The Prince of Manhattan

by Alexei Iskander

  “Look for the manhole outline” Leofric suggested. Miranda reached out once more, the voices were so close now, and pushed at the ceiling. She struggled with all her might and then felt a shift and a man sized circular hole opened up. She pushed the manhole cover up and to the side as quickly as she could. Light flooded in and she grabbed the sides of the hole and pulled herself through. Around her was the smell of diesel and car fumes. Leofric exited a moment later, grunting with exertion as he came out into the open. Miranda quickly took the manhole cover and fitted it over the hole, below she saw the first monsters reach the bottom of the ladder. “Come on” Leofric said helping her up. They were in a used car dealership, the manhole was located in the centre of the business, around them were dozens of run down cars with price tag sprayed on them. “This way” Leofric said taking Miranda by the wrist and rushing towards the street. They both sprinted down the street, passing bemused passerby’s and taking hurried glances over their shoulders. They came to an intersection and the pair chose the left, rushing past bland apartment complexes. They came to a subway station and they leapt down the stairs and into the station below.

  “We can’t go back to your home” Leofric said. “We’ll have to go straight to the summer ball”.

  “I know” Miranda replied. “Here, I’ll get us tickets and then we’ll be off”. She paid the toll booth and they made their way to the platform. Miranda was antsy but she was fairly certain that they’d shaken off the pursuit of the monsters. Unless the crow is following us. A train pulled up and they got inside, the door closed and the train resumed its route. “Now that we’re safe” Miranda started. “I just wanted to say that I’m thankful that you came back to rescue me”.

  “I could never had done otherwise” Leofric replied.

  “You’re the bravest prince I’ve ever met” Miranda stated.

  “And how many princes have you met?” Leofric joked.

  “Not many” Miranda admitted.

  There was a noise from behind them and they both snapped around. They were both relieved to see that it was just an old woman rearranging her belongings on her seat.

  “You were very brave yourself back there” Leofric mentioned.

  “Thank you” Miranda replied. Come on just tell him how you feel. You escaped being eaten by ghouls and you can’t even tell Leo that you like him? It’s just two words how hard can it be? “About what I was going to say back there” Miranda said.

  “Yes, before we were interrupted you mean” Leofric replied.

  “I just wanted to say that” Miranda continued. “I just wanted to say that I was really happy when you saved me”. Dammit why can’t I just say it? “I was glad to see that you were unharmed” Leofric responded.

  “Yeah, hopefully the summer ball will go off without a hitch” Miranda added. I guess I’ll just have to keep it bottled in then, if I’m too much of a coward to say it. The train juddered and they both gripped the straps hard to keep their balance. Miranda noticed that several of the passengers were staring at the sword hanging in a sheath around Leofric’s waist. It was a strange sight but these commuters had no doubt seen a lot of strange sights on New York’s subways so it was more of a mild curiosity than anything else. Just a few more hours and Leo will be gone and I’ll never see him again. Miranda felt the familiar unpleasant nausea return to her stomach. This whole nightmare will end and things will go back to being the way they were. Her stomach grimaced from the queasiness. The thought of Leo leaving forever makes me feel almost as bad as being chased by those monsters does. Why does life have to be so complicated?

  The train continued for some time before finally stopping at Greenwich Village. The pair got off the train and made their way to the surface. “We should have something to eat first of all” Miranda said her stomach grumbling.

  “I concur” Leofric replied. They walked down the street until Miranda saw a restaurant with tinted windows. “Do you mind eating food that isn’t from the Middle Ages?” Miranda asked.

  “So long as they serve beer” Leofric replied. They strolled over to the restaurant and entered it, it was relatively packed and they took seats towards the back of the room. A waiter came by and gave them menus, it was an Italian restaurant and Miranda made the quick decision to go for the spaghetti. “I’m getting the spaghetti” she said to Leofric, who was staring at his menu like it contained a hidden code that could be deciphered if he squinted at it long enough. “Is there any particular food that you want?” Miranda inquired.

  “I’ll have what you’re having” Leofric replied. “If it’s good enough for you then it’s good enough for me”. The waiter came by the table and Miranda made a gesture that they were ready to make an order. “We’ll have spaghetti for both of us and a jug of water please, unless you want alcohol Leo?”.

  “I think I’ll abstain from it in all seriousness” Leofric replied. “I may need a sober mind later tonight”.

  “Then just the jug of water” Miranda said to the waiter. The waiter took the order and left, leaving the two by their themselves. Around them conversations from other tables filled the air. “If the monsters weren’t pursuing us I would have liked to spend a little longer here” Leofric remarked. “I hated this place when I first arrived but I think I’m finally getting used to the city”.

  “I wish I could say the same” Miranda replied. “The longer I spend here the more I think it just isn’t for me”.

  “You’ve done a better job of navigating the city life than I have” Leofric joked.

  “What will you do if the spell doesn’t work tonight?” Miranda inquired abruptly.

  Leofric’s expression changed from jovial and lighthearted to serious. “I’ll travel to Europe and find someone to carry out the spell for me at one of the magical festivals” he claimed.

  “What if I come with you?” Miranda asked.

  “That would be too dangerous” Leofric replied. “If the spell at the summer ball doesn’t work then you need to go stay with your parents in Albany, far away from this nonsense. You’ve already been exposed to enough dangers as it is thanks to me. The fact that you’re performing the spell for the summer ball is already enough as it is”.

  “What if it’s safer if I go with you?” Miranda questioned.

  “I sincerely doubt that to be the case” Leofric stated.

  “You’ll need someone’s help to get around Europe” Miranda insisted. “You’ll be lost without my help”.

  “Why are you so insistent on this?” Leofric quizzed. “I appreciate the offer Miranda and I know that you’re scared but staying with your parents is the safest option for you”.

  “What if I give you a phone so you can stay in contact with me?” Miranda asked.

  “I’m not really sure how those work but I’m willing to entertain the idea” Leofric responded.

  “Then I’ll get one for you” Miranda declared. The waiter returned with a jug of water which he left on the table.

  “My thirst is in dire need of a quenching” Leofric said, filling a glass and drinking it eagerly. Miranda did the same, she hadn’t had a glass of water since the early morning when they’d left to go to the bookstore. “That’s another thing I admire about this place” Leofric remarked. “You can have ice cold water on demand, you can’t get that in Northumbria”.

  “What can you get in Northumbria that you can’t get here?” Miranda inquired, trying to take her mind off things.

  “Well I haven’t seen many horses since I’ve been here” Leofric mentioned. “Back home any man of note has a horse, a sword and several wives”.

  “Several wives?” Miranda replied shocked.

  Leofric laughed, “that last part isn’t exactly true. Men in Northumbria have one wife, even the king. The horse part is correct however, here it seems like instead of horses people own steel giants, ‘cars’ as you refer to them”.

  “I wouldn’t mind owning a horse” Miranda said. “That might just be the kid in me talking though”.

>   “Learning to ride a horse is one of the first things I was taught as a kid” Leofric reminisced. “I look forward to teaching my future sons how to ride a horse”.

  “Is there anything else that Northumbria has that New York doesn’t?” Miranda questioned.

  “There is one thing” Leofric mentioned. “It impressed me when I first came here, to see all of the towering buildings and structures that men have created. New York makes Northumbrian towns look like anthills in comparison. But I miss the open green fields, the gentle rivers and the lazy forests of home. It gets tiring seeing the same hard, lifeless surfaces everywhere after a while. And all of the noise, there’s nowhere to get some silence, it’s constant hustle and bustle well into the night. The skyline may be incredible but I still prefer looking at the stars at night while lying in a grassy field, with nobody around but your friends for leagues”.

  “That doesn’t sound very nice” Miranda said. “I grew up in Albany which is a city, though nowhere near as big as New York and I loved going hiking on the weekends. Being around nature is soothing for the soul”.

  “I suppose it is” Leofric added. “I never realised that until I came here, probably because I’d never been without it. You don’t grasp how important something is until you’ve lost it”.

  “I know that all too well” Miranda said.

  “Dinner is served” came the voice of the waiter who put down two plates of spaghetti in front of them.

  “Thank you” Miranda said as the waiter headed off.

  “What is this?” Leofric questioned, scrutinising the spaghetti like it had come from Mars.

  “It’s called spaghetti” Miranda answered. “Try it, you’ll like it”. Leofric picked up his fork and hesitantly poked at the food. “You wrap it around your fork like this” Miranda said, rolling some spaghetti around her fork before lifting it to her mouth and eating it. Leofric tried to do the same, awkwardly using his fork to scoop some up and munch it down. “How does it taste?” Miranda asked.

  “Like worms” Leofric replied.

  Miranda laughed, “try it with the sauce on it”. Leofric scooped some up and gulped it down. “What kind of sauce is this?” he asked.

  “Tomato sauce, it comes from America” Miranda answered. “I don’t think they had it back in your time”.

  “It’s good, I like it” Leofric said before chomping some of the stuff down.

  “I’m glad you do” Miranda replied before tucking into her own meal. The two ate with gusto, their famished stomachs egging them on to devour their meals with haste. Leofric finished first, licking his bowl and letting out a sigh of relief. Miranda finished a minute later, putting her fork down on her plate. “I should have mentioned that it’s considered rude in this time to lick your plate” Miranda said.

  “Why? It means you enjoyed the meal” Leofric responded.

  “It’s just one of those things” Miranda said. “I’m sorry if I’m coming off as abrupt I just needed to mention that”.

  “Well so long as it isn’t considered bad manners to burp loudly after a mug of ale” Leofric stated.

  “Well actually” Miranda began hesitantly.

  Leofric laughed, “I’m joking, I’m not a total fool”.

  Miranda joined in with his laughter and for a moment she forgot about the daunting task they had ahead of them.

  “That was a good meal” Leofric announced. “You chose well”.

  “I thought you might like it” Miranda said.

  “How much time until the summer ball begins?” he questioned.

  Miranda pulled out her phone, “it’s already began”.

  “We shouldn’t tarry then” Leofric uttered.

  “I’ll just pay the bill and then we’ll leave” Miranda said. She got up and went over to the counter and paid the bill in full. Once she was done, she and Leofric left the restaurant, emerging into the evening atmosphere. Night had fallen and the pair made their way down the street, both of them readying themselves for what was to come.

  10.

  Leofric strode down the street, his eyes on the lookout for any sign of the crow or the monsters. His muscles were still a little weary from the brawl he’d had earlier when he’d come to Miranda’s aid in the sewers. I would have died in those wretched sewers if Miranda hadn’t of saved me. It had been a quest of its own just to get to the catacombs. He’d spent an ordinate amount of time figuring out how to read the map before finally figuring it out. Then he’d made his way to a manhole which would lead to the catacombs. He hadn’t been prepared for the smell of the sewers, Northumbria could get pretty smelly but it was never as potent as the sewers were. The collection of filth dwarfed the worst that Northumbria had to offer, it hadn’t taken Leofric by surprise though. A city as big as New York is going to produce a gargantuan amount of filth. Fates know that small villages in Northumbria could produce enough on their own. He’d held his nose as he made his way down into the depths of the underground hive. When he’d found Miranda he’d been overjoyed but his happiness was interrupted by the return of the monsters who’d taken her captive. He took to the shadows and seethed with hate, thinking about how those creatures had handled her with the grubby paws, tormenting and frightening her. He’d timed his emergence from the shadows well, he dispatched one of the monsters while it had its back turned to him. After that it was a mad scramble that only ended when Miranda had killed the biggest and nastiest beast.

  When she came to him and helped him up he felt like he was floating in tender bliss. Even now the memory of her pale eyes gazing into his, her delicate features framed with concern gave him a rush of warmth. The escape from the tunnels had been a close run thing, for a moment he’d panicked that he was wrong about the ladder being the way out. When Miranda finally managed to push the manhole away, his choice was affirmed and he’d had a rush of triumph. They’d made their way to the subway and then once they arrived near Miranda’s campus, they chose to have dinner. The food had been exquisite, Leofric had wanted a second helping afterwards but he decided not to impose upon Miranda. That and he didn’t want a bloated stomach during the ritual they were going to perform. His mind went back to the questions Miranda had asked him around the dinner table. She’d been very insistent about accompanying him to Europe despite his protestations. Eventually she’d relented but it left Leofric wondering about her reasoning. At the time he’d assumed that it was because she imagined that she would be safer if she stayed with him and that’s why she was so insistent. Now though he considered that maybe it was because she’d grown attached to him. It was a fanciful thought, they had only known each other briefly but Leofric entertained it hopefully. Fates know I’ve fallen for despite only knowing her for a few days. Despite that though Leofric didn’t take the possibility too seriously, it was more wish fulfilment on his part than anything else.

  “We’re close to the campus” Miranda said breaking his reverie.

  “Have you got everything you need for the ritual?” Leofric asked.

  “We only need the location and the event” Miranda answered. “So yes I have got everything”.

  “Good” Leofric replied. He still wasn’t comfortable with the fact that she was going to do the invocation. It was potentially dangerous and he hated the idea of her putting herself in harm’s way for his sake. “Oh no I just remembered” Miranda said exasperated. “I can’t believe I forgot”.

  “Is it a problem?” Leofric inquired.

  “There are going to be people there that I know” Miranda mentioned. “And when they see you with me they’re going to ask me who you are. We need to agree on a false identity for you in case you’re asked. If you go around saying that you’re Leofric, the rightful heir to Northumbria they’ll think you’re insane”.

  “I understand” Leofric answered.

  “Just tell them that your name is Leo” Miranda said. “And that you’re from England and that you’re studying dark ages history”.

  “I trust that you’ll do most of th
e talking” Leofric surmised.

  “I’ll try to, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem” Miranda replied. The campus came into view and Leofric saw increasing groups of people making way towards it. They reached the campus and saw a crowd gathering on Washington Park, Leofric noticed that many of the young people were wearing strange costumes. “It’s being held at the Franklin Gymnasium” Miranda mentioned. They walked through the park and came across to a massive structure, low and flat. They walked up to the entrance where a line had developed, large men were checking off names on a list. “Even though you aren’t a student here I should be able to get you in” Miranda said. The line advanced and they were in front of the large men. “Do you have a student ID?” one of the men asked.

  “Miranda Hazelgrove” Miranda said.

  “Gotcha, and what about you buddy?” the big man asked.

  “He’s a friend of mine but he doesn’t study here” Miranda answered.

  “So long as there’s only one he’s allowed in” the large man replied.

  “Thank you” Miranda said, taking Leofric’s hand and leading him into the massive room.

  “Let’s get this party started” Miranda uttered as Leofric gazed at the room around him. It was huge, he estimated it was capable of holding at least two thousand people, there were hundreds already present inside. Most of the hall was one large flat space but there were a rows of ascending seats on the right side of the room. Loud, thumping noises engulfed the room which Miranda had assured him was music. There was alcohol widely available, almost everyone seemed to have a red cup filled with the strong smelling stuff. “Oh hey Miranda it’s so good to see you” came a voice to the pair’s side. Leofric turned to see a young woman with copious amounts of makeup on her face and a tight fitting dress stretched across her physique. “Oh hey Vanessa it’s so good to see you too” Miranda replied, the two hugging politely. “And who’s this hunk?” Vanessa asked sizing up Leofric.