In the morning, Delilah hears the howls of a wolf as she was walking to the stables to look for Loki. It was a god awful sound. She became curious and decided to investigate more. She wonders about Amara and if she had given into the wild wood and became a horrible terrorizing beast. Before she could get halfway into the woods. She is discouraged and had the sudden urge to turn back. She wonders if there was someone else using magic near. She wonders if it was Eliza. Delilah hastened back to the palace. As she approached, she sees everyone standing around. "For the life of me, do I have to everything around here?" says Delilah with a smirk. She believed it would cause the help to rush to work as it did before, but they stood, and they all wept and stood around each other. "What on earth is going on?" Delilah rushes through the crowd and finds her husband bleeding with a big gash in his abdomen. Loki was gasping for air, and none of the servants were fetching help. "Delilah," says Loki. Delilah rushes to be by his side "Why are you all standing around here? Go Get HELP, NOW!" Delilah knew she could save Loki but could not risk anyone seeing her perform this ritual. Delilah places her hand over Loki's abdomen. As she begins to chant, she feels a presence behind her that was not there before. She turns to look into the woods and sees the very beast she changed Amara into standing observing. She knew if she let Loki die it would destroy Amara, but it would destroy Delilah too. In Amara's very own eyes she witnesses. Delilah healing Loki. There was no blood. No, crying from the servants. There was no more. Delilah instead made everyone think. The beast still lived, and it needed to be killed. Loki believed he was attacked by the same creature that took Amara and the same beast he and his friends had fought before. Amara still frightened by Hale's transformation, and at the possibility, he could have killed Loki. She decided to stay away from him even if it cost her being human again. While Amara was deciding not to be human. Hale had returned to his human form. He had this strange taste in his mouth, which he found was human blood. He was paralyzed. "Oh no, what have I done?" He wondered if he had harmed Amara. Hale grabs his rags that were once his uniform laying in the grass and puts them on. He was no longer the well-dressed man in a uniform. He now looked like he had been blown up and brought back to life. He is disturbed, so he calls out to Amara. "Amara! Amara! Please do not be frightened" Hales says. Amara does not answer. She sits in the trees wishing she had never met him. If Delilah were not a witch, Loki would have been dead. Amara was convinced that Hales tried to kill Loki. She was convinced that he did this to him. Out of anger, she lets out an angry moan and to her shock. Hale understands her. "What do you mean? I do not remember harming a man. I can remember running through the woods, and that is all" says Hale. Amara was not convinced she screamed out at him. Hale hears the sense that Amara feels he is deceiving her. He could not remember what he had done or who he had done it to. Amara noticed a familiar smell coming from Hale's mouth. It was not Loki's scent. It was the scent of Abbandon. Amara rushes down and jumps on top of Hales and scream at him once more. "What have I done?" says Hale. Then he begins to weep. Amara intimidated by how vulnerable he had become and moves away from him. Hales lays on the ground and begins to tell a story about his father. His father was a werewolf from birth. His mother was not. He went on about how his mother tried to hide him from himself. His mother did not want him to turn out like his father. He told Amara his father killed with no remorse. He cried like a new born baby. Amara had never seen a man cry as he did. She was sad that she could not comfort him. Hales goes on to tell her that his mother sent him away. When he returned to her, he learned she was killed by a werewolf. He wondered if it was his father for a long time. Hoped it was not his father, because that would be a reflection of him. His father killed everything even the things he loved. He did not want to be that way, attacking humans. He learned from Eliza; it was his father and that his father was killed like any other werewolf by a silver arrow. His mother had struck the wolf with an arrow before taking her last breath. Hale had found out his mother and father died next to each. He was devastated he told Amara. He did want her to see him in that light. Amara groaned "no need to worry, I see your pain as mine on the outside. Your heart is still good" replies Amara. Amara startled by the sound of her own voice. Hales jumps up from the ground. "You have spoken," Hale says. Amara looks at Hale as she feels a strange sensation all over her body. Amara was memorized by Hale's enthusiasm for her breakthrough. After all, he was still wiping tears from his face. Amara started to feel her skin tingle. She is fluttered into the air, and when she falls to the ground, she is awakened by Hale, apparently blushing. "A gentleman should never steal a peak," says Hale turning his head away from Amara. Amara looks down and notices she is nude. "Oh my lord, please hand me a cover" saying Amara in shock. Hales searches through the grass for his jacket. "On for heaven's sake, what are you searching for?" saying Amara. "I got it" saying Hale. Hale pulls off his shredded jacket and holds it out with one hand and the other hand covering his eyes. Amara grabs the long covering jacket and places it on. She is shocked and wondered what could have changed her back. Did Eliza live up to her word? If she did, it happened sooner than expected. Amara rushed to the pond to see her reflection. What appeared in the dugout was that of a wild-haired woman. Amara covers her mouth and jumps up from the dugout in laughter. Hales out of breath comes up behind her. "You have been restored" replies Hale. "No this is not my face, not my eyes, or my voice. I have been given a second change" says Amara. "I do not understand," says Hale. "I can return home. I can see my family even if it is only for a second. I can see my mother and sister, who I love so dearly". Hale was stunned by this beautiful wild looking woman. She had mud all over her cheeks, and eyes similar to doe eye she had before. She was polite and sweet. It seemed nothing had changed. She was no longer a beast. She was a woman. "I do not understand, how it is this possible? Eliza said second Sunday. It has not been a first Sunday. I believe something is wrong" saying Hale. Amara confused about Hale's conclusion, she felt he was not happy that she had returned to human form. "Are you not happy for me?" saying Amara. Hales turns to touch Amara hand and looks into her eyes. "I am not ashamed to hold your hand as human or as beast; we need to get to Eliza at once." They both hurry off and into the woods to find Eliza.
Chapter 7 Eliza has a secret
Amara and Hale rush to the palace to find Eliza and to determine why Hale had the blood of Abbandon on his lips. Amara still had many questions, why did Eliza seek her out. It all seemed too good to be true. How did she know her, and where did Eliza come from? Amara had so many questions unanswered, it all seem as if it were a dream. As they made their way to the back where Eliza was last seen, they were distracted by an eerie smell. They walk closer and see a hug trail of torn clothes. "The air it smells like the man I saw in the woods?" says Hale. "His name is Abbandon, he came here last night, and you bit him" saying Eliza as she comes from the trail. Eliza seems as if she was out of breath and her skin was gray. "Eliza, what has changed about you?" saying Amara. Eliza looks at her and says "It worked, it worked." Amara and Hale turn and look at each other. "I have changed, and you have changed" says Amara. "Come quickly; we must gather you some clothes and fix that hair. Your mother and sister will not know you. You have to keep who you are a secret. This change is temporary. You will remain this way for a few weeks" says Eliza. "All I have is a few weeks, what will happen after? Will I change back?" Amara says with concern. She did not care to be a beast again, she was concerned she would turn up like Hale. "You will return to an Ogre, I am sorry. You must understand, I tried everything" saying, Eliza, as she walks into her cabin. Amara and Hale follow her, but Amara wanted to still ask Eliza all the questions she in mind "Amara, what is it?" says Hale. Amara was impressed to know Hale could tell when she was concerned about something. "How did you know?" replies Amara. Hale smiles and holds out his hand to guide Amara into the cabin. Eliza tells Amara that she must learn to answer to a new name. Eliza tells Amara her new name will be Aurora. "Amara and Aurora sound too similar, should I be ca
lled by another name?" saying Amara. Her eyes were watering the name simply reminded her of who she once was. The person she was before she spent the last five years as a beast. She had almost forgotten who she was. ". Amara. Once Delilah and the rest of your family hears it. It will remind them of you, Amara. Hopefully, that will be enough to bring them out of this trance. If possible, if everyone is restored, we may be able to use them to take you back to your normal self" says Eliza. Eliza continued to tell Amara, that it will be hard. Delilah can be defeated, but since Abbandon had been bitten, it put a damper on the plans. "I am sorry about that, I wish I could remember what happened" says Hale. Eliza took her hand and rubs Hale's face and smiles. "No need to worry, you were protecting me. Abbandon came back after you two had left. He questioned me once more. Before he could say more, Hale you came through here and took a bite out of him. He transformed later and attacked Loki, and Delilah healed Loki back, but the problem is now we have two savage werewolves hanging around" Saying Eliza. Amara confused asks "Savage?" "You are not the savage, neither is Hale. Loki and Abbandon are the problems now. They were both bitten, and are halfblooded lycans. During the full moon they will change, and have insatiable appetite. They will not recognize you or fear you" Eliza says as she escort Amara into a private section to get dressed. Hale walks up to Eliza and whispers "What is the problem? I can take care of them both". Eliza looks shyly up at Hale as if she is his mother and says "No you must not interfere. Something has changed. I did not want to scare you or Amara but something has changed. I have no idea how she transformed so quickly. Nor can I understand why Abbandon changed so quickly. Whatever is going on, you can bet Delilah is behind it. I just need you two to work closely with the family cause no distractions; I will search for answers. I cannot risk anything happening to you or Amara. I got you into this, and I will see you out". Hale was not going to let Eliza go through this alone, so he promised himself that he would protect her no matter what it took. "Hale, do you understand me? No matter what happens, you must not interfere with what I am doing. You must protect Amara and her family from Delilah. Those are your orders" says Eliza. Amara could hear everything they were saying. She could feel there was deception on Eliza part and wondered why Hale could not pick it up. Although Amara was no longer a beast; she still had the senses of one. Eliza walked over and picked up a brush and some pens for Amara hair from her desk. On that desk was a very large cap with shiny coins in it. Amara had not seen it before and wondered where that large payment came from. "Come quickly Loki and Lucian are missing" yelling one of the servants outside of Eliza cabin. Hale and Eliza asks Amara to stay put as they run out to speak with the girl. "What is it?" says Eliza. "Madam Eliza, Delilah would like everyone to remain inside. Loki and Lucian are missing after being attacked, and she does not want anyone else to either" says the girl. Eliza was concerned at the change in Delilah. Why all of a sudden Delilah had become so concerned with the staff to keep them inside. What was Delilah up to? "Please tell Madame Delilah, we are on our way up" says Eliza. Eliza swiftly walks into her cabin and finishes up Amara's hair and face. The girl stunned at Hale's charm blushes as smiles and walks away. "We must hurry. I haven't the slightest idea what that witch is up to, but whatever it is. You can bet, she is way ahead of us" says Eliza. Amara was intimidated at the thought of coming in contact with Delilah for the first time in years. She knew she must prepare herself for all that came. She must hide her tears for the moment. Eliza had a plan, and Amara wanted to give it a fair chance, but deep inside you, she knew she must not trust Eliza. There was something Eliza was hiding, but Amara could not place her finger on it. Hale has so much respect for her, but Amara believed Eliza was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Amara felt at first she was overreacting but deep inside she knew that she and Hale were being used, for what she did not know. Amara knew that Eliza had a secret and whatever it was would answer why she transformed so quickly and disappearance of Loki and Abbandon.
Chapter 8 Delilah on the war path
"There is something, wicked among us. It is trying to control me. It is making a mockery of my family and me. I will not allow it. If any of you know what happened to my loving husband Loki and my servant Lucian, SPEAK!" saying Delilah as she walks in a row to look each servant in the eye. Amara, Eliza, and Hale all position themselves into the line. Eliza whispers to Amara "She speaks of wicked as if she does not know her name." Amara chuckles. "Is there something someone at the end would like to say?" saying Delilah as she walks to stand in front of Amara. Delilah looks all over Amara. "Who are you?" says Delilah. Amara did not answer. "Are you mute?" saying Delilah in a snotty voice. Delilah turned to walk away but stopped once Amara spoke. "My name is Aurora," says Amara. "Your name…. is similar to someone I once knew," says Delilah with her back turned. "Aurora," says Amara. Delilah was not concerned with this new girl, but more concerned with Eliza. Delilah walks back to step in front of Eliza. "You," says Delilah. Eliza was not afraid of Delilah; she knew that Delilah had the upper hand. "Yes, Madam" saying Eliza stepping forward to meet Delilah with one step in between them. Eliza's guts did not amuse Delilah. It seemed as if Eliza was testing her. After all, Delilah had no authority in the common world. She was no Queen. Her husband was no King. She was a common witch and that was her power. "We live in this world. In this lovely home, with plenty of food to eat, plenty of everything. This is a rather large palace; I see no King or Queen over the land" says Eliza. "I am now the Queen. I am the one who will put in place order in the common land" Says Delilah. Amara only heard of Kings and Queens beyond the forest. The town people never bothered this side of the woods. She never questioned why no one stepped a foot over the lands but now that Delilah felt she could become Queen. She started to ask questions in her mind. "Who is now the King and Queen of the common lands," says Amara. Delilah was not amused, but she swallows her pride responds to Amara "My dear child, I will handle it all. I am the Queen of the land. You will all answer to me". Amara was not happy with Delilah changing her homeland to conform to the common land values. Amara began to speak once more, but Eliza shushes her. Amara was visibly upset. Her home as she once knew it was no longer her home. Delilah dismisses each of the servants one by one with a list of rules to follow. Eliza and Amara walk off together. Amara was so excited to at home again to once again see her mother and sister. She also wanted to see her stepfather. Eliza looks at Amara and motions her to come to her. Amara walks closely beside Eliza. "You do not know who the Queen of the common land is, why?" says Eliza. Eliza was interested in Amara's answer. "We grew up here, my sister and I. We would travel into town and trade, but that is all. I did not know kings and queens existed, and that you can make yourself a queen at any time" saying Amara. Eliza explains to Amara that kings and queens have always ruled. "My child you are telling me the truth, you have never known the king or queen of the land. How did your family receive this palace?" Amara never considered her home as a palace. It was home to her, and it was all her family had. "Mother always told us to thank the heavens; I never knew what was before me. No kid, or extended family. My mother and sister are all I have" replied Amara with a slight tear in her eyes. "Please run off and start your chores. Delilah is watching me, and she will now be watching your every move. I am not certain how to answer your questions but in the common lands. If Delilah or I were to be caught doing magic or casting spells. The king or queen had authority to capture us and kill us by fire" says Eliza. Amara was never raised on the common lands and wonder what about her home made it so different than the rest of the world. She had never heard of any such of thing. She never knew about the other side of the woods. Her mother kept her and her sister locked away from everyone. Even when she made out to the town, there was mention of Kings or Queens.
In the woods, Loki and Lucian were in the woods. Loki was in pain and Lucian, or Abbandon was nursing his bite. "How did we get here?" says Loki. Abbandon does not speak a word to him because he did not understand why he was in the woods with Loki. Loki looks arou
nd and around. He becomes dizzy. He drops to the ground. I need to eat something. Abbandon looks around and wonders what part of the woods they could be. "I have traveled all parts of these woods, and no part of these lands are familiar," says Abbandon. Loki looks at Abbandon while he grabs a stick and uses it to pull himself to the stand upright. "I have no idea where we are either. As Loki looks around, they the woods are deeper, and the trees are foreign. "I have seen nothing like it. How did we get here?" says Loki. Abbandon believed that Delilah had something to do with it, but could not remember how he got into these foreign wood. He did remember being attack by a werewolf and savagely attacking Loki. Abbandon felt so guilty; he could do something like that. Abbandon looks at Loki and begins to walk hoping Loki would follow. As he walked it seemed it, they were headed in circles. "I believe we just come this path" saying Loki. Abbandon does not speak a word to Abbandon and it upsets Loki. "Lucian, I do not have the slightest idea why you are ignoring me, but could you for once speak to me." Abbandon stops "What would you like me to say, Sir?" says Abbandon. "Please, you don't have to address me as sir, Do you know where you are headed?" Says Loki. Abbandon shakes his head. "I am following your lead, it is better than sitting around and doing nothing, and we can't starve. Where there are woods deep enough there is water" says Loki. Loki and Abbandon continue to walk in circles. They walk n the same path over for hours. Suddenly Loki collapses but he is still awake, Abbandon stops to catch his breath. They are both dehydrated and hungry. The moon's size is affecting them both. The moon was not full but it was rather large. "What is going on?" says Loki. "You feel it too, I believe someone sent us here," say Abbandon he continues "I believe someone sent us here to die." Abbandon collapses and is unconscious and shortly after Loki was unconscious. They both lay on the ground in a wooded area where no one could find them.
Purloined Beauty Page 4
