The Castle Karlstadt – Excerpt 18 – Malcolm Marsh

The Castle Karlstadt – Excerpt 18

As soon as they were out of earshot, I called to Father Michael, once we were close, I whispered to him, an explanation about Karina and who I believed her to be, his niece. I explained to him that is was more than a possibility that Bruno and possibly the Doctor might try to dispose of her.

Michael might be a man of the cloth, but he was a big man and formidable. I felt sure he would be quite capable of being Karina’s protector. I had the distinct feeling that she might soon need one. I had a bad feeling that something was about to happen, and when it did, it was the very last thing that I had expected.

The Doctor and Bruno came strutting in to the room, shoving in front of them a small man with what appeared to be a badly burned face. He looked grotesque, one side of his face was scar tissue whilst the other appeared almost normal. He was quite elderly but still appeared to be quite agile.

The moment she caught sight of him, Karina ran and hugged him. She had obviously known him for some time. I had a feeling that we had also solved the puzzle of who was feeding and taking care of her.

‘This is Franz, he was one of the Castle’s servants, he used to play with me, when I was small,’ said Karina by way of introduction. I noticed that both Bruno and the Doctor had caught the significance of her words. I would have to watch her even closer now, even though I had Michael watching her too.