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Quin

The girl pulled the knife around behind her.

So I can’t reach it. Quin almost smiled. Don’t worry. I won’t. It wouldn’t do any good anyway. It never does. Nothing ever does.

She knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey,” she whispered. “I know your brother just died and you hate yourself, but don’t make a bad decision until you’re calm. Trust me, I’ve learned that the hard way.”

He looked at her a long time before he could make himself say what he knew he had to. “Thanks.” He looked into her clear eyes and wondered what she was referencing.

What did you learn the hard way? Not suicide obviously. Or you’d be dead. No, he couldn’t ask. So he just looked at her.

She cleared her throat, as if ready to tell him. [@denali-christianson, I’m moving on but that’s just b/c I have no idea how Evie will react/what she’ll say. Go ahead and keep the conversation going if you want].

Evie held out her hand. “Want a hand up?”

Quin shook his head. “Thanks anyways.” It felt so good to lay limply on the cold stone floor. A voice split the silence.

“Good choice, Locran.” Quin’s muscles tensed, but it wasn’t the castle’s voice. That voice. Where…

Chills ran up his spine. It can’t be. He risked a glance behind Evie, toward Qatar. Someone had covered the body with a sheet. Quin was grateful, but his heart sank. I knew it couldn’t be him. He’s dead. He tried to block the next thought, but it came anyway. And it was my fault.  

But the voice kept talking. It was calm and low, but incredibly audible.

“It was a lie, anyway. It wouldn’t have sent you home, even if you’d complied. That’s the way a liar works.”

The voice rose in volume but kept the same calm. It sounded so much like him.

I’m dreaming again. It’s the castle–

“Let him go, Castle—no, I won’t call you ‘lord’.”

Or am I?

There was a rumbling noise, and Locran stumbled forward. “Who are you?” he called. The voice didn’t answer.

“Aydin too.”

It’s the Castle. It had taken Qatar’s voice.

“I already complied with your miserable challenge,” Quin yelled, eyes glued to the sheet-covered hump that was his brother’s body.

A metallic laugh. Quin shivered. At least it’s got its own voice back.

“That’s what you think, little one.” Said the castle’s voice.

Quin grit his teeth.

“But I’ll allow myself to be ordered around—for now.” It seemed to have lost some of the stony glee.

Quin heard Aydin gasp as if he were suddenly let loose from some horrible memory. He looked around, but Aydin was nowhere to be seen.

“Right.” Qatar’s voice again. “You think that if you want to, you old coward.” Quin closed his eyes.

Coward. Almost the last word he’d ever hear from his brother’s lips. Can’t the castle just let me alone?

Slowly he rolled over until he was facing the direction the voice was coming from. There was a tunnel Quin hadn’t noticed before. In opening stood a man. Tall, fit. His shoulders bent forward, his head at an arrogant tilt.

Quin’s heart raced. It can’t be. It can’t be. It’s another trick of the Castle. It—

The man stepped out of the tunnel, and it instantly vanished. No one spoke as he walked across the cave, straight toward Quin. He stopped a foot away from him, staring down into Quin’s face.

Quin swallowed, hard, as he stared into his brother’s eyes. Just beyond him he could see the sheet-covered body.

Qatar thrust out a hand. “Stand up, Little Brother.”

Quin gripped the hand. It was warm. He pulled himself up and stood, staring into his brother’s eyes.

“You’re—”

“Really here.” Qatar smiled. “It was a trick.”

“What about that?” Quin gestured toward the body. Qatar shrugged and spoke to Evie. “Go take the sheet off.”

She advanced toward the sheet and peeled it back gingerly. Underneath was only a pile of stones.

“I guess when you die here you go back to your home for one glorious second, then get thrown back here to await that devil’s pleasure.”

He bent down and picked up Quin’s crutch. “You’ll be needing this.”

Quin swallowed again. How can I tell him?

“You’re a terrible brother, though.” Qatar smirked, but there was more seriousness than jest in his eyes.

 

@rose-colored-fancy if you don’t like the part about Aydin, go ahead and change it. 🙂

So, @everybody. I couldn’t really leave him dead. I think this castle will be too useful for him, (or for me so I can write him) and I couldn’t bear what it was doing to Quin.