Page 82 of Castle of the Cursed
It’s hard not to be creeped out by the plants that look like body parts growing in the ground, but Sebastián walks around the foliage fascinated, like he sees a beautiful garden and not a grotesque display. I remember my first impression of la Sombra was not of a shadow castle but a shadow creature… I guess I wasn’t far off the mark.
“So, the lights and the fireplace—?”
“Fuego de sangre,” she answers. Blood flames.
“You mean there’s no electricity?” I ask quizzically.
“The soil this castle was constructed on isn’t wholly of this Earth. As there is no magic here, it must be nourished by our blood, which contains our ancestral power. In the earliest days, neighbors were sacrificed. The original owner used to host wild parties to feed the castle, but as civilization matured over time, mass murder became harder to pull off.”
The full moon parties. They were real. I can hardly believe it, and I suddenly wish I could tell Felipe.
“Over the generations,” she goes on, “our ancestors found a more civilized method: collecting blood from residents to feed the castle. That is what we are doing when we tend this garden.”
The soil seems to be a mix of dirt and blood, and I notice dark droppings in places. When I look closer, I see they’re the black pills.
“The seeds of these plants can be eaten,” Bea explains, following my gaze. “They have supernatural healing and nutritional properties, and I’ve been continuing the work of our ancestors by cataloguing the effects of each plant. I prescribe them as homeopathic remedies for my patients. We take care of la Sombra, and la Sombra takes care of us.”
I don’t know what to say. Or think. Or feel.
“The seed I gave you is the most potent plant here,” she goes on, “which our family uses when introducing a new family member to the castle.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“When it comes to spouses or hired help, we introduce their blood to this garden first, in higher and higher doses, until it’s safe for them to start visiting and eventually move in. We also give them these seeds to ingest so that the castle recognizes them as part of its family. That’s how it worked for your father.”
“That’s why you wanted to draw Felipe’s blood the other day,” I say, remembering how she reminded him of his appointment.
“I figured it was only a matter of time before he got in here,” she says. “I wanted to give him some extra protection.”
I can hardly believe it. This castle really is a creature. And like all beings of this world, it’s been named by others: la Sombra.
“I should’ve never let Felipe in. I put him in danger.” I feel Sebastián’s comforting hand squeeze my shoulder.
“You didn’t know he was working with your uncle,” says Beatríz. “Nor did the boy know what he was getting into.” She sighs and sets down the canister.
I still hold her responsible for what she did to Antonela, but I do believe that Beatríz has changed. I don’t think she and her brother are the same. She’s stepped out from his shadow; she’s not his sombrita anymore.
“I’ll take the pill now,” I say, swallowing it sans water.
I think Sebastián bends down and scoops some seeds, but it’s too quick to tell.
“How often do you water—er, blood these plants?” I ask.
“Once a week.” She approaches a metal chamber, and I know it’s a freezer by the exhale of icy mist when she opens it. “I fed the castle a big meal before leaving, but I think Teo has been getting into my stores at the clínica,” she says, and I look away guiltily. “I wonder what he’s doing.”
Sebastián lingers by the freezer while Beatríz and I head back into the shed. I hope he doesn’t finish all the bags in there.
I left you some under my bed, I mouth to him.
“I already found them,” he says, baring his fangs in a scary smile.
I keep my aunt company as she washes the dishes. She looks so exhausted that her eyelids are drooping, and I wonder when the last time she truly slept was.
“Let’s go to bed, it’s been a long day,” I say. She doesn’t argue and lets me steer her upstairs.
It’s only once I’m alone in my room that Sebastián and I can properly speak. “I take it she is not involved in her brother’s plans?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I found another room today with journals of spells my ancestors attempted. And I learned something.”
