by C C Morgen
“Ah… Milady Angelica.” She stepped out further and bowed her head. “You may enter if you wish.” The door opened wider for me to enter.
“Thank you,” I politely bowed my head in return and stepped into the room. They strung the scent of sage sticks along with candles that emitted the scent of lavender, they scattered salt around the table where Ali laid in a deep sleep, her wounds bandaged. Her face looked at peace, even though I sensed her presence was weak, like she was still between life and death.
“How’s her condition, Alma?” I asked the gray-haired Witch who invited me in.
“We are not permitted to say.” A redheaded hag with one eye answered for Alma. She stood looking through a grimoire bounded in a cracked brown leather and weathered pages. Then she rustled through jars of herbs on the shelves.
“Do you know who my family is, Beatrice?” I scowled at her and had a firm tone over her insolence.
“Yes, we do, milady.” The third Witch, named Beatrice, was blind with stitched eyelids and had knotted brown hair, tangled to where it couldn’t comb out. Her face turned my way as if she didn’t need physical vision to see who I was. “She’s alive—however, her aura is severely cracked. She can wither away out of existence in her condition.”
“Foolish girl. Dark energy has nearly consumed her completely,” Alma stated, nodding her head in pity.
“Dark magic?” It didn’t surprise me based on the news from earlier.
“This young one cast a powerful spell recklessly,” Beatrice answered. “One that is fatal to both her and everyone within its path.”
“However, at a terrible price,” Alma spoke out. “Her body couldn’t balance that kind of power in the first place. She is vulnerable with how weak her soul is from perishing.”
“At this stage she can easily be ripped apart,” Beatrice added. “She must be careful now and let the cracks seal…”
“Or I’m afraid she will no longer exist,” Alma finished the sentence as they continued researching in old dusty books.
“May I be alone with her?” I wanted them to leave, so Ali would only see me when she awakens. “Please leave at once.”
“Yes, milady,” the three old hags answered together and bowed their heads before leaving the room. The door shut behind them and it was finally just Ali and me in the silence.
I gazed down at her and gently touched her forehead, grazing my hand over her eyes. “Open your eyes and come back to me.” I leaned and whisper closely into her ear. “Awaken.”
Ali’s eyes flung open to my words and at first she glanced around the room and then it met mine. “Where am I?” She struggled to sit up abruptly.
“Easy.” I pushed her back down. “Rest–You’re in the infirmary. Do you know who I am?”
“Angelica—of course.”
“Thank the ninth heavens. You still have your memories.”
“How did I get here though?” She appeared confused. “I remember little.”
“It’s ok. Everything must be hazy right now after how much stress you put on your body. You arrived here alone on a Strider—barely alive and had bled out a lot from the wound on your shoulder. They brought you here unconscious. So, I can understand why you feel disoriented and confused.”
She rubbed her forehead. “My head is throbbing. I feel so weak.”
“Ali…” I caressed her cheek. “You summoned a lot of dark energy. It almost killed you.”
“Now I remember,” she sighed in sadness. “I’ve never done that before. But I had no choice.”
“You damaged your aura.” I forced her to look at me as she tried to turn her face away. “Just a bit more and you would no longer exist. You mustn’t use any more magic until your aura has fully healed.” I lifted her chin to look me in the eye. “I read the letter.”
Her eyes widened. “What did you think? Do you understand now?”
My hand slid behind her neck and I leaned closer to her lips in a single kiss. Her lips were soft even in her weakened state. “I love you.” The words rolled off my tongue with ease as my lips embraced hers once more.
“Angelica, can you please do me the honor…” I kissed her again before she could finish her sentence.
“You don’t have to ask me. The answer is already yes since the first day we kissed like this. I’ll marry you.” I caressed her lips in a deep kiss that sent shivers under my skin. Her lips embraced mine with passion as her arms went around my waist and pulled me down further until the gap between us was nearly filled.
Suddenly, there was banging at the door.
“What is it?” I spoke out of annoyance, having to move away from Ali.
“The king wishes to speak with the Dark Elf,” the guard replied.
“Ugh… She’ll be ready in a short while,” I answered. “I’ll bring her myself.”
“Yes, milady… I’ll let the king know right away.”
The outside became silent once again, and we heard the soldiers’ footsteps, pacing down the corridors. I glanced at Ali’s weak expression. “Are you well enough?”
“You don’t have to escort me.” She tried to sit up on her own. Her face was paler than normal, and the injuries dulled her golden eyes out and not as bright with the redness around her eyelids. I could tell right away she needed more healing, but she insisted on getting up.
My hands gripped firmly onto her arm. “Yes, I do…. Hold on to me tight before you collapse.” She laid her arm over my shoulder and my arm went around her waist. “Lean most of your weight on me—keep close or you will fall. I can tell you are too weak to be doing this right now, so I will take care of you.”
“This is painful.” Ali uttered in a moan.
“Your body or your pride,” I chuckled. “After this you do need to rest.”
“I will—I’m not going anywhere.” She leaned her head back in exhaustion.
I tapped her face gently. “Stay focused if you want to get through this. The king is waiting for us.” She nodded her head and had her face forward again in awareness.
We made our way out the door and into the hallway. I had to carry her with how she could barely stand alone. However, her arm never lost its strength holding onto me as if she didn’t want to let me go. Her breathing was faint to my ears, but I could tell she was still alive.
The guards bowed their head down the corridor in Ali’s honor as we struggled further towards the council hall, with the voices of members echoing our way. The king’s voice resounded above theirs and ordered them to exit the premises as we entered. They scattered passed us in haste, leaving the spacious area vacant with only the king on his usual chair at the table with Princess Armenia, standing beside him. Her face flushed red and eyes bloodshot, yet she cracked a smile at the sight of Ali.
We approached the king, stumbling side to side, until we stopped just a body length away from him. Ali released her arm from around my shoulders and attempted to stand straight on her own. That meant she wanted me to stand back, so I stepped away cautiously watching her balance. It didn’t seem like she would fall the way she got her back straight and her hands behind her back in a soldier’s stance.
The king sat in silence at first in astonishment. Then he stood to his feet and set his right hand on her shoulder. “This comforts me you are alive, Alucard.” She bowed her head, not looking up at him. “When I was told there were no survivors—there were no words to describe my grief to lose such loyal warriors. This is such a tragedy. Leonidas, Achilles, Gabriel, Romulus, Ethos and… Eric.”
Ali had a single tear fall from her eye. The face she expressed tore a hole in my heart. Her best-friend was gone. Eric. “It is your majesty.”
“I am sorry for losing your men,” The king gave his condolences. “Even though you gave up your title as General, they were still the warriors that followed you to the ends of the Underworld. The trust they had in you was inspiring.” Ali exhaled a sigh, staying quiet. “As the king and head of the council, it’s an honor for the service you have give
n to the kingdom. Thank you.” The king bowed his head in front of Ali to see. “Thank you for protecting my daughter.”
“It was an honor to serve you, your majesty.” Ali gripped her chest as if she was in severe pain.
“I understand you’re still not well. The Witches had informed me of your weak condition—even so of this unfortunate circumstance of your health, I’m curious as to what transpired near the mine. Could you please fill me in on the details?
Ali stayed quiet for a moment, inhaling deeply as if it was burdened memory. “We arrived at the mine. The night shrouded us in the darkness well enough to stay hidden from the soldiers. There were no hordes at first. So, all seemed to go well. Leonidas thought we had the upper hand until we entered the mine. Romulus, Ethos and Gabriel stayed outside of the entrance to the mine. Leonidas, Achilles and I entered the tunnel.”
“Where was Eric?” he asked curiously.
“Oh—he scouted the rest of the surrounding areas of the forest.”
Her answer puzzled the king. “Curious.”
“Once we reached deep enough in the mine, there was a cave-in. A rock wall stopped us from moving further. Then we realized it was a trap to block us in like animals to the slaughter. Leonidas and I did what we could in the tunnels. The Demon soldiers attacked us by the numbers, one after the other, giving us no time to breathe. As if, they were ready for us. As they knew, we would be weak apart from each other. Achilles tried to help the men outside out of desperation. It was a massacre. How I survived was the last wish of our general. Leonidas ordered me to escape at all cost, so at least one will survive.”
“Why would he do that? Order you to escape?” The king’s eyes widen with anger. “Was it to make sure you could inform us of something? That it was a trap from the beginning? That would mean there’s a traitor among us if that was the case.”
“He chose me, because I was the last in sight alive. Achilles, Gabriel, Ethos and Romulus were already dead. I was the most capable of fleeing the horde over him. He cleared the way for me. When I saw the opening, I ran as fast as I could. However, there were too many Ghouls on the hunt for my head. A large pack surrounded me until there was no escape.”
“The messenger had informed me that a deathly amount of dark magic had decimated the top of the mountain. There was enough to even kill its summoner. The Witches found traces of that energy in your damaged aura—telling me, you were the one who conjured such devastating power. How can you explain this?”
Ali was silent and then briefly glanced at me with sorrowful eyes. “I was to survive at all cost. That was my final order. I knew very well of what the spell could do. So yes—I’m the one that annihilated everything on that mountain.”
The king stepped back in shock. “How did you get such power and knowledge?”
Ali gasped at his questions and was about to speak, until I stepped forward and wrapped my arm around her waist. “I’m the one who trained her the ways of sorcery.”
The king fell back into his chair, glancing at me, baffled. “Angelica… What a remarkable surprise that you’ve had an apprentice all this time!”
“She’s not just my apprentice your highness—she’s my companion.”
“A mate—this I was unaware of.”
“It's true father,” Armenia spoke out. “They have long been together discreetly, away from gossip.”
“We are to be married,” I answered with a wide smirk. “We were waiting for the proper moment to go public and announce our relationship. With my sister’s engagement—it wasn’t the time. We wanted to wait out of the respect for Claudia and Eric’s wedding. It was their time of happiness… Later after we would persist in our preparations.” I lied even more believable to protect Ali.”
“Is this true, Ali?” The king glared directly at her.
“Uh... Yes, your majesty.” She stumbled on her words. “We have been paired for quite a long time now. Like how she explained… We didn’t want to take the attention away from Claudia and Eric’s fine engagement. My reputation as a Dark Elf and slayer of the fire lord would have overshadowed any event in the kingdom.”
“Well this is a miraculous surprise. The unity of a Demon lord and a Dark Elf. This is a sign of peace and building the trust again between us and the Fae community.” The king smile with excitement. “This is surely an engagement I’ll not miss. However...” He looked at me again. “I thought your family has learned its lesson from the last time to not practice with the black flames. This is not good news to hear.”
I gasped, forgetting my family was prohibited from using the powers from Oblivion. There were no words left to defend Ali and myself. The king’s face twisted into a frown of disappointed and he nodded his head, having to say something that would most likely harm my family’s future.
Suddenly, the doors flung open, and I heard Claudia’s voice. “Sister—there you are!” She approached and stood beside Ali, lifting her weight in her arm. “My word… You have been a naughty one, haven’t you?” She spoke to Ali with a playful tone and her grin was devious, even though her face was beet red with swollen eyes from grieving. She looked at the king. “I’m sorry for intruding your highness—but my sister is not to be blamed for teaching this young one such dangerous practices. “This was all me. I knew this Elf had the potential, but I never knew she could use it to this extent. I actually never told her we forbid to use it. But as you can see, it was used to your benefit. They ordered her to survive. She probably felt there was no other choice. Because of that, you have received the information you need, and you have one warrior alive.” Claudia gave a look to Ali as if she was hiding her pent-up anger behind her dark eyes. “I’m sure all others were dead before she would consider using such power. Otherwise, I would be rather disappointed.”
“They were all dead—I’m sure of it,” Ali answered in guilt. “Either way, we were all going to be dead. If the power would have killed me, as well I didn’t mind the sacrifice, as long as it annihilated everyone that killed my brothers, and everyone here remains safe from harm. It was an act well taken and I’ll accept the consequences if someone needs to be blamed for such destructive power. I’ll answer for it—not Angelica nor Claudia. I was the one who summoned the black flames, not them.”
“Hmm… Oh very well.” The king sighed. “No one needs to be punished for this. The important thing is you are alive, and your efforts were successful. By the way, do you believe there’s a traitor in our midst?”
“Your majesty, if there were, I don’t know who. My brothers had nothing to do with such conspiracies. Leonidas claimed he had an idea, but he never had good judgement in the first place. I would have sensed if one of our own was a traitor.”
“So, this would mean the traitor is within the upper ranks here in the castle?”
“I don’t have the answers for that, your highness,” Ali answered. “For now, I do need a long rest.” She nearly collapsed on my sister.
Claudia leaned in and held her from falling over. “Oh, young one. You have really overdone yourself.” Something was odd the way her eyes softened as she looked at Ali. I’ve never seen a look from my sister before that seemed to be different from the lover’s gaze she would give Eric. Her hand caressed Ali’s pale cheek, and then she glanced up at me. “Sister you should take her to your chambers. Since you’re secret is out, might as well take care of your fiancé properly.” She carefully leaned Ali against me where I could get my arm around her waist to hold her up.
“Ali—you have earned a good long rest.” The king bowed his head. “Thank you again for telling me what happened and being honest. I wish you well. You are all dismissed.” He looked at me. “Take care of her and congratulations.”
Armenia curtsied. “Congratulations on your engagement, Angelica.”
I bowed my head and Claudia helped me move Ali out into the hallway. “Thank you, sister. You saved us in there.”
“I’m just a better liar, my dear Angelica.” She grinned. “You need to get
better at it if you want to manipulate anyone around here.” Ali suddenly grabbed onto Claudia’s arm. “What a forceful grip!” She came close to Ali’s sad face and remained quiet with a frown. Claudia sneered and began to walk away.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To go mourn, sister,” she answered. “My heart needs time alone with the wines in the reserves. Take care of the young Elven girl before I change my mind to ever show you both kindness.” She turned at the corner and disappeared from our sight.
“Good afternoon, my ladies.” A voice startled me from behind. It was Lord Derex in an attire more unrefined; loose black shirt untucked and linen slacks tight-fitted to his legs. “Well done my friend.” He bowed and his smile more radiant for some odd reason. “I’m honestly glad you are still with us after such an unfortunate circumstance at the troll mines.” He glanced at us both. “Congratulations on your engagement. I couldn’t help but overhear the good news out here in the halls.”
“Thank you,” Ali replied with barely any life in her voice.
Derex then stared directly at me. “Take care of her well. She may appear solid as stone, but she is quite soft and absolutely vulnerable.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her.” I assured him, holding her more protectively.
“Good…” Derex finally glanced at Ali for the last time. “And you, Shakespeare… Have a wonderful evening.” He winked as if he were hinting at something personal. Ali blushed, and he chuckled at the sight of it. “She’s really shy—can you see?” He bowed his head once again and walked away in a relaxed pace, whistling a harmonious tone.
Ali heaved a sigh. “He really likes to embarrass me.”
“He’s right though,” I added. “You are too shy for your own good.”
“Oh, so you think.” She grinned as we strolled down the corridors.
“Claudia is right… You should stay with me tonight,” I brought it up. “That way I can have you all to myself.”
“If that’s what you wish, I will not decline.”
