The crowd of fugitives reached the safety of the castle and rushed inside. Somewhere below, their excited shouts rang out. The riders with terrifying faces and spears in their hands remained outside, moving through the darkness not far from the castle walls.
"Let us stay here," the Witch suggested to the Cursed. She gestured toward the large statues of monsters standing along the balcony. "It is far better to be among these terrifying creatures than alone with the Ruler and his brainwashed lackeys."
But after a while, the Ruler and the townspeople came up to them by themselves.
"Witch!" the Ruler shouted. "Look what you have brought us to! Your witchcraft, which you have been instilling into our respected townspeople every day, has finally come true. And now we are trapped in this cursed place, alone with its monsters and demons. And nothing will save us."
Suddenly, he pulled a large knife from the sheath on his belt.
"Except, perhaps, your death! Death to the Witch!"
And he charged at the girl with the knife raised.
"Death to the Witch! Death to the Witch!" furious cries rang out behind him.
Several people from the crowd also drew knives and advanced toward her with hostile intent.
"Step back while you're still alive," a low male voice swept across the balcony. Its tone was dangerous and promised nothing good.
The Ruler's wild eyes met the calm eyes of the Cursed.
"Stranger, step aside peacefully and don't interfere," the Ruler said. "This is our city's matter. You stand no chance. There are many of us, and you are alone."
"I don't think so." Mysterious ancient writings flashed across the Cursed's face, appearing and vanishing several times.
The Ruler and the other attackers murmured and slowly stepped back.
"You are the Cursed?" The Ruler turned to the girl. "So, Witch, you've found yourself company worthy of you. We will not be stopped just because you are the Cursed! Tales about you and others like you are clearly exaggerated. We will kill you both!"
He rushed forward again with the knife. The others, gradually regaining their resolve, followed him. Farther behind, the rest of the townspeople stood watching with wide eyes.
The situation was unprecedented.
At that moment, the large statues standing along the balcony came to life, and terrifying monsters stepped out toward the people. Amid their hungry roars, panic-stricken screams of the townspeople rose, and the crowd, driven mad with terror, fled through the corridors of the castle. The Cursed and the Witch ran among them. Horrible awakened creatures chased at their heels.
The Cursed could not shake the feeling that they were being driven into yet another trap.
Soon his premonition proved true. They found themselves in a vast twilight hall. At the far end, a tall female figure sat upon a throne.
"Back!" the Cursed shouted.
But it was too late. The monsters entered the hall from behind. The double doors slammed shut. A dark magical wind swept across the faces of the people, burning them, draining their energy, turning them into grim masks. The townspeople looked around in panic, already sensing with dread what was about to happen next.
The tall female figure rose from the throne and stepped forward. She descended several steps and approached him. The Cursed recognized her — the same sorceress he had seen in the manor, whose trail he had been following all this time toward the great source of evil in the Ancient Lands.
The sorceress understood that he had recognized her and gave him a sinister smile. She allowed herself to savor the dark triumph for several shadowed moments. Then she raised her hand, and all those standing before her collapsed to the ground. Only the monsters remained standing in place, in the shadows of the walls.
"The Demoness is returning to the castle!" she declared. "You will all now fall into a kind of magical sleep, in which you will witness the final unforgettable sight before your death. This will be her return."
Her words were melting into the air. In their place, darkness and the trees of a night forest were forming.