Betrayals of Spring (31 page)

I nod my head and rub my wrists. They
still tingle slightly, but the wounds have closed up completely. I haven’t seen
Aki or Prince Ashe since I have been here and I’m beginning to get worried. I
hesitate for a second before mentioning my concern, “Where are my wolf and
horse? Are they well?”

“Aye, they are well. They will be
brought to ye, along with yer things,” Shamus points out.

I take in a deep breath and a smile
takes over my face. I am so happy right now I feel like I could cry. I was
afraid that Aki would be seriously injured after the hit he took last night. I
collapse to my knees and I bow my head to mutter a silent prayer. I hear Aki’s
whine and I look up to see him racing towards me.

Grishom is headed this way carrying my
bow and arrows and leading Prince Ashe by the reigns. I smile at them both and
I send my love to them in a silent message. Aki is ready to begin searching
again so I hastily strap my bow on and mount Prince Ashe.

“Ye be careful, little lass,” Grishom
smiles.

“I will,” I smile back. He slaps Prince
Ashe on the rump and we head off on our way. We come across a creek and it is
the perfect place to take a rest and drink some cold, clean water. I pull out
some snacks of dried meat and berries and I pass them along to Aki and Prince
Ashe. It’s hard to find the desire to eat when my stomach is in knots with
worry. Our rest is quick, but I have the sinking suspicion that my next task is
going to be dealing with the dark sorcerer himself. We are finally fully rested
so I climb upon Prince Ashe’s back and he continues a steady gallop beside the
creek. We follow it for a few miles until Aki starts growling and pacing back
and forth. I haven’t seen him do this before so I walk over to him to see
what’s wrong. I can feel the trace of magic as I approach and it gets stronger
the closer I get to Aki. I am appalled when I see the shimmery haze up ahead
glistening in the sunlight. The dark sorcerer has done the one thing that will
put me at a complete disadvantage. Through that doorway he made, it will lead
me to the unknown of the mortal realm. If he wants to be a coward that’s fine,
but I am not and so I go. I take a few deep breaths before squaring my
shoulders and stepping through the portal into the strange world beyond.

 This game ends now
.

- Dark Sorcerer
-

Before the
Portal

I waited patiently for morning to come
wondering what torture Princess Meliantha was going to have to face. She killed
a Redcap last night and was captured by the clan. It appears she was also
injured during the fight and has remained unconscious throughout the rest of
the night. If caught, the penalty for killing a Redcap would be death. They
will most likely bleed her dry and then kill her. Oh, how I would love to see
it. The Redcaps are going to revel in her blood, and I know because I have
tasted it myself. It’s intoxicating.

Once she’s out of the way, I plan to
deliver the prince’s ashes straight to the Winter Court’s doorsteps. I laugh
thinking about the way their faces will look when I throw the remains of their
precious Prince at their feet. I close my eyes to enjoy the silence when I am
interrupted by the thundering steps of a Redcap headed this way. The Redcap is
one of the creatures that turned traitor to his clan and has graciously pledged
his loyalty to me. The others I have sent to the Black Forest to join my army.
Their clan is slowly dying and it didn’t take much to persuade them to join me.
All it took was a promise that I would provide them with kills.

The Redcap approaches swiftly with a
scowl on his face. The news must not be what I want to hear.

“What has your clan decided?” I ask
darkly.

He growls, “The lass is to be set free,
Master.”

“Damn It!” I roar loudly.

I know she’s powerful, but what is it
about the bitch that gets everyone bowing down to her? I pace back and forth
contemplating on my next move and cursing myself for my game not having the
effect I thought it would have. I open my mind to all the possibilities, and
then…a smile crosses my face as a new plan surfaces to the forefront. Oh yeah,
I think I will thoroughly enjoy this.

I open my eyes to look at the Redcap.

“It doesn’t matter now,” I say slyly. “I
know just what to do to get the princess falling to her knees before me. I
think we can also arrange a little treat for you as well.” The Redcap looks at
me with an evil grin and rubs his hands together. “Let us be on our way. The
princess will be following us soon.”

If the Redcaps are letting the princess
go, then it will not be long before she gains ground. The Redcap and I come
across a creek and we follow along its edges for a couple of miles. “This is
where the fun begins,” I grin at the Redcap. I place my hands in front of me,
palm out, and I call upon the black magic swirling inside my body. I close my
eyes to picture the place I want to go. Once I grasp it, I let my magic soar. I
can feel the veil between realms slowly thinning while the air in front of me
begins to shimmer and thicken.

“The portal is ready to enter,” I inform
the Redcap.

He enters first and I follow quickly
behind. I look around at the place I had chosen to come to. Ah, yes,
I
say to myself as a smile takes over my face
.
This is exactly where I
want to be. Meliantha will be out of her element here. The ground is frozen
beneath my feet and is covered in snow. The air burns my lungs as I take a deep
breath in and out. I notice the cabin up ahead and I can see two people moving
around inside. I look at the Redcap beside me and his blood red eyes are
glowing brightly with the need to kill. The intensity of his desire for blood
penetrates the air.

“Take your kills Redcap, but do so
outside. I don’t want the inside to be contaminated with the stench of mortal
blood,” I warn.

“Yes, Master,” he replies happily.

The Redcap approaches the house quickly
and I watch in fascination. Redcaps are brutal with their killings and it is
always a joy to watch. He tears open the door and his heavy footsteps can be
heard all the way to where I’m standing. Screams erupt from inside and they
echo throughout the trees. This is why I love it when mortals live in remote
places. There’s no one to hear them scream. The Redcap emerges from the cabin
with both a male and a female grasped in his hands. He has them by the neck and
they are trying with all their strength to get loose.

Mortals may be weak creatures with no
magic, but they do know how to fight back. I can hear the sounds of bones
crunching and snapping as the Redcap breaks both of their necks. Blood
splatters across the snow as he rips both heads from their mortal bodies. He
takes his cap and moves it back and forth between both mortals- absorbing the
blood from each.

“I want you to dispose of the bodies when
you are done, Redcap. I also want you to stand guard outside when you come
back,” I command.

“Yes, Master,” he says with a gleam in
his eye. His cap is pulsing with the life force of the mortals he killed and
blood is dripping down his face and onto the ground. I nod my head at him, but
then something grabs my attention. An idea spurs in my head and I know that
what I have found will come to great use. I remove the chains from around the
wheels of what the mortals call a ‘car’ because I will need them for what I
have planned. Time is running out so I move hastily to get things prepared.

“Are ye sure ‘tis what ye want?” the
Redcap asks.

I huff in annoyance.

“Yes, you fool. Now go stand guard and
leave me be.”

He leaves the bedroom and shuts the door
and I can hear his footsteps as he exits the house. The chains I grabbed
earlier are now binding me to a chair. They’re tight and constricting making it
hard to breathe, but I know I won’t be in this body for long. Prince Kalen will
be the one sitting here tightly bound when I leave his body. Since I’m running
out of time I believe it’s the perfect moment to have a chat with the prince
before the lovely princess shows up. I fade out of his body and the moment I do
he gasps for air. He looks around frantic and confused until his eyes settle on
mine. I take my true solid form before him and he scowls at me while trying to
get free.

“What the fuck have you done?” he yells,
struggling against the chains.

I smile wolfishly at him and laugh. “Oh,
plenty of things your Highness. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching your princess
go through hell to find you. She’s quite strong, you know, but now I have to
see what she’ll truly go through to save you. Although, it’s not going to
matter because whatever she does I’m still going to kill you.”

“Where is she?” Kalen demands.

I’m momentarily distracted when I feel
the ground shake from outside. I believe the princess has arrived right on
time, and bested my Redcap in the process. I knew he would meet his end once
Meliantha showed up.

I shrug my shoulders at Kalen and sigh,
“Oh, I would say she should be arriving right about...now.”

I hear her light footsteps as she enters
and searches the house. I smirk at Kalen and he growls. Fighting his restraints
his voice echoes through the house when he yells, “Meliantha, NO! It’s a trap!
Get out of here, now!”

I laugh at his outburst because all it
did was make her get here quicker. She’s now in front of the door, but the
second before she kicks it open, I disappear into the shadows to wait for the
perfect time to appear.