"Come now, surely you have not lost thought already." King Dante chuckled in jest.
"This be a first," Tundal spoke up. "Our Mighty King be tongue-tied?" Again, all shared a laugh as the jest.
"Yes, it is a first," Borrack replied with a wide smile. "But only because the topic is so significant. It has been many years since Queen Lavira passed away, and much time has passed for ample grieving, even for an old fool such as me. Now that our Kingdoms have found peace and my only daughter to be married away, it has stirred much emotion and turmoil inside me. It is time that I take another wife to bear me an heir to my throne."
The room erupted into joyous cheers and congratulations as wine cups raised in toast to the magnificent news.
"Gratitude my friends," King Borrack said as he waved them to silence. "It is long overdue. Now let us find our beds, for tomorrow is sure to be a trying day indeed."
It was not long before the library emptied - until just Borrack, Ursa and Dagon remained.
"This is glorious news my friend." Dagon said clasping hands with Borrack. "We all have been waiting a long time to hear these words."
Borrack smiled, "I know my friend. Forgive a foolish old man for his weaknesses."
"Nonsense, old man you may be - but foolish? Never." Dagon winked and left.
"Well what have you?" Borrack asked, seeing Ursa looking at him in surprise.
"I am not sure I understand my King." Ursa replied, doing well to hide his smile.
"Do not play coy with me Wizard!" King Borrack laughed. "I have known you long enough to know when thoughts dance in that mind of yours."
Ursa smiled, "I am just pleased with your news. It warms my heart knowing you will finally try for an heir."
Borrack smiled half-heartedly, "Well, my friend, I will not live forever. Now let us retire to our rooms, tomorrow's negotiations I fear will not be pleasant."
*****
It was a humid night with a fresh, sweet-smelling breeze - Nicolette sat alone in the royal garden by their tree. She wished Meath would happen by with a way to make everything work to their advantage, but she knew there was none. She knew it was wise that he was not around. She would have to learn to love another and disregard what they had. She sighed and selected a blue rose from the bush beside the bench. It smelled so sweet, but did little to calm her soul.
She took one last glance at their tree and got up, gradually making her way back to find her bed. As she walked, Nicolette heard voices coming from behind a large cluster of fruit trees not far from the path. She thought it was odd for anyone to be out this late in the royal garden so she went to witness who it was. Silently, she walked up to a large apple tree that overlooked where the people stood - she peered out and saw three dark figures standing together, hooded in black.
"Once I am married to that wench of a Princess we can finally rid ourselves of Borrack and Ursa. Then I will formulate a way to dispose of my darling new wife - as she will be of no use to us when I am the new King of Draco Kingdom." A voice - which was not Prince Berrit's - said with a sinister chuckle behind it.
"We will have to keep a close eye on that Wizard, Ursa. He is no fool and he is crafty enough to cause us difficulty if he catches on. It may be best if we make him… depart… sooner than we had planned." The woman spoke in a smooth voice tipped with venom.
"We shall dispose of him soon enough, my love. He and the others here with The Gift shall make fine treats and soon none shall stand in the way of what we were destined to achieve," the first voice said.
"As long as we keep to the plan, we shall have all we want," the third person said - his voice rough and edgy.
Nicolette recognized the second man's voice, but could not put a face to it.
"Yes, but of course we will," the female agreed in a snide tone.
"Do not dare get sarcastic with me. I have the most to lose here because of you two!" the second man growled furiously.
"Yet you have an enormous gain as well." The other replied casually. "Do not forget about that."
"Do not get coy with me asshole, I am only helping you because you…" His voice trailed off in frustration.
"I could kill them if you would prefer?" The female voice cooed maliciously. "But I promise you it will be slowly."
"You bitch!" The man raged taking a step toward her.
"Careful now, we would not want things to get out of hand. Besides, there could be more possibilities for you, if you allow them." The first man remarked shrewdly.
"I am already betraying my kingdom," he hissed back. "When this is over, I never want to see your faces again."
"Nor your own, I am sure." The first man teased.
"Awe, and here I thought we could all be friends," the female mocked.
"You repulse me!" he growled violently.
"Mind your tongue, lest you make me cut it out!" the leader of the trio hissed. "The plan is how I say it is and your family will be returned to you when your usefulness has expired."
What Nicolette had just heard caused her to stumble back as panic coursed through her body like fire. She was about to turn when a hand went over her mouth - she went rigid and almost fainted.
"It is I, Highness." The old Wizard whispered as he turned her around to face him and then gradually led her away from where they stood.
"Ursa, we must warn my father. There are…" The Wizard cut her off.
"Yes, I know my child - there is vile evil at work here tonight. We must tell the King at once," He whispered searching the vicinity for any indication that anyone had caught on to them. "Stay close to me and do as I say."
Silently, they made their way through the castle's numerous hallways and chambers, avoiding the midnight patrols and anyone else who was about at this hour, wary of who they should trust. When they reached the King's chambers, they burst through the doors of the vast room to warn him. Once they were in the room, Ursa lit the candles with barely a thought, and the King woke in panic.
"What is going on here!" he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes to see who had barged into his room.
"Majesty, there are those who conspire against you in the castle this night!" Ursa informed as he made his way to where the King was getting out of his bed.
"What? Are you sure? Who are they?" The King questioned as he pulled on his robe.
"We do not know father, but they said they were going to kill you and then me. He spoke like Prince Berrit, but it was not his voice." Nicolette cried.
"There are three who plot your demise - maybe more - but I have not uncovered who they are. I was about to confront them when I took note of the Princess and thought it better to get her away. We need to sound the alarm and flush these assassins out!" Ursa told him. Just then, Halpas entered the room. His sword was drawn and he was breathing hard.
"What is going on in here? Is everything all right your Majesty?" Halpas said through long, hard breaths - as if he had run a long way even though his room was not far down the hall.
"Halpas, I am relieved to see you. There seem to be traitors amongst us who plot my death and that of my daughter. Search the castle for anyone out of their rooms and bring me Prince Berrit and the rest of those Zandorian bastards so we can resolve this once and for all. Alert all the guards. I want this castle locked down tight until this is solved," the King ordered. "I will take no chances!"
"I am so sorry…my friend," said Halpas, a flash of metal crossed the room and imbedded itself deep into the King's throat, the tip jutting out the back of his neck. Borrack's eyes went wide - pain and treachery sliding across his face as his hands grabbed the dagger buried in his neck. Thick, dark crimson blood drained over the top of his fingers as he fell to the ground gurgling for a breath he would never find.
Ursa hurled his hands out toward the traitor and a molten column of fire flew with a roar and hit Halpas square in the torso. He erupted into flames with a cry of agony and was dead before his blackened corpse hit the stone.
"Father!" Nicolette shrieked
as she ran to his aid, but she knew there was nothing she could do to save him. "Ursa, help him, please!" She cried cradling her father's limp head.
"I had not anticipated this." A man said as he walked into the room. He was clothed all in black and had the cold look of death himself. His skin was tanned, and his eyes were bright, vibrant green.
"You foul fiend!" Ursa yelled viciously. He tossed a massive ball of energy toward the man but it battered an unseen barrier around him and dispersed into nothing more than sparks. Ursa's eyes went wide.
"It will require more skill than that to be rid of me, Wizard." The man laughed, and with a tilt of his hand. A brutal wave of power sent Ursa soaring back into a sculpture of Queen Lavira that the King kept in his room.
Crying over her father's limp body, Nicolette burst out, "Why are you doing this?" as she staring up at the man with terror and loathing.
"What is the matter Princess; do you not recognize your soon-to-be husband?" As the man spoke the words, his features altered and twisted into Prince Berrit. Both Nicolette and Ursa gasped at what they had just witnessed. "I had other plans for you Wizard, but I guess you killing the King, Halpas and the Princess will have to do as my story." The false prince said with a devious grin.
"No one will ever believe you!" Ursa rose to his feet slowly, trying to think of some way to spirit the Princess to safety. His eyes glanced down at the King, and Ursa knew it was already too late to save him.
"Just watch and see!" The man said as he closed the distance to where the Princess sat.
Ursa instinctively called upon his Gift and cast a dense air torrent the man had not been expecting. He flew back hard into the wall beside the King's bed and crashed through the bedside stand and to the floor. The attack knocked the wind from his lungs and his eyes almost rolled into the back of his head.
"Run Highness, get out of here!" Ursa yelled as he summoned the spell once more, pushing the intruder harder against the wall with nearly bone-crushing force. "You shall pay for your crimes!"
No sooner had he spoken the words than did he notice the false prince's hand point his way, vicious fire forming from his fingertips. Ursa knew there would be no way he would avoid being struck down if he did not flee.
Ursa quickly bolted from the room to find the Princess hunched down in the hallway crying. "Quickly girl, we must move!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her along, knowing the enemy would not stay down for long.
Moments after, three guards billowed into the King's room organized for a fight.
"What has happened here?" One of the young soldiers demanded as they entered the room and saw the body of their King - and what was left of Halpas lying on the floor.
"That cursed Wizard Ursa has killed the King and abducted the Princess." Prince Berrit bellowed as he tried to get up, but the Wizard's attack had caused more damage to him than he had thought. "Halpas and I tried to prevent him, but he used his wickedness against us." The Prince howled as he caught his breath and tried to get to his feet once more.
"What are you talking about? Ursa would do no such thing and what are you doing in the King's room? You are behind this I bet, you Zandorian filth!" Before the soldier could finish, an arc of lightning seared through him and his companions, killing them almost instantaneously.
"Foolish pawns! Why could you not believe me?" The false Prince muttered crawling over beside King Borrack's body. "Someone please help! Please god help!" He cried, terror-stricken, hunching over the body.
"What is going on in here?" Another soldier yelled as he arrived at the room with a small army of men behind him.
"Ursa has gone mad! He is trying to frame me by bringing me here and killing the King." Berrit tried again, needing his explanation to work before his plans simply dissolved. "Halpas and those others caught him in action and tried to stop him. He destroyed them and escaped."
"What? Are you sure?" they asked, not sure what to make of the situation.
"Hurry, you fools! He has abducted my future wife, and your future Queen!" He screamed dramatically at the soldiers, prompting them into action. "A hundred gold to whomever brings him to justice!"
"Sound the alarm! Master Ursa has killed the King and taken the Princess!" One of the soldiers screamed to the men who had finally responded to all of the commotion. Once they had heard the news, they fled to spread the word and stop Ursa from escaping with little question.
The false prince knew the news would spread, and eventually it would be worded right and all would believe. He wiped his bloodied hands on his shirt for more effect. "Not how I had planned it, but innovation had always been on my side."
*****
"What are we to do now?" Nicolette sobbed as she tried to calm her breathing and stop the tears that flooded down her cheeks.
"We must get to Meath at once-he will not be safe for long, and they will try to get me through him. Then we must flee the castle," Ursa whispered as he made sure the next chamber was clear for them to go through.
"Where will we go? What will we do?" she cried as if it mattered - anywhere would be better than here. Her entire life had just taken a plunge into chaos and she was trying to contain the anxiety that was devastating her. The world was spinning and she had to force herself to focus solely on Ursa to keep herself from collapsing.
"I do not know yet, your Highness, but I promise you, I will keep you safe until this is resolved. You have my word," Ursa responded hastily as they scurried down the corridor toward Meath's room. As they turned the corner, there stood a lone guard searching for them.
"Why would you do this Ursa? How could you? Those Zandorians are right about those with The Gift after all. How could you betray us? After everything the King has done for you and your kind," the guard cried out, his eyes burning with confusion.
"I did no such thing!" Ursa replied. "You need to help us out of the castle - it is not safe for us here now!"
The guard's face showed his confusion, "Why is it not safe, unless it is true! Why are you holding the Princess's hand so tightly?" His eyes grew wide as he accepted this conclusion. "You let her go! Princess, are you all right?"
Nicolette tried to speak and tell the guard that she was all right, but could not - her voice froze in her throat as she was overwhelmed by all that was happening and nearly fainted.
Without another word, the guard charged forward, his spear tip heading straight for Ursa's chest. The guard was thrown from his feet as a concussion of air hit him, sending him and his weapon to the floor in a heap, where he struggled to draw breath before blacking out.
It had taken longer to arrive at Meath's room than Ursa had wanted, but to evade being caught - and dodge more confused men - they had to be exceedingly careful. He'd had to employ his powers more than once along the way to deceive or silence the guards, and now most of the castle had heard the lies that the false prince was telling. The guards would be looking for them everywhere. Ursa burst into Meath's quarters with the Princess in tow. "There is no time for that now! You must get your things - we must depart quickly!" Ursa ordered, urgency consumed his words as he stormed by Meath, leaving Nicolette near the door.
"What is going on?" Meath stammered out, as his meditation was broken.
"There is no time to explain that now. The King has been murdered and we must get out of here now or we will definitely be joining him." Ursa replied as he grabbed some of Meath's things and threw them at him. Meath's heart skipped a beat at the thought of the King being murdered and his adrenaline stirred him from his weary state.
The three ran down toward the kitchen. The guards were searching high and low for them and Ursa did not want to kill anyone he did not need to…but if they were caught by a large number, he doubted that would leave him much choice. They were just men following orders - they did not know the truth, nor would they likely listen to it.
They were steps away from rounding a corner when a guard leaped out, swinging his sword at head level, looking for a quick kill, Ursa saw the man too late to e
scape unscathed. The tip of the blade sliced into Ursa's collarbone and shoulder as he rolled his body backward avoiding the deathblow. The attack off balanced him and he fell to the ground in a heap, blood seeping quickly from the deep wound onto the floor beside him.
"NO!" Meath cried out and he barreled into the guard, crashing him hard into the stone wall, causing him to drop his shortsword. A knee was fast to ensue as his abdomen was exposed and another until Meath finally let go and stumbled backward. The guard took a step forward, his hand balled into a fist ready to strike. Meath ignored the spreading pain in his abdomen and launched himself forward, his own fist leading the way relentlessly. He connected with the man's jaw sending him back into the wall and slumping to the floor.
Meath ran to Ursa's side. "Ursa, Ursa talk to me," Meath cried afraid to move the old man.
Ursa rolled over to face him, not in as dire a state as Meath has expected. "Meath look out!"
Meath turned back to the guard who was charging full force toward him, dagger in hand. Instinct took over and he met the guard's charge. Meath sidestepped the mid-sized man's wild swing with the dagger and caught his arm with a twist, dropping both man and dagger to the ground. An arrow skipped off the stone wall inches away from Meath and his attention turned to the two bowmen down the hall taking aim. Someone grabbed Meath's shirt and pulled him back, around the corner before the next assault was released. Meath spun around and came face-to-face with Ursa.
"We do not have time for that now - come on!" Ursa said flatly, and they ran down the rest of the hallway and through the door leading to the stairwell.
The False Prince (Fall Of A King Book 1) Page 5