CROWNED
A
TRAITOR
Kate Callaghan
Copyright © 2020 Kate Callaghan
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9798645851385
I hope you are reading this with a whiskey in hand.
MAP OF KALOS AND MALUM
~1~
Klara clicked the stop button on her walkman as she reached the intersection of Grimms Path. The Forest of Malum was too quiet without the hum of music. Removing the headphones from her neck, she paced back and forth as the towering green vine of the Beanstalk sat in front of her. Tonight marked a fresh start. Her first shift as a waiter, and the first step on the way to freedom. "You sure you want to do this?" Klara asked herself quickly as a group of tired Ogres trod past her on the path.
Now or never, She thought, placing her headphones and walkman in her backpack. Human objects were contraband in the Forest and Klara didn't want to lose her job the moment she walked inside the Beanstalk. Klara had never had a job, never served anyone before but if she could handle Lilith's combat training, she could balance a few dishes.
Klara pushed open the gate as a group of hungry Centaurs left with bags of food and pizza boxes. The Beanstalk dining hall sat in the centre of a never-ending beanstalk that reached high above the Forest of Malum and into the night's sky. The peeling signpost at the entrance read,
NO KILLING, NO SWEARING & NO GAMBLING
The family business had been a pillar of Malum society for hundreds of years. Most dining halls in Malum closed quickly due to a lack of food. Klara wondered how the Beanstalk survived the reign of the three Queens with their severe taxation. Klara shook away the thought. Klara wanted out of the Forest, and for that to happen, she needed money and the Beanstalk meant gems. As Lucifer's daughter there was no place for her in the Fae ruled Lands of Kalos across the River Styx without a bribe or two.
Klara brushed any dust from the journey here from her red dungarees and headed up the wide stone steps to the door. A small silver bell chimed announcing her arrival. Ironic, she thought, looking up at the glimmering bell. Silver is toxic to the majority of the Dark Creatures that roam Malum.
The centre of the Beanstalk had been gutted and reshaped with wood from an ancient oak to build a dining hall for all Dark Creatures alike. Many feared Klara's ability to see through glamoured appearances. Her Guardians also preferred for her to remain under lock and key. For Klara's own protection the Queens assured her, but that was until she saw the Help Wanted advertisement in the Ethereal Press that Arthur had left in the Castle's kitchens.
The wood of the oak had created stools and tables for the many Creatures that visited every evening.
On the wall above the main counter was a mural of the High Queen guiding children up the path to the Gingerbread Factories. The factories didn't exist anymore, but the threat of them was enough to keep all breeds of Creature in line. The image of the helpless children sent to their graves sent chills down Klara's spine. Klara's eyes drifted to Gino and his partner, Silvia's beaming smile. Klara forced a smile, noticing how slight and long-limbed the owners were for food lovers.
"Welcome, Klara!" beamed Silvia, stepping out from behind the counter to embrace her. She attempted to kiss Klara's cheeks, but Klara shrugged off the embrace.
"I'm not late, am I?" Klara asked as it looked as though they had been waiting for her. "Right on time," Silvia replied. Most who visited the Castle didn't dare embrace Klara. Afraid her magic would reveal their secrets. Being so close to Silvia forced Klara to suppress her magic and tug her sleeves further down her arms. Klara was unnerved by Silvia's sunken eyes and large pupils. It would be rude to ask their species so Klara diverted her gaze, not wanting to stare. She couldn't insult her new employers in the first five minutes.
"Come and meet the boys and I will get you an apron," Gino said. Klara noticed he had the same hollow eyes and sunken cheeks as his wife though his boisterous personality made up for his sickly appearance. Gino led her to a set of swing doors at the end of the booths.
It was only 7 pm, but a full moon meant the booths were full of magical folk gorging on the famous giant slices of frog skin pizza.
"Wait here for a moment, let me tell the boys," Gino said, moving through the swing doors, and Klara hesitated outside eyeing the food on the table closest to her. Klara's stomach growled, and she regretted not eating before sneaking out of the Castle. Klara peered through the circular hole in one of the swing doors to see Gino's sons flipping dough. She couldn't wait to get her hands on a slice.
"What about the last waiter?" One of the sons said to Gino, Klara overheard the question, but she was distracted by the customer's dull food. Klara looked around the diner seeing the frayed edges of the concealing glamour. The decor was a mirage, and Klara didn't dare look through for fear of what it might reveal.
You are here to work and to get paid. Klara walked through the doors as Gino caught her listening. "Our previous waiter took a new position elsewhere," the broader son said to his brother. Jobs aren't easy to come by in the Forest. One of the gruelling potion factories must have taken them on.
"Why can't Ma do some labour?" Dario said and Klara looked at the dull green frog skin on the counter. The ingredients weren't fresh from what she could see, despite the sign nailed into the side of the Beanstalk advertising, FRESH, straight from the port.
Klara took her eyes from the ingredients. Mind your own business! Klara thought as her magic stirred, demanding to know the truth. Gino introduced Klara to his sons, Lucius and Dario as they applied generous amounts of sauce to the pizza bases on the filthy wooden countertops. Dario stopped to offer Klara a flour-caked and wart-covered hand. He grabbed her hand, "rough hands, ain't afraid of hard work!"
Klara pulled her hand free. She had Lilith to thank for the calluses. Hours of merciless training didn't leave you with soft palms. Mushrooms popped up through the cracks on the work table and mold coated the areas that were often damp from water being added to the dough. Fresh food clearly wasn't a priority, but food was scarce in the Forest. Cleanliness, however, was free. Klara's stomach rolled a little and Gino followed her gaze.
"The fungus only adds to the flavour, we have passed all our inspections," Gino said, holding his pointed chin high in the air. Bribes are as common as hairs on a Lycaon's back in Malum, it wouldn’t have been hard to bribe an inspector with food or gems.
"How are we looking this evening? All the prep is done?" Gino asked his sons and they both looked to the salter and nodded. "Chopped and ready," Lucius winked tossing a cleaver and catching it one-handed.
"Where do you want me?" Klara asked, taking a deep breath. Gino clapped his hands, "leave the dirty plates and cutlery with the Ogres out back to lick clean and hand over the orders to Silvia so she can call them out to the boys," Gino instructed handing her an apron.
Klara glanced around the kitchen, trying to familiarise herself. There was an industrial salter built into the wall, for the preserving of meats and skins. Two stone fired ovens and a toppings station opposite where Lucius and Dario continued to work. The toppings section held her attention.
Frogs feet, Eagles tongue? Judging by the selection, they must have a Port Officer in their pocket. Klara moved away from Gino as he continued to explain her duties. She inched closer to the meat station, trying not to catch the sons' attention.
In the open woven baskets, Klara saw an ear. Hobbits’ ears were very rare, Klara hadn't realised this place would serve such delicacies. Her hands throbbed to reveal the danger around her, but she clenched her fists in protest, hoping the sons' wouldn't notice her inner struggle.
Lucius stood in fron
t of the station, his broad shoulders lacked muscle, but they still blocked her line of sight.
"You needn't concern yourself with the food," he grumbled. Like his family, Lucius' limbs were gangly and lacked any muscle or fat. Klara felt cold as her magic tried to get her attention. Gino thought she was a mere Witch and Klara wanted to keep it that way.
"Sorry about Lucius," Dario chuckled as Klara backed into him trying to put distance between herself and Lucius. "He isn't used to non-family members being back here." With her raven hair and olive skin, she definitely wasn't part of this family.
Silvia broke the tension as she poked her head into the kitchen, "It's getting busy out here" she warned as Gino passed Klara a notepad.
"Better get started," Gino raised an eyebrow as Klara pushed through the swing doors. Least she didn't have to worry about being recognised. Anytime she did venture out behind the Queens’ back, she kept to the shadows.
Klara fastened the apron around her neat waist and got to work under Silvia's curious eye.
“You can do this,” she chanted under her breath, twisting her pen between her fingers as she approached the first table.
"What can I get you?" Klara asked a table of Pixies as they giggled about the mischief they had been up to earlier in the evening.
"Two slug worms on thin crust baked till burnt and hold the pickled eyes," a Pixie with blue scales around her eyes rattled off while the others ignored Klara.
"Coming right up," Klara smiled. She had never encountered a Pixie before. They were bigger than she imagined, but it was their magic that made them small enough to torment the Human World. The older Pixie with traces of grey in her delicate wings noticed Klara staring and tossed the menu at her. "Want to take a picture," the Pixie snapped, and Klara kept her eyes down as she took the rest of the menus.
"Making friends everywhere you go," Klara sighed as she made her way to the kitchen stepping over the tail of a Gryphon. Silvia was busy with another table, so she decided to give in the order herself.
"Two slug worms on thin crust baked until burnt and no pickled eyes." Lucius grunted smacking his fist into the dough, "Pixies have no taste for fine pizza. No pickled eyes what will bring out the sweet in the slug worms!"
Dario waved Klara out of the kitchen as he entered the salter. Witches, Dark Fae, Warlocks and a few Minotaurs came and went, and it wasn't long before Silvia called the last order.
"Why did the last waiter quit? Much easier to work here than it is in the potion factories?' Klara asked Dario. She took a bite out of her pizza, curious about why they had chosen to hire an outsider. Klara couldn't resist the itch left behind from overhearing Gino and his sons' earlier conversation.
Dario's eyes lit up. "They couldn't stomach the job." There was something metallic about the sauce, but Klara couldn't place it.
"What is in the sauce?" Klara asked and Silvia smiled, exposing her browning teeth, "family secret."
Gino appeared carrying a crate of dirty glasses, "but you'll get plenty of iron," he said looking to his wife who slapped him playfully on the arm.
Unsettled by the taste, Klara left the rest of the pizza to clear the empty booths. Once the tables were clear, and the last customers had portalled out, Klara started to count the tipped gems and stones when Silvia came in flustered, complaining about losing her binding ring. "I'll help you look!" Klara insisted, wanting to be useful.
"How did we get so lucky? Most Creatures wouldn't lift a claw," Silvia said, looking under the counter.
"Where was the last place you remember having it?" Klara asked, searching under the tables and down the backs of the booths. "Delivery was brought into the salter…" Silvia muttered her head still under the counter.
"I'll check it!" Klara said, rushing through the swing doors.
"Don't go in there!"
Klara heard the faint shout from Silvia. "Why not?" Klara pulled on the handle, and the smell of copper rushed out. Bile rose in her throat as Klara saw the Human limbs hanging from hooks. Bodies of all shapes and sizes piled on top of one and other.
"I warned her not to look," Silvia tutted with Gino at her side.
"What is this?" Klara stammered. "Food," Gino hissed licking his thin lips. Klara struggled to suppress the urge to gag.
"What are you thinking?" Klara said as she watched Lucius and Dario block the doors from the kitchen.
"That Human flesh is both slimy and satisfying," Dario smiled exposing rows of yellow teeth. "This is forbidden." Klara felt ridiculous saying it, but she needed to buy some time to figure a way out. “Consuming Human flesh and blood turns Dark Creatures senseless. The desire only grows, and they will end up hunting in the Human World. The Queens forbid it.”
"Humans are lesser beings, and those Queens have no power over us," Gino ranted on while Klara prepared herself for a fight. "You will answer for this," Klara spat knowing precisely what they were. Ghouls. Most Ghouls were created after the Demonic possession of a Human. Demons would force the Human to consume Human meat to drive them over the edge. Breaking the Human's mind meant the Demon could remain longer in the body. Once the Human died, the Demon left, and a Ghoul was born.
Cannibals are considered the lowest form of Creature, which said a lot in Malum.
"Are you going to report us?" Gino said smugly, but Silvia silenced her husband looking at the glowing purple crystal at the base of Klara's throat. The last time it had shone was in the company of Lycaons when Klara had ventured towards their caves. Klara's eye met Silvia's. Most Creatures wouldn't recognise such a weapon.
"Human flesh is toxic to those not meant to consume it. The Queens will have your heads." Klara was relieved she hadn't added the toppings to her pizza.
"The Queens take everything for themselves," Gino spat. Klara knew he had a point. At lavish banquets, the Queens liked to boast how the Port of Malum brought them the freshest foods from the Human World while the Creatures of Malum, their subjects were left to hunt for themselves or visit the grossly overtaxed markets.
"Our customers are hungry. We merely satisfy their needs," Gino replied.
"You will expose our world, Humans going missing… there is a balance to maintain," Klara muttered hating how much she sounded like her mentors. Malum and Kalos may exist on an alternate plane to the Humans, but there was a level of respect between the Creatures and Humans that kept each world running smoothly. Klara sidestepped to the ovens putting space between herself and the Ghouls.
"We are strengthening ourselves, the Humans should fear us not the other way around," Dario said, "I didn't hear you complaining about the taste."
"I didn't eat meat!" Klara exclaimed when Lucius began to snigger, "We use the bones to make the stock for the sauce."
"And we take the blood clots from the organs to add a punchy flavour," Dario finished for his brother. Klara felt the metallic taste return to her tongue, and she thought she would vomit. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" Dario laughed at her distress. Klara glanced toward the door. She needed to escape without any bloodshed. The fall of the Beanstalk would be big news in the Forest and Klara couldn't afford to alert the Queens to her movements. Klara considered letting the vile Creatures live, but Dario dashed forward and restrained her arms.
"It's your funeral!" Klara said, grasping his arm. Dario let out a tortured gargle as her touch forced him to feel all the pain he had ever inflicted. Dario's grasp loosened as he fought his own mind and Klara freed herself. Free from the pain, Dario was on her once again. Even without contact, her power should have been strong enough to subdue him. Dario must have fed recently to have recovered so quickly. "Wiggly little Witch," Dario spat, and Klara stopped struggling. Dario avoided contact with her skin and Klara suddenly regretted wearing long sleeves.
"Let me go, and I will let you all live."
"Sadly, we can't do that, but we will make it a quick death," Gino said, as if he was doing Klara a favour. "Honey, we cannot keep killing the waiters, and this one works hard," Silvia reas
oned and Gino pulled at his neck.
"Fine. Boys rip out her heart. Once we have eaten it, she will join the family," Gino did not seem pleased with the prospect of having her as a new family member. Klara could hear her pulse echoing in her ears as Lucius stood in front of her. With the King of Hell's blood flowing through her veins, Klara wondered if she could be turned into a Dark Creature.
"I really think you should reconsider," Klara smirked.
"Don't fret dear, you will soon be one of us," Silvia smiled. The last thing Klara saw was Lucius' hand breaking through her chest plate before she plunged into darkness.
◆◆◆
Ah, shit, I'm going to have to ask Father for a new heart. Klara’s body took over and her wings revealed themselves. She heard their curses as her glamorised black eyes transformed to ice white. “How is this possible?" Lucius said with her heart still in his hand.
"Given my parentage, I don't technically need a heart," Klara shrugged, "but sure makes life more pleasant."
Lucius's mouth dropped open, knowing exactly who she was. Klara ripped the crystal from her neck. Her touch transformed the crystal into a spear and with one swing Klara took Dario and Lucius' head before they had time to think.
Silvia's shrill scream pierced what little soul Klara had as the childless mother ran through the swing doors. Klara considered going after her, but the sight of her dead children would be enough to drive her demented, and no one would believe the Daughter of Hell was slaughtering Ghouls in the Forest dining hall. Gino let out a mumbled shout and grabbed a meat cleaver from the counter before Klara could raise her spear, the cleaver connected with her shoulder. Black blood dripped down her arm to her hand. "Nice try," Klara said, ripping the cleaver out of her shoulder. She grunted as the pain rocketed to her hand.
Without her heart, Klara became vulnerable to pain. Gino fell back as Klara looked at her bloodied shoulder and let out a sigh, "Now I need Spiders Web. Don't you know how expensive that is." Stealing Web from the Castle pantry would raise questions Klara did not want to answer.
Crowned A Traitor: A Hellish Fairytale Page 1
