“That sounds like Lafayette.”
“I’m really worried, Theresa,” Maxine said. “Lord Fane’s men were sent off to the rest of the town to inform them they were all property of the Princess or something –”
“Look, we’re getting out here,” Theresa said marching towards the door. “We just have to get that blasted collar off Moldark’s neck and then we’ll be free.”
“You mean like what you were wearing before?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“And if I see Lord Fane, I’ll be having some words with him too.”
“I trust you, Theresa. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
“Come on. I don’t need to be princess’d up for whatever this stupid affair is going to turn out to be.”
“Alright,” Maxine said. “I know the way out. Follow me.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
They were all there. The Nurses of the Night Garden were standing in two single file rows, each holding a bouquet of bloodflowers. The royal blue carpet from the Warlock’s Keep had been ripped up and brought here, rolled out towards the dome hut where figures awaited inside.
Theresa spun around. The Warlock’s men were on one side. Lafayette’s on another. Maxine ushered her forward down the carpet isle, before seizing up a bouquet and joining the rest of them in line. Theresa walked up to the dome and stepped up to the level where the Necromancer from the blue caves was standing behind a podium. She was turning pages of a book in front of her, without looking up.
Standing just to the side of the podium was the groom, wearing a large black suit and bowtie. His hair was combed back, his boots polished, his hands clean.
Theresa walked past Lord Fane’s statue as she approached.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Moldark turned. “Waiting for my Princess.”
“That’s me,” Theresa snapped. “I’m your Princess.”
His expression faltered. He tried to speak but couldn’t.
Theresa moved in closer. The collar was still wrapped tightly around his throat.
She turned to the Necromancer. “You can clearly see he’s here against his will.”
“And?”
Theresa’s mouth fell open. “Well you can’t marry him off against his will! I – I was the one who got you out of those caves, remember?”
The Necromancer looked up. “And I repaid my debt to you.”
“Well, I don’t see how you should be indebted to the Princess for anything. It should be the other way around –”
“You weren’t there, though, were you? When I was being released?”
“What?”
“It was Lord Lafayette who set me free. And since then other deals have been made.”
“I don’t care!” Theresa shouted. “You must stop this at once!”
“There’s only one person who can stop this. And … she’s right over there.”
Theresa turned just as a background orchestra began playing, and Princess Emberlynn was standing at the other end of the carpet, a long white dress flowing at her feet.
Ravens circling overhead.
She walked along slowly, her eyes buzzing with power and pride, as though she was the happiest woman in the world.
And why shouldn’t she be? Theresa thought.
She looked up to Moldark who was staring at Emberlynn as though he was infatuated, in love, his heart stolen –
And she thought –
Who in the world wouldn’t be happy, to marry my Prince…?
CHAPTER TWELVE
Princess Emberlynn pushed Theresa out of the way so she could take her place next to Moldark.
Furious, Theresa went to challenge her, but the Princess merely had to touch Theresa before her dress came alight, the fire burning, eating into her flesh –
“EEEEK!” Theresa gasped, hitting the deck, rolling around to snuff it out.
“Quiet please,” the Necromancer said. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of two people in the arms of marriage. One of them a King, an Overlord, the Ruler of the Southern House and its Kingdom, I present to you, his imminence, Lord Moldark –”
“Enough,” Theresa said clawing at Emberlynn’s feet. “Stop this at once.”
The Princess chuckled. “Please Nurse Chantley, I know you’re emotional –”
“I SAID STOP IT!!!”
The Princess laughed louder. “Please excuse me for one moment. I’ll be right with you. Just have to talk with my friend a moment.”
She pulled Theresa off the floor and took her over to the side wall away from everyone.
“Theresa, are you listening?”
Theresa shook her head. “Don’t do this.”
“I get it, you love him,” Emberlynn said. “It doesn’t matter. I would’ve preferred Lafayette but now you’ve killed him and I still need to marry an overlord, Moldark has to be my next choice, doesn’t he?”
“Marry someone else. Marry – marry Harland.”
“Harland? And why should I do that?”
“He’s – he’s an overlord. You – you already have Moldark’s Kingdom. He will give it to you for free. You don’t need to marry him. But – but Harland. Harland controls the North. You want the North House don’t you?”
The Princess shrugged. “Moldark looks like he’ll be better in bed.”
Theresa’s eyes flared.
“Oh come on,” the Princess said. “You don’t think it’s all about land acquisition do you? Seriously…”
She turned to leave.
“Harland will actually love you,” Theresa persisted. “You won’t need to put a collar on him. He really will love you.”
“How would you know?”
“How would I – you’re all he talks about. He’s your greatest fan. He knew I wasn’t you right away when we first met. Seriously. He’d be better for you than even Lafayette would be. Certainly more than Moldark…”
The Princess ground her teeth together. “But he’s not here. And I want to get married now.”
“I’ll – I’ll go get him. He’ll be back in town right? I’ll use the teleporter and go fetch him.”
“Does he even have a proper suit to wear?”
“Yes – yes – I will make sure he’s properly dressed. It won’t take long. I’ll find him and bring him back straight away.”
Emberlynn sighed. “Alright.”
“And then you let us go.”
“What?”
“Moldark and I. No more collars. Set us free.”
“What would you do with freedom?”
“I’m begging you, Emberlynn,” Theresa said. “I need to believe you’re going to let us go.”
The Princess stared at her. “Very well!”
“Oh thank you!” Theresa said hugging her.
Emberlynn fought the embrace. “Yes, yes, alright. You have half an hour. If you’re not back by then I’ll be marrying Moldark instead.”
“I understand. I’ll get going.”
Theresa went to hurry off towards the trapdoor in the floor.
“And Theresa…”
She looked back.
“If I marry Moldark,” the Princess said. “Then he’s mine forever.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Half an hour. Thirty minutes. 1800 seconds and counting. That’s how long Theresa had to stop the wedding. And of course she didn’t know if Harland would be easily convinced to play along. Theresa knew it wasn’t going to be an easy sell. Especially not if she mentioned Emberlynn had acquired some supernatural abilities in her return from the afterlife, and she was throwing Collars of Obedience around like candy.
Actually this was going to really hard sell. And she didn’t even know where Harland was exactly.
She tried the Harem first. Pulled the lever back and stepped through the portal and into the space underneath the Harem’s meeting area. Climbing up and pushing the platform aside she was found herself in darkness with all the torches blown o
ut and whatever previous occupants the harem had had earlier had now either taken off or gone to bed.
After checking all the rooms Theresa made her way out into the street, in search of a carriage. She thought maybe Harland might have returned to the Warlock’s Keep, as farfetched an idea it may have been.
She walked along the side of the deserted road, making her way there, hoping the horses would ride by soon, but things were strangely quiet. Eventually she came to a stop, the harem not yet out of sight. There had to be something else she hadn’t thought of yet. Some other way she could potentially lure him out.
She could always try the portal to the North Kingdom. She could go there and wait and he was sure to turn up at some point. But she only had half an hour to find him. There wasn’t enough time to spend the rest of the night looking for him. She had to know where he was. Right now.
A flicker of light.
Theresa’s head veered to the right. She was now staring into the dark confines of an alley where three commoners were standing huddled around one another, something bright and colorful radiating in the middle of them.
Theresa began walking slowly towards them.
Once she was near enough that they noticed her, one of them threw a blanket around the object and the other two stepped in front of him to protect it.
“Evening my Lady,” one of the men said tipping his hat. “How may we assist you?”
“What have you got there?” Theresa asked. “In the blanket?”
“Nothing,” one of them piped up. “Just something we found.”
“It’s ours now,” another added.
“May I take a look.”
“You best be off with yer,” the second man grumbled. “Go on and get lost.”
“Yeah!”
Theresa inhaled sharply. “If you don’t give it to me now, I’ll kill all three of you now.”
They looked at each other confused. Then a couple of them started laughing.
Theresa immediately began to levitate, and hovered forward, causing the one at the back to pass the blanket forward to the men at the front, who tried to push it back to him.
Theresa sailed down and snatched it out of their hands and then before her feet were back on the ground, the men had run off screaming.
Theresa pulled back the blanket from the Warlock’s glowing orb and turned it over in her grasp.
A faint smile touched her lips.
“Remember me?” she whispered to the orb. “I have a couple more questions…”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Theresa.”
Just a word. A name of a person.
“Theresa.”
A whisper in the wind.
“Theresa…”
She stepped out of the mouth of a cave, with the teleporter’s bright colors swirling in the background behind her. Theresa knew where she was. A few paces up a grassy hill in front of her and she could see the walls stretching out around Princess Emberlynn’s castle.
“Theresa.”
The utterance of her name echoed through the gardens.
Theresa glided through the decline of the hill until she was at the wall, where she allowed the wind to carry her upright and over the side.
Rows upon rows upon rows of bushes with the red flowers sprouting. Even here, from the outskirts of a place she had spent years of her life, and she felt she could still get lost in them.
“Theresa.”
She glided along towards the sound of her name, around corners, and down dark pathways, searching for his voice. His figure. The vision the orb had allowed her to see.
He was at a clearing in the orchard, sitting on a stone bench the guards would often eat their lunch at, overlooking pond. Sometimes they fed birds in the pond instead of allowing the starving nurses their stale scraps, but unlike some, Theresa never minded. She was used to the pain.
“Theresa,” Harland said, plucking the leaves of a flower twisting in his hands.
“This is the last place I expected to find you,” Theresa said moving in from behind. “I have to wonder why you thought you’d find me here.”
Harland jumped, startled. He tossed the flower into the pond and stood up. “Did you hear me…?”
“Yes, I heard you.”
Harland paused a moment. “I was … casting a spell… while thinking about you…”
“Looks like it worked.”
“And I don’t even know magic.”
Theresa breathed in. “That hasn’t stopped Emberlynn turning a trick or two.”
“Come again?”
“Princess Emberlynn. She’s like one of those necromancers now.”
Harland nodded. “Not exactly.”
“Oh. There’s an explanation?”
“Something to do with Lord Fane I believe. As the necromancer was turning him to stone, she transferred the Warlock’s powers over to the Princess. Something about keeping things in balance.”
Theresa shrugged. Looked away from him.
Harland approached her. “Was it Emberlynn who sent you then? Or have you met with Lafayette?”
“Neither sent me.”
“No?”
“Lafayette’s dead.”
“That’s … he can’t be.”
“Yeah, he can be. I saw his face get smashed into a rock.”
Harland appeared flustered. “Let me guess. Moldark.”
“Who else?”
“Still, you came. I suppose that’s what important.”
“You don’t know why I’ve come,” Theresa snapped.
“Is it not to be with me?”
“What?”
“That’s not the reason you’re here?”
“What in the world gave you that impression?”
Harland rubbed his hands together. “I always thought we had great chemistry.”
“Seriously?”
“In an ideal world Lafayette would have destroyed Moldark as he promised me he would,” Harland said. “It is the Southern Master who is keeping your heart away from me, isn’t it?”
“My heart stands up and flees when I look at you,” Theresa scolded.
Harland turned away, deflated. “That’s harsh.”
“What?” Theresa said. “Come on. You didn’t think I’d really have feelings for you after all that stuff before you put me through –”
“I like to play games,” Harland said. “I’m not the most honest character, I’ll admit. But just because someone doesn’t tell you the truth, it doesn’t mean that truth doesn’t exist.”
“I don’t want to get into this with you,” Theresa said. “I’m actually here because I need your help.”
“With what? Did Moldark send you? Are you planning an ambush together?”
“What? No. Nothing like that.”
He studied her. “Well. Out with it then.”
“The Princess has captured Moldark and is using that awful collar on him, the one you helped me get rid of. Right now she’s set up a wedding at the plantation, and is about to marry him.”
“Emberlynn … is marrying Moldark…”
“Against his will? Hell, against mine. But I got her to agree to hold off for a short bit so I could convince you to go in and take Moldark’s place.”
“You want me to marry her?”
“She’s agreed,” Theresa nodded. “All we need is you to be on board and then we’ll be good to go. Then both Moldark and I will be set free.”
“So you expect me to – you expect me to just marry this crazy witch so you and bloody Moldark are off the hook? I’m not sure I get the part where it benefits me.”
Theresa moved in close to him. Took his gloved hands into hers.
“Harland. I know it’s a lot to ask. But you need to think about this. With Lafayette and Fane gone you can have the whole land to yourselves between you.”
“But in the east isn’t there –”
“Yes, apart from the Necromancer in the east, but that’s beside the point. Emberlynn is the ruler of eve
rything. You must want to marry her. If not her, then who else would you want to marry.”
Harland stared at her. “I want to marry you.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Theresa wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. “Can you repeat that please?”
“I want to marry you,” Harland said.
Okay, she was sure, but she wasn’t happy with what he’d said.
“You’re crazy, you know that?” Theresa blurted out. “Who am I that you want to marry? I’m nothing. I’m a servant girl.”
“You’re my servant girl.”
“No. I belong to Moldark now. I’ve made my choice.”
“You’re saying I lost?”
“Yeah. Can we move on from this?”
“I beg to differ,” Harland said waving his finger. “I know I can convince you.”
“You can’t.”
“How much have you even thought about marrying Moldark? For real? Do you know what he’s like outside of tonight? Do you know what his behavior is like? Do you know how he treats his women?”
“What women?”
“Oh, he has loads.”
“You’re lying.”
“It means nothing for him to even kill people. You’re not a human anymore, granted, but I’m sure you’ll be more compatible with my view of the world, as opposed to his.”
“We’re not doing this. I’m not having this argument. Time is running out!”
“Just bear with me,” Harland grinned. “Now, I understand you’re not thinking straight. You’ve been through a lot. We all have. But the thing is when you entered that room in the Harem tonight and you saw us all for the first time – who was it that you were most drawn to? Who did you feel that inner connection with? I know who it was. It was me.”
“First impressions don’t count for everything.”
“You could tell who we were before we even said a word to you,” Harland reasoned. “Cyprian and Seraphine were over by the bar drinking, indulging themselves, not particularly interested. But there for the entertainment value. You get that don’t you?”
Game of Vampires: A Reverse Harem Serial (Part Five) Page 3
