Leaning forward again, he waved at the mirror. “I’m real! Even the dead can’t look this bad.”
Glancing at his blue tinted skin and sharp, long, curved nails, he shuddered. Looking at the mirror, he could see his own reflection through the hazy images of the girls. Swallowing, he placed a hand against his cheek.
“If vampires were real, I would be the king,” he whispered.
His blood-red eyes glared back at him. The golden ring was bright around the red, and it glowed at him. He snarled and revealed his fanged teeth.
Turning away, he focused on what he wanted to see in the mirror. Those images didn’t include himself, and he banished the blue-white skin from his mind. Returning his gaze, he saw the girls again. The shorter one was turning away and leaving Roz by herself.
Normally, he didn't remember specific people. They all looked alike to him. Not knowing them made him feel disconnected and disinterested. Yet, here, her eyes seemed to stare straight into his, which he knew was impossible. He shifted in his chair, not recognizing the emotion sparking within him, like a deep breath echoing throughout his body.
Leaning forward, he turned his ears to what she had to say.
“We will come and destroy you.”
He heard her whisper as though she stood right in front of him and not miles away. “We will win this kingdom back from you, and then the sun will shine through, and our people will live.”
“Or so you think,” the Beast whispered back.
The crack of lightning and thunder echoed above his head, and he jerked back from the mirror and looked up.
“I guess someone out there agrees with me,” she whispered again.
Looking back at the glass, Beast noticed her black eyes flash red before she turned and walked away. It was her words he focused upon though.
Swallowing, he began to fear she was right.
2
“How was your training today?” her dad asked at supper that evening.
After a light rain, the lightning and thunder had ended as quickly as it had started. A damp smell came through the window over their sink, and Roz watched the sky darken to black.
“Great!” Roz replied with a smile.
She cast a sideways glance at Leuthar. He didn't respond but continued to stare at his plate. She watched him move the food around without taking a bite.
After she’d gotten home, Roz got to work on fixing supper. Leuthar hadn't shown up until about thirty minutes before the food was on the table, and Roz knew it was deliberate. It had been his turn to fix supper, but he had disappeared once again.
“Leuthar, how did you do, son?”
Their dad was one of the main workers helping to farm the land and provide food for the families. He was gone from dawn until dusk every day. However, he tried to stay as involved with their lives as possible.
Since their mother had died several years before, Leuthar had started to become angrier and less connected with the family. Her father had attempted to teach his son farming and had put him into the armed service with Captain Ralph. Combat training seemed to be the only thing Leuthar enjoyed. Except when she won.
“I did fine,” Leuthar's answer broke into Roz's thoughts, and she glanced at her dad. He didn't look surprised by Leuthar's snarl, only sad.
“Excellent!” her pa said. “Do you think we'll be ready after these next few weeks to attack? Does the captain think it will be possible to be ready by then?”
“I don't know.” Leuthar shrugged and shoveled another piece of lamb into his mouth.
“If I were to speculate, I think Captain Ralph is more than ready to go,” Roz spoke up. “He just wants to make sure we're all fit and know how to attack and distract. The plan is a sound one, but if the beast is really as powerful as they say, then knowing how to do a drop spin kick isn't going to make much of a difference.”
“It will if we stick to the plan,” Leuthar argued.
“The plan to distract, entrap, and kill? I know the plan Leuthar. I just wonder if it will have much success,” Roz pointed out.
“If Captain Ralph and the other captains think it will work, then it will. Gads Roz, you'd think you were the authority on the beast. Have you ever met him yourself? Is there something you know that we don't?” Leuthar was glaring at her with hatred in his eyes.
Surprised, Roz jerked back from him and shook her head, unable to answer.
“Well, then, just shut up. I get sick of you thinking you know everything. I'm going to town.” He slammed his fork down and exited the house with a loud bang.
“I guess I shouldn't have said anything,” Roz spoke more to herself than to her dad.
He heard her and patted her shoulder. “You can't blame yourself, Roz. Leuthar has been angry since your mother's death. I don't know what, though, and haven't been able to get him to talk to me.”
“He won't talk to me, either. Sometimes, it seems he blames me.”
“I think he blames everyone,” her dad replied before he stood and carried his plate to the sink. “I'll help you clean up.”
“Thanks, dad.” Roz grabbed her own plate and helped him wash the dishes.
Clearing off the table and wiping it off, Roz spoke, “I think he’s getting worse.”
“I could tell,” her dad muttered. “We might not be able to keep it a secret much longer. Especially if he’s acting out in front of other’s. How did class really go?”
Roz shrugged.
“None of that, Roz. I want to know the truth. You can’t hide it from me.” Pausing, he turned from the sink and picked up a rag to dry his hands.
“He wasn’t happy when I bested him at a move. I did a spin-flip, and he took it badly. Captain Ralph didn’t seem to think anything of his anger, but I felt it.”
Her father nodded and sighed. “He might be getting to the point of lock-up.”
“Like Nina’s parents?” she asked and threw her rag on the table.
“Yes, I’m sorry to say. Are they doing any better?”
Roz shook her head. “I think they’re getting worse. Ev mentioned this plan being our last hope. If there isn’t a beast, dad…” she trailed off.
“I know,” he told her.
Crossing the kitchen, he pulled Roz into a hug. His head rested on top of her own. They stood in an embrace for a few minutes before her father pulled back and cupped his hands around her face.
“We have to hold onto hope, Roz. Even if it seems there isn’t any.”
“I told Ev the same thing, but Nina had to tell me right after my conversation with him. I feel as if we keep telling each other to hold on, but none of us really believe in what we’re saying.”
Kissing her forehead, he held her face and hunkered down to look in her eyes. “Roz, we all have to hold onto faith in something good happening. It’s hard for everyone, and sometimes, we all need reinforcement from one another.”
“Why does it feel like a lie?”
“It’s been a very long time since we’ve had anything to really believe in, but we’ve got this new plan to try, and it needs hope to stay alive.”
“If it fails, again…” she stopped.
“We won’t know until we try. We’re doing it for Leuthar, your mother, the Hammonds, and everyone else. Therefore, we can’t give up before we even try.”
“I understand. I just wish we knew why they are getting sick and how to fix it if there isn’t a curse.”
Patting her cheeks, he took his head away and shrugged. “I want to know the same thing. Since it just started to happen over the last decade, I feel it has something to do with the food or environment. I don’t know though.”
“So, the world is going to get worse until everyone is sick or dead?”
“Roz, you can’t focus on the negative outcome.”
“Dad, it might be all we end up with, and I need to have answers. I can’t hang all of my hope on a story passed down to each generation. How many people have died or disappeared in their attempts to kill the beast?
Or to find a way to the Second Kingdom?”
“Nothing can be gained by reminiscing over the failures of the past. Yes, people have disappeared or died, but we can’t let it stop us. We either die fighting, or we die scared. I choose the former way of living.”
“Dad—”
“Enough! Roz, I’m finished with this conversation. Okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. Even I need to believe this could work. I’m going to go out and keep an eye on Leuthar. Can you finish up here?”
He walked to the closet and pulled out his patched jacket and turned to await her response as he put it on.
“Sure,” she said and nodded. “Be safe.”
“Of course,” he told her and grabbed the lantern by the door. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you, too,” he said before shutting the door behind him.
Wondering if he’d even be able to find Leuthar, and if part of him was leaving to get away from her conversation, Roz placed both hands on the top of her head.
“Ahhhh,” she groaned. “Why can’t I just have answers!” she shouted at the empty room.
Picking up her rag, she finished cleaning off the table and emptied the old dish water. Wiping out the sink, she dried all of the dishes and put them away.
Looking out the window, she looked for a familiar figure to walk up to the door. No one passed by and after a few minutes, she started preparations for the morning.
“Alone time,” she muttered to herself and found a book on their bookshelf.
Settling on the sofa, she turned on a lamp to read by and glanced back out the window. It was pitch black outside now, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to see anyone approach without a light. Sighing, she leaned against the arm and began to read.
“At least our electricity still works,” she said. No one knew why the electricity seemed to work without any known source. They assumed this, too, had something to do with the beast and were grateful for the odd fortune.
Two hours later, neither her father or her brother had returned. Tired, Roz put her book back and decided to get ready for bed. Once finished, she climbed into bed without hearing either one return.
“Please keep them safe,” she whispered, unsure who she was pleading to and snuggled down onto the bed.
Tucked in a sheet, Roz heard Leuthar stumble down the hallway. Curious, she crawled from bed and padded across the cold, wood floor to the bedroom door. Cracking it open, light from the kitchen illuminated Leuthar grasping at his door handle.
“Leuthar?” she whispered.
His eyes glowed red, the right side of his hair stood on end, and his unfocused glare slid over her and back to his door.
“Leuthar, are you well?” She opened the door further and took a step forward.
“Wwweee will wwwiiinn,” he hissed at her. His eyes found hers once more and narrowed. “Wwee will winnn,” his letters dragged as he took a step toward her.
Fingers as claws, he reached toward her, and Roz took a step back into her room.
“Go to bed, Leuthar!” Her command stilled his progress forward.
He paused and shook his head, his clawed hand banging against his left ear, before he turned and slumped against his door. Pushing inward, he opened the door and disappeared.
Roz sighed, heart thumping against her chest and rib cage shaking. She closed her door and leaned her head against it. Wondering if Leuthar's anger would ever be explained or conquered, Roz pondered the look on his face and the clawed hand, which had sent her heart racing. If she didn't know better, she almost thought Leuthar was going to hurt her.
Of course, that's ridiculous. She laid a hand against her chest and escaped into the warm bed, pulling the covers to her chin, her eyes stayed on the unlocked door.
With some difficulty, she closed her eyes and swallowed against the lump in the back of her throat. Those red-rimmed eyes haunted her last thoughts as she tried to consider what “we will win” meant.
3
Idiots.
Kill him? As if they could. I’m immortal now. No one can kill me.
Yes, he heard their complaints. He heard their stories of how he killed those who had been brave enough to storm his castle. Technically, no one had ever gotten inside his castle.
Every time one of them attempted to do so, he simply disoriented them with a spell. They all ended up back in their homes by the end of the night and spread stories the next day of people who had gone to see him and disappeared into thin air.
“Well, that’s just stupid,” he muttered. “How could someone just disappear? I prefer when they accuse me of eating the trespassers. Still ridiculous, but at least it keeps more of them away.”
However, over the last ten years, everything about the townspeople had started to change. For one, they were arming themselves. They were gathering and making plans to come kill him. Again. This time they were teaching themselves to fight. That was something the previous idiots never had attempted.
“Really? It's taken them this long to realize the pitch-forks aren't going to work? Am I really king of such imbeciles?” he continued to grouse.
He watched as they persisted in meeting, planning, and preparing. He observed the girl as well. Something about her captured his attention.
Her fierce expression and confident stride made him watch her very close. He feared that out of all the stupid townspeople he had watched over the years, she might be the very one who would succeed in destroying him. He didn't know what it was about her, but every glimpse unsettled him.
“What is it about her,” he leaned forward and whispered. “She’s not like the others. I feel as if I’ve seen her before.”
For the last three days, he’d spotted her leaving her home and walking to the training facility in the mornings. After a few hours, he’d see her walk to the local school and exit around three o’clock to head back to the training facility. She’d leave at night with her friends, Nina and Ev, and walk home behind her brother.
The mirror had served him well over the years. Often, he had used its powers to see what the townspeople were up to and ward off those who would come too close to his castle.
“You’re plans won’t work,” he whispered. “Everyone thinks they will best me. Kill me. Destroy the curse. It never happens.”
Still, he was curious of what she could do. He lifted a finger and skimmed his nail down the glass, as if he were tracing her face. She was about to enter the training building once more.
“Sir?” Buford asked behind him.
“I thought I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed?” the beast growled.
“You did, sir. However, the cook wishes to know if you’d prefer the chicken or roast beef this evening?”
“Either,” he said. “I don’t care.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Buford?”
The butler paused mid-bow and raised his eyebrow. “Yes, sir?”
“What do you think would happen if someone broke the curse?”
Hesitating, Buford rested his hand on the doorknob and appeared to be thinking the question over. “I’m sure I don’t know, sir.”
Beast nodded. “Do you think the world would be able to live as it once did?”
“I suppose we could hope so, sir.”
“Do you think the witch queen meant for it to last this long? Every year I’ve waited for the changes to occur as she said, but none of them have happened. Could she have lied?”
“I don’t know, sir. There is a chance she wanted you to break the curse yourself.”
“How can I save myself? I can’t save anyone, Buford. Never mind these questions. Just leave me alone.”
“Yes, sir.” The butler closed the door as he exited the room.
Turning to face the mirror once again, the beast thought of the witch queen’s words to him.
“Since you desire a terrible power you don’t understand,�
� she had told him, “you shall have it. I hope you will gain an understanding of it and true sacrifice before it’s too late. The flowers will foretell your end. If you don’t learn to love more than power, you will always be a slave to it.”
Her words were forever engrained in his memory. Every day he’d watched for the flowers to return, half with longing and half with fear. Trying to recall her last words, Beast rubbed his forehead.
His shock over being changed had blocked most of his experience with the witch queen, including her final words. Shuddering, he could feel the heat now. The skin tearing and stretching over his body and the bones breaking and reforming.
Standing, he walked from one end of his room to the next. He took deep breaths repeatedly. His body felt as if it were burning from the inside out.
“There has to be a way to end this. I have to find out what she wanted me to do. What do I have to do?” he shouted.
Picking up an ornament from his dresser, he threw it across the room. It crashed into the wall, broke into two pieces, and fell to the floor. Staring at it, his chest heaved.
After the curse, no one but his servants had seen him or really knew what had happened. It was as if the land had always been under black clouds and known him as “The Beast”.
His troops hadn't realized the original reason of why they were assembled or who had assembled them. Instead, they all went home with stories of the wild beast king and how he had captured them all for ill purposes.
Over the last nine decades, he had seen the people of his kingdom drop from thousands to mere hundreds. Every year, he watched them die of hunger and sickness. Every year, his anger grew at the Second Kingdom, and he shouted against them, begging them to come and give him his life back.
No one came.
The witch queen never returned, and he spent so long trying to contact her through the mirror. He just wanted answers. There didn’t seem to be any.
Rubbing his forehead to alieve the ache inside, he searched the mirror for the girl. A small part of him wondered if she might have the explanations he needed. He couldn’t understand it, but he was drawn to her.
The Four Tales Page 23
