The Curse of Ormshire (The Beast Within Book 2)

by S. L. Perrine

  “Okay, so that means what?” Tabitha asked.

  “It means that the father we once knew is gone. He is buio, and it won’t be long before he makes a play for more power. When he does, we have to be far away from here. I think we should prepare to travel to Hearthstone. King Rowan will want to protect his daughter.” He walked to Renella and held her hand. “I will not let him harm you.” He tried to remain at her side even as the dizziness hit him. Then Renella felt it in a wave and sat back down.

  “Okay, so our father is evil, but what is this?” Tabitha pointed at the mess before her that was her brother and her friend.

  “I think…” Tyson tried to say.

  “They are linked.” An old woman walking past stopped to intercede. She was the prophet of old. The buio maga of the old land used her for her abilities and she escaped to the four realms. She had been living within Hearthstone.

  “Oma, how are you here?” Tabitha asked.

  “I am wherever I may be needed.” She looked at Renella. “The fire has come. The fire’s heart is all powerful, and none can stand as her equal… except one; one I did not foresee until the heart stone glowed red with fire last night. Your mother sent me to you.” She regarded Renella.

  “You’re the women my mother speaks of. She said you are wise and can see our futures,” Renella spoke to the woman.

  “I can. I saw your father become a king when he was still a boy. I saw him alive while he was lost at sea, and I foresaw your birth,” she said to Renella, and then turned to Tabitha. “I see your father becoming a beast of his own making.”

  “What does that mean?” Tabitha asked.

  “Wait, can we handle one thing at a time? What about Renella? Why do we keep feeling dizzy?” Tyson asked.

  “I foresaw the girl born above the heart stone, with fire red hair, as an all-powerful maga. What I did not see until last night was the boy; her equal. You two have been linked, and the princess has finally come into her powers.” She pointed at Tyson and Renella.

  “What… does… that… mean?” Tabitha asked with frustration.

  “That means, my dear, that these two have linked their powers together. They are soul mates.” She smiled and clapped as she spun in place. “They are forever destined to find each other. Not heard of as often as it should be, but here it is. The heartstrings of the heart stone will pull you in the direction of your love. You will be forever bonded.” She raised her hands up in the air and twirled around in circles. “Your magia is at its fullest when you are closest to the heart.”

  “The dizziness?” Tyson asked. “We can barely stand to touch without it knocking us down. How does that make us bonded? Or stronger?” he asked the old woman.

  “You must announce your heart. Once you’ve done that, your heads will be clear. The strings will pull.” She swayed and danced to her own music. “Oh, the joyous day. Now I must be off.”

  “No, wait. The thing you said about our father. He will become a beast of his own making. What does that mean?” Tabitha asked.

  “Don’t worry, young Tabitha, you will find your magia in another life.” The old woman hooted.

  “That doesn’t even make sense. Now what about my father?” Tabitha asked, but the woman disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  Tabitha put together that Ourobus would do something horrible—she had always counted on that—but if she knew what it was, she thought they could prevent it. Tyson and Renella agreed that they should steer clear of one another to prevent the dizzy spells until they could make sense of what Oma spoke about. Tabitha decided she wanted to go back to the castle to check on their mother. Tyson knew Ourobus loved Sheree and would never harm her, so he was resolved to stay with Renella.

  “My mother talks of Oma. She values her foresight.” Renella tried to think of what the old woman had said.

  “Well, we know we can trust her—that’s a start. We know we are linked and your powers have come—that’s also a plus. Your power’s coming. I’m not sure about the linking part. Now we just have to announce our hearts.”

  “It’s obvious what that means, Tyson, I just don’t know if I know what to announce.”

  “What do you mean?”

  With gloved hands, Renella took his in hers. “We have to admit to ourselves and each other what is in our hearts. Then our bond will get stronger and we’ll stop having crazy side effects. We’ve linked, but not all the way. That’s what she said.” She looked away, not sure where she would find the answers.

  “Renella, when we touched last night at the pond—I mean the minute your hand was in mine—I felt a surge of heat and energy around my heart,” he started. “That old woman didn’t need to tell me to announce anything. I had already planned on it. That’s why I asked you to spend time with me today,” he said, thinking of his plans. He took her hand and pulled her toward him. “Come, I’ll take you now,” he said, pulling her back towards the castle.

  “Tyson, this is crazy,” she told him, but let him lead her to his destination. When they reached the castle walls, he led her past the castle gate outside the walls.

  “It’s just over here.” He pointed to the water’s edge.

  As they reached the shore, Tyson pointed out a small opening in the rocks close to the water’s edge. They walked down a narrow path and into the mouth of a cavern. The air inside was cool, and Renella pulled her shawl over her shoulders. As they walked downward, she noticed the pool of water in the middle of the cave. It emitted steam into the air, even as the air got cooler.

  “This is a hot spring,” Tyson explained to her.

  Upon walking closer to the pool and looking down, she could see the pink sand below. The water was bright from the sunlight on the outside, and it was the clearest blue … like crystal ice.

  “This is where I wanted to bring you today. I know what you’ve said is true. We have not been very cordial, but please hear me out.” He pointed to the opposite wall, which was covered from top to bottom with fossilized butterflies. “That is what I want you to see.”

  As Renella gazed upon them, she felt tears falling down her cheeks.

  “That is so beautiful; sad, but beautiful. What happened to them?” she asked, moving closer.

  “I don’t know. I found this cave when I was a kid. One day, they were in here, flying all around. I don’t think they ever left, because whenever I came back, they were here. I went home one night, and my father and I had a heated argument. I told him I never wanted to be the lord of Ormshire…that I never wanted to marry. That’s when he told me I would be married, to the king’s eldest daughter. A hypothetical conversation about never wanting to get married turned spiteful, because he blurted it out at the wrong time and the wrong way,” he said, remembering the conversation.

  “I think that’s why when you came here, I wasn’t very welcoming. I never wanted to fall in love and get married. I see my mother aching for the husband she married, and sad because of who he has become.” He turned to the wall and ran a hand through his hair. “I never want to make someone hurt as she does.” He kicked a stone across the cave floor, which gave a plop when it fell into the water.

  “Anyway, the next day, I came back to this place and there they were, frozen in time without hope.” He turned around to face her. “Every day, you ask me where I disappear to. This is one of my stops, because every day since you’ve been here, another butterfly falls from the wall and springs back to life.” Just as he said it, a butterfly fell from the wall and began to fly. It was purple and blue, and it flew to Renella and landed on her hand. It jumped off and without thinking, she removed a glove, and it landed once more. The butterfly grew brighter and then flew away.

  Renella looked at Tyson and then the wall. She walked to it and touched one wing of a butterfly, and like a curtain of water, they all fell from the wall and sprang to life. The colors of their wings grew bright and they flew around the two of them, filling the inside of the cavern.

  “I have been waiting all this time for you
, and if you’ll still have me, I would love nothing more than to be your husband. Not to be a king, but to be your partner.” He lowered himself to one knee and produced his closed hand. When he opened it, a beautiful pink and yellow butterfly sprang to life and flew away, having left behind an emerald ring set in white gold.

  Renella felt herself drawn to him, right there in the little cave. Her heartstrings started to pull. The closer she got to him, the less they pulled. She knelt in front of him, removed the glove from her other hand, and took his face in her palms to kiss his lips. The kiss was soft, but the feelings they shared made it deep and passionate. As they released the kiss, Tyson placed the ring on her finger and the dizzy feelings disappeared.

  “I hope that was a yes,” Tyson said as he kissed the finger the ring sat on.

  “Yes, Tyson. It was a yes.”

  Over the course of a few weeks, news of the couple’s engagement spread. Renella and Tyson had received gifts from the other three realms, and one special gift had arrived from Renella’s father.

  “Renella, you have another gift at the gate,” Tabitha said from the doorway of the kitchen, and Renella picked at the assorted pastries on the counter.

  She hid from the wedding details Sheree insisted on starting the moment they arrived back and she saw the ring on Renella’s finger.

  “They can put it with the rest.” She licked her fingers free of jam.

  “I don’t think it will sit on the table.” Tabitha laughed as she walked into the kitchen.

  Renella looked away from the pastry. “What is it?”

  “It’s not so much a what, as it is who...” she said, walking away. “Oh, and it’s a gift from your father.”

  Renella quickly set the pastry down on a plate and followed Tabitha from the room. She was making her way to the front of the castle when Tyson found her.

  “I hear we have a guest.” He laughed.

  “You know who it is?”

  He hooked her arm in his and made her slow her pace. “I may have written to your parents, and I may have requested you receive a special gift.”

  “Tyson Cole, are you teasing me?”

  “Why would I want to do a thing like that?”

  “Then let me go see who is here.”

  “Oh, Your Highness, your gift is not going anywhere. We can see together. Besides, it’s not proper for a princess to run through the halls. Mother would not approve,” he teased.

  They walked the halls of the castle, Tyson holding tightly to Renella’s arm in his. As they exited the castle and headed for the front gates to the grounds, Renella saw her. The sun made her auburn hair shine, and the smile on her face was equally blinding. Renella looked at Tyson. He grabbed the hand of the arm he held tight, kissed her knuckles, and released her.

  “I think it’s okay for you to run now, Princess,” he said as he let go of her hand. She lifted herself to the tips of her toes, kissed his cheek, and took off running until her arms were around her sister.

  “I’ve been told I’m a surprise engagement gift.”

  “Oh, you are the best gift I could have ever received,” Renella told her sister. “Out of all the things I missed from home, you are missed the most.” The girls stood there holding each other until Tyson finally made it to them.

  “Well, this must be Rosella? Your parents really had no imagination when they named you two, did they? Tyson laughed at his own joke. The two girls slapped him playfully, one on each shoulder. “Hey, is that any way to treat me after I got you two back together.” He rubbed both of his shoulders teasingly.

  “For your information, sir, I named my sister.”

  “Really? Now, that I did not know.” He took Rosella’s hand and kissed it in true royal fashion. “Welcome to Ormshire, Princess Rosella.”

  Rosella’s cheeks turned a new shade of pink as she gave a curtsy. “Thank you, Tyson. It’s nice to be here. I missed my sister dearly, so I do thank you for your letter to father.” She turned to regard Renella. “It will be nice helping you with wedding preparations.”

  “Yes, it will be, but I think Lady Sheree has most of them accounted for already. Of course, you’ll be by my side on my wedding day.” She jumped excitedly and grabbed her sister by the hand. “Lady Sheree has been asking me all sorts of questions about food and flowers. Oh, I just haven’t been in the mood to do any of it. Maybe now I will be.”

  As she spoke, her eyes lit up with all the ideas she hadn’t thought of. She led her sister back to the castle and they met with the lord and lady of the realm.

  “It’s a pleasure to have you here, Princess. How long will you be staying with us?” Lady Sheree asked.

  “I will return to Hearthstone after the wedding. I get to spend some quality time with my sister.” She beamed at Renella.

  “Good… good,” Lord Ourobus said unexpectedly. “It will be good for you to spend some time together, as I’m afraid I will be requiring Tyson for some state matters.” He looked at his son. “We will be traveling for a few days, my boy.”

  “Why have you not mentioned this before?” Tyson inquired.

  “These are not matters to be discussed in front of the princesses. We can talk about it later. Now, I must see to some matters that require my attention.”

  Ourobus stood to leave but remembered his station and gave the sisters a curt bow. “Ladies, enjoy your afternoon.” He gave his wife a quick kiss on the hand and left them.

  “What shall you two do this afternoon?” Sheree left the side of the empty throne.

  “I was thinking of finding Tabitha and taking Rosella to town.” Renella looked at Tyson to gage his reaction. For the last few weeks, he had been fearful of her leaving the castle grounds without him. Since he knew he needed to see what his father was going on about, he gave a quick nod.

  “Have fun, ladies.” He kissed Renella on the cheek and followed after his father.

  Renella worried about him traveling, but she knew he wanted to keep an eye on what Ourobus was up to. Lord Ourobus had been keeping vile company, and he rarely had been seen with his family at meals or during the impromptu dinner party Sheree held at the castle. He said he was traveling, and that it was realm business.

  Renella took her sister to find Tabitha, and the three of them headed for town. The extra guards in place were normal for the two sisters, but Tabitha was not used to the heavy entourage. She enjoyed her freedom and had rarely used guards while out and about. Since Renella moved to Ormshire, she had gotten used to the two guards that followed the princess everywhere. However, on their way out of the castle, they were followed by six.

  As they walked, the sisters told Tabitha stories of when they were small. They attended balls and parties alike, gone to finishing school, learned to play two instruments each, and attended school lessons daily. To Tabitha, that all sounded like a happy, full childhood. Nothing had ever been expected of her. She had a wet nurse, who later taught her how to read and write, and found her love of drawing.

  Then Tabitha and Renella told Rosella the stories of their time together since Renella had arrived. The time flew, and soon, they had arrived at the town square and expressed their girlish excitement over trinkets and such as they walked along the many tables on display.

  “So,” Rosella started, “have you chosen a date for this amazing wedding?”

  “We have. We want to have it sooner rather than later. Once we are married, we were going to go to Hearthstone,” she said, not looking at her sister. That, of course, had not been the traditional course of action. Tradition stated they would live at Ormshire until the king summoned them to Hearthstone Palace, as he prepared to step down. That would be the time Renella and Tyson would learn their roles as rulers of the four realms.

  “Renee, do you really think father will allow it?” Rosella asked her sister.

  “You know I don’t, but we can’t stay here. Tabitha will be coming as well. We are going to say it will be for a visit. We will need to be introduced to the four realms once w
e are married anyway. Then once we are there, I… we will explain to father why it is we have to stay.” She held a purple scarf up to feel the smooth texture. “Once he hears us out, he will agree. Trust me.”

  Rosella hadn’t argued with her sister any further on the subject. She knew she had made a valid point after hearing of the things Renella faced since being in Ormshire. Instead, the two had let the topic cease as they looked around the village for Tabitha, who always seemed to run off on her own, usually in search of food.

  “Hey, I found something over here that I think you might want to see.” Tabitha emerged from a large crowd.

  Tabitha took them to a long table, through a horde of customers so dense the guards could not separate the people to get through.

  “Look Renella. Isn’t it beautiful?” Tabitha held up a long white wedding veil. The top was attached to a silver tiara, which held diamond accents at three points. The veil had teardrop-shaped crystals hanging all along the edging.

  “Oh my. It’s beautiful, Renee. We should get this for you,” Rosella told her sister.

  “I do like it.” She gave the two girls a look. “I’ll take it,” she told the woman behind the table. Tabitha handed the woman three silver pieces, and the veil was handed to Renella, wrapped in silk. She placed it in her usual shopping bag and turned to find that her sister was not next to her.

  “Tabitha, where did Rosie go?” She looked through the crowd. “Do you see her?”

  “No, I don’t.” Tabitha searched frantically for the princess. “Where are the guards?” As she looked for Rosella, Tabitha noticed the guards no longer lurked about and her panic rose. “Renella, we have to go.”

  Renella made her way past the crowd, which was oblivious to Tabitha’s outburst. As she exited the large group of shoppers, she saw a guard lying on the ground around the corner of a building. She ran to him and noticed he was unconscious. She placed her hand on his forehead after looking to make sure nobody was watching her, and the guard sprang to life.