The dinner hour was soon upon the black castle as afternoon transitioned to evening. Though they’d intended to join everyone in the dining hall, Vena and Bram remained in the visitor’s suite for yet another meal. For Bram, this was so his waning strength could improve unhindered. Vena, however, simply refused to leave his side, despite her husband’s protests.

Lillian led the way down the marble corridor, her brother and sister only steps behind. After a day spent cleaning about the castle with Elise, she now considered it her authority to escort her siblings to their destination. Although she only remembered its location due to its proximity to the Great Hall, while most other rooms she’d visited remained hidden amid the elated mess in her mind.

Barely had they emerged in the Great Hall when Ellie slowed near to a stop. Once already had her wound given her trouble that day, and now it had again. But in addition to the sting blooming outward from her chest, Ellie’s fingers began twitching wildly on her right hand—a symptom she hid from her inquiring siblings by pretending to fidget with the other one.

“I’m just excited that you get to see the dining hall,” she said, chuckling. “It’s one of the most beautiful rooms in the whole castle. I might even call it one of my favorites.”

“I saw a little of it earlier,” Lillian said. “Well, only the table, really. Elise was fetching something from in there and she’s pretty fast.”

“Then all the more reason for us to hurry up so you can see it.”

Ellie pushed past her siblings and shoved open the dining hall door, forcing an annoyed huff from Irwin as she did. The room was already vibrantly lit by the fireplace and the countless candles held by dangling chandeliers. Irwin and Lillian turned on their heels as they walked, gawking and absorbing every detail of the three-storied room; the long, dark table, the red-cushioned seats, the marble walls lined with sconces, paintings, and suits of armor.

Ellie loved how the dining hall entranced them as though it were of her own design.

“This really is a palace,” Irwin muttered, then grunted when he bumped into a chair.

“Feels like you’re royalty, doesn’t it?” Ellie grinned at her brother, then gripped Lillian’s arm as she tried seating herself at the head of the table. She then jerked her finger at the chair two down on the left before seating herself at her usual place on the right.

“Think I could explore the castle some more?” Irwin asked and seated himself at the end beside Lillian.

“I’m not the one you should be asking.” As the twitching subsided, Ellie breathed a light sigh, relaxed her fist, and rested her hands in her lap. “But as long as a door isn’t locked, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

She watched Lillian turn in her seat to gape at the suits of armor behind her.

“I’m surprised you’re not running all around everywhere, boundaries be damned.”

“I saw a lot with Elise today, but not everything.”

“Do you like Elise?”

“Oh, yes!” Lillian plopped back into her seat. “At first I thought it was neat that she was a living skeleton, but spending time with her really showed that she’s pretty normal on the, uh, inside.” She drew a circle in the air around her rib cage. “She’s also nicer than she looks. I broke a glass in the drawing room and felt really bad, but when I went to clean it up, she rushed over and told me not to do that because I’m too soft and I’ll hurt myself.”

Ellie cocked her head and simpered at the familiar scenario.

“Then when she took me back to our room tonight, she told me she’d be happy to answer more questions in exchange for chores tomorrow.” Lillian leaned in and lowered her voice. “I gotta think up better questions, though. She’s crazy smart and knows exactly how to answer so it just leaves me more confused!”

The serving room door swung open with a small thud and in entered Elise with tray in hand. Her arrival was almost too perfectly timed to be coincidence, and there was something about her energy that radiated that if Elise could outwardly show emotion, she’d have been smirking.

“Were your ears burning?” Ellie asked, a nervous twinge in her voice.

Elise set a plate before Ellie and removed the lid, revealing a bowl of minced meat soup, a couple of slices of rye bread topped with cheese, and a smaller bowl of rice porridge dashed with cinnamon, sugar, and a square of butter.

“I don’t have ears.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. It’s a figure of speech and you know it.”

“Well, don’t ruin all my fun.” She placed two more plates before Irwin and Lillian and claimed the lids. “You know I do so love teasing those who can’t interpret my expressions.”

“You mean there is a way to interpret them?”

Elise merely stared at Ellie for a long moment before the joke finally caught and she rolled her eyes. She then looked at those in attendance and glanced down the length of the table.

“Am I delivering the last two meals to the visitor’s suite, then?” She placed a bottle and an etched, crystal glass at the head of the table.

“Oh, yes, thank you. My dad’s not feeling well, and my mum is staying with him.”

“It’s no trouble.” Elise distributed the weight of the last two plates on the tray and turned to the furthest door when it opened with Janus’s arrival. “Ah, aren’t we all just perfectly timed this evening. Care to have me pour your drink, Lord Janus?”

He raised his hand as he strode across the dining hall. “No, that’s quite all right, but thank you.”

Elise departed toward the visitor’s suite, and as Janus seated himself, Ellie and her siblings watched as he casually pulled the glass toward himself and reached to open the bottle. Janus noticed this and cleared his throat as he sat up straight.

“I’m glad you could all join me tonight,” he stuttered.

“Did it go well with Rehor?” Ellie asked.

“Oh, certainly. We simply prepared the next set of the recovered to move to their new homes in Haven.” Janus popped open the bottle with a corkscrew. “This is the first time in years we’ve had so few patients in the asylum. That either means less people have been banished, or less are finding their way to the Sanctified Lands.”

A grimace painted Ellie’s face. “I certainly hope it’s the former.”

“As do I.”

Janus stopped just short of pouring his drink and set the bottle back down when he acknowledged Irwin and Lillian smiling at him—an expression which he returned. But it softened when it dawned on him that their parents were not present.

“It’s a shame that your mother and father couldn’t join us this evening. Hopefully Bram will recover soon, so he need not feel so isolated.”

“I think he just overexerted himself yesterday,” Irwin said. “He should start improving tomorrow, if Mum’s medicine does its trick.”

“That would be wonderful. Your mother is a tremendously skilled apothecary and I’ve no doubt her concoctions will do the trick.” Janus took the bottle again and poured into his glass. “Regardless, yesterday I commissioned a craftsman in town to construct a wheelchair for him. It should be completed within the next few days.”

Ellie brought her hands together. “That’s great! They seem so handy, from the few times I’ve seen them. But how’s he supposed to get up and down the front stairs with that?”

The glass of blood stopped just inches from Janus’s lips as he raised it. “Regrettably, he will still be confined to the first floor, so long as he needs the wheelchair. However, the path alongside the castle walls slope gradually upward to the backside. If he’s to go out, he’ll need to use those doors.”

Though normal to Ellie and far more to Janus, the shock which lifted Irwin’s and Lillian’s brows depicted clearly their realization at the contents of the glass. Just as it had been for Ellie, Janus’s vampiric nature didn’t seem completely tangible until witnessing him in the act of consuming blood.

“Sorry!” Irwin fumbled with his spoon and dipped it in the soup. “I just wasn’t expecting it. I mean, I should’ve. You said you’re a vampire! And you only drink animal blood?” The way his tone peaked indicated he sought reassurance.

Ellie’s lips curled inward and she exchanged a nervous glance with Janus.

“That I do,” he answered—tugging at his collar. “It’s provided by the butchers in Haven after they’ve cleaned the hunters’ game.”

“That’s good,” Irwin said, sighing. “The Triad say that you shouldn’t be wasteful, especially if another life gave you sustenance. But a lot of people don’t follow that very well, though.”

“You don’t really seem like a typical vampire, so I guess it was just a surprise to see you about to down a glass of blood,” Lillian added.

“‘Down’?” Janus scoffed. “I’ll have you know I drink at a perfectly respectable pace.”

Ellie stifled a laugh when she pictured in her mind’s eye a wounded Janus in the parlor. The glare he shot her in response indicated that Ellie wasn’t the only one thinking of it.

“Besides, what do you consider a ‘typical vampire’?” he asked.

Lillian shrugged and tore off a corner of her bread. “I dunno. Serious, theatrical, brooding. Turns to dust in the daylight, bites every mortal they see. Oh, but is that why you were scared of the water? Because it’s like acid to you?”

A tiny, irritated sigh rippled the blood as Janus took a drink, which in turn stirred an elated squeal from Lillian.

“It’s not acidic, though that would certainly be less embarrassing.” Every word that passed his lips were firm. “Fortunately, we vampires have evolved beyond our flesh burning from contact with natural bodies of pure water. And unfortunately, in turn it is now incredibly slick and causes us to trip even when we merely set foot in it.” He frowned at Ellie. “Are you happy now?”

Her jaw dropped. “I’m not the one who asked!”

“You said ‘we’,” Lillian interrupted. “Are there more vampires here than just you?”

“There are,” he started, sharing a frown with Ellie. “But they’re bound by pact to remain in their own territory, and they are most certainly not people you want to meet.”

“Yeesh, I’ll take your word for it.”

“That’s it?” Irwin asked. “You’re not gonna ask to go meet them?”

Lillian elbowed her brother with a small jerk. “Of course it sounds neat, but I’m not stupid. There’s also a big difference between made up stories in books and real life. If the nice vampire says, ‘don’t go near those other vampires’, then you should probably listen.”

“Yet you still say it’s neat.”

“Well, of course!” She swallowed a spoonful of soup. “Knowing stuff like this makes the world more interesting. I mean, I even met goblins today! There was a whole group of them cooking and singing about payday coming.” Lillian pointed her spoon at the bowl. “They made this, I bet! And they were all so nice, but their names are confusing. Meen wasn’t mean at all, and when I made a face, Elise just told me not to think about it.”

The four shared in laughter at Lillian’s tale and she shared further stories about her adventures with Elise. Irwin then shared his findings in his history book, and Ellie elaborated on her previous experiences in the Night Realm.

Janus couldn’t help but smile. It was an evening of great food and greater company, yet seeing how the siblings interacted filled him with emotions both joyful and somber. He was, in a way, envious of them. What could he have had if life had turned out different? But even if it had, he knew he’d likely not be sharing this table with those now in attendance.

The door at the far end burst wide open with a ferocity that made each of them jump in their seats. It’d been so abrupt that Janus went on the immediate defensive out of fear of an attack—his mind settling on the visage of Isadore. But when the one responsible for such an entrance stood in the doorway, he slumped back into his seat and cradled his forehead in his hand.

“A most wonderful evening to all!” Bedelia announced and paced across the dining hall. She was dressed as radiantly as ever, her silk, burgundy dress shimmering in the firelight and her black curls draped delicately over her shoulders.

Bedelia rested her hands on the back of Ellie’s chair and beamed at her when she saw her bright smile and flushed cheeks. Then, her eyes wandered to Janus and her lips contorted into a sneer. “That is, to everyone except you, who neglected to send word that dear Ellie had returned to us.”

Janus pinched the bridge of his nose. “It was on my agenda, Lia. We’ve been busy since our return. And for that matter; did you walk here? I didn’t hear your carriage approach at all.”

“That I did. And why are you calling me Lia now, after all these years?” She leaned down beside Ellie. “I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am that you’re back.”

“I’m sorry I worried you,” she said, then chuckled nervously. “I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve said that in the past day.”

“Oh, I bet. And that’s certainly one way to dodge cleanup in Haven.”

“You look so normal,” Lillian said with a twinge of disappointment.

The comment drew Bedelia’s hands to her hips and she raised a brow. “Well, aren’t we brassy?” She then gave an upward nod to the young girl. “Who’s the little one?”

“Right.” Ellie motioned to her siblings. “This is my brother, Irwin, and my sister, Lillian.”

“A pleasure to meet you both; I’m Bedelia Orellana, the mayor of Haven.” She exchanged polite nods with the two siblings. “Is this your whole family?”

“No, my dad isn’t feeling well, and my mum is watching over him in the visitor’s suite.”

“This castle has a visitor’s suite?” Bedelia quirked her head to Janus and he merely shrugged. “Well, I certainly hope your father feels better soon, especially given that which I’ve come to deliver; that is, a reminder that tomorrow is the Violet Moon Harvest Festival.”

There was a groan from Janus as he leaned back and touched his forehead. “That’s why Elise demanded that I hurry and decide on an outfit. The time distortion between the realms had me out of sorts and I completely forgot about the festival.”

“Yes, and now that the town has been liberated of all debris, what better time to celebrate the autumn harvest and the deeds of our hero.” Bedelia winked at Ellie. “Sorry; our secret hero. You’ll not mind me taking the credit in your place?”

“Of course not. It was my idea, after all.”

A clack resounded through the room when Irwin dropped his spoon. “Wait, what—what do you mean ‘hero’? What did Ellie do?”

All eyes fell to Ellie and her lips trembled as she searched for the right words. With a furrowed brow she sulked down into her chair.

“I… slew a monster.”

Bedelia, and even Janus, barked a laugh at the gross understatement.

“You ‘slew a monster’?” Bedelia repeated with a touch of blithe mocking. “A gigantic, grotesque, spider-like devil was intent on destroying our town and our entire way of life with the aid of its putrid cocoon spawn. Damn thing nearly tried to eat your poor sister, too. But what did she do? She shot a ballista bolt loaded with fire powder right into the roof of its mouth, threw a lit bottle of alcohol in after it with all her might, and blew a hole straight through to the devil’s brain, killing it instantly!”

“What!” Lillian was nearly atop the dining table but was held back by Irwin.

“Did it—did it really try to eat you?” he asked.

“A most rousing and descriptive tale for dinner time,” Janus said plainly.

Lillian pawed across the table for her sister. “Ellie. You can’t—you just—why wasn’t I there? The next time you’re gonna do something so awesome, you have to let me know first! You have to invite me! I’m your sister, it’s the law!”

“Oh yes, the next time I’m trapped in another realm and there’s a giant spider monster that’s about to demolish everything, I’ll be sure to invite you to watch me improvise taking it down!”

She sank further into her seat and rubbed her temples. How she pulled off something like that was still a mystery. Ellie never thought she was particularly quick-thinking and could only attribute it to the adrenaline.

“So, Bedelia,” Janus said, swirling the last of his blood in the glass. “What else brings you to my castle this evening? Aside from rousing my guests with gory tales and berating me for taking a day or two to notify you of our return.”

“It’d have been longer than that if I didn’t chance upon Gerald swaying in the streets between tavern trips. Even gave me a slurred ‘Good evenin’, Mayor Bedelia’, as though we’d seen each other every day this week.” She crossed her arms and leaned to one side. “But yes, I’m also here for Rehor’s paperwork so I may proceed with housing the next group of the recovered.”

Janus’s snobbish demeanor diminished and he started to stand. “Oh, of course. They’re on the side table in the meeting room. Let me fetch them.”

“No, no.” Gently, she pushed him back into his seat by his shoulders and started toward the corridor. “You enjoy your family meal. I can find them easily enough.” Before closing the door, Bedelia leaned back in and waved her arm in a wide arch. “Again, it was a pleasure to meet you! Please don’t forget the harvest festival tomorrow. Would be a shame for you to miss our greatest annual event.”

Once Bedelia had departed, Lillian leaned onto her elbows on the table and cradled her chin atop linked fingers. “Why’s everyone I’ve met here way more interesting than anyone I’ve ever known back home?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Janus said, chuckling.

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

The night kept on as the four remained in the dining hall long after dinner. They shared stories from either realm and answered countless questions about vampires and other mysterious beings—such as skeletons, of which none of them had any sound idea. It wasn’t until well past nine o’clock before the two parties had dispersed, with Irwin and Lillian returning to the visitor’s suite while Ellie and Janus lingered in the Great Hall until casually striding through the courtyard toward the library.

It was a crystal clear night dotted with infinite stars and a gracious moon gifting vibrant light to guide the way. Near the fountain, Ellie outstretched her arms and gazed toward the heavens, giggling all the while as she embraced the night’s gifts. She’d never felt as wonderful as in that moment; after all, life itself felt wonderful. Though she missed her humble home hugged by flora, everything else Ellie wanted was right there in the black castle. Her family, her friends, her lover.

But she was not ignorant to the Solarist threat still looming in the Prime Realm. Even so, Ellie decided that all that mattered in that moment was her bliss.

Janus pushed open the library door, laughing alongside Ellie as he was swept up in her contagious delight. Hardly had he taken more than a step inside before she pranced in behind him, though Ellie was soon halted in place when her eye caught a vivid detail against the dark.

Penetrating the high, south-facing windows was a vibrant light basking the monolithic room and it’s countless shelves in a blue glow. Ellie recognized its source immediately and turned to Janus with wide eyes and a grin.

“Those flowers—Moon Bells?” She waited for him to nod. “I never knew you could see their glow from in here!”

Janus jerked back his head. “Have you never been in the library at night?”

“Well, no, I guess not.” Dropping her arms to her sides, Ellie stepped further into the library as Janus closed the door. “Two months really isn’t that long, you know? But wow, that and the moonlight make it so bright in here. If it weren’t also so damn cold, I’d almost say we should just use this for light instead of the fireplace.”

“And how do you propose we read in light like this?” Janus smirked, then wrapped his arms around Ellie’s waist and touched his hip to her. “Although, if it’s the cold you’re worried about, we don’t necessarily need a fireplace to rectify that.”

Ellie stopped his advancing kiss with a touch of two fingers to his lip. “Very subtle. But if we do that first, we’ll never get around to reading. So let’s exercise at least a modicum of patience. It’ll make it that much better.” She withdrew her fingers and kissed him, then started for the eastern end of the library.

Once the fire was going and the seating area well warmed, Janus leafed through the same book from months prior to reacquaint himself with what they’d already read. As he reviewed aloud the plot thus far, Ellie fetched the blanket draped on the sofa and fanned it out over them before leaning onto Janus and burrowing against his chest.

“Would you like to read first, or shall I?” he asked.

Ellie tilted her head back and grinned. “You first. You have the nicer voice.”

“I disagree, but I’ll happily oblige you this time.”

And so Janus lifted the book in the firelight, his soothing voice lulling Ellie into the comfort of his partial embrace. She then released a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting her imagination paint the scenario as Janus read every last detail written in the pages.

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

It was well after midnight when Ellie jolted awake. Cold caressed her in the dark of the library as she pulled away from a still slumbering Janus and scooted to the far end. She whimpered lightly at the tremendous pain surging from her wound and all throughout her arm. When it subsided even a fraction, she tugged the blanket back over her bare form in hopes of retaining any heat that’d been kept between she and Janus in the fire’s absence.

Another whimper cried from her throat, and much to Ellie’s distress, this one was enough to stir Janus from sleep. The warmth he’d felt on his chest from Ellie’s embrace was gone, but in the dark he saw her silhouette clearly. Janus sensed that something was wrong and tugged the blanket over his lap before sitting up and shuffling to her side.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” she gasped with a raspy laugh. “I slept on it wrong. Maybe a sofa wasn’t the best place for us to sleep together.”

Ellie flinched when his fingers brushed against her face and touched the beads of cold sweat she wanted him to be none the wiser to.

“Ellie, please,” he begged, unknowingly taking her hand in his until she recoiled it from him.

“I felt this earlier. Before dinner.”

Janus conjured a small flame in his palm and tossed it into the fireplace. It crackled to life and gradually unveiled the black veins branching from Ellie’s exposed wound and nearly to her wrist.

“Ellie…” Janus’s voice was low and weighted by worry. With great care and caution, he touched her wrist and watched as she clenched her teeth and the black receded back up into the wound. It was almost as though the poison were fleeing from him.

Ellie panted until there was no pain left, then looked to Janus with pleading eyes. They needed no words to convey their thoughts, and Janus reached for the heaped clothing on the floor to dress himself.

“We need to take you to Rehor. Now.”

Ellie clutched his arm. “No!”

“Why not?”

“I just—not right now, please.” She cupped her forehead in her hands and let out a small cry as Janus returned to her side. “I don’t wanna worry my family, especially my dad. I’m terrified that much more stress is gonna irreversibly hinder his strength. It might even kill him!”

Janus brushed a loose strand of Ellie’s hair over her shoulder before sliding close and wrapping his arms around her. Tenderly, he touched his lips to her brow and she pulled his arm closer.

“I understand, but I implore you to see Rehor, Ellie. We’ll keep it just between us—I’ll not mention a word of it to your family. It will be trivial to keep it secret from them, for now. Though I believe you should be truthful when the time is right.”

Ellie gave a few fervent nods. “I will, I promise. But please, let’s not go right now. I just wanna stay here with you for the rest of the night.”

“All right,” Janus said, sighing. “But we’re going to the asylum in the morning or if it worsens tonight.”

In an effort to sooth her nerves, Janus rested his hand on Ellie’s head and began stroking her hair. She sank back into his embrace and pulled the blanket close to her chest, just enough so the wound was no longer visible.

“Is this normal?” Ellie’s voice cracked. “For people who’ve been tainted, that is.”

Janus bit his lip and shut his eyes. “It’s not uncommon.”

He kept to himself that only those deeply tainted experienced such symptoms. Even among the people he’d personally treated, Janus had never seen an affliction quite like that which plagued Ellie.

“Am I gonna be okay? Will I… ever be able to go home? No, don’t answer that. I already know.”

Janus turned his head away and stared at the far, dark corner in deep thought. “I’ll not let anything happen to you. I will do everything in my power to keep you well. This you can be certain.”

It wasn’t the soundest reassurance, but it was enough. Ellie fell into Janus’s arms as he pulled her back down onto the sofa with him, where he held her for a long while until sleep took her again. Janus kept vigilant guard over her as she slept, watching her take each deep, restful breath. When it seemed as though the wound was calm, Janus then allowed himself to drift back to sleep.