I was hoping to post this in time for Halloween, but the previous story took longer than I expected. However I have decided to release it anyway, so enjoy.
I don't know if Halloween is quite the worst night to be alone, but it's bad enough, especially when it's pouring buckets. I was driving slowly, terrified that I would fly off the road at any time. The windshield was fogging up, despite the defroster and the car was cold. The cold seemed to penetrate my bones. All in all it was a miserable night to be out. I was supposed to be at a branch office picking up a package that had been sent to the wrong place. The package was needed right away, so I was driving to get it as the boss thought I would be the fastest way.
However I didn't hear about it until later and I hit traffic. So, the result was me out on the road during a rainstorm and it was getting later. The engine started making some noises I didn't care for, so I began looking for a place to stop. I finally found a spot that looked reasonably sheltered and pulled in. An examination of the engine proved fruitless as I was not mechanically inclined. The engine now refused to start and my phone was not getting a signal.
But when I looked around, hoping to see that a town was only about a mile away, I saw that the shelter was in fact the entry way to a castle. I did not drive this way regularly, but I certainly couldn't remember a castle being there. It looked like someone had built it at a point in time where castles were being built more as stately homes, rather than military installations. The wall surrounded the courtyard and had a serious looking gate, while the keep had towers and what looked to be fully functional battlements. I approached the gate, expecting it to be locked, however when I touched them, they parted immediately.
The rain hadn't slowed at all, so I made a dash across the courtyard for the entrance to the keep. The portcullis was down, but I found I could comfortably reach the brass knocker on the door. Amazingly it was light and easy to move, but it struck with a loud thud that reverberated through the house. Despite the rain I could hear it clearly.
Sheltered from the rain I had a chance to examine the place. It was in good repair and the courtyard was clean. This made me hopeful that I would find help, as long as they weren't out. Fortunately it was only a few minutes before the door swung open, to reveal a giant, a man of what must have been about eight feet tall. He had shoulder length black hair, pale skin and bright eyes. There was something about his eyes that disturbed and intrigued, but I couldn't say what. He spoke with a deep rich voice, like velvet.
"Yes?" I leaned into the portcullis, trying to minimize the distance between us.
"Please, my car broke down, just outside the gate and my phone can't get a signal. Could I come in to use your phone?" His face had been impassive, as if it had been carved from granite, now it broke into a smile that I could practically feel the warmth coming off of.
"Of course. Enter of your own free will." I blinked at this choice of words, but decided it wasn't worth considering. He gestured for me to step back and the portcullis rose smoothly into the ceiling, indicating it was also well-maintained. He stepped back from the door and I entered. He closed the door and his face fell.
"I regret that we do not maintain a phone here. But you can't go out on a night like this. We would love a guest. Creighton and I can move your car into the garage. He might be able to fix it, at least for you to take it to a service station. My name is Viktor. And yours?" I smiled and accepted his proffered hand, which despite being in proportion with the rest of him felt more like the hand of an artist than his size would suggest.
"Vincent." He smiled.
"Come Vincent. You will find a change of clothes, don't hesitate. Dinner should be ready shortly." I followed and he directed me to a room that was a luxurious as one would expect, paintings on the wall, embroidered carpet and furniture of a dark wood, four-poster bed, end tables, desk and a large wardrobe. As Viktor had said there were clothes and with only a moment's hesitation I removed my wet clothes and dressed in the clothes that to my amazement fit as if they had been made for me. As I was just beginning to examine the paintings, there was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" The door opened and now in the better light of the room I saw that Viktor was wearing a dark blue woolen sweater with dark pants.
"Ready?" I nodded. "Good, follow me to the dining room." The rest of the house was only well-lit enough to see by, but it was nonetheless clear that it was all well-appointed. He escorted me to a chair, where I sat at the table. The other chairs were empty, but I could see that there were places set for five other people, leaving the table only about half occupied. The first to arrive was a man of about six feet, with scruffy hair, dark eyes and a medium complexion, and looking like he hadn't shaved in a day or two. He smiled when he saw me and bowed gracefully as he introduced himself.
"Creighton. Viktor and I got your car in the garage. I'll take a proper look in the morning, but I think I know what's wrong." I introduced myself and he sat down. No sooner had he done so when a second individual entered. His bow was stiff and I noticed he had on dark sunglasses and he had body paint on his exposed skin. The paint was on his face, which was all that was not covered by his clothes, a formal suit and clothes, the paint was primarily white with a series of intricate markings in black, green and blue.
"I'm Griffin. So you're the stray that Viktor brought in." He moved to sit when a cultured voice with a thick accent signaled the entrance of a third man.
"That is no way to speak to a guest, Griffin. But we have so few it is little wonder you have lost the knack for hospitality." He approached as he turned to speak to me. "I am Vlad and I bid you welcome. This is my castle, the others are longtime friends that I have welcomed to live here." He took the seat at the head of the table and Viktor emerged with a trolley of food.
"Supper is ready gentlemen and guest." He laid a dish containing a red soup in front of Vlad and let the remaining dishes of beef, potatoes and assorted vegetables along with bread in reach of myself and the others before sitting to my left and Vlad's right. I was about to ask where the remaining member was when a young Egyptian man of about twenty rushed in.
"Sorry to be late, I was in the library and lost track of time." Viktor shrugged as everyone began digging into the meal.
"Don't worry about it Ankhare, we've barely started." So we all dug in with enthusiasm, I probably most of all as it was about eight and I hadn't eaten since breakfast. When I had eaten enough to slow down I turned to Viktor.
