A Gift for the King

by Sara Fields

  “My king, we have received word that the army from the south, the D’Lormerean army, has breached the kingdom of Legeari and is not far from our city gates. We need your guidance immediately.”

  “Has the rest of the guard arrived yet?”

  “No, sir. I think they are still a few days away.”

  Dante ran his hand across his face, exasperated. He threw the covers off and stood up naked. Grabbing the shirt and pants he had thrown aside, he quickly dressed and made his way to the door. Looking back, he met Lana’s eyes, his concern blatantly clear.

  “I’m going to send Wes to come get you. You and Emma are to stay in the throne room until we settle this matter, or I send for you. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” she said, her voice barely audible. She knew now was not the time to argue with him.

  Her eyes flickered up as the two men rushed out the door. Before she knew it, she was naked and alone under the covers in Dante’s bed. Her heart beat in her chest as a glaring realization came over her.

  Lord Nero was coming to Eridell.

  He would be looking for her, and she knew he would be angry. Her fingers touched the collar that circled around her small neck. Dante had said it would protect her, that Morgana had made it especially for her.

  But his torture had been so great, the pain so immense, that her flicker of doubt began to grow. Would she really, truly be safe from Lord Nero’s special brand of agonizing mental torture? Tears of fear threatened to fall until she took a deep breath, remembering that she had to dress herself because Wes was coming to fetch her. Almost numbly, she climbed out of bed, now only slightly aware of the soreness she felt on her backside.

  Despite her fear, she felt a little better, knowing Dante had had made the collar made just for her, and that he would keep her safe, no matter what happened. She was his, forever and for always.

  After pulling on the sheer red human garb, she sat down on the bed and waited. It wasn’t long before there was a soft knock on the door. Lana rose and went to the door, opening it slightly to reveal Emma’s face. She opened it wider and saw Wes standing behind her.

  His face held no gleam of any smile, no hint of the normal sarcastic Wes she had come to know and appreciate. Seeing him now, she realized how much she already missed that. Sternly, he grabbed her arm and led them down the hall. Lana barely paid attention to where they were going, but simply put one foot in front of the other. Before she knew it, they had reached the throne room.

  “Where’s Dante?” Lana asked, desperation edging in her voice. Her nerves were beginning to get the best of her, and all she wanted was to be by his side, making sure he was safe.

  “He will be here shortly,” Wes answered gruffly. Emma came to her side and held her hand in support. They sat down on the steps and began to wait, everyone too nervous to hold any sort of conversation.

  The clock on the wall ticked away. Fifteen minutes passed, then another fifteen, and another, until they had sat there in total silence for an hour. Lost in her worry, Lana was jolted back to reality when the door to the throne room opened. Slightly disappointed, she realized it wasn’t Dante, but a female form. It was the fiery redhead Morgana. Her beautifully curved body was encased in a dark purple satin dress that was laced up the front with a lilac ribbon. The dress hugged her waist and hips, flowing down to the floor. She was the picture of a confident sorceress, striding into the room with purpose.

  She gazed over the group sitting alone in the throne room.

  “The D’Lormerean army is going to attack the city walls any minute. They have brought with them a multitude of ships, weapons, guns, and their own group of magically gifted humans. We have learned this much from a quick reconnaissance mission, and it has been determined that the city is in imminent danger. Dante is asking for you now, Wes. He sent me to protect your women.”

  “Is he on the wall?”

  “Yes. Please head to him immediately. He needs your help strategizing. Much of our arsenal is being prepared for battle. Our stores of dark matter will power us this day.”

  Wes nodded and quickly left the room, which left the ladies alone together. Morgana walked over to Emma and Lana quickly, taking a seat beside them.

  “Is it scary out there?” Lana asked softly. Emma was looking at the door sadly, a little upset Wes had been called to battle. Morgana ran a hand over her face, already looking very tired.

  “Eridell is strong. We have been here for a very long time, and have even held up under the time of the great civil wars. King Dante has conserved the city’s use of dark matter for hard times especially like this. I don’t doubt his ability to lead us to victory.”

  Boom!!!

  A large crash sounded outside, in the direction of the great wall. The battle had begun. Cracks of gunfire began in the distance, along with yells from men. She heard the clash of swords, the neighs of horses, and the sounds of other beasts. Remembering Tala was out there too, she prayed for their safe return, that Legeari won this battle swiftly and with little loss. She had seen much of the capital of D’Lormere and she hadn’t been impressed, and she hoped their army was in much the same condition.

  Over and over she jumped as sounds of war reverberated throughout the walls. She could hear ships flying overhead, and hoped the enemy wouldn’t hit the castle. She especially hoped all those she cared for, whether they were Erassan, human, or beast, would make it through today.

  The door to the throne room clicked open, and Lana smiled when she realized it was Dante.

  “There is my escaped prisoner,” he said, a dangerous smile on his lips.

  Lana’s smile faltered. There was something seriously wrong with his demeanor. He didn’t seem like himself. His walk was different as he entered the room. The quiet confidence that Lana had come to love was replaced by something darker, dangerous, and altogether evil. His eyes were dark, not the red or icy blue she was used to. The closer she looked, the more she began to quake in fear. She knew those eyes. They were Lord Nero’s.

  She moved backwards, trying to put distance between them as he sauntered toward her. The look on his face was one of insane pride in what he had just accomplished.

  “What have you done to Dante? Why are you in his body?” she said, horror clear in her voice.

  Lord Nero began to laugh, a terrible malignant laugh that chilled Lana to the very core. Emma had backed up to a wall, frozen in fear. Morgana stood tall, her back arched in defiance. She wasn’t going to back down.

  “As a Soul Eater, I have powers that you could only dream of, you naive girl. Because your witch Morgana had left her king without her protection, ironically, at his own instruction, I was able to enter his head and take over his body with my power. Simple, really. Now, I have come to fetch you, my prisoner, and punish you for escaping from me. Since I have had the pleasure of sifting through Dante’s mind, I know exactly how to punish you,” he said, emphasizing the word punish with a decisive chuckle.

  Lana felt the hairs on her arms rise in terror, and her hands quickly went to her throat, gripping the heavy silver collar that surrounded her neck. He couldn’t touch her. She was safe from him. Lord Nero couldn’t touch her.

  Another dark look crossed his face.

  “You think you are safe from me?” He laughed again, and a sickening feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.

  “You are only safe from my touch. Your friend Morgana here placed her power in that collar preventing my power from hurting you, but what she didn’t bank on was my ability to take over Dante’s body. Which, if you’re following along, means I have full control over his powers as well.”

  Morgana’s face paled as she raced forward, standing between Lord Nero and Lana.

  “You won’t be able to hurt her with me here. I will fight you!” She lifted her hands, and a magical light began to flicker angrily about her fingers. Lana recognized it as the fire with a rainbow of colors, the same fire that was used to light the castle torch
es. She was definitively seeing Morgana’s magic in its truest form.

  Morgana threw her hands toward him, and her colorful magic turned into a volley of raging hot, crackling fire. Lana could feel the heat radiating of it as it raced toward Lord Nero. He lifted his hand, and the fire crashed into an invisible wall of air, bouncing of it back toward them. Morgana threw up her hands again, and a wall of water extinguished the volley of fire.

  Lord Nero smiled, and Lana shivered. Knowing it was Dante’s face with Lord Nero inside him was something she could not accept. She needed him back; she needed her Dante.

  Lana rose to her feet behind Morgana. Allowing herself a final moment of fear, she threw it all away. What was left was a strong woman who needed to protect herself, her friends, and the love of her life.

  Morgana threw up her hands again to toss more magic his way, but Lord Nero disappeared into thin air. He then appeared in front of her, his hand gripping her throat. Slowly, he lifted her, and she choked, her feet struggling to make contact with the floor. His other hand dug in his pocket and pulled out something round and metal. He clasped it around Morgana’s wrist. Lana realized it was a bracelet, and with a sinking feeling came to the conclusion that it probably wasn’t just a pretty piece of jewelry.

  Morgana’s feet finally made contact with the floor as Lord Nero placed her down. Raising his hand, he backhanded her to the floor. Morgana’s hand flew to her face, covering up the red mark developing across her cheek.

  The look on her face was one of sheer wrath, shooting daggers in his direction. On her wrist was a thick silver bracelet, carved with some sort of design that went around the entirety of it.

  “You… evil bastard.” She glowered, simmering with rage. She rose to her feet, her shoulders rising up and down with anger.

  “Morgana, what has he done?” Lana whispered, almost terrified of the answer.

  “He’s sealed my power, so that I cannot use it to defend you. He’s made me a simple human female, with nothing but the raw strength of one,” she answered with a growl, still glaring in Lord Nero’s direction. “I haven’t been this weak since the last day I spent on Earth.”

  An evil smile was still plastered to his face. He chuckled again before he strode up the steps toward the throne, and toward Lana.

  Like a wildcat, Morgana pounced. She scratched at his face, but Lord Nero simply pushed her aside into the wall. Morgana’s head hit the wood with a sickening crack, and she slumped to the floor, her eyes rolling back in her head.

  “What do you want?” Lana questioned, her voice steady, devoid of fear.

  She stood tall in front of him, his large frame towering over hers. His unnerving black eyes stared down at her as he slowly backed her into the wall. He lifted his palm in front of her face, empty. With a slow breath, he blew the air above his palm, and a wicked-looking dagger appeared out of thin air.

  Her eyes grew big, realizing his true intentions.

  He was going to kill her.

  He knew what the prophecy foretold. He knew she was central to Dante’s reign as king. The only solution was to kill her.

  Lord Nero held the dagger to her throat, and the sharp metal cut into her flesh. A droplet of blood dripped down her skin as he pressed further. The wicked smile on his face never wavered. If anything, the look of glee at her helplessness seemed to increase with every passing second.

  Her eyes flickered to the side, hearing Morgana groan in pain. Thankful that Lord Nero hadn’t killed the poor girl, she turned her gaze to Emma. The girl was still plastered to the wall in fear. At least the two of them were still alive. At least they would be able to take care of Dante when he learned how she died. A quiet sob died in her throat.

  Lana closed her eyes, accepting her fate. She would die by Lord Nero’s hand. She was truly and utterly lost. The dagger bit further into her flesh and she cried out in pain as her vision began to darken.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Abruptly, a brilliant white light flashed through the room, emanating from Lana’s body. What sounded like a clap of thunder followed, which shook the very foundation of the room. The chandelier in the center of the ceiling rattled before breaking and falling to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere as the brilliant light gradually faded into all the colors of the rainbow.

  Lord Nero had been thrown back and had landed at the base of the stairs. He sat and stared at Lana.

  A radiant glow surrounded her body, glimmering with every color imaginable. The line of blood where the dagger had pierced her skin was gone, healed in a matter of seconds. She held up her hands, palms up, as she observed the power surrounding her body.

  Hesitantly, she concentrated on this new power, and watched as the aura grew. Growing more confident, she threw her hands in Lord Nero’s direction, and the brilliant white light flew his way. He moved to throw up a magical barrier, but Lana’s newfound magical power cut right through it.

  Lord Nero screamed. The white light engulfed his body; the borders of his arms, torso, and legs began to blur; and two bodies began to emerge, side by side. One was encased in white light; the other was beginning to gray, until it turned to a shade of black so dark that it seemed to swallow up the light around it.

  Lana’s magic faded away and she saw Dante, along with Lord Nero’s shadow form, standing in front of her. She had freed Dante of Lord Nero’s grasp. His red eyes stared back at her and she nearly cried out in relief. His face was an enigma of emotions.

  Dante rushed to her side and turned to face Lord Nero.

  “You’re all right, my love?” he asked, passing a concerned look in her direction. She nodded, knowing now was not the time to discuss everything that was happening, how Lord Nero had almost killed her, or how scared she was.

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” she said instead, her voice steady. Together, they stood strong against Lord Nero.

  Morgana rose from against the wall and began to speak, her voice cutting through the air like steel. Her body glowed softly with a purplish light as she recited the words of the prophecy that Lana had stowed away deep in the recesses of her mind, from the start to the end of the terrible foretelling.

  “The prophecy has been fulfilled,” she continued, her voice otherworldly, edged with some sort of unknown power. It was almost as if the gods had overtaken her body and delivered a message to the small group.

  The soft light that emitted from her skin slowly faded, and she stood tall. The bracelet, still around her wrist, hung like an anchor next to her side. She looked at it sadly. Lana realized that Morgana was still without her powers. Turning her gaze back to Lord Nero, her eyes tightened, her confidence strong with her newfound power.

  Lord Nero stood before them, confused with this new development. He stared at Lana like she had two heads.

  “It can’t be…” he said softly. The look of shock quickly disappeared as a hard glare passed over his face.

  Suddenly, he moved faster than Lana ever thought possible. He had grabbed Emma by the throat and twisted her around in front of him, gripping a handful of her hair. Emma’s terror was clear on her face, her mouth open in a silent scream. He had the dagger he had used to threaten Lana, now placed tightly against Emma’s throat.

  Lana moved to hurl her magic at him, but Dante threw an arm in front of her, causing her to pause.

  Lord Nero’s shadow self raised his hand, holding up a finger. No one moved for a moment.

  “Wait,” he said, his voice strangely calm.

  Lana held her breath, anger brewing deep in the pit of her stomach. How dare he hurt her friends? How dare he steal Morgana’s power from her, and how dare he threaten Emma’s life?

  How dare this man try to destroy their lives?

  “I have a deal for you.”

  Dante stepped in front of Lana, raising his head to listen to Lord Nero.

  “I won’t kill this one, if you give me Morgana. If you do, I will take my army with me back to D’Lormere, lea
ving your woman and your city safe.”

  “I won’t let you hurt her.”

  “I won’t hurt her. She will be my willing prisoner.”

  Morgana fumed, her red face matching her red hair, but then as quickly as she angered, a strange calm came over her. She held up her hand and walked over to Lord Nero.

  “My king,” she began as she looked pleadingly in their direction. “In order to save the two of you, and Emma, I will consider it an honor to give my life for the kingdom of Legeari, and its capital, Eridell. Allow Lord Nero to take me to D’Lormere, so that we can end the battle with as few lives lost as possible.”

  A crude smile came over Lord Nero’s face as Morgana moved closer to him. He pushed Emma to the floor in front of him and grabbed Morgana. She stood still as Lord Nero pressed the dagger to her throat, not fighting as the cold steel bit into her flesh.

  Dante dropped his hand, taking Lana’s into his own, effectively preventing her from rushing forward to aid Morgana. Emma struggled to rise and climb the steps up to Dante and Lana, tripping on her hands and knees in her panic to escape.

  “Morgana,” Dante said softly, studying her. “Is this what you really want?”

  “Yes, my king. Do not dishonor my decision by coming after me.”

  “Then so be it. Lord Nero, with Morgana as a parting gift, you will take your army and leave my city immediately.”

  “As you wish,” Lord Nero said with a growl. With a swirl of smoke and shadow, Morgana and Lord Nero disappeared into thin air.

  Lana rushed forward with a sob, falling to her knees to the spot where Morgana had been standing but a moment ago. She was really gone, and Lord Nero had her in his clutches. Dante moved forward to Lana and took her hand. Gently, he helped her to rise, and quickly led her out of the throne room. Tears streamed down Lana’s face as she grieved for the loss of her friend, and the fact that she knew just how terrible her torture would be at the hands of the enemy.