Royal Affliction (The Anti-Princess Saga) (22 page)

“Why don’t you guys stay?” I offered with mock politeness.  “The sofa folds out into a bed.  You can spend the day with me, and go home in the morning.”

She strode my way.  “You could not pay me to spend another minute in this hovel.  Let’s go!” she barked before she left, holding her dress up so that it didn’t drag on the concrete.  Goddess forbid that it get a speck of dirt on it.

“I’ll miss you!” I called after her and I heard a rather disgusted noise answer me back.

Gader stood next to me in the doorway staring after her.  “You know, you really should not provoke her like you do.”

“She’s too easy.  I just can’t help myself.”

“I will inform our father about the events that have transpired since your departure.  Take care of yourself, sister.”

I stood in the doorway for a minute, pondering Gader’s words.  He seemed to have a lot of faith in me, way more than I had. 
Was he right?  Was I really going to be stronger or wiser from this whole ordeal?
  Well, I was definitely going to be more paranoid and mistrusting.  But I could see no good that could come out of this.  I wished that I could convince myself to be optimistic but, in the back of my head, my impending failure seemed to mock me.  I tried to push it from my thoughts for now.  It would do me no good to dwell on what might happen.  I needed to focus on what I could do to prevent it from coming true.

After closing the door I scanned my empty apartment.

Kyle poked his head out from the door frame.

“She’s gone!” I announced and everyone flooded back into the room.

“Is she always that pleasant?” Kyle asked.

“Are you kidding?  That was her being downright pleasant.”

********************

There was a large, empty field behind my apartment complex.  We met there to begin our lessons but Kyle stayed behind in Clifton’s apartment.  Kafkus had refused to teach him anything, just in case he decided to turn against us (not that he was very threatening).  I could tell that Kafkus didn’t trust Kyle, and after what his father had done, I couldn’t blame him.

Kafkus and Quino paired up to demonstrate some maneuvers for the rest of us and then they had us give it a try.  I paired up with Clifton, since neither of us had ever really used weapons before we were fairly evenly matched.

We clashed swords to signal the start the duel.  The blade seemed to have a mind of its own in my hands.  It swung through the air gracefully with very little effort on my part.  I thrust and slashed.  And before I knew it, Clifton was on the ground with my blade to his throat.

“Well done, Quartessa!” Kafkus exclaimed.  “And I thought that you had never used a sword before?” he joked.  He obviously thought I had just been being modest about my skill level.

“I…I haven’t.”  It didn’t really feel like it was me who had done it.  My sword had come from a human shop, so I knew that it couldn’t have any powers of its own.  It must have been me.  I had barely ever held a sword before. 
How could I be so proficient without training?

Kafkus looked skeptical.  “Well then, you have a natural talent.  Quino, will you help Clifton practice with Loach?  I wish to test our little prodigy’s limits.”

I was able to take down a beginner, but I wasn’t sure how I would fare against a master swordsman like Kafkus but something in me wanted to know how I would compare.  Though I was feeling weaker from the ring, the sword felt powerful in my hand, like it had its own energy the ring couldn’t steal.  I was ready.

We clashed swords and then I swung at him hard.  He blocked my attempt with his own.  He lunged at me and I blocked the attack with surprising speed.  My world seemed to move slower than normal, allowing me a great advantage.  I caught him off guard with a slice across his chest, cutting through his shirt.  He was stunned for a moment, beads of crimson surfacing.  He looked down at the gash, sneered and then lunged at me.  He had been holding back before, but no longer.  It took more effort on my side to block his attacks.  He swung at me hard but I was able to block the strike.  We stood, our blades touching.  I spun around quickly and struck his blade with such force that it was sent flying.  It fell in the grass some ten feet away.

No one was fighting anymore.  Everyone was staring at me, shock and amazement on each of their faces.

“My, Princess?” Kafkus breathed, dumbfounded.  He sunk down on one knee.  “I have never seen such a natural ability.  Your father will be very pleased.”

I felt powerful though my body felt weak.  I stood there, relishing in his words.  It was nice to know that I could defend myself even though my powers were gone.

He walked purposefully towards me, grabbed me tight and kissed me with incredible passion.  It didn’t seem to bother him that I had beaten him.  He seemed to love that fact.

He swept me up in his arms.  “Keep practicing!” he shouted to the others as he carried me in the direction of the apartment.

He plopped me down on the couch and jumped on top of me.  It seemed he couldn’t make it to the bedroom.  I thought it weird that the fact of me beating him had excited him this way.  I guess I’d never be able to understand the way a man’s mind works, so I let the thought escape me as he kissed me.  It was love and lust mixed together as one.  I liked it.  I threw my head back and let the pleasure overtake me.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, this being our first time together, but I was not disappointed.  Kafkus was a thoughtful lover, anticipating all of my needs with gentle yet powerful motions.  Satisfaction washed over me, taking me away, and bringing me to a new place where I felt no pain, a place where only Kafkus and I existed.

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but blue sky.  It was an entrancing scene, so peaceful with its indescribable beauty.  I was laying upon a fluffy, white cloud. 
Was this a dream?

Kafkus still lay on top of me but he was staring at me like he wasn’t seeing what I was.

“What did you do?”  This could not be real, it just couldn’t.

“What are you talking about?  I didn’t do anything.”

An image of Violet appeared beside me, making me jump.  She was translucent, looking remarkably like a ghost.  “Are, are you….”

“I am not dead, Quartessa.”  Her voice, like her appearance, was off, like an echo of her true self.  “You must not go to the warehouse.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“What?  But we have to.”

“No, you must not go.”

“Why Violet?  What is going on?  Where are you?”  I knew that she was alive, but that was very little comfort to me at the moment.

She shook her head and then faded away as quickly as she had appeared.  And as she vanished, so did the beautiful surroundings.

I was sitting back on the couch and Kafkus was staring into my eyes with something that resembled fear.  “What just happened?”

“Violet.”

“What about her?”

“Didn’t you see her?”

“No, did you?”

“Yes.  She told me not to go to the warehouse.”

“Did she tell you why?”

I shook my head.  She had managed to get a warning to me.  I thought long and hard about what she had said. 
Why shouldn’t we go to the warehouse?
  There was no way around it, we had to.  It would be the only way to rescue her and free myself of this accursed ring.  “I know that she meant well, but there is no way around it.  We must go.”

“While I agree with you, Violet must have gone through a lot of trouble to get a warning to you.  Maybe we should heed it.”

“We have to go.”

“She must know something that we do not.”

“I don’t want to die.”

He put his arms around me, cradling me with his warmth.  “I will not let you die, Quartessa,” he whispered in my ear, determination in his words.  I just sat there, letting him console me.

People kept promising that they would not let me die.  It would be nice if I could believe them.  Gader had made me feel better, but it didn’t last.  My fate was out of their control.  They could help me, yes, but I was responsible for my own fate.  I would have to finish the job and I wasn’t sure that I was capable of doing so.  I felt my body growing weaker with each passing day.

I stared down at the metal ring resting on my leg and traced it with my finger.  It burned my flesh as I touched it.  Franticness swept over me.  I grabbed it with both hands and pulled with all my remaining strength, trying to rid myself of its burden.  I finally broke down crying like I had never cried before, howling in pain and anguish of all I would miss if I left this world: my two great loves, my family, my friends.

I heard the front door open, but I didn’t bother to look up.  I just sat on the couch clutching my knees to my chest, sobbing hard.

“What’s wrong with her?” I heard Clifton ask as he placed a hand on my back.

I jerked.  “Don’t touch me!”

“She is mourning her own death,” said Kafkus.

“But, but we will not let her die.”

I cried even harder, unable to hold it back.  His words stung me like salt being poured into an open wound.  I wished that they would stop saying things like that.

“She knows that her life is in her own hands, and she believes she will fail.”

It was amazing how accurate Kafkus’ words were.  He seemed to know me better than I thought he did.  If I was in a different mood I would have asked him how he knew me so well, but I didn’t care at the moment.

“Come on, Quartessa,” Kafkus said as he picked me up.

He carried me into the bedroom, placed me on the bed and pulled the covers over me.  He kissed me lightly on the forehead and whispered “Sleep my beautiful Princess, you will feel better tomorrow.”  Then he left.

I laid there for a while, unable to relax.  I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts.  I didn’t want to be alone at all.  Horrible, rotting images of my men and me kept flashing through my mind.  I needed something to distract me.

Kyle stepped out of the bathroom wearing just a pair of black jeans.  His hair was wet and beads of water were winding their way down his freckled chest.  He saw me staring and blushed.

“Is everything ok?  I heard you crying.”

“I’m just down.”  I patted the spot next to me on the bed.  “Would you please stay with me for a little while?”  He wouldn’t be able to tell me that he would keep me from dying like everyone else was.  He was much too weak to defend me.  He could give me the mindless chitchat that I so desperately needed to cloud my mind.

“I guess so.”

He sat down next to me looking very stiff and uncomfortable.  “So, do you need anything?  Do you want to talk?  What do you want me to do?”

“Talking sounds nice, let’s talk.”

“What would you like to talk about?”

“Anything that is not related to my life.”

“Okay.”  He didn’t sound so sure.

“Tell me about your life.”

He blushed.  “You really want to hear about
me
?”

“Yes, Kyle.  I don’t know anything about you, but I would like to.”

“My life isn’t very interesting.”

“It will help me to fall asleep then.”  I laid back down and got comfy in preparation to hear Kyle’s tale.

“Where do you want me to start?”

“Start at the beginning.  I want to hear everything.”

He sighed and then began talking extremely fast, as if he was trying to get through his entire life story in a matter of minutes.  “Well, I was born in the small city of Duckwater, Nevada.  I was raised by my mother, Helen, who was born in Dublin, but came here as a child to live with her aunt and uncle when both of her parents had died in a plane crash.  I never knew my father as a child.  He had left us when I was only two.  My mother worked two jobs so that we could scrape by.  She was a really sweet woman who tried so hard to give me a good life.  But the effort took its toll on her.  She got sick when I was fourteen.  I took a part-time job after school at the local tire shop to pay the bills.  When I came home at night, I took care of her.  I found it increasingly difficult to get my schoolwork done, and began to fall way behind in my classes.  One day, when I was sixteen, I came home and found my mother dead on the couch.  I was forced to make the call that I had dreaded making.  I called my dad.  Apparently he had been living in California and working as a lawyer ever since he’d left us.  I didn’t want to come live with the man who had abandoned his family, but I had no other options.  He flew me out to Yuba City to stay with him.  In time, I grew to accept him as my father again, but I could never really trust him, not after what he’d done.  My feelings changed a bit when he was diagnosed with cancer.  I couldn’t hold a grudge against him anymore.  He was all that I had left, and he was going to leave me again.  We drove out here to meet with a specialist and weigh our options.  And when the doctors here told us that he had only a couple of months left to live, I died a little.  Even though he had deserted me as a child, he was still my father.  After hearing the news we went to a park and just sat in the grass together. We didn’t speak, we just watched the people passing by.  A strange man approached us, a man with glowing green eyes.”  He paused.  “I’m sorry.  You probably don’t want to hear the rest, since it involves you.”