Chapter 50: To the Hotel she will Go

Lady Lady Aurelia Valmont slammed another practice spell into the target dummy.

The explosion of wind magic shattered the wooden construct instantly.

Splinters scattered across the training grounds.

Servants nearby flinched.

Aurelia stood breathing heavily in the center of the ruined arena while magical currents spiraled violently around her silver-blue robes.

She was furious.

Not normal irritation.

Not noble annoyance.

Humiliation.

The kind that crawled beneath the skin and refused to leave.

Three days had passed since her disastrous duel against Selene Mooncrest.

Or more specifically, it’s been three days since Selene’s dragon had accidentally sneezed her entire team into oblivion.

Aurelia clenched her jaw.

“It wasn’t even a real attack,” she muttered.

Across the field, her instructor coughed nervously.

“Technically, Lady Aurelia… dragon breath still counts as…”

“I KNOW WHAT IT COUNTS AS.”

The poor man immediately looked like he regretted waking up that morning.

Aurelia turned away sharply and stumped across the courtyard.

Every noble in the capital had heard about the duel by now.

Some pretended sympathy.

Most failed very badly at hiding amusement.

One particularly hateful newspaper had referred to the battle as:

“The Great Sneeze Incident.”

Aurelia planned to burn every copy she found.

She thrust a hand forward.

Another gust of violent wind ripped across the field.

A fresh training dummy exploded.

The instructor quietly wrote something on his clipboard that probably translated to emotionally unstable.

Aurelia exhaled slowly.

She hated Selene Mooncrest.

Not because Selene was cruel.

That would have been easier.

No.

Selene was elegant.

Kind.

Talented.

Beautiful.

And infuriatingly difficult to dislike.

Which only made Aurelia angrier.

Because Prince Prince Cassian Aurelius looked at Selene the way poets described moonlight.

Meanwhile, Aurelia had spent most of her engagement listening to Cassian complain about politics and sword maintenance.

She kicked another shattered dummy piece across the courtyard.

“Stupid dragon.”

A servant approached nervously.

“My lady?”

“What.”

“The communication crystal is ringing.”

Aurelia frowned.

“At this hour?”

The servant nodded quickly.

“It’s marked urgent.”

⸻

The Call

Aurelia swept into the manor’s communication chamber still irritated and sweaty from training.

A glowing crystal hovered above the pedestal in the center of the room.

One of prince Cassian’s maids appeared within the projection.

The girl looked panicked.

“Lady Aurelia”

Aurelia blinked.

“…Mira?”

The maid looked close to tears.

“It’s the prince…”

The maid coughed and snorted into her handkerchief.

Every trace of annoyance vanished instantly.

“What happened?”

“He was attacked!”

Aurelia’s stomach dropped.

The maid spoke rapidly.

“There were reports of fighting near the eastern roads and someone said the prince was brought to the Nightmare Hotel for treatment!”

Aurelia stared.

“The… horror hotel?”

“Yes!”

Aurelia had heard stories about that place.

Everyone had.

The bizarre living hotel ruled by the horror summoner.

The place filled with monsters.

Ghosts.

Living puppets.

A mimic that allegedly ate thieves.

Her grip tightened on the pedestal.

“Is he alive?”

“Yes, my lady, but he is…”

Aurelia didn’t wait for the rest.

“I’m leaving immediately.”

⸻

Heroic Intentions

Twenty minutes later, Aurelia rode through the city gates atop a white summoned steed while several guards scrambled unsuccessfully to catch up.

Her mind raced.

Cassian injured.

Attacked.

Taken to a hotel full of monsters.

Aurelia imagined him chained dramatically inside a dungeon while horrifying creatures circled nearby.

Or worse…

Forced to eat horrifying bland and subpar hotel food.

She urged the mount faster.

“I’m coming, Cassian.”

In her head, this sounded oh so deeply romantic.

To nearby pedestrians, it mostly sounded oddly concerning.

⸻

The Wrong Path

The first hour of travel went relatively smoothly.

Then Aurelia encountered a weathered wooden sign post pointing towards Mystic Blood Valley.

Unfortunately, the sign had fallen over in the rain.

The elegant, clearly maintained main road curved left.

The muddy hunting trail curved right.

Aurelia riding hard chose the muddy trail.

Naturally.

Because destiny hated her.

⸻

Near Death Experience 

The trail quickly devolved into uneven forest terrain.

Branches snagged Aurelia’s expensive cloak.

Mud splashed across her boots.

Something screeched in the distance.

“This does not feel correct,” she muttered.

Then her mount suddenly stopped.

Aurelia frowned.

“What now?”

The horse refused to move.

Then she noticed the ground ahead wasn’t ground.

It was a pit.

A very deep pit.

Filled with spikes.

Aurelia stared silently for several seconds.

“…Why is there a spike pit?”

A wooden sign beside it read:

MONSTER MIGRATION ZONE

Please use the provided roads. 

Aurelia slowly looked back the direction she came.

“…Oh.”

⸻

Near Death Experience Number Two

After carefully navigating around the pit, Aurelia continued onward.

Night gradually fell.

The forest grew darker.

The rain slowed to a sprinkle. 

Occasionally she caught glimpses of movement between the trees.

Then came the howling.

Aurelia immediately summoned wind blades around herself.

“Show yourselves!”

Something enormous moved through the brush.

Branches snapped.

Aurelia’s heart pounded.

The creature emerged….

It turned out to be a massive deer.

The massive deer stared at her judgmentally.

Aurelia stared back.

The deer blushed and bit its bottom lip.

It flipped its  head sassily and trotted gracefully away.

Being sure to wiggle its backside the whole way into the woods..

“Uh… what… ”

Aurelia remained frozen another thirty seconds.

⸻

Near Death Experience Number Three

Another rainstorm began shortly afterward.

Cold.

Heavy.

By this point Aurelia’s beautiful noble attire had transformed into damp misery.

Her hair stuck messily to her face.

Mud coated her boots.

Her summoned horse had disappeared after apparently deciding this journey violated its employment contract.

Aurelia trudged onward alone.

Then she stepped into quicksand.

The noblewoman immediately sank waist-deep with an undignified shriek.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS FOREST?!”

She flailed desperately.

Wind magic exploded around her.

Mud sprayed everywhere.

After nearly seven horrifying minutes, Aurelia finally dragged herself free and collapsed beside a tree panting heavily.

Somewhere nearby, a raven cawed in what sounded suspiciously like laughter.

⸻

Almost there

By the time Aurelia finally spotted lights in the distance, she looked less like nobility and more like a survivor of natural disaster.

The Nightmare Grand Hotel rose beyond the trees glowing warmly beneath the stormy sky.

The building was massive.

Elegant.

Beautiful in a haunting sort of way.

Golden lights shone from countless windows.

For a moment, Aurelia forgot her fear entirely.

Then something huge moved across the rooftop silhouette.

Aurelia froze.

“…Noooo.”

A second later, she realized it was only one of Selene’s dragons sleeping near the upper tower. It’s foot sticking out like an oversized chicken leg over the railing. 

“That’s definitely her dragon!.”

She hurried faster.

⸻

Arrival

The hotel lobby doors swung open dramatically as Aurelia stumbled inside soaking wet and covered in mud.

Warmth immediately washed over her.

Soft music played somewhere in the distance.

The lobby itself was gorgeous.

Dark polished wood.

Golden chandeliers.

Crimson carpets.

Fireplaces crackling softly.

And sitting behind the front desk…

A tired-looking man sat reading a newspaper.

Hank slowly lowered the paper.

He stared at Aurelia.

Aurelia stared back.

Water dripped from her hair onto the marble floor.

“…Hello,” she said weakly.

Hank blinked.

“…You okay, miss?”

Aurelia straightened immediately.

“Yes.”

A pause.

“…Not really.”

Hank nodded as he folded the newspaper.

“Fair enough.”

Aurelia marched toward the desk with what remained of her dignity.

“I’m here to see Prince Cassian Aurelius.”

Hank raised an eyebrow.

“And you are?”

Aurelia lifted her chin proudly despite resembling a drowned raccoon.

“Lady Aurelia Valmont. His fiancée.”

Hank placed the newspaper on the desk and leisurely stretched.

“His fiancée?”

Aurelia frowned.

“…Yes?”

Hank slowly reached for the communication crystal.

“Well this is gonna be awkward.”

⸻

The Lobby Wait

While Hank contacted downstairs, Aurelia attempted to regain some composure.

This proved difficult because the hotel lobby was deeply unsettling.

Not openly hostile.

Just strange.

A treasure chest near the fireplace winked at her.

Aurelia quickly walked over to look at the chest.

The chest immediately pretended to be normal furniture again.

“…I saw that.”

The chest remained motionless.

Hank returned after finishing the call.

“They know you’re here.”

Aurelia exhaled in relief.

“Good.”

Then Hank tilted his head.

“Question though.”

“What?”

“Why’d you come through the forest trails?”

Aurelia frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Hank pointed casually through the massive front windows.

Aurelia turned.

And saw it.

A perfectly maintained stone road stretched beautifully through the valley toward the distant city.

Elegant lanterns lined the path.

Decorative statues stood along the roadside.

It looked safe.

Comfortable.

Completely free of spike pits.

Aurelia stared silently.

“…There was a road?”

Hank looked increasingly concerned.

“You didn’t use the main road?”

Aurelia felt heat crawl into her face.

“Perhaps I took a wrong way somewhere...”

Hank slowly lowered his coffee cup.

“Lady, I’m surprised that you actually made it through the monster infested woods. ”

Aurelia’s eye twitched.

“That explains SO MUCH.”

Hank laughed hard enough to make him cough.

⸻

Mother Sarah Appears

A sudden chill swept through the lobby.

The chandeliers flickered softly.

Aurelia stiffened immediately.

Slow footsteps echoed from the hallway leading deeper into the hotel.

Then Mother Sarah emerged from among the shadows.

The ghostly nun floated gracefully across the lobby in dark flowing robes.

Her pale face remained calm and composed.

Only her glowing silver eyes looked slightly out of place.

Aurelia instinctively took a step backward.

Mother Sarah stopped before her politely.

“You must be Lady Valmont.”

Her voice was soft.

Almost warm even.

Which somehow made her even more frightening.

Aurelia swallowed nervously.

“…Yes.”

Mother Sarah smiled gently.

“Your prince is recovering well.”

Relief visibly washed across Aurelia’s face.

“Oh thank the stars…”

Mother Sarah glanced over her muddy appearance thoughtfully.

“You appear to have suffered greatly.”

Aurelia looked offended.

“She was ambushed by the local terrain.”

Hank snorted loudly behind the desk.

Mother Sarah somehow maintained a perfectly straight face.

“I told them that we may need a clearer sign on the road.”

The ghostly nun turned elegantly and stepped gingerly toward the hallway.

“If you would follow me, I shall take you downstairs.”

Aurelia hesitated.

Then quickly followed.

As they walked deeper into the hotel, Aurelia noticed strange things everywhere.

Living shadows.

Distant laughter.

Tiny ravens perched along chandeliers.

A puppet peeking around a corner.

And somewhere far above…

A massive roar echoed faintly through the hotel.

Aurelia tensed.

“…What was that?”

Mother Sarah answered calmly without looking back.

“Someone is excited about tonight’s dinner.”

Aurelia decided not to ask further questions.

As the elevator doors closed behind them, she took one final nervous glance around the impossible hotel.

For the first time since arriving..

She began to understand why people whispered about this place with equal parts fear and wonder.

And deep beneath the hotel…

Unseen by all of them….

The crimson gemstone hidden in Cassian’s room pulsed softly in the dark.