I woke and didn't believe I was alive. My head had clearly been split open while I slept. I hoisted my torso upright and dropped my feet to the floor. The floor was made from stone. I was in a castle. Carlyle was in the next room. I sat there for a moment, and either the gravity of this place drained some of the thump from my head, or the evil demons contained there in decided to discontinue their drilling for a lunch break or something.
I stood and started for the door, opened it, and found a much cleaner, much more inviting parlor.
Carlyle was polishing a sword with a slight curve along its spine and bejeweled gilt atop a hilt basket. He smiled a toothy grin and swished the weapon in an opening arc. "The toys of misspent youth", he declared. I woozed ever so slightly, and noticing my unease, he sheathed the blade and placed it on the wall. "You look great Victor. Why don't you sit and I'll get us some water."
With that, he strode out of the apartment into the castle proper. I sunk into a long couch made from a grey fabric with tiny red and yellow flecks. I was concentrating on the pattern they made, when a bolt of pain caught up with the rest of my brain. I closed my eyes and sat back. I decided the temporary relief from my pain earlier couldn't have been due to 'gravity'. The little demons working away at a demolishion, breaking for lunch seemed rather plausible. Unfortunately they ate quickly.
I wondered aloud to Carlyle after sipping my water. "Demons in my head. In this place, can that happen?"
"Victor, I'm afraid even hundreds of years in Shadow hasn't properly taught me consideration. It is that liquer we drank at work in your head now."
"You seem all perky, just look at this place. How long was I out anyway?"
"The booze, Hyde d'Encha, only gives you a hangover once. It is nice that way, I suppose. Of course, it doesn't taste quite as good when you drink it frequently. As to your other comments, yes, this place doesn't look half bad. It is wierd ... finding things you didn't even remember, ya know. As to the time; I place it somewhere between ten and fifteen hours. I slept for a bit too there. But look at all these neat things!"
He showed me old swords and nifty books and a few instruments. Finnally, he noticed I was glassing over just a bit, and he stopped the mad tour. He paused. His gaze sobered me and worried me all at once.
"Victor, we have to talk about your family and what you want from me in return for saving me from Katherine."
"Well, Mr. Serious all high and noble"
"Cut it out, it runs in my blood. I'm serious. Do you want to go home? Sandy and I began to speak of you as if you were, well ... dead. I can take you back, if you want to go. We could even go and get them and you could go, anywhere ... anywhere you can imagine."
"Carlyle, I better just hold off on that until my head clears. Besides, I think I'd better keep an eye on you for a bit more. This place is ... strange."
"Well, if you are going to stay, in order for you to have any kind of run of the castle, you'd better have business. What do you say you work for me, as a secretary, or and assistant?"
"Hrrmn, Carlyle's secretary? Why not, I've kept you outta jail for three years, what's a few days more as your secretary."
"Ok, You can get paid, whatever you want. Around here though, you'd better call me Ander. If you call me 'Carlyle', people might begin to talk. Between us though, I'd like it if you considered me the same old guy you knew, deal?"
"Sure, my buddy, a potential schitzo, formerly a hockey player, now armed with swords and spears... just the same old guy who couldn't eat bratwurst and drink beer without putting one of them down. Yeah good plan."
"I guess you already met my mom."
"Nice family you got here Carly-, I mean, 'Ander'."
"Hey, wasn't it you who said, 'you can pick your friends, but not your family'?"