Midnight Castle: A Souls of Darkness Novel

By Prem K. Kaur

Robyn Garrison lived in remorse, in guilt - until the day she got to rectify herself, until the day she finally found out her sister was still alive and breathing.

She needed one thing only, and that was to free her sister from vampires. So she set off, into the Castle, into the hell she never anticipated she would set foot in. But it would be a breeze! That thought was the only mistake Robyn made.

Her job of searching for her sister would place Robyn in the midst of blood-sucking creatures and passages with cryptic clues that never ended. Even if the search didn’t finally destroy Robyn, succumbing to Dante Ivanov’s - a mortal born to protect the vampires - deadly looks, just may. His brown wavy locks, captivating eyes, and rippled muscles are the only thing that keeps Robyn going. Too bad they don’t get along!

But Robyn needs her focus, because no matter how captivating and gorgeous Dante may seem, her motive is way beyond him. Each vampire is deadlier than the other, and Robyn soon realizes she would need her wits to find her sister. Or die trying...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Apr 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781482883008

Prem K. Kaur

Prem K. Kaur was born in Thailand and has always had a natural flair for words. Since childhood, she has loved to isolate herself in her fantasy world. Prem’s first writing project was fan fiction written using Wattpad, which was highly appreciated by many readers. Souls of Darkness is her debut novel.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

I grumbled as my feet shuffled heavily, attempting to drag myself to the loo at three in the morning. That heavy feeling… mixed with unearthly grogginess. Why did I have to gulp down an entire bottle at bedtime anyway? Rushing to get the deed done, I hadn’t even switched on the lights. Shoots! I cursed as the cupboard packed a punch against my foot. In all irony, I leaned against the very furniture that inflicted pain, to nurse the injured foot back to life by massaging it with gentle pressure.

I lowered my foot shakily back down, testing the waters. A sigh of relief escaped my lips when the pain didn’t shoot up my leg, as it had the first time. It hadn’t healed, but signaled a start. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and continued limping in sheer darkness.

Once I was done and out of the toilet - sleep now thoroughly evaded - my limbs still felt wobbly. I scrambled around till I found the light switch and flicked it on. The instant bright light made my eyebrows curve into a furrow and blink vigorously… it took me at least a few seconds before I could finally see again. I yelped the moment my eyes adjusted.

There, standing right outside my window sill was the biggest ‘bird’ I had ever seen; poised completely still with such majestic. I instinctively placed my right palm on my thundering heart and willed myself to calm down. Was it really a ‘bird?’ It has to be, I comforted myself. But no! As I carefully peered at it with eyes still adjusting to the light and reeling from shock, the actual size of it dawned upon me. It was huge - almost as big as a wild snow wolf! My mind froze still.

I gasped and backed away a few steps; glad my bladder was empty. The bird kept gawking at me with it’s steely gaze; eyes completely fixated on my moving form. I felt my body begin to cringe, causing my insides to shrivel. It was all so unreal. My mind began to run, should I scream, or pinch myself to snap out of this ‘dream?’ I stood there clueless, helpless, completely terrified out of my wits. In that spur of the moment, the monster of a bird made its move.

It hooked its oversized talon on the handle of the window panel and slowly began to raise it. I broke out in a sweat even though a gush of cold air found its way into the bedroom. The way the creature lifted the thick glass with no difficulty, I knew there was no telling what it could actually be capable of. Slowly backing away, pain shot up my leg. My back collided with the dresser. It was almost a silent sound, but enough to make the creature pause, cock its head to one side and straighten its back, obviously threatened by the noise. Swamped with fear, I felt my heartbeat pound in my ears. I began to lose hope. There was so much pain that I couldn’t even bolt. Where would I go? How far could I reach with that hobble anyway? I watched in horror as the glass slid higher and higher until the ‘bird’ squeezed itself in and magnificently landed on my marble floor with a thud. Covered in black feathers that resembled a dark night, the bird looked like a menacing cross-breed between a vulture and a stork. All this while, it’s piercing gaze never leaving mine. It could sense my fear, I was sure of it. I felt light-headed and my head began to spin. My world had begun collapsing around me.

The monstrous ‘bird’ began scraping it’s hooked claws across the floor, creeping towards me slowly, as if I was unsuspecting prey. I sucked in hard, lodging my breath in my throat. I thought to scream, then quickly decided against it. The animal hadn’t presented an attack, so that still created a glimmer of hope - a hope that it would decide I wasn’t a threat and return to its nest. I shut my eyes, bowed my head in submission and slowly kneeled down to diminish the fringing pain, praying it would disappear - both the injury and the bird. I felt my strength evade me when I felt the strands atop my head fly and heard its grounding breath above me. I was worthless, fully accessible to a monster’s wrath. Feeling stone cold, I took a chance and peered my eyes open, knowing I had nothing else to lose.

There it was, so unreal, towering above me. It was an out of the body experience, having thought that death itself had come to take me. I didn’t know what came to me, but I felt the overwhelming need to say something to the ‘master.’ But barely a whisper escaped my lips.

Good bird, I cooed, filled with anticipation to be spared. Good bird.

There was absolutely no movement or reaction. Zilch. I shifted back slightly to look at it, only to be caught in its piercing stare. The creature cracked open its beak, revealing a set of gigantic teeth. The snare was confrontational, threatening me to keep my mouth shut. Never peeling it’s sight away from me, what it did next was rather absurd. It raised its left wing with such momentum that it caused the air in the room to swirl. I fell on my side, curved into a ball, with arms wrapped my body, holding on to dear life.

I couldn’t help but gasp! It’s wing span was humongous; stretching across half my bedroom. The creature’s stance was ominous, but it’s gaze was losing the fearsome stare. It wasn’t there to attack me. My mind began to race with a thousand questions. What did it want with me? Did it come from… No! That wasn’t possible. The very thought of it gave me goosebumps, trapping me in an enigma.

It was that moment I noticed something peeking out in the folds of its feathers between the wing. It looked like a piece of a neatly folded paper. Calming itself down, the ‘bird’ raised its head, pecked the sheet with it’s beak and placed it right in front of my feet. I was stunned beyond belief. Just moments ago I thought I was counting down the minutes to my end. I glanced down at the white sheet of paper and then at the ‘bird,’ who, to my absolute disbelief, nodded at me once, walked back to the window sill, jumped on it, and took off into the starry night. I stood there, feeling the cool air caress my face, completely unharmed.

The breath I was holding whooshed out of me and I felt the colour of my skin return. I quickly took steady steps forward, shut the window pane and crumpled onto the floor. What in the world was that? Was it ever going to come back?

Still in shock, I crawled forward to pick up the sheet of paper that the bird had left for me. With trembling hands, I unfolded the paper. On it, were only two words written. Two words that shook me. It read:

Help me!

I froze. No! It couldn’t be! It just wasn’t possible. I rose unsteadily, finding balance against the wall and walked towards the bed. I needed to sit. My hand rested on the mattress and I steadily placed myself down. I would’ve fallen if there wasn’t something to keep me up. My mind was a total blank. My eyes found the sheet in horror again. This was a mistake! It couldn’t be possible. I started to shiver, out of fear, sorrow, relief? I didn’t know. The past was coming back to haunt me in a way I never imagined. I shut my eyes to keep my tears in check. But as I glanced at the two words before me, I knew this was no joke, not even a prank. Because I recognized this handwriting, I knew the messy scrawl of words, I felt the plea behind the message. And I recognized it with all my heart.

It was a message from my sister.

She was alive.

CHAPTER 1

My head slumped down as I groaned in despair. Writing an essay had always been the hardest task I have ever had to accomplish at school, more so since two nights ago. How could I even concentrate? Especially since my brain was wrung dry, trying to come up with a logical explanation to my sister’s note and the events that led to it.

I sighed.

Racking my head for two days, was absolutely hell. I had no clue as to what to do, where to start. I was petrified when I first saw the note, the ‘bird’ with its huge talons and humongous structure. When I actually began to pick the pieces that had broken inside of me; I began to feel pity for my sister. My only sibling who I thought was dead for over two years now, was alive and breathing! Probably suffering too, and she had reached out to me. I shivered. She was locked up in a hell hole somewhere, for God knows how long… tortured. And she needed me.

I wanted to bawl. I wanted to hurl my fists and sob. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t know if I was supposed to feel joy over the fact that Nora was alive, or remorse over the fact that she had to suffer all these years.

Without realizing, I had crunched the essay paper in my hand, my eyes blazing with fury, with sadness. The words I had written below were a blur of scribbles. I wasn’t focusing. All I could imagine was Nora trapped within four walls of the Castle with high towers and flanking fires, and all I wanted to do was fight my way into that Castle, rip her captor’s head off, and free her.

Robyn Garrison!

I jolted and glanced up only to find Ms. Peterson staring down at me with the most enraged look in her eyes. She always reminded me of an eagle. With that sharp nose and prying gaze of hers, she was a terror known to mankind.

What do you think you’re doing? She snapped, pointing at the essay sheet which was now balled completely in my fist. I yelped and immediately released it. Caught red-handed.

That was your assignment, Missy. I want that piece of paper handled with care. And write me a thousand word essay within the hour. Or detention for a week. Your choice.

But-

Am I clear? She said sternly, glaring at me with those eagle eyes of hers.

My shoulders slumped, defeated. Yes, Ma’am.

She raised her face in the air, scoffed once, and stormed off. I grumbled at my own stupidity and glanced down at the mess that was once my assignment.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Nora, the pillow fights filled with laughter after silly arguments, heart conversations during the morning walks to school and those hugs that made me feel invincible. I couldn’t even stop thinking about what happened two nights ago. No matter how much I tried to set the paper straight and attempted to pick up my pen to get the words flowing, I couldn’t. There was this mental block in my head. I couldn’t focus left, right or center. My mind was glued to my sister, my twin, who had been missing for two years.

I hadn’t said a word to my parents that night. Nor the nights after. My sister’s disappearance had already left them shattered. It would just trouble them mentally if I told them, and in all honesty, the note could be a bogus - giving them false hope for nothing. It could be some twisted psycho trying to play a sick prank on me. But in my heart, I doubted that. I knew those words were written by her. I could sense it. Although I had absolutely no clue as to how in the blazing world had she managed to get that creature which I called a ‘bird’ to deliver it.

I muttered a curse once again, crumpled the paper and threw it in the bin without a side glance. Dammit! Detention was way better than trying to write a senseless essay anyway. I turned around and saw Elena signaling me to look up. I raised my eyebrows and found Ms.Peterson glaring right at me. Detention at three sharp, was all she said as the bell rang and we were ushered out of the class.

Damn! Robyn! Elena caught up with me. You did not just agree to detention!

I glanced at her wearily. She had always been petite, with a small frame yet adorning long limbs. With hair as long as Rapunzel’s and two huge gray ovals as eyes, she was in fact beautiful. Did it in front of you actually. I smiled cheekily at her.

She punched me in the shoulder. But seriously, writing an essay is way easier than Ms. Peterson’s detentions. She doesn’t even let us read or use our phones for that matter. It’s two hours of complete silence with her. Elena shuddered. It’s complete horror.

I’ll take my chances, I muttered. Before I could say another word, a blonde boy with chiseled features jumped out of nowhere and startled my best friend. She shrieked with joy as she tackled him and turned into his arms to kiss him slowly. I groaned.

Mike! I swatted him. Could you keep your hands off her for just two minutes? I rolled my eyes as he waved without even looking at me, still kissing her passionately on the lips. Catcalls and whistles followed us as we made our way to the lunchroom. Mike finally broke apart from a flushed Elena only to grin at me. Don’t look so sad, he crooned. You’ll get a boyfriend soon enough.

Shut up, I snapped at my two best friends who only laughed at my jest. I had been friends with this duo for my entire school existence. From elementary to high school, they had always been my pillars. I had a major crush on Mike years ago, so did the rest of the cohort. I mean, who wouldn’t? With those toned arms and chest plastered to a lean, sun-kissed body, he was a delight to ogle. I was fully pepped up to tell him, only to find out that Elena was already head over heels for him, as he was for her. My heart did shatter, but it was one that belonged to a young teen bathing in puppy love. It mended pretty quickly. Since then, Mike and Elena have been inseparable, to say the least.

You’re pretty, Robyn, Mike said, still flashing his wide-toothed grin. With that flaming red hair of yours and brown eyes, you don’t have to be single. Just give me the word and I could tell the entire football team you’re available. I smacked his shoulder playfully once again as Mike’s fits of laughter sounded through the corridors.

We entered the lunchroom only to find it bustling with students; a daily scenario. Did they all have a secret like I did? My mind ran amok with wild thoughts. Brushing my worries off, we got our lunch trays and walked over to our usual table. Mike had his arm around Elena the entire time and I couldn’t help but feel a little envious as I watched the two of them. If I did end up getting hitched, would he be as sweet as Mike? I shook that thought away as we sat down. It wasn’t the time to let my mind wander.

Did you hear? Elena began as she bit into her chicken caesar wrap. The Castle is inviting five new Seekers to enter this time! The doors open day after tomorrow, for about a month, right? I mean there are normally only five who are invited, but this time, they’re ten!

My fork slipped through my fingers and clattered to the floor as those words escaped her. I stared at her, as my breathing got deeper and slower.

Those words…

Those dreaded words were the reason my sister wasn’t by my side, why she went missing in the first place.

I began to feel a loathe so strong, it caused me to tremble with such intensity that a wave of nausea swept through me.

What’s wrong, Rob? I felt Elena’s hand grip my arm slightly, but I didn’t care to reply. I was a million miles away from my flesh and blood, and that thought was eating me alive. I didn’t even realize I was shaking. Robyn! She shook me once more. I was in a trance, a world of my own. A world where nightmares existed and innocent were slaughtered.

A world where Nora existed.

I began to shiver despite the warmth. Without realizing, I pushed myself away and scrambled out of the lunch room before anyone could stop me. I heard Elena and Mike calling my name in the distance, but I couldn’t care less. I had to be alone.

My heart pounded in waves.

My feet shuffled on their own accord.

My mind was a blur.

I came to a stop on the bench outside, gasping for air. I sat down and burrowed my head in my hands. No! I wasn’t going to let myself waste precious time crying. Having thought that, I burst into tears and they kept rolling down my cheeks until my face was drenched.

I sat in silence for what seemed an eternity. What was I going to do? Nora needed to come home. But where was I going to start? My mind kept on swarming with reckless thoughts. The only thing that kept me company were the rustle of the leaves, the chirps of the little sparrows and an occasional bumble bee buzzing around my left ear. And that was more than enough.

I gathered my thoughts and sat up straight with a jolt. I knew I had to make a decision within that split second. I was going to do it anyway, whether it killed me or not. I had to find Nora because I loved her beyond anything in this world and she would have done the same. I was going to enter The Castle, putting my life on the line. But that wasn’t what made me shiver.

Goosebumps erupted at the thought of freeing her from the cross-breeds that I dreaded the most: those vampires who held no remorse, just hunger for humans.

CHAPTER 2

Get out Mike! I threw one of my shirts at him which he obviously caught so graciously in his hand with a wide smirk on his face. Everything was supposed to be normal. I couldn’t afford to raise suspicion, not now. I scowled at him and sat down on my bed in defeat. Mike grinned and followed suit.

He sat crossed legged at the corner across me and began the mild interrogation I so dreaded. I’m not going to leave this room until you tell me what the hell happened yesterday! I’m no fool, Rob. And I’m awfully sure I’m not going to take you being sick as an excuse for an answer. So you best tell me what happened right now, or I’ll drag you by your ears. He chuckled amusedly at his own joke.

Seriously? I cocked my head towards him. That’s the best you got?

Mike grinned sheepishly. Oh yeah! And in that spur of the moment, he attacked, pushing me down and climbing on top of me, trapping me. Say you’re sorry. Mike laughed.

Okay, okay, I heeded, wriggling under him. I choked on a tear as I sat up. It’s complicated.

He raised his eyebrows. Isn’t it always?

No I mean like really, really complicated.

Mike smiled. I’ve got all day, woman.

I smiled faintly. That was one of the reasons I loved him. He never let go, even when it got tough. I took a deep breath and regarded him solemnly. Remember, whatever I say, you don’t breathe about it to a soul. Not even Elena. I don’t want her freaking out and stopping me in my tracks. Mike nodded with worry in his eyes and prompted me to continue. Do you remember when Nora ultimately decided that she wanted to go to Romania to further her education two years ago?

Mike’s nod was tentative, like he didn’t know where I was going with this. To be fair, I had no idea as well. Yeah, I remember. Why? He asked softly.

She lied, I said blatantly. She didn’t want to pursue her studies. That was all a whole load of crap. She wanted to visit the Castle, I muttered, spitting out my own words. Nora was a Seeker.

No! Mike gasped in disbelief. But that means…that…that-

That she died there since she didn’t return? I continued for him. That she died in the hands of one of those dark beings, and not a freak car accident like we were told? The world believes that the car accident took her life, but there was no trace of her body.

What do you believe, Rob? Mike whispered with worry.

I picked up my courage and poured my heart out. Mike listened intently as I explained to him how I knew Nora could never lie to me, and that she told me the sole purpose of her visit to Romania wasn’t to further her studies, but to explore the world of the creatures behind those tower walls.

I had begged her not to go, had even almost believed I had gotten to her, but she took off one night: the night where the moon was shining bright and the stars were peeking through the scattered clouds. I had fallen asleep watching her sit by that window sill gazing at the sky, only to wake up the next morning to find her gone. Thinking about that moment still sends chills down my spine. I was terrified. I should have been more careful. I should have waited for her to fall asleep before I did. But even then, I believed she would come back. Vampires are portrayed as good here. Not like in the fictional stories we read which features them as blood sucking creatures. And with that hope, I held on for a few months hoping she would return, that she wouldn’t be as stupid as to die there.

I began to bury myself in research, flipped through tonnes of books, interviewed fellow Seekers and their family members. The more I learnt, the more scared I got. The ones who went into The Castle thought they’d never make it back, but they did. They had all seen Nora step into the darkness, but lost sight of her within the first few days. A few had mentioned that Nora seemed fearless in there - a born Seeker - one who was bred to step into the other world and return to ours with new information.

Even as a child, Nora had always told Mom that she believed that one day Vampires would walk freely amongst us, not as a threat but as two breeds living the same life. We never took her seriously and my mom used to laugh it off, carrying on with her daily chores.

My eyes turned glossy with tears. I looked up at Mike who held a completely solemn expression, his eyes welling up too.

Every other Seeker who entered had made it back exactly after a month. On that very day, I felt a piece of me die inside when I found out that Nora was the only one left behind. There were moments where I forced myself to believe she wasn’t alive, but my heart didn’t coincide with my mind. By the time I had gathered enough information, six months had passed. Half a year in there, Nora couldn’t be alive. All I could do was keep my sister in my thoughts forever.

I wasn’t going to act on it, Mike. Not until three nights ago at least.

Mike looked confused, troubled, terrified. He looked like he had sucked in an entire encyclopedia. With too much information churning around in his head, he managed to ask, What do you mean by ‘until three nights ago?’

I inhaled deeply and told him all about my night encounter with the ‘bird’ and handed him the note. I’m going to find her, Mike, I need to get to her. I said at last.

Are you crazy? He shouted, almost falling off the bed. Are you freaking out of your mind? Okay, I get that she might be alive, but don’t you see? It’s a suicide mission! What makes you think that you can just walk in there and rescue her, huh? Even if you do end up finding her, what’s your escape plan? If they caught you trying to rescue her, what makes you think they’re going to let you out of there. What makes you think you can do it? Mike was exasperated, getting all riled up.

Damn it, Mike. I wasn’t asking for your permission. I’m telling you. It’s not like the old times when we were kids and I used to seek your approval in almost everything. Try to feel my pain, you need to understand why I need to go. I know I might not even make it out in one piece, but she’s alive, Mike. She’s out there, alone. I let out a nervous laugh. In fact if I’m caught trying to rescue her, I-

Then I’m coming with you! Mike cut me off.

I glared at