by Morgan Hawke
The king’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Even if you could reach her, it won’t change the outcome.”
Outcome...? I froze in place, my breath stilling in my chest.
The king’s gaze moved back toward Gabriella and he smiled. “So, Miss Sorceress, would you mind taking off the curse you placed?”
Gabriella’s gaze slid to the side. “Why should I?”
I shook my head in disbelief. Why should she...? I reared up in anger, lashing my hooves. My voice trumpeted out in a loud equine neigh. “Because people are dying, you idiot!”
Gabriella’s eyes widened and she jumped back. Fury twisted her features, and she pointed a long finger at me. “This is your fault, you bitch! I wouldn’t have used this stupid spell if you hadn’t...! If he hadn’t...!” Tears began to well in the corner of her eyes. She abruptly screeched. “If you had just been the stupid boy you were supposed to be, and the—” Her voice hitched on a sob. She closed her eyes and tears slid down her cheeks. “—And the princesses hadn’t been so—” Her pointing hand fell to her side. “So pretty.”
Gabriella wiped at her eyes with her hands. “I just couldn’t—” She gasped in a small breath. “I just couldn’t stand the fact that he was going to take them.” She waved a hand toward me. “And you too—” Her eyes opened, black smears running down her cheeks. “—Over me!” A snarl curled her painted red lips. “I had him first! He should be with me!”
I blinked. She did all this out of jealousy?
The king snorted. “So you cursed the entire palace?”
Gabriella sniffed and wiped at the black running down her cheeks. “It wasn’t supposed to—” She sniffed again. “It wasn’t supposed to be the whole palace.” She folded her arms under her bosom. “It was just supposed to be this room, and the princesses.”
The king stiffened, his jaw visibly tightening.
Gabriella took a deep breath, gaining visible control over herself. “But it turned out to be a much bigger spell than I thought.”
The king sighed. “Foolish sorceress, your prince had no intention of marrying the princesses.”
Gabriella’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. “What?” Her gaze darted to me. “But Julian is Alberic’s—”
The king shook his head. “This doe—”
I stomped a hoof and tossed my mane. “Julian, my name is Julian!”
The king’s glanced at me briefly. “Ah, yes, Julian agreed to be presented as my unicorn. The princesses were to be mine.”
Gabriella blinked, then sniffed and lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Well, too late now.” She abruptly smiled. “With everybody gone, it’s my palace now, which makes me a princess!” She tilted her head to the side, her smile curling into a broad smirk. “And since I’m a princess, Prince Alberic can marry me!”
From behind me, a strong masculine, familiar voice called out. “The princesses were unaffected by your curse. This palace, this land, is theirs, not yours.”
Gabriella leaned to the side to look past the king, and I. A smile bloomed on her lips. “Ah, you’re here!”
I turned my head, arching my neck to look behind me.
Standing just within the broken bronze door was Prince Alberic. His blue frock coat was ripped at the shoulders, ragged at the hem, and stained with random splashes of dark red. The lace at his wrists was filthy. His cravat was missing, leaving his throat bare. His green eyes were narrowed under lowered brows, and there was a scowl on his lips. Alberic was clearly more than a little battered, and not at all happy.
Even so, I was utterly relieved to see him.
~ Nineteen ~
Prince Alberic, bedraggled and furious, stomped right past me straight to the very center of Swanstone’s fire-blasted throne room.
That’s when I noticed that his frock coat had two long and evenly placed rips from the shoulders down to his waist. I tilted my head in confusion. How did his coat get ripped like that?
Alberic lifted his right arm, pointed at Gabriella, and spoke firmly and rather quietly. “You are fired.” He then turned his back on the red-haired sorceress to face me and the king. “This debacle has been quite an inconvenience.”
Gabriella looked at the floor, her brows scrunching together, her lip curled. “Fired...?” Her head lifted and a look of shock widened her eyes. “Fired...?” She trotted down from the throne’s dais, her heels clicking on the marble floor. “What do you mean, I’m fired?”
Alberic tugged at his wrist lace and did not turn around. “Would someone kindly explain to the persona non grata behind me that I have no interest in employing those who lay curses without my expressed permission?”
The king folded his arms across his chest. “I refuse. She’s not my sorceress.”
Alberic heaved a dramatic sight. “She’s not mine either, anymore.”
Under normal circumstances, it would have been my duty. However, at that particular moment, I was incapable of human speech. I gave a long, loud equine snort instead.
Gabriella began to tremble, her teeth grinding audibly. “Hey! I’m right here, you know!”
“Now then...” Alberic turned to the unicorn king and set his hands on his hips. “If you would kindly return my valet?”
Gabriella sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”
The king smiled at my prince with narrowed eyes. “I’m afraid I have one more task for her, if you don’t mind?”
I laid my ears back and scraped a hoof. “What is it now?”
The king turned to me and spoke very softly. “Have you forgotten why we entered this room?”
It actually took me a full breath to recall that we were here to kill the sorcerer responsible for the curse. I froze in place for half a breath then turned sharply to my prince. “Gabriella needs to take the curse off!”
The king sighed and looked away. “I don’t think that’s possible at this point.”
My prince’s brows lowered over narrowed green eyes, his mouth pinching tight.
Not a good sign. He was clearly angry with Gabriella, and never liked following someone else’s instructions. However, when all else failed; beg. I turned my ears forward. “Please, my prince?”
“Wait...” Gabriella pointed at the king. “Are you saying that you can return that animal to human form?” She pointed toward me.
The king smiled. “Of course!”
“No.” Blackened tears began to slip down Gabriella’s cheeks. “I won’t allow it.”
Alberic abruptly turned to face Gabriella. “Do you wish my forgiveness?”
She blinked, clearly startled. “You’ll forgive me?” She clasped her hands together, pushing her full bosom higher, and smiled despite the black tears slipping welling in her eyes. “Yes, please, forgive me! I didn’t mean to curse the whole palace. Honest!” She shrugged, her smile twisting with chagrin. “The spell was a lot more powerful than I thought.”
The prince nodded and clasped his hands behind him. “Remove the curse, and I will forgive you.”
Gabriella’s eyes widened and her smile crumbled just a little. “Remove the curse?”
Alberic arched one golden brow. “You do wish to be forgiven, don’t you?”
Gabriella bounced on her toes while wringing her hands. “Yes! Yes! More than anything!”
My prince smiled. “Then, remove the curse.”
Gabriella bit down on her bottom lip and began to tremble. “I— I want to, but...”
Alberic’s brows lowered. “But?”
Gabriella hunched her shoulders and glanced away. “I... I can’t.”
Alberic folded his arms across his chest. “What do you mean, you can’t? It’s your spell, isn’t it?”
“Well...” Gabriella lifted a hand to twirl her finger around one of her red curls. “N-not actually.”
“You cast this curse.” Alberic set his hands on his hips and tapped one booted toe. “How can it not be yours?”
Gabriella stiffened, then scowled, her hands fisting at her sides. “B
ecause I bought it from a tinker, back home!”
I blinked. Someone was selling curses in our kingdom?
Gabriella winced and clasped her hands around her waist. “For two silver coins.”
“The price of a ride in my coach.” The voice was deep, gruff, and very familiar. From the deep shadows by the windows stepped a tall, broad figure wearing a ragged black cape that swept the floor. A mask with a crow’s beak concealed his face under a tricorn hat with black feathers.
I lifted my head, ears up in surprise. Master Corwen? What was he doing here?
Alberic curled his lip, his focus entirely on Gabriella. “You bought this curse?”
Gabriella crossed her arms under her bosom, a pout on her lips. “I buy a lot of spells. This was just one of them.”
Alberic rubbed his brow. “Why did you buy a curse you couldn’t remove?”
Gabriella threw up her hands. “I didn’t know I couldn’t remove it! I thought I could!”
I rolled my eyes. This was going to take a while. Heaving a sigh, I strode over to Master Corwin, my hooves clicking lightly. “So why are you here?”
He sighed. “I have a confession to make.”
My ears lifted. “Oh?”
Master Corwin’s beaked mask tilted downward. “I did not take a few days off. I’m here because I have an assignment.”
“An assignment...?” I froze, the hair along my spine rising. He was Death’s coachman; his job was to collect the dead. This meant he’d known all along that people would die at the palace. I laid my ears back, my tail lashing behind me. “Why didn’t you warn us?”
Master Corwin shrugged and looked away. “I couldn’t. It’s...not allowed.”
“I see.” I blew out a sigh, and my ears lifted. “Telling people something like that could...change things.”
Master Corwin tilted his head slightly, and I got the distinct impression that he was smiling. “You are very understanding. Are you quite sure you won’t be my bride?”
I tilted my head to the side and snorted. “You never give up, do you?”
Master Corwin chuckled, his eyes bright gold behind his beaked mask. “Not when the prize is so worth gaining.” He lifted his head to look past me. “However, I think you’d better go back. Your prince is going to need you in a moment.”
I turned to look at my prince.
Gabriella stomped her booted foot. “It’s not fair! That animal got in my way from the very beginning!”
Alberic lifted his chin in open distain. “Julian only looks like an animal at the moment, and Julian has nothing to do with your curse.”
“Julian has everything to do with this curse! I was so used to that stupid bitch warping every spell I cast for you, I put more power into it than it needed. It wasn’t supposed to be this big!”
Alberic set one hand on his hip. “Oh, so you intended to only curse a few people into slavering beasts that killed everything in their wake?”
Apparently the argument had shifted.
I blew out a snort, and turned away. “If you’ll excuse me, Master Corwin?”
Death’s coachman nodded. “Of course. Oh, and one more thing?”
I turned my head to look back at Master Corwin. “Yes?”
Master Corwin lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”
I turned an ear his way. “For what?”
Gabriella abruptly shouted. “I only wanted to curse the princesses, okay?”
Master Corwin waved toward the escalating argument behind me. “I think you’d better hurry.”
“Curse the princesses...?” Alberic stared wide-eyed at Gabriella. “Why would you do something so stupid?”
Gabriella burst into gasping sobs. “Because I didn’t want you to marry them. I want you to marry me!”
This was not going to be pretty. I trotted toward my prince, my tail swinging back and forth in annoyance.
Alberic scowled. “I already told you, I can’t marry someone that isn’t of royal blood!”
The king shook his head. “He certainly can’t marry someone poisoned by a curse.”
Gabriella stiffened. “Poisoned? But I’m not cursed.”
The king set his ice blue eyes on Gabriella. “Haven’t you noticed? Your tears have turned black. You’ve been poisoned by the evil inherent in that curse.”
Gabriella ripped off a glove. Her nails were as black as pitch. She wiped at her eyes then stared at the black smears on her fingers. “That’s just...makeup. My kohl eyeliner.”
The king shook his head. “It’s not. Your blood has more than likely already turned black and poisonous as well.”
Gabriella shook where she stood. “Impossible... That’s impossible!”
I moved to stand by the king and looked at Gabriella’s face. Her eyes were solid black orbs, and she looked like she was wearing black lip color. She looked demonic. Startled, I threw up my head and jerked back a few steps.
She scowled at me. “What’s with you?”
Alberic sighed. “Your eyes and lips have turned black.”
Gabriella set her palms on her cheeks. “No... No! You’re lying!” She shoved her hand into her skirts, very likely a pocket, because she pulled out a tiny round mirror. She stared at her reflection for a few seconds, then let out a horrified shriek. “What’s happening to me?”
The unicorn king shrugged. “I told you, you’ve been poisoned by the curse.”
She turned to the king. “How do I get rid of it?”
The king smiled sourly. “You can be purified, but you will never wield magic again.”
Gabriella’s eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. “I’ll lose my magic?”
The king nodded. “Your magic is what’s poisoning you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Will it kill me?”
The king’s brows lifted. “Purification? That will hurt a little, but you’ll live.”
Gabriella shook her head. “The poison. Will it kill me?”
The king smiled slyly. “Not at all. You’ll just lose every drop of humanity you have and turn very, very evil.”
Gabriella shook her head, then began to back away from us. “I can’t... I can’t lose my magic. It’s all I have. It’s all I am!” She shot a glare at the king. “If I lose my magic, the curse will break, won’t it?”
The king nodded. “It will.”
Gabriella sneered at the king. “I refuse! I am not giving up my magic! They can stay cursed for all I care!”
Alberic scowled. “How do we purify her?”
The king tilted his head toward me. “With a unicorn’s horn, of course. A small stab to the arm or leg should do.”
Alberic strode for Gabriella.
Gabriella backed away. “No! No way in hell!” She lifted her hands and a fireball bloomed into life, but this time the flames were blue.
Alberic stopped cold.
I lunged forward to stand before my prince.
Gabriella stared at us with her solid black eyes. “You again... You stupid bitch, why is it always you!” She threw the fireball at me.
I reared and pointed my horn at it.
Several feet away, the fireball popped, leaving oily black smoke.
Alberic blinked at me. “You know, that’s rather handy.”
I laid my ears back, and curled my lip, showing my long equine teeth. “Don’t get any ideas.”
Gabriella bolted for the bronze doors.
Alberic ran to cut her off to the left.
I galloped for the right.
The king leaped to stand before the doors and drew his sword. “I’m afraid I cannot allow you to leave.”
“Out of my way!” Gabriella threw a blue fireball at him.
Three feet from the king, Gabriella’s fireball popped, leaving only smoke.
The king smiled. “I told you, magic doesn’t work on me.” He stepped forward, the long blade of his silver sword pointed at her.
Gabriella fisted her hands at her sides and stepped back. “No, no, no! This is not happen
ing to me!”
Alberic closed in on her left.
With an inhuman screech, Gabriella lifted both hands, palm out, and cast a huge fireball at my prince.
In utter panic, I leaped to reach him, but I was not going to make it in time. Alberic was far too close to her.
Alberic lifted his right arm, palm out. A flash of blinding white light burst in a corona around him, and at his back, a pair of diaphanous golden butterfly wings opened. “Be gone!”
The fireball popped out of existence.
Gabriella stood frozen for an entire breath, her mouth open in astonishment.
I skidded to a halt only a few feet behind Gabriella, astonished myself.
The light disappeared from around Alberic, but his wings remained. He folded them down against his back, and his lip curled in disgust. “Damn it, I hate using that. It takes forever for the stupid wings to disappear.”
Gabriella blinked. “You’re fey?”
Alberic set his hands on his hips and looked away. “Half-fey. My father was human.”
Well, that certainly explained a few things.
Gabriella abruptly burst into peals of laughter. “No wonder you prefer that animal over me! You’re no more human than she is!”
The king snorted and stepped closer, his sword lifted to rest on his shoulder. “At the moment, they are both more human than you, demoness.”
Gabriella’s laughter cut off completely. “A demon, am I? Fine.” She smiled. “I can live with that.”
The king lowered his sword. “Perhaps you can, but I’m afraid that I cannot allow it.” He lunged at her, his sword aimed at her heart.
Gabriella whirled around to run.
I charged to intercept her.
Gabriella stopped cold only a foot before my nose, her black eyes wide. She coughed thick black liquid. It spattered on the horn that impaled her right through the chest, then turned to smoke.
A body-length away, Alberic froze where he stood.
I stared in horrified shock, then jerked back.
Gabriella slid off my horn, crumpling to the marble floor. The black in her eyes receded, revealing her natural green, but they were glassy and unfocused. Her lips turned back to red. The poison was gone from her, but so was her life.
I’d killed her.
