Issue 162, Volume 16
May 2012

The Accursed Castle

Richard H. Fay

Many wanderers tell frightful tales
About that silent stone sentinel.
Many a lost soul and undead fiend
Hold court within its ruined grey walls.

We approach the mouldering tower
In search of necromantic secrets.
We cross the dark and empty threshold
To enter the black maw of the beast.

A charnel house stench fills the dank air;
The corrupt atmosphere makes us retch.
A corpse light glow glimmers in the gloom,
Enticing us toward damnation.

We descend down a decrepit stair
Into a sliver of the abyss.
We dare invoke the ancient powers
In hope of gaining arcane knowledge.

An eldritch legion answers our call;
Fell murmurs echo down hollow halls.
An algid chill pervades the ruin.
Unseen things slither forth from the crypt.

We suffer terror beyond our ken;
Diabolic thoughts consume our minds.
We find nought but pain, madness, and death;
Infernal creatures feast on our flesh.

(Originally published in the 2008 Issue of Champagne Shivers)

Richard H. Fay is an author, artist, and home school dad who resides in Upstate New York. He is inspired by medieval history, myth, and legend, and the classics of fantasy literature. His diverse and interconnected interests drive his artistic endeavour. He writes fantasy prose and poetry, as well as dabbling in science fiction and horror. Recently he has decided to begin writing as more than just a sideline, although he has been writing seriously since the 1980s.