Shadow Slave

Harper led them through the castle, explaining small details about the rules and customs one had to follow once inside. He was a talkative and friendly guy, so Sunny quickly got the gist of it.

In general, it was very simple. They were free to do whatever they wanted unless it broke the basic rules of cohabitation, with a few small caveats. There were areas in the marble fortress open to everyone, and areas that only members of Gunlaug's host could enter. Those were marked by the symbol of a serpent coiled around a tall tower.

As they walked, Sunny noticed several crude tapestries with that symbol woven on them. The cloth of the tapestries was black, with a stylized white tower and a golden serpent embroidered in their center. He guessed that this represented the Dark City, the Bright Castle, and its lord respectively.

Apart from that, there wasn't much to know except for when and where to find food, water, and other necessities. The last thing Harper said was about how they should behave around other inhabitants of the fortress:

"People here are very nice, but you still must remember to have manners. Especially when you are interacting with the guards and the hunters. These guys protect us and risk their lives to provide for us, so they deserve our respect. If one of them… uh… if there's a misunderstanding, be mindful of their burdens. Yes."

Sunny threw a dark glance at the gaunt young man and translated that statement to "don't mess with Gunlaug's people, and if they are messing with you, just swallow it."

How wonderful.

Meanwhile, he was able to catch a few glimpses of how people actually lived inside the castle. To Sunny's surprise, they didn't seem nearly as put down and miserable as he had expected. In fact, everyone seemed to be more or less fine, going about their business with mundane casualness.

Of course, there were signs of worry, stress and pressure on their faces, but the same could be said about people in the real world. All in all, the inhabitants of the castle looked surprisingly… ordinary.

'I guess humans can adapt to anything.'

And as Changing Star had taught him, adaptability was the greatest strength.

As long as there was some semblance of stability, humans would find a way. And it seemed as though the tyrannical master of the ancient fortress, hateful as he was, was providing the Sleepers trapped on the Forgotten Shore with that stability. Effie's words about how the bastard was the only thing holding this place together echoed in Sunny's mind.

a... necessary

castle. Indeed, it was mostly empty and quiet. Few people seemed to want to stay here, driven away by the unnerving vision of the Crimson Spire

see at all, while Sunny was long accustomed to the presence of the Spire because of his sensitivity to shadows. Plus, right now, all the windows in the tower

stopped and said in

Would you guys be needing one room

thinking too much, Sunny and Cassie answered

"One."

"Two."

other with petrified expressions. Cassie

didn't mean anything untoward by requesting a single room for the two of them. It's just that over the months spent camping together, being close to Cassie in case she needed help with something had become his habit. More importantly, he was unwilling to let her leave his sight even for a second in

new circumstances, requesting a single room suggested a different

But there wasn't!

Sunny looked at Harper

they're next to each other. I that

of his head, and

think I can find two

that, he

Cassy, then shook his head

'She won't misunderstand. Right?'

were standing in front of two sturdy wooden doors.

felt safe in a long time. I know I never did before entering the castle. Thank heavens that

one last time, smiled

and Cassie were left alone