Legends of Windemere: 02 - Prodigy of Rainbow Tower

by Charles E Yallowitz

  “I’d even settle for one of Fritz’s inventions. Even if they fail, they tend to spew fire and explode,” Luke admits. The zombie at the end of his weapon starts to stir again and hisses at the forest tracker. It grabs the pole and violently swings Luke into the air.

  “Fire. That’s a great idea!” Nyx yells.

  “You get your magic back now?” Luke asks hopefully. He kicks at a second zombie that is trying to bite his flailing leg, knocking the monster’s nose into its face. Luke is about to grin, but the zombie continues trying to grab him.

  “Not exactly,” Nyx says, quickly shattering every bottle of wine on the table. Some of the zombies slowly follow her by walking along the table as she finishes covering the tablecloth in alcohol. She ducks the swiping hands that are aimed at her head and grabs a small plate as she runs around the table. The zombies turn slowly, so that they are facing her and begin to move toward the edge of the table.

  “That doesn’t seem like a good idea to me,” Luke mutters under his breath.

  Nyx ignores him as she throws the plate at one of the small candelabras, which falls over and ignites the alcohol. The slow zombies are unable to escape and burst into red flames. Nyx’s smile of triumph is short-lived as the moaning zombies drag themselves off the table and keep stumbling toward her. None of them appear to be slowed down by the fire.

  “Now, we have to deal with flaming zombies!” Luke screams, fighting against a wave of panic. A wet, sickening noise is heard as the flagpole is pulled out of the zombie’s head. The zombie hurls the weapon, with Luke still clinging to it, at the closed doors. Luke hits the wooden doors face first and crashes to the ground. Nyx is already on her way to him as he gets back to his feet and wipes a trickle of blood from his nose.

  “You hurt?” she asks.

  “Just a broken nose,” the warrior replies. He shakes the stars from his eyes and wipes the blood off his face. “I think we have to keep them occupied until help arrives. Fire and head smashing don’t seem to be working. Beheading and holy magic are what we need.”

  “Do you suggest we run?” Nyx whispers. She looks back to see the zombies inching closer.

  “We should stay here, but we have to keep out of their reach. I fought these things a long time ago and they seem to get fixated on a target,” Luke explains with his eyes locked on the ceiling. “They also have trouble getting to high targets.”

  Nyx follows his gaze to the chandelier and shakes her head. “How are we supposed to get up there?”

  Without answering her, Luke tears the shredded flag off the gore-covered pole and separates the pole from the base. He calmly steadies the bare, pointed metal like a javelin, the gingerly holding the flagpole’s thick rope in his other hand. He yells and hurls the pole, but misses the chandelier completely. Nyx keeps a careful eye on the zombies, who have stopped to turn toward the noise of metal on stone, while Luke reels the pole in with the rope and takes aim again. He throws and hooks the pole through the chandelier where it tangles itself in the crystal beads.

  “Take this rope and start climbing once the zombies are far away,” Luke orders her, pushing the rope into her hands. “I’ll be climbing up after you get to safety. The chains attached to the balcony look pretty solid, so it should hold our weight. Wish me luck.” He makes a quick dash at the flaming zombies and shoulders through them. They turn to follow the forest tracker as he leads them to the railing.

  “That was just reckless!” Nyx yells.

  “Yeah, but it worked!” Luke shouts, hopping around on the railing and waving his hands in the air.

  “How did he survive for this long?” Nyx wonders out loud. She takes a deep breath before tip-toeing away from the door and stops under the chandelier. None of the zombies pay attention to her as she begins to climb. It is a difficult climb as she constantly swings back and forth with every motion.

  “Almost there, Nyx. You can do it,” she gasps, reaching up and grabbing the edge of the chandelier. She pulls herself up and uses the central chain to gain some balance. Nyx looks down to see Luke running along the railing.

  “Be with you in a few seconds!” Luke promises. He sprints along the railing and ricochets off the edge of the wall toward the rope. Nyx shrieks in surprise when he grabs the rope and the chandelier sways violently in the air. The zombies turn to follow as he clambers up to the chandelier with more grace and speed than Nyx.

  “That wasn’t too bad,” Luke grunts, hoisting himself up next to Nyx. He smiles as he gains some balance and blindly reaches for the dangling rope.

  “Just pull up the rope, hero,” Nyx says with a grin.

  Luke pulls at the rope only to feel a heavy weight on the other end. Both of the half-elves look down to see one of the non-flaming zombies holding the rope. The others begin to gather around the rope as the first one attempts to climb. It is helped by another zombie, which starts to follow the first one up the rope. An ear-wrenching shriek forces Luke and Nyx to look up at the balcony. Cracks are forming around the metal plate that holds the chain in place.

  “Dammit, Luke! You said they couldn’t climb!”

  “Whoever heard of a zombie that could climb a rope?”

  “You also said this would hold us!”

  “I said the chains would hold. I didn’t say a damn thing about the ceiling.”

  The shattering of metal and stone drowns out Nyx’s words as the weight becomes too much for the balcony. She feels an oddly amusing sense of weightlessness while she plummets to the ground. Before she loses consciousness, Nyx has enough time to pray that the impact kills her instead of the zombies. A frightening groan rises from the zombies as they are crushed beneath a chandelier, a chunk of marble, and two cringing half-elves. Crystal beads roll and bounce across the ground long after the pile of body parts and wreckage stops moving.

  “What is . . . by the gods,” Lord Gideon gasps after he throws open the doors. He stands in shock at the destruction before him. The zombies are crushed and trapped beneath the debris. Luke and Nyx are on top of the chandelier with a slab of stone lying between them. Both of them have bleeding gashes on their heads from where the stone grazed them during the fall. Neither of the wounded half-elves are moving and their breathing is barely noticeable.

  *****

  The afternoon sun on his face forces Luke’s eyes to flutter open. He groans as he turns in the soft bed and looks away from the open doors that lead to a balcony. To Luke’s dismay, there are several blazing candles surround the bed. Their flickering light prevents Luke from falling back into a dreamless slumber. Grumbling to himself, Luke sits up and cringes at the stiff feeling of his entire body. The room is very well furnished with golden oak chests and cushioned chairs. A picture of a halberd-wielding knight is hanging above the headboard and a matching statue sits in the corner of the room. Luke notices that his head and torso have been lightly bandaged. He blinks his eyes a few times before he sees that his sabers are hanging next to the closed door.

  “If I’m alive then Nyx should be too,” Luke mutters, swinging his legs out of bed. He quickly pulls the sheet around him when he realizes that he is only wearing his underwear.

  Scratching his head and yawning, the forest tracker looks around the room for anything to wear. He opens the wardrobe to find a pair of leather pants and a peasant shirt. Luke pulls the pants on only to find that they are extremely tight and more form fitting than anything he has ever worn in his life. Still groggy from being unconscious for hours, he stands in front of the closet with a dumbstruck expression on his face.

  “Excuse me, sir, I have some food and drink for you. May I come in?” asks a dainty, female voice.

  “Uh, sure,” Luke replies without turning toward the opening door. “Do you know where my clothes are? These pants are really tight and uncomfortable.”

  “Your clothes are being cleaned. My brother lent me those clothes for you to wear until they are ready,” Luciana says, placing a platter of fruit at the table and brings a glass of water to Luke. �
��You have been unconscious for six hours, so you should eat something to regain your strength.”

  Luke carefully takes the glass, making sure not to touch her hands, and finishes it in a single gulp before sitting on the bed. “Thank you. I’m surprised to find you taking care of me. I thought work like this was done by priests and servants.”

  Luciana blushes and puts her hands behind her back. “I requested this. You were very brave and this is the least I can do for you, especially after how I acted at breakfast. Also, this keeps me out of my father’s way for the rest of the day. My father is still angry about my outburst.”

  “It sounded like you needed to get all of that out of your system.”

  “I wasn’t lying though.”

  “What?”

  Luciana looks directly into Luke’s emerald eyes. “I really do want you to marry me.”

  “I can’t marry you, Luciana,” Luke politely declares, his smile fading. “You’re a beautiful, sweet young woman, but I don’t think of you in a romantic way. Even if there was something between us, my lifestyle requires that I travel for months at a time. We would rarely be together.”

  “I don’t care!” Luciana yells as her eyes are on the verge of tears. “We could learn to love each other. If you marry me then you can still travel and you will always have a loving, loyal wife to return to. I can learn to give massages and cook your favorite dishes to make you happy. I would do whatever you want.”

  He is about to get to his feet when Luciana pushes him down. She starts to gently remove his bandages while kneeling next to him on the bed. A twinge of pain along his ribs forces him to lie still even when she runs a finger along his ticklish belly. The young girl smiles warmly at him until she is done and then she slips off the bed to bring Luke his food. Luke gladly accepts a handful of grapes from her, but remains cautious as she watches him.

  After a few minutes of silence, Luke says, “Those are all good skills to learn for your husband, but maybe you should learn it for Tyler instead of me.”

  “I can’t stand Tyler. There are so many things wrong with him,” Luciana snaps, her voice filled with hate and anger.

  “Feel free to rant. I don’t think I’m going anywhere in these pants,” Luke mumbles before taking a bite of apple.

  Luciana takes a surprisingly large breath before beginning a rant that she has secretly rehearsed for weeks. “Tyler is creepy and strange. There’s this odd smell about him that reminds me of our gardens after a rainstorm. Only it’s more potent and has a hint of something that I don’t recognize. Tyler claims it’s from his constant wandering through the local forests, but after meeting a forest tracker, I know he’s lying about that. Also, his thoughts on our marriage are an insult to me. He acts and speaks as if our marriage is nothing more than a business deal with my father. The man only holds and kisses my hand for public displays. Tyler believes that doing anything more would be a curse upon our future, which makes no sense coming from a gypsy. Those people are infamous for infidelity and not believing in waiting for marriage. Can you believe that we have never kissed on the lips or hugged beyond a friendly greeting in the entire time that we have known each other? It’s like the man has no heart. There’s just a gaping hole in his chest.”

  “He probably doesn’t have a heart,” Luke quietly admits.

  Luciana fixes her hair and wipes a tear from her cheek. “Then, he has a sad and wretched existence. I refuse to be married to a man with no heart.”

  “You’re wiser and braver than you realize, Luciana,” Luke declares. He reaches for a grape that was hidden under a slice of melon, but Luciana takes it first. She gently rolls it in the palm of her hand.

  “You’re too kind to me, Luke,” Luciana whispers, her cheeks growing red. “Most men would tell me to leave or take my offer last night for sport. That’s why I want to marry you. I have never met anyone so sweet and honest.” Lucians pauses and looks up at Luke. “You also have pretty lips. They look so soft and smooth.”

  “Uh, thanks. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before,” Luke nervously says.

  Luciana smiles at him before popping the grape into her mouth. Luke leans over to grab a pear when Luciana pounces on him. He is unable to get away as she pins him to the bed and straddles his chest. Luciana bends down to kiss him, but Luke moves his head out of the way. A few more attempts fail until she grabs his head and holds it still for a big kiss. Luke can feel her tongue push the unharmed grape into his mouth. As soon as Luciana’s body relaxes, Luke pushes her off and scrambles to the far side of the bed.

  Luke gasps for air until he has enough breath to whisper, “That was uncalled for.”

  “It wasn’t right,” Luciana mutters, putting her hand to her mouth and gently stroking her lips.

  “Of course, it wasn’t right!”

  “No, I mean that kiss didn’t feel right.”

  “Again, I agree.”

  “There was energy off your lips, but it was as if it was meant for someone else,” Luciana continues, ignoring Luke’s comments. Her eyes widen whens he realizes what she sensed. “You were thinking of someone else when you were kissing me. Is there someone else? Is there someone in your life who is more beautiful and gentle than me?”

  “That isn’t a fair question,” Luke protests.

  “Tell me if there is someone in your life who prevents you from accepting my hand in marriage,” Luciana demands, her fists balled and pressed into her hips.

  “I have a steady girlfriend who I want to marry when I decide to stop wandering Windemere,” Luke says, fighting the urge to inch away from the young girl. “Marrying you would definitely put all of us in a difficult situation.”

  “She might love you, but I promise to worship you if you marry me. How does that sound?” Luciana desperately asks. She stretches out on the bed and stares pleadingly at Luke.

  “It doesn’t sound right,” Luke softly claims. “You might have heard of my girlfriend since you run in the same circles. Her name is Kira Grasdon from Bor’daruk.”

  “Kira Grasdon? I’ve met her before,” Luciana says, a sudden despair filling her eyes and heart. “She’s gorgeous and refined. I can see how you would want to marry her instead of me. My body is that of a young boy compared to her. Being in the same circles as someone like her makes it impossible for me to compete for the hand of a good man.”

  Luke slowly walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t compare yourself to other people. You’re still growing and will become beautiful in your own way. Trust me. You already have a warm smile and cute face, so you just have to give the rest of your body time to mature. Just make sure you let your mind and heart mature too. Many good-looking nobles seem to be either stupid or jerks.”

  “Is it true what they say about Bor’daruk culture?” Luciana inquires with a glimmer of hope in her voice.

  “I know very little about that region, so you have to be more specific,” Luke admits before he moves away to stretch his legs.

  “People told me that it’s in their culture to be with multiple partners until they are married,” Luciana states with a thoughtful smile. “So, you could be with another woman and Kira wouldn’t be angry. That is, if the culture is really like that.”

  “That is how it works, from what I’m told,” Luke responds, eyeing her suspiciously.

  “I see,” she murmurs.

  “Why do you . . . woah! Don’t do that!” Luke exclaims when he looks up to see Luciana starting to slip her sundress off. He swiftly moves to hold her dress up before it falls around her ankles. Luciana takes the opportunity to hug him, but breaks away when she feels him trying to put her dress back on.

  “Do you find me that disgusting? I’m just so plain and ugly in your eyes,” she cries hysterically. She lets her dress fall and cries harder when Luke instinctually averts his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see that she is still wearing a pink chemise. He averts his eyes from the plunging neckline and short skirt, but he silently th
anks the gods that all of Luciana’s important parts are covered.

  Luke keeps a hand clamped over his eyes. “I don’t find you disgusting, Luciana. You’re very attractive for your age-”

  “Then, why won’t you take what I’m offering you?” she interrupts.

  “Because it’s not mine to take!” the half-elf snaps, an angry edge to his voice. He peeks between his fingers and sees the pain in her eyes, so he tries to speak softer. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, but what you want me to do with you isn’t right. You’re engaged and I don’t believe you’re thinking this through. Please, put your dress back on.”

  “I don’t care about my engagement,” Luciana declares, refusing to get dressed. “I need you to take me before you leave.”

  “There’s something you aren’t telling me,” Luke states, his suspicions growing. He can feel her pull his hand away from his eyes and draw herself closer to him. Panic sets in when her breath touches his cheek and her red hair tickles his neck.

  “I beg you to stop asking questions and accept my body.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “You’re hiding something and I refuse to be tricked.”

  “Then, I will force you to take me,” Luciana whispers, her voice becoming cold and edged. Her hands run down his chest, but she is roughly tossed onto the bed. Luke finally opens his eyes and glares furiously at her.

  “Do not force anything on me,” he growls.

  Luciana starts bawling on the bed and looks at her crumpled dress on the floor. She shoves Luke out of her way as she rushes to the pile of clothes. Her tears are dripping from her face while she gets dressed. Luke’s anger vanishes once she turns to face him with puffy eyes that are filled with pain, despair, and fury.

  “You were my last chance to be free of my curse,” she says in a weak voice.

  “Wait, what do you mean?” Luke asks.

  “Good-bye. I hope you’re very happy with your life,” Luciana sniffles, dashing out the doorway.

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Luke mutters, grabbing his sabers and racing after the hysterical noble.