. Have you seen her mayhaps?"

The housekeeper gave her a look of surprise and said, "Oy, she didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Mirela asked with wide eyes. So the man had actually seen something.

"Her and the Viscount went horseriding out in the country," the man answered. "I believe they said they were planning to have a picnic at a lake on the other side of the mountain as well. Very pretty view. They left quite early in the morning."

Mirela bit her lip as she considered this new information. "No, she did not inform me or either of my sisters of these plans," Mirela answered.

"Sorry for all that, then," the man answered with a shrug as he turned back to his dusting.

"When should we expect them back?" Mirela inquired.

"Oh, the lake is quite a ways away," the man answered. "Quite a ways. Why, I'd be surprised if they are back by sunset."

Mirela's face fell as she realized they might have to wait all day to know if her sister was alright. So much for leaving today. "May I speak with the Count or Countess Turenau, then?" Mirela asked.

"I'm afraid they are a bit indisposed today," the man said. "I'm sure they will be around for you to talk to this evenin' though."

"How long have you worked for the Count, if I may ask?"

"Oh, a long time," the man answered with a smile. "Quite a long time. Name's Petru Porles by the way."

Mirela noticed Porle's eyes glancing over her body and she only now realized that normally she wore a shawl over this dress when she was out in public. Her bare shoulders and arms (not to mention the top of her cleavage) were dismayingly visible compared to the amount of skin Mirela usually displayed. Mirela crossed her arms to try and cover herself while she backed away slowly.

"You've been very helpful, Master Petru," said Mirela. "I should probably go and check on my other sisters, though."

"Good day then, my lady!" Porles called to her as Mirela turned and departed from the hall. Mirela felt sure in the knowledge that Porles' eyes were watching the movements of her legs and bottom as she walked away. She tried stepping as demurely as possible with no wiggle to her walk and probably looked a fool for doing so.

Mirela wandered aimlessly through the halls of Sidexes for close to an hour, not entirely certain what it was she was looking for. She thought she had learned most of the layout of the castle by this point, though there some chambers in the western wing and of course the crypt that remained unexplored. On a whim, Mirela decided to return to the entryway courtyard from whence they had first arrived inside Sidexes.

Mirela closed her eyes and smiled as she walked outside and felt the sun's rays beating down upon her. Though the climate was normally quite cool this far up the mountain range, the sky was clear today and the sun shined bright and hot. Mirela sighed with pleasure and basked in the warmth for a moment before walking around the fenced-in area outside the castle. Mirela trudged through the rock soil of the courtyard and realized the dead trees and sparse vegetation looked even bleaker in the daylight. Did anything living grow within the gates of Sidexes? Mirela made a full circuit of the perimeter of the castle grounds excepting the eastern wing which faced a steep cliffside. She didn't stop until she had memorized every visible entrance or exit to the castle.

When at last she was satisfied with her memorization of the castle exterior, Mirela approached the front gate which remained closed and barred. The fence looked quite formidable with its dark color and topped with sharp, gleaming black spikes. A single guard holding a pike stood at attention, if you could call it that. He rather seemed about to collapse from either boredom or weariness, or more likely a combination of both.

"Ho there, good sir," Mirela greeted the man. "I was wondering if I might be able to take a walk in the forest for a bit?"

The daft looking guard was a middle-aged man with wiry hair and plain features. He had a lumpy face with a somewhat gruff look about him though he seemed friendly enough. Mirela had the sense that he was a good man despite his appearance which was her opposite feeling toward Porles. The guard drew himself up straighter now that he was in the presence of a lady, and a pretty one at that.

"Sorry, my lady," the man apologized. "I'm not to allow anyone in or out of these gates without Count Turenau's permission."

"Is that so?" Mirela asked with an amused glint in her eye. She could still turn on the charm if she required it, though it rarely seemed to work on men any more. "Can you tell me how long you have been on duty today, my good sir?"

The man looked up at the sky and gauged the position of the sun. Mirela got the impression that this guard was rather dim. "I suppose it was since about sunrise," the guard answered. "I don't rightly know for sure."

"You haven't seen my sister Loredana leaving the castle, have you?" Mirela inquired. "She is young and beautiful, with luscious golden-red hair and freckles. You certainly would not have forgotten her if you'd seen her. She would have been in the company of Viscount Şarpe, the handsome young lord who around my age."

The guard scratched his balding head and said, "I'm sorry, I don't recall seeing anyone who looked like that. You ladies were all in your carriage when I opened the gate for you last night. I never saw how pretty any of you looked until now."

The guard's face turned red and he covered his mouth in disbelief over what he'd said. The guard looked down at his feet in shame.

"Hmmm, interesting," Mirela considered thoughtfully as she laid a finger on her chin and smiled. An abashed look showed on the guard's face as he looked up. Mirela started to turn away but then she twisted back and asked, "Have you ever actually seen the Count or Countess Turenau, sir?"

The man chuckled and shook his head as he replied, "Oh no, lady. The Turenaus keep to themselves from what I've seen. I've mainly worked with Porles since I started here. He's the one who hired me, you see."

"How long ago since you were first employed at Sidexes?" Mirela asked.

"Oh, only about two weeks ago," the man answered.

Mirela correlated the timing of the guard's hire in her mind and realized that he had been recruited soon after the final arrangements had been made for Mirela and her sisters to travel to Sidexes to stay with the Turenaus.

"Porles came to my village looking for workers to help at this here castle," the guard continued. "The other townsfolk said the place was cursed, but you know what I said?"

"What did you say?" Mirela asked to try and humor the man.

"I said, Jeph ain't afraid of nothin', especially not any of this superstitious supernatural nonsense. So I was the only one to volunteer and now here I am. Porles set me up with a cabin near here that I stay in at nights."

"Really?" Mirela asked as casually as she could muster. "Where is this cabin?"

"Oh, about a mile down the mountain to the east," Jeph said as he pointed. He actually pointed westward, but Mirela figured he knew the correct direction by line of sight.

Mirela fluttered her eyelashes and laid a hand on Jeph's arm. "I might require a favor of you while I am here at Sidexes, Master Jeph," she said bashfully. "If I ever need your help will you promise to assist me?"

The guard blushed and he seemed lost for words for a moment before he answered. "Of course, my lady! Anything you need, you just ask! I'm here to serve you."

Mirela thanked the guard and gave him a wink and her best smile before making her way back into the castle. The inside of Sidexes seemed so much more cold and dark after enjoying the outside. Mirela followed the sure route back through the labyrinthine halls of Sidexes until she reached her quarters. By now the sun had slid midway across the sky and was beginning its descent. Mirela realized only when her stomach rumbled loudly that she had yet to eat today. Oh well, there would be plenty of time for that later. Mirela peeked her head inside Loredana and Bela's room just to make sure her sister hadn't returned without her knowledge but found the room still empty. The soiled sheets were still lying on the floor and no maid or servant had come by yet to dispose of them. What kind of household are they running here anyways, Mirela thought disapprovingly. Porles was a failure at his position. BWhen Mirela tried to walk back into her and Bianca's room she jammed her shoulder against the door and realized it was locked.

"It's me!" Mirela called.

"Oh sorry, Mellie!" Bianca yelled back.

Mirela heard the shuffling of Bianca's feet as her sister rushed to unlock the door. Bianca opened the door for Mirela and then sat back down in the only provided chair where she continued knitting with her embroidery hoop. Mirela always felt amused to see Bianca enjoying such a feminine hobby when she spurned so many typically womanly pursuits. It appeared Bianca was working on a replication of the Pierocent family seal overlaid on a brand new scarf she had finished weaving the day before.

Bela sat upon the bed holding a wooden bowl to her lips. She slurped her food from the bowl messily, coating her mouth and neck with the thick gruel. Bianca had mixed water and honey with crushed up bread to create an impromptu meal for her sister. Mirela winced with displeasure as a mouthful of gruel missed Bela's mouth and spilled down the front of her dress.

"You couldn't find her a spoon?" Mirela asked Bianca with a disapproving shake of her head.

"I did!" Bianca insisted. "She had no idea what to do with it! I gave up trying to make her use it and simply gave her the bowl to eat out of. She just started devouring it."

Mirela sighed wearily. It seemed as if another basic skill departed from Bela's memory with each passing day. Mirela used one of their rapidly depleting clean towels to wipe the gruel off Bela's neck and chest. Bela licked the inside of the bowl like a starving animal as she completed her meal. Mirela finally had to pull the bowl away from Bela's hands forcefully when she wouldn't give it up. Bela made a pouty face like she was about to cry after her treat was taken from her. Mirela sighed and stroked her sister's hair until she looked happy again.

"At least spoon-feed her next time," Mirela grumbled to Bianca as she pet her sister's brown tresses placatingly. "Let her retain at least some dignity."

Bianca shrugged. "At least she didn't piss or shit herself while you were gone," she retorted. "Consider that dignity kept. By the way, they have no food in this castle. I found the pantry and all that was stored in there was some moldy cheese and stale bread. Who knows where the food from last night's dinner came from."

"Didn't I tell you to stay here with Bela no matter what, sister?" Mirela asked with a cold fury.

Bianca winced and despite her typical cocky poise she trembled before her elder sister whenever Mirela became angry. "I tried bringing her with me," Bianca explained timidly. "But every time we tried to leave the room she started flailing her arms and screaming at the top of her lungs. Finally, I just left on my own. What was I supposed to do, let her starve?"

Mirela sighed and admitted , "No, I suppose not. I'm sorry, this place just has me a bit on edge. But please don't leave Bela alone again. The last thing we need is another one of us wandering off."

Mirela felt certain that if Şarpe or Porles found a girl on her own, especially one who couldn't care for herself, they wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of her.

"None of that matters right now anyway," Bianca said urgently. "Tell me what you've found. Where is Loredana?"

"Apparently our beloved sister decided to go frolicking in the countryside with Lord Şarpe without bothering to tell any of us about it first," Mirela said with barely restrained anger. She clenched her fists and made a shrill growl, "That stupid little bitch!"

Bianca took a few seconds to digest this information before shaking her head in disgust. "You know this is just like her, right?"

"I know it is!" Mirela snapped back. "I figured Loredana would at least have enough sense in that empty head of hers to not leave her invalid sister by herself while she was out whoring!"

"What else did you find?" Bianca inquired. "Tell me everything."

Mirela informed Bianca of what she had found while exploring the castle as well as her meetings with Porles and the watchman at the gate. She said that the guard seemed dimwitted but was possibly trustworthy, while she held a totally opposite view of Porles. Mirela said it was almost certainly Porles who had stolen the items from their luggage.

"Obviously the guard is there to keep us in rather than keeping anyone else out," Mirela concluded.

"So what do we do now then?" Bianca asked.

Mirela looked out the window at the light changing as the sun began its slow descent. "For now, there is nothing we can do but wait for Loredana to return," Mirela stated.

Boredom set in as the sisters waited out the afternoon in their room, only leaving occasionally to use the toilet. They didn't dare stray any further until Loredana returned. Bianca continued her knitting while Mirela sat nervously tapping her feet as they whiled the hours by. By the time the sky turned orange from the failing sun, Mirela heard a knock at the door. It was Porles there to say that they had been invited to dinner with the Count and Countess (he mentioned nothing of Şarpe or Loredana) later that evening. Mirela respectfully declined the invitation and requested that food be brought up to them instead. An hour later, the sun was a mere whisper of light behind the far mountain and food still hadn't been served. Mirela had a feeling no one would be coming. She chewed on some hardened bread and the last of the dried meat for her gourmet dinner. At last, the sun completed its cycle and plunged the castle into darkness. It was night.

"This isn't right," Bianca finally said after no one would speak the grim truth. "They should have been back well before now."

"Yes," Mirela said distractedly. She was busy attempting to hand feed Bela the last of the provisions they packed. Mirela had brought little food for the journey assuming there would be a plentiful amount here at the castle.

Bianca paced back and forth, growing more and more impatient with every moment that passed. She needed to be doing something, she was sick of waiting. Mirela took Bela to the bathroom for the last time tonight, changed her into clean nightclothes, and readied her for bed. She has such a good way with her, Bianca thought as she watched Mirela brush Bela's hair and wash her face. Much more attentive, caring, and patient than Bianca or Loredana had ever shown themselves to be. That was her sister though, always doing the right thing and rarely complaining when it inconvenienced her. Bianca sometimes couldn't handle how much she adored Mirela. The nighttime hours creeped by and eventually it passed midnight as the sisters kept their silent vigil by dim candlelight waiting for Loredana's return.

Once Mirela finally laid Bela to bed and patted her asleep, Bianca stood up defiantly and said, "I'm going to find her. Failing that, I'm at least findings some answers for why she isn't back yet."

"Out of the question," Mirela said sharply. "If anyone should do it, it's me. You stay here with Bela and keep watch over her."

Bianca stomped her foot in frustration and demanded, "Why does it always have to be you?"

Mirela's voice cracked and she sobbed into her hands. She looked up with tears streaming down her cheeks as she replied, "Because she was supposed to be my responsibility! You all are! I just wanted to take care of you and keep you all safe. But I brought you into this terrible place and it's all my fault that everything has gone so horribly wrong."

In all her years of knowing her older sister, Bianca had never seen her cry. Not even at their parent's funeral had Mirela shed a tear. Seeing Mirela breaking down and weeping tore Bianca's heart into a thousand pieces. She pulled Mirela into a tight hug and stroked her neck as she spoke softly.

"It's not your fault, sister," Bianca reassured her. "You were only trying to help. You couldn't have known what would happen, none of us could. You know, I always resented you for appointing yourself our leader. But now I realize just how much we needed you."

Mirela sniffed as she wiped her tears away with the palms of her hands and said, "Thank you for saying that. But can you see why I feel so guilty now? Why I need to find Loredana so I can make things right?"

Bianca grabbed Mirela by her shoulders and said, "Let me do this. I can take care of myself. You stay with Bela, you are better with her than any of us."

"Okay, I will," Mirela assented reluctantly with a nod of her head.

"Really?" Bianca wondered with surprise. She had expected to argue with her sister rather than get her way with no resistance.

"Find her, Bianca," Mirela said desperately as she held Bianca by her muscled arms. "Find Loredana so we can get the hell out of here. There is something deeply wrong with this place and I fear what might happen to us if we try waiting until our carriage returns."

"I will try to find her, but Mellie..." Bianca hesitated before continuing. "I fear the worst."

"We can't think that way or we will surely fail," Mirela insisted. "Loredana is somewhere here in this castle, I just know it. She might be trapped, she might be hurt. But she is here."

"I hope you're right, for all our sakes," replied Bianca. "I will be back at first light. Keep the door locked and block it with furniture again. Do not let anyone enter until morning. And I mean anyone, not even I."

"What if Loredana does return while you are away?" Mirela asked.

Bianca bit her lip as she looked unsure of herself. "I don't know, Mellie. It sounds like she chose Şarpe over us, so I'm not certain we can trust her. She may not be in her right mind. If you do hear from her, exercise caution before doing anything she asks of you."

Mirela didn't like having to distrust her own kin but she understood the wisdom of Bianca's words. As Bianca opened the chamber door and prepared to leave, Mirela stopped her. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked.