Royal Affliction (The Anti-Princess Saga) (24 page)

“Geta ses chwar de ala haust.”

“What is he doing?” I mouthed to Kafkus who didn’t reply.

The Boru’s chant had grown louder now but it made a smooth transition to English.  He was singing the freaking national anthem for America, another crazy look in his eye and a large, cunning smile across his broad face.

I grunted out of frustration and looked over at Kafkus.  Quino was now at his other side, Clifton just beyond that.  Kyle looked as if he was standing in prayer, head bowed.  I wondered if he’d fallen asleep on his feet.  Poor Kyle.

“Kafkus, why don’t you hack off another body part.  Maybe that will get our visitor to open up more.”  I was not one for torture but if it worked then it was worth a shot.  Kafkus just grunted “Gladly,” as he stepped past me.

This was something I couldn’t watch and I turned away just as a scream and a soft thud caught my ear.  I decided to focus myself on making Kyle go to bed since it seemed he already had.

Before I could even touch him however a light knock at the door distracted me.  A casual glance at the cable box told me that it was six a.m., early for callers.  Any other time someone would have insisted on answering it instead of me but everyone’s focus was on the still singing Boru despite the fact that he had no arms at all now, so I cracked the door and peered outside.

A face I kinda recognized greeted me, though I was sure to block what was going on behind me, only opening the door enough for me to be seen.

“Morning, Tessa.  I was wondering if you’d like to join me on my morning run.  Hadn’t seen you out lately, figured you were due.”  His eyes trailed down my body, most of which was covered with dried blood.  “Ummmm…sorry to disturb your…uh…goat sacrifice?”

I might have laughed under normal circumstances.  “Daryl, right?”  I asked hoping I’d remembered his name and he gave me a shallow nod.  “Yeah, no goat sacrifice going on in here but I can’t go with you, kind of in the middle of something.”  A deep scream echoed throughout the apartment and Daryl leaned closer for a better look.  I stepped outside and closed the door behind me, letting out a nervous laugh at Daryl’s inquisitive face.

“Human sacrifice?”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking so I played it off with a real laugh.  “I assure you, no humans are being harmed in there.”  Hey, it was technically true.  Daryl still looked unsure so I added, “One of my friend’s got hurt, the kind of hurt that you can’t go to the hospital for because the police will get involved.  Got it?”

His gaze dropped back to my clothes.  “Gang activity?”

“Uh huh, yup,” I replied almost before he’d finished talking.  Better he think I was involved with something illegal than what was really going on.

He sighed.  “I can help you out if you want.  You shouldn’t be involved with this kind of thing.”  Oh if he only knew.

“It’s not me directly, and once they are done in there my ‘friend’ won’t be coming back around these parts so there’s no need to worry.”

“Good to know.  But some other time you’ll come running with me?  You seemed to love it.  It would be a shame if you stopped.”

“Daryl…” I started but the rest of the words died in my mouth.  True, I did miss running, but I had more important things going on at the moment.  “When things calm down around here I’ll come running with you, but it won’t be for at least a few days.”  If I was still alive.

“Promise?”  He gave me a card with his number on it.  “Call me, and remember: I know where you live.”  It might have sounded creepy but for some reason it didn’t.

I didn’t know why it was so important to him but I agreed.  Whether or not I could hold that promise I didn’t know.  But it would get him to leave which was what I needed right now.

He smiled as he turned to walk away.  “Take care of your friend, Tessa, but don’t forget to take care of yourself too.”

“And the rocket’s red glare!”

I stood there for a moment not really wanting to go back inside and I wished that I could have gone on that run…but I knew I couldn’t.  Who knew if they were waiting out there for me?  Sure Daryl looked strong enough to take care of himself, but I was sure he was no match for a Boru and it was unfair to ask him to try.

A scream brought me back to my senses.  It was Clifton.  Moving faster than I thought I could I was inside, stunned by what I saw.  Kyle was standing over Clifton, a sword in his hand as my man lay covering his abdomen as blood oozed between his fingers. 
Kyle had stabbed Clifton?
  Something wasn’t right.  While I tried to grasp this concept I caught a glimpse of Kyle’s eyes and what I saw scared the crap out of me.  They were now identical to the Boru now singing “Old McDonald had a farm.”

It felt like I stood there for hours when it was more like a few seconds.  Quino came from Kyle’s left like a linebacker, knocking the sword from his hand and pinning him to the ground beneath him.  Only one part of Kyle’s body was visible under him: the arm sporting the tattoo that had aided us earlier.  It was now solid green though it should have changed do to his close proximity to Quino.  That wasn’t the only thing I noticed, it was pulsing as if the entire thing were a vein and I felt my heart pulse with it.

“It’s not Kyle!” I shouted, fearing that they would hurt him for what he did.  “It’s him!”  My finger sprang up to identify the Boru who only sung louder.

“And on that farm he had a witch, ei ei oh!  With a shrill shriek here and a shrill shriek there…”

Kafkus who had bent down to check out Clifton’s wound, rushed up.  I glanced away but felt the splatter of fresh blood coat my legs.

As Quino lifted off Kyle I waited for him to open his eyes, Quino wasn’t taking any chances, pinning him down by the shoulders.  Kyle’s head turned to me before his eyes opened which scared me though I didn’t back up.

“The tattoo, when it’s close to a Boru the wearer can be controlled like a puppet.”  I had no way of knowing this for sure but that’s what my gut told me had just happened.

Quino and Kafkus exchanged a look and nodded.  I didn’t like that look.  Quino hoisted the completely dazed Kyle, holding him from behind instead as Kafkus approached, sword in hand.

“What are you going to do?”

“Remove it,” was there simultaneous reply.

“You’re not going to chop off his arm are you?”

Kafkus who was holding Kyle’s arm to get a better look at the thing.  “Not if I can help it.  Why don’t you go get some sleep, Princess, you need your rest.”

I couldn’t leave Kyle like this but I couldn’t take anymore gore today.  With a glance at the mangled, bloody mess that had been “the Boru” I decided that, yes, I was going to bed.

A shower would have been nice but I didn’t think I could stay on my feet that much longer, my knees felt like they might give out on me any second.  I stripped off my bloody clothes, threw on the nearest thing I could grab (one of Clifton’s shirts), crawled under the covers, and, even before my brain could worry about how Clifton or Kyle was, I was out.

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

I awoke the next morning sandwiched between Kafkus and Clifton.  Both of their arms were wrapped around me, reassuring me.  Loach was curled up at the foot of the bed looking a lot like a sleeping dog.  I was feeling much better, not sad, but more uplifted, with the desire to prove myself.

I carefully moved the arms that were weighing me down and Kafkus and Clifton both jumped, their eyes open wide in instant alertness.

“I am just trying to get up, if that’s alright with you two,” I said giving both of them a weird look.  “You alright, Clifton?”  He lifted the sheets to show me his healed stomach and I smiled.  “I’m starving, let’s go out to eat.”

“Out?  Out where?” Kafkus asked looking bewildered.

I sighed and explained to him again what restaurants were and the two left the room to go get dressed.

I began stripping down, preparing to get dressed for the day, when I felt hot, intrusive eyes upon my exposed flesh.

Loach was now sitting at the edge of the bed, looking wide-awake.  I’d forgotten that he was in the room.  His flames were back, but they matched the color of his fake, pasty-white human skin.  There was an unmistakable look of yearning in his cold eyes.  “It has been so long.”  His words were a low growl.

I grabbed the closest thing I could find to cover myself.  I stood there, rooted to the ground, unsure of his intensions.

He slowly rose to a standing position, still not taking his eyes off of me.

I saw my sword lying on the floor by my nightstand, but it was too far.  I tried with all my might to make it come to me.  But it just sat there, mocking me.  I felt like a trapped animal.  If I moved he would attack.  If I screamed he would attack.  I would have to reason with him.  It seemed to be my only option.

“Loach, you do not want to do this.”  I tried so hard to keep as much fear out of my voice as possible.

He said nothing.  He just glared at me with those hungry eyes.

You do know that they will kill you, right?”  Tactical fear.

“It would be well worth it to sample some of the royal goods.”

I couldn’t hide the panic that was growing inside of me now.

He came at me in a blur of motion, knocking me to the ground.  He climbed on top of me, pinning me beneath him.  He was strong for his size, much stronger than me with the ring on.

“You swore that you would protect me.”  Tactical guilt.

He laughed.  It was an evil, merciless cackle that shook me to the core.  “I promised to help you find the Boru, and I have.  I swore no oath of protection.”  I didn’t recognize the voice that came out of him.  It was rougher and more malevolent than the one that he had previously used.  “I was sent here for the witch.  But now that my job is done I can indulge in the fruits of my labor since you have given me this prime opportunity.”

I felt betrayed.  He was sent by the Boru, not hiding from them.  He had probably handed them the ring on a silver platter.  I felt myself grow furious that I had trusted him and that he had taken Violet from me.  Adrenalin pumped through my veins, though I still wasn’t able to break free of his grip.

The sounds of approaching footsteps sparked a glimmer of hope, but it died when Loach raised his arm and the door slammed shut.  I heard a loud bang as someone hit the door from the other side.  It didn’t budge.

“Quartessa, what is going on?” Kafkus shouted through the door.

“Loach isn’t on our side!  Please help me!”

Loach placed his hand over my mouth.  I struggled under him, trying my hardest to break free.  For such a small person he was extraordinarily strong.

He pulled away the shirt that I was using to cover myself and threw it aside.  I was left exposed and vulnerable beneath him.

I heard more strikes against the door and I begged for them to break it down and rescue me.  I gasped against his hand as I felt a cold finger slip inside of me.  Tears leaked from my eyes and I knew what was going to happen next, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“You are not wet.”

“Blow it out your ass you piece of shit!”

“You do not need to enjoy it.”

I closed my eyes tight, willing myself to leave my body and the floor rumbled under me.

“What was that?” Loach asked, sounding a little unnerved.

Another shake came, and I couldn’t help but grin.  I knew exactly what it was, and who was doing it.  I knew it would work.  It just had to.

A massive third shake rattled the ground hard, and with it, the door crumbled away into scraps of wood.

Clifton stood alone in the doorway, his red diamond-shaped pupils present again.  He sprinted across the room and grabbed Loach by the back of his neck, pulling him off of me.  Loach dangled in the air like a doll.  His eyes were filled with absolute terror.  Kafkus and Quino entered the room, brandishing their weapons, but they didn’t have time to react before Clifton ripped Loach apart, literally, limb from limb.

I watched in horror as his arm twitched on the ground inches from my face, detached from its body.  His head lay a few feet from me.  He seemed to be looking at me, though I knew that no life remained within him.

Clifton approached me, his eyes returning to normal.  “Are you alright?”

I looked down at my body.  I was coated with splatters of blood, none of it my own.  “I, I think so.  He said that he was sent here to steal Violet.”

The look on Quino’s face was a look beyond rage, a look of purest hatred and loathing.  He kicked Loach’s severed head hard and it hit the wall with a squashy splat.

I didn’t know what to do about the mess.  If Violet were here she could have cleaned it up easily, but none of the rest of us had that power.

“You two get cleaned up,” Kafkus said to Clifton and me.  “We will take care of the mess.”

I was starting to find it a little eerie how Kafkus always seemed to know what I was thinking.  It was though he really was able to read my mind.  It was not a very common power for my kind to possess, but I found myself wondering if he had that rare ability.

“Yes, Quartessa.  But only after you had accepted me into your heart.”

I jerked my head up to look at him.  So he
could
listen to my thoughts.