Mike
Dylan’s warm hand in mine helped ease some of my fear as we walked through the huge front doors. The entrance floor was a pattern of gleaming light brown and darker brown tiles. There was a big staircase further ahead and many hallways and doors at both sides. This could very well take us ages if the ghosts didn’t find us first.
“Look at those statues,” Dylan murmured, taking in the décor like one would in a museum.
I simply nodded in agreement. They were beautiful, and obviously old. The wall to our right was filled with landscape paintings, all with some kind of landmark that seemed to be from at least a hundred years ago. The walls also had small plates on them with information on where to go. It was clear this was a castle for visitorsto browse through, though I assumed it was with a guide watching over them. I wouldn’t have trusted people alone in this place, it was simply too beautiful and valuable to risk.
“According to the sign here,” Marcus said, pointing to a silver sign. “The bedrooms are all upstairs. Perhaps we should check the entire downstairs before heading there, just in case?”
“Fine by me,” I agreed, following his lead. Erik was walking slightly ahead, clearly acting as a bodyguard to Marcus, even if he couldn’t do much. It was endearing to witness.
“This place is massive,” Marcus stated with a bit of irritation laced in his tone. It was clear he wanted to just ditch this case and be with Erik, but knowing we’d helped Erik find him was enough for him not to abandon us here without help.
“I think the kitchens are this way.”
“Kitchens?” I questioned Marcus. All the signs were in Danish but I was still surprised that there was more than one kitchen.
“It said kitchens, so I guess it means it has a big one, and maybe a smaller one for the staff,” Marcus explained. “To be honest, this is my first time visiting a castle as well.”
“Really?” Dylan asked. “If I lived here, I would’ve visited them all.”
Marcus just smirked knowingly at Dylan. “So, I take it that means you’ve visited all the museums in your state? Or perhaps the famous landmarks?”
I snickered at Dylan’s sheepish expression. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
Marcus just laughed as we continued down a long hallway. “I’ve truly always wanted to visit a castle, but with them being so accessible, I just never bothered. Not until now.”
“I get why people get married here,” Erik added, smiling lovingly at his boyfriend, fiancé? I had no idea what they were to each other now that Erik was a ghost, but I would think of them as fiancées considering they’d both wanted to propose.
The smile Marcus gave him was a pained one, full of regret and grief. They would never actually get married, no matter what, that could never legally happen with Erik being dead. I wondered if other mediums had been with ghosts romantically, and had stayed with them until they’d died. Perhaps marrying a ghost as a medium wouldn’t be too weird. If the human lived somewhere without anyghosts, they could touch the ghost as if they were alive. That would be enough for someone in love. It would’ve been enough for me if Dylan were to—Nope! Not going there.
“I can sense one of them nearby,” Erik announced, walking a little faster.
We followed, me tugging Dylan along. I didn’t bother telling him what Erik had said, he seemed truly intent on just following our lead and trusting us, no reason to waste time telling him what he would soon learn anyway.
There were three doors ahead, one of them a thick wooden door that Erik passed straight through.
“I think that’s the kitchen,” Marcus said, opening the door with us following close behind. I didn’t want to risk anything happening to Marcus, and even if the ghost couldn’t do anything—or it seemed that way at least since Erik was taking up some of the energy—I still wanted to stay close.
The kitchen was a darker one, with rich wooden cabinets, stone walls and copper accents around the room. Two huge windows overlooked the garden to the left where the ghost sat, gazing outsidewhile ignoring our presence completely. Erik was standing next to her, looking slightly worried.
“Are you well?” Erik asked, and it was such a weird question to ask someone who was dead that I almost laughed. Luckily, I caught myself in time and remembered they still had feelings and felt as though they were alive, just without the need to sleep, eat, and drink, and of course the lack of bathroom breaks and showers.
The ghost sighed, then turned to face Erik. Her expression was pained and filled with regret and worry. “I hope to be soon, young man,” she replied. “My name is Hanne, I take it that the men behind you are the new mediums?”
Erik nodded. “You heard they were coming?”
She shook her head. “I just figured as much. We’ve already had six mediums try to deal with the wretched woman in our attic. Sadly, they either got injured or scared out of here.” She leveled a look at Erik, “Maybe you being here will help with that. I noticed I couldn’t touch the window like I’m used to. Is that why you’re with them?”
“Just happy coincidence,” Erik assured her. “But what do you mean six mediums? We only heard of five?”
“There was one who came in the middle of the night with equipment. Lots of electronic stuff and what I think was a radio. He was talking to himself about how he wanted to catch the ghost on camera.”
Marcus and I groaned.
“That wasn’t a medium,” Erik smiled kindly, but his eyes held the same exasperation as we felt. “It was likely an eager ghost hunter who wasn’t allowed to be here.”
“Then I will no longer feel bad for his injury,” Hanne stated primly. “How utterly shameless of him to break into a castle such as this and make such a ruckus.” She scoffed. “The youth these days.”