4. The Relic of Heterich Castle

Rain fell in light sheets as the cold wind blew in from the loch. Droplets felt like ice, pelting against my skin as I sat outside a pub in a small Scottish village north of Edinburgh. It was a quiet night as the rain hummed in the air. The rough stone made out the streets and buildings that surrounded me. The only other sound was coming from the pub behind me. Somehow Lucas talked me into stopping, which I still questioned. While he drank, I stood outside in the freezing cold and rain. I hated it, and it was partly my doing since I had no desire to join him. Pubs and excessive drinking were never my thing. However, I am starting to regret my decision as I could feel the cold in my bones.

I had enough once another ten minutes or so passed, which felt like an eternity. I kept staring at one area and swear I saw the same damn bird fly back in forth over twenty times. I turned and breathed before opening the doors with the words The Broken Bottles embossed on the wood. As the warmth of the pub embraced me. Inside, the small room was filled with villagers sitting at the table having a grand time enjoying their pints of beer. It was loud and very rowdy as they would stand up a cheer looking towards the television. It must be a football game on; that would explain it. At least here in the UK, it was a game I understood, and I could tell the village's team had just scored.

Lucas sat at the bar enjoying his pint of Guinness. His back to me as he looked at his phone. I wondered what he could be reading, but that could wait. I was ready to get to where we were supposed to be.

"Times up, come on," I said once I reached him.

"Phoenix, chill," Lucas replied, waving down the bartender.

"You realize we have somewhere to be," I replied more forcefully. If I am honest, it might be easier to drag him, but I would make a scene. Plus, he would get muddy, but then again, maybe that is not such a bad idea. It would teach him a lesson.

"Ugh, can I at least finish," he pleaded as he had about half a pint left. If I waited, it could take an extra hour or so. I knew how long it could take him to finish, and we were already late. So, I grabbed the drink, chugged the rest of it down, and placed it back on the bar in front of him.

"There, you're done," I said.

"Hey..."

"Let's go," I ordered as he pouted while grabbing his coat. It took us about fifteen minutes to walk to our destination as the wind came forcefully toward us. Pushing against our bodies with a force that made it hard to move. As we rounded the last bend, the tall towering stone structure stood before us. Hetrich Castle stood tall with its grey stone walls. Ready for some clan to siege it even as I looked down at my phone, as I checked the time. At this point, the rain had become a mist as it hung around us. It clung to everything around us, keeping me cold and wet. Standing near the barbican was a guard dressed in black with an earpiece.

"We have been expecting yea, Mr. Knight," The guard said as we approached, "there expectin' yea inside."

As we entered through the large wooden doors, the same gray stone surrounded us, except now smooth and polished as it formed the walls except in certain spots covered with paintings and tapestries. This whole castle decor told its storied history. The ceiling was all stained wood that spanned across. I could live here if I could ever get over the food and weather. Thankfully, inside was warm as a fire burned in the library as we walked in, finding Evelyn talking to a tall, grey-haired man.

"Speak o' the devil," the man said with a thick Scottish accent.

"Where have you been?" Evelyn asked in her English accent, looking at us with a scowl. I'm in trouble. I already know it. So, I did what every self-respecting guy would do. I looked over at Lucas. Who in turn looked around the room to avoid her eye contact.

The library itself was extensive, with bookshelves coving the walls except for the far end, which stood a large window glancing out into the loch. Tonight, however, you would not get a magnificent view in the darkness.

"I see," she said finally, "Mr. Hetrich, this is Phoenix and his friend Lucas."

"Heard a lot about you, lad," the man said, shaking my hand firmly, "Feel free to call me Scott."

"What can we do for you?" I asked, trying to get information about why we had been summoned here.

"About a week ago, someone broke into the castle, and they were looking for the relic," Scott replied, handing over a brownish book as he opened to the page. The book was old and worn and had that smell. The ones that makes the history nerd inside me jump up and down. He told us a little about how the men could escape being caught. From what he said, he didn't know much about it other than his family has been looking after it for centuries. He mentioned that he never saw it but knew it was in the castle. Scott told us how he knew Veronica and that he hoped we could find it and keep it safe.

"It getting late. We could start in the morning with some research," Evelyn said.

"Sounds great; thank you so much. I don't want this family heirloom falling into the wrong hands," Scott replied. He then told us where we could find our rooms in the castle. Otherwise, we would get lost in the massive place. On the way up to our room, I explained Lucas and the pub. She laughed and was pleasantly surprised he could talk me into it.

"Lucas, your room is next door," Evelyn said, pointing to the next door down the hallway. He walked that way with his bag and retired to his room. However, before closing his door, he had one more thing to say,

"You owe me a drink Phoenix." He is still slightly irritated that I finished his for him. Evelyn just shook her head as we were the door closed behind him.

"I guess this is ours," I said, opening the door. Evelyn went in; first, the room was spacious, with a towering window, a king-sized bed with a couch area for sitting, and a fireplace already lit, warming the place on the other side. On the walls hung tapestries and paintings depicting the Scottish landscape. The natural beauty was in the details. It was magnificent.

"This is nice," Evelyn said, heading to the bathroom to prepare for bed. While she was there, I changed into pajama pants, glad to get out of the wet coat and clothes I had been wearing. Evelyn returned shortly later as I was lying on top of the bed. She came over, dressed in her nightgown, and lay beside me.

"Hey, you," She said as her blue eyes looked into mine.

"I missed you," I leaned in and kissed her.

"I missed you too; I'm sorry for all this traveling. Your mother has kept me busy." She replied.

"She has a bad habit about that, doesn't she?" I poked. Evelyn laughed.

"Love you." She said, and I replied the same as we kissed again, then we curled up in the sheets and fell asleep as the fire danced.

***

I awoke to a loud sound, almost like glass breaking. I could only see the embers in the fire as the noise got louder. Every part of my being was alert as I felt my nerves shudder. I lifted myself to sit in bed, which disturbed Evelyn, who was beside me.

"What is it?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The sound got louder as she pushed out of bed.

"Phoenix?"

"I don't know," I replied as I put a shirt on to investigate. Evelyn followed after me as we headed out into the hallway. The sound echoed off the stone walls. It was dark, with only the tiny flashlight from my phone lighting the way. Even as we slowly ventured down the spiraling staircase to the bottom floor. We found the area of broken glass which came from one of the windows letting in the crisp air from the night inside.

"Someone’s in here," Evelyn whispered, keeping her voice low as we ventured on. There was only one reason someone would break into this castle, and I already had a hunch about who it was. Sure enough, as we rounded the corner into the library, a large man dressed in all black with a blue circle in view on his shoulder stood over the table.

"Doing a bit of midnight reading, are we?" I said, startling the guy. He tried to run past me pushing me to the ground. I got up, chasing after him, eventually catching up to him and pulling him to the ground. He lashed out to my side, it hurt, but it wasn't bad. The man tried to fight me off, which was no use with my stature, and I quickly knocked him to the ground as he now slept.

"What is all the ruckus," said Lucas rubbing his eyes as he entered with Mr. Hetrich. He, too, seemed confused with the noise, then looking over at the guy lying on the floor, he seemed to understand.

"Seems we caught a thief," Evelyn said.

"Aye, well—let's throw 'em in the dungeon," Scott said with a rather pleasing tone. He seemed thrilled with the idea.

"You have one of those," Lucas looked at him with big eyes.

"Why, of course, don't you."

Scott was serious about the dungeon as we walked down a dark staircase. I was the person carrying the thief down with Lucas. The dungeon was just that, with cells lined with cages. Granted, there were no torture devices from the mid-evil period, sadly. I would have liked to have used them for our friend, even if it was a bit harsh, but I was getting a little tired of the collective.

We placed the guy in a chair tied up in one of the cells with nearby lantern lighting. We waited for him to wake as we threw cold water over him. Scott was on the phone with the guard when he finally came to.

"Hello, sunshine," I told the man as he gritted his teeth, "So what could you be looking for?"

"I don't answer to you," The man said confidently.

"True, but I really don't care," I replied, bending down to be at eye level with him.

"Allison sends her regards."

"Tell that winch to go to hell," Evelyn joined.

He looked over at me and then smiled a bit in silence. It was unnerving, like he knew something. This made me uneasy, like something else was at the foot.

"It's sad, really," The man began, "that you can't even forgive yourself, Phoenix." I quickly got up, walked up to him, and punched him straight in the face. As I could hear Evelyn and Lucas behind me, whence my reaction.

"Go to hell," I replied softly, "Have fun, rotting."

I was done for the night and headed up back to the room. I would deal with it more in the morning. It had been a long day flying, the jetlag setting firmly in.

"Phoenix," Evelyn said as we walked back into our room.

"Not now," as I took my shirt off and settled back into the bed sheets.

"Ok," Evelyn replied as she curled up next to me. Throughout the night, I stared out the window into the dark sky, waiting for sleep to wash over me and finally end this day.

***

The early morning sunlight shined through the window into our room. Evelyn's head was laid on my chest as she gently woke. We stayed there momentarily, enjoying the company and our time together before getting ready for the day and what it would bring. Dealing with problems that would arise, more important, dealing with what was said last night.

Can I really forgive myself?

That would be the question as I arose in the morning. Putting on a base layer and sweater to prepare for the cold that has wrapped its hands around the Scottish landscape. We might get rain today as the clouds cover the sky, creating a grey day. Yet, for some reason, it fits naturally into the landscape, blending into the beauty as I looked out my window into a space that seemed to go on forever. Seeing it for the first time, I could understand how so many stories came from this island.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it," Evelyn asked once she was finished getting ready in the morning.

"I'm fine; he was just trying to get under my skin," I replied, trying to ease her. The first thing was I needed to understand what this relic was and why it was so important. Then I need to find it.

"You know you can talk to me," She said, approaching me. As she warped her hands around me.

"I know," I said, kissing her, "Let's see if we can find this relic."

We met in the dining room, where our host graciously had breakfast for us. Lucas was a tad late, which is expected to a degree. The table was set in the main dining room of the castle. The same grey stone walls surrounded us with a wooden floor and arched ceilings above. I’m noticing how much they like their stone up here in Scotland. The table wasn't very ornate with a well-polished and exquisite wood. Breakfast was great, with juices, coffee, and tea. Along with big slices of bacon and eggs with some sausage to go with it. It was not the typical American breakfast where you get waffles and pancakes. Even so, the breakfast was excellent and well-made. Fuel for the day to come.

"I think we could start by looking around," I said, finishing my breakfast. Evelyn sipped some coffee, and Lucas looked up from his plate.

"You have access to the entire castle and its grounds," Scott replied from the end of the table. "I will see if your friend downstairs can give us any more answers before I hand him over to the authorities."

"Seems we have a plan," Evelyn said.

"Seems we do," Lucas replied.

"I can see if I can find more research in the library," Evelyn exclaimed, getting up from her seat.

"I guess that leaves us to look around," Lucas said, glancing over to me.

"Yes, it does."

We roped the castle looking for anything out of place, starting in the direction where our collective friend was searching, along with the site where the previous break-in happened before we arrived. Nothing was found, just old books and cobwebs after seemly roaming the halls looking for any clue that would lead to this relic. We still needed to learn about what it was. I finally headed out into the garden to get some air.

The garden stretched out from the castle to the shore of the loch. Its waters are calm in the distance, only disturbed by the faint cool breeze. Despite the gloomy look, it hasn't rained yet today. The air was crisp, with the draft made me shiver. I was glad I brought my jacket with me. The garden was well-taking care of, even with many of the plants brown due to the winter. If you look closely, however, you can see the garden beginning to come back to life. Spring was near, and warmer weather would soon arrive.

"You're looking for the relic," a voice said behind me. I quickly turned around to find an older lady standing there. Her hair was grey, and she seemed in a nun's outfit.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Just a feeling," She said, "Walk with me."

We walked in silence down to the shores of the loch. Where did she come from? There was no one around.

"Do you know what the relic is?" I asked.

"Yes, I do," she exclaimed, "The relic is an ancient horn that was used by the horseman here over five hundred years ago. It is said that it could summon troops from the dead to help them with their cause."

"That's scary," I replied. Thinking of how the collective could use that for their own gain. Have an army that they could control whenever they needed it. We needed to find it.

"You have a good heart, but you will not find it here," She said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"It was destroyed many years ago for the safety of others," She exclaimed as we took a turn at the waters shore and walked down the rough path next to the loch. The wind at the beach was a little more robust, and it began to mist.

"Who?" I asked.

"I did, for the safety of the world. Since then, I have haunted this castle to deter anyone from finding its remains."

"So why are you telling me?"

"Like I said, your heart is pure; you do not seek it for power or money. You seek to protect it and the world you call home. You would have done the same thing I did if you had that choice."

"So, where is its remains, I should say?" I asked, still a little confused.

"In the library, there is a book with white skin. It is the only kind, so it should be easy to spot. It will lead you to a secret doorway leading you down to the chamber where it lies broken. I want to ask two favors, however."

"Of course; what are they," I replied. I hope I did not just get myself into something I would regret. What was I even doing trusting this lady, yet she believed me.

"Protect your brother at all cost," She exclaimed, and my heart stopped. "Two, forgive yourself, what is in the past should stay there, and you have become stronger."

"How did you..." I wanted to ask, but she was no longer there. It was as if she vanished straight into the air. Now only I stood looking back at the castle. How did she know I had a brother, a fact I have only known for less than a year? How did she know my past? Who was she?

That would have to wait. I now knew where to find this relic and what it was. Even if it was no longer intact. It still needed protection. So I rushed back to the castle.

I ran most of the way and entered the library, where Lucas, Evelyn, and Scott were powering their way through books. Evelyn looked up and noticed me panting.

"Where have you been? Did you go for a run?" she questioned.

"I know what it is and where," I explained.

"What, how?" Lucas said. Even Scott looked intrigued by the development.

"I will explain later," I said as I searched the shelves for the white book the lady described. It was on the far bookshelf next to the window. She was correct; it was very noticeable once you looked for it. I pulled out only to find it attached, like a lever. Then the bookshelves moved and reviled a staircase.

"A secret passage, who would have thought," Scott said, somewhat surprised. The passageway was narrow as we walked down it. It was colder the more we ventured down.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Evelyn said. So as we walked, I told them about the lady by the lake. Only to leave out the part when she asked me those favors. I couldn't really see their faces as it was dark. I needed to carefully watch my step so I would fall.

The staircase ended straight into a chamber. I could barely see and searched for something to light the room. Looking around, I found a torch on the wall.

"Does anyone have a lighter?" I asked.

"I do," Scott said, handing it to me. The torch lit correctly and illuminated a small section of the room. With the new light, I noticed and burned a few more torches. Giving us a warm view to see. The chamber was old and, by the looks of it, more ancient than the castle itself, of the main chamber where anti rooms, some filled with pottery and other stone coffins.

"It's a crypt," Lucas said, looking around, and he wasn't wrong.

"Phoenix, come look," Evelyn said, standing over one of the coffins as I walked over, "Look at the inscription,"

Here rest

Maggie Bryan

The protector and savor of Scotland

Destroyer of death

"It can't be," I whispered. Trying to understand what this means. Maybe it was just a tomb of a lady. Yet something else told me it wasn't.

"Phoenix, is this it?" Lucas asked from the end of the room. He stood over a pedestal, looking down over it. We all walked towards the spot where Lucas stood. When we reached him, we looked down to see what he was looking at. On the pedestal stood a horn ornately decorated and broken in two. Like it was split in half by an ancient sword which, as I watched, one rested nearby. It hilts rusted with age, yet, a black mark from an impact is at its center.

"Bravo, now hand it over," a voice echoed through the chamber as we quickly turned around. Facing us was the collective footmen free of his bonds. At least his nose was still broken.

"How did you get free," Scott questioned.

"With my help, sir." Said another voice coming down the stairs. It was the guard, the same one who let us in the castle. His face became clear once he entered into the light of the room.

"How dare you," Scott said as he put his hand in his pocket, "You're supposed to protect this castle."

"Oh shut up, can't you see I was planted here." The guard said, his accent eroding away. I understand a little more now. I noticed his accent was almost like he was overcompensating earlier. I soon recognized the New Jersey accent that came out as he was no longer trying to be Scottish. I should have noticed that.

"Allison is full of tricks, isn't she," I told the men.

"Yes, she can't wait to get her hand on you. Now hand it over." The collective man said.

"Why does she want it anyway? It's broken, smashed in two. I bet it doesn't even work," I replied.

"Frankly, that's none of your business," he replied as he pulled his gun, pointing it at us. I walked forward towards it, unafraid. I could see the surprise in his eyes as I sauntered toward him.

"Stop right there," he said, yet I continued to press forward.

"Why don't you just shoot me," I replied, now coming straight into the point-blank range of the gun. My heart was calm as I walked. I could hear the breath everyone kept holding in, the tension that stood in the air between us.

"I'll do it," The main said, shaking.

"No, you won't," I replied, "because if you did, Allison would have your head. You see, she needs me alive." Now stopping with the gun pointing directly into my chest as he stood there in silence, shaking.

"If he won't..." the guard began to say before falling to the floor. Behind him stood another guard with his clubbed raised. I guess Scott called reinforcement in as the guard nodded at me. I turned back towards the other man.

"You told me last night I couldn't forgive myself," I exclaimed, wiping the gun from his hands to the floor. Then I graded his shirt and pushed him against the wall. As I whispered into his ear, his feet inched from the ground, "That may be true, but I can forgive myself for killing you. Now tell Allison she better learn to kill me; otherwise, I will come for her."

The man looked at me with fear as I let him go. He ran towards the stairs where the guard stood. I nodded towards them as he let him through back up the stairs. He was running, hopefully, with my message. Now the room only remained to us, with the collective out of sight.

"What did you tell him?" Lucas asked.

"To tell Allison to screw herself," I replied as he laughed a bit. Evelyn came over, pulling me into an embrace.

"Don't do that again, please," She said.

"I won't; let's get this in a safe place," I said, pointing to there remains of the horn. We collected the artifact and headed back up the steps. I looked back down into the chamber one last time. She stood smiling, the same lady who spoke to me by the lake. All I needed to do now was keep my promise.

***

Scott had an impressive dinner for us that night for helping him and keeping the artifact safe. The pickup crew came right before dinner to get the object and take it to one of our secure vaults that are hidden worldwide. With dinner almost finished, I proceeded to sneak away for a bit.

I walked my way back down towards the village. It had rained a bit, with a light drizzle coming down. Clouds hid the stars and moon, with the only light coming from the street lamps and building around. I now stood in front of some massive wooden doors. No matter where in the world they were, it was these doors that I couldn’t enter. It was more personal, not because I was barred or anything like that. I couldn't walk through these doors because of the shame. Why was I worthy to walk through them? However, I promised to do something and intend to keep that promise. So I proceed to open them.

Inside, the building was arranged like a giant cross, with its walls the same grey stone as the village building. The floor is the same, and the ceiling is built of wooden arches that create an open space. Pews stood in rows on either side of the room. With a massive stained glass window at the end next to the altar, I looked in each direction-finding that I had the place to myself. I was alone and needed to be for what I needed to do. So I walked over to the side and found the prayer candles station.

There were arranged in rows of ten, encompassed by a golden box with a cross at the top. None were lit, and for a moment, all I did was stare, just looking at the empty rows of pews. Looking at the flames, candles that now stood before me. I can do this. I had to.

I grabbed the box of matches and pulled one out, striking against the side of the box to light it. I took a deep breath, leaned it towards a candle, and lit it. Making a silent prayer as the flame danced. Looking at it, I sat in the pew facing the candles and pulled out the silver necklace that Evelyn gave me. As I looked into the flame, the semicolon charm at the end was firmly in my hands.

What have I become?

Shame and regret?

"Who's the candle for?" Evelyn's voice whispered behind me. She sat beside me as my hand still held the neckless. I just again looked into the flame for a moment in silence. I felt the pain building up inside me until I finally looked over at her.

"Myself," I choked as she pulled me in. She embraced me as I cried in her arms, and we sat there as I forgave myself.