Royal Affliction (The Anti-Princess Saga)

by Jennifer Marsh

  My group followed Kyle up the path to room number 12. The two was hanging upside down, as it was missing a nail, which told me not to expect much once the door was open. Some things can be judged on outward appearances and this was definitely one of those times.

  The room was filthy. There were clothes strewn across the floor and plates of rotting food scattered on the dresser and nightstands. The smell was disgusting: mold and rotting food mixed with decay. Maid service seemed non-existent here.

  “Sorry about the mess,” Kyle said as he tried to tidy things up a bit. “Do you think they were here?”

  Quino hung his head. “No, I can sense no trace of her.”

  “Did your father ever meet with the Boru without you?” I asked Kyle.

  “Yes, a couple of times.” His face filled with doubt. “You don’t think that he took your friend to them, do you?”

  I didn’t answer him. I’d never gotten a good vibe from Bruce. A man who was dying would not be able to think with reason. He would do whatever he needed to do to survive. And if he believed that the Boru held the cure for his illness…I couldn’t finish the thought. He wouldn’t betray his son though, would he?

  “Let’s go home. There is nothing we can do here.” And then…I heard…something. The sound was very faint and muffled but it was there: ticking.

  Both Kafkus and Quino were both looking around the room with inquisitive interest like I was. No real concern, just intrigue.

  “What are you all looking at?”

  Kafkus shushed him as he approached one of the twin beds. He flattened himself on the ground and peeked under the dust ruffle.

  “Anything?” I asked.

  “Something.”

  Interested, I dropped to my knees and stuck my face under the bed. My eyes shot as far open as they could go when my brain realized what I was looking at. I’d never seen one except on TV but that’s all I needed to recognize it. I got to my feet in a blur of motion, but no words seemed to come from my gaping mouth as I stood there like a statue, multiple eyes focused on me.

  “What is it?” Kafkus asked, his head still buried beneath the bed.

  “A bomb!”

  “It doesn’t look like a bomb, all those wires and tape,” he replied with a slight laugh as if it were a harmless toy.

  “Humans don’t have magic, Kafkus, but this looks big enough to level the building.”

  “Then what are we still doing here?” Kyle shrieked and bolted for the door. It did him no good, it was stuck.

  It’s a trap. Without thinking, I rammed my shoulder into the door. It didn’t budge and my whole arm pulsed with pain from the repercussion. Smart.

  “Well that was useful,” Clifton said and I glared at him before snapping “I’d love to see your idea.”

  He obliged by picking up a chair from the small dining area and throwing it at the front window. It shattered, creating an opening large enough for all of us to climb through, then he made a “you’re first” gesture at me with a smug look of satisfaction that made me feel stupid. His method had obviously been the more practical one.

  Kafkus still had his head buried beneath the bed. “Kafkus, come on!”

  “This thing is odd, there are numbers on it…descending numbers.”

  “What number is it at?”

  “Fifteen”

  “That fifteen on the left or right?”

  “Right, but now it’s ten”

  “We need to get out of here now! Quino, grab him!”

  KABOOM!

  The blast sent me flying, loosing track of where everyone else went. I’d made it far enough away that my biggest injuries were scratches and forming bruises from flying debris. Least I had some luck, though it still took me a few minutes to manage to sit up, shock and all.

  The entire motel had collapsed into flaming wreckage. My car—which had been parked out front—was somewhere under the broken wall that now occupied most of that side of the parking lot. The damage to my car wasn’t really important but the sight of it sparked fear in me about what shape the others were in.

  Kyle was lying on the grass not too far from where I’d landed. He was conscious but not in too bad of shape considering he was human (thinner skin). Clifton, however, looked bad. He was unconscious and bleeding pretty bad from his head. I had Kyle stay with him, told him to keep pressure on the wound while I went to look for Kafkus and Quino.

  I found them together clear on the opposite side of the street. Kafkus was lying motionless, Quino hovering above him. They had both been closer to the blast than anyone else and I prayed that they were ok.

  “He should be fine,” Quino said, blood trickling down the side of his mouth.

  “And you?”

  “We both took a lot of impact, but nothing we cannot recover from.”

  I knelt down next to Kafkus and ran my fingers across his bloody cheek. His eyes fluttered open and he gazed up at me like he was half asleep. “Are you alright?” he asked. I should have been surprised that the man who looked half-dead was more worried if I was alright but I wasn’t.

  “I am more concerned about you at the moment.”

  He grunted as he sat up. “I will be fine. The others?”

  “Clifton doesn’t look so good, but Kyle is fine. My car is totaled though.” The instant I said it I felt guilty about comparing my car to the other’s health.

  “Totaled?”

  “Smashed, obliterated, not going anywhere.”

  “Ah.”

  Clifton and Kyle were approaching us when the sirens of the fire trucks started up in the distance. I was glad to see him walking though he was limping and favoring his right side.

  I didn’t want to stick around to deal with the police, having no explanation of why we were there in the first place. We walked away from the demolition site and stopped in a local restaurant to clean ourselves up before calling a taxi.

  My hair was frizzy but I did my best to smooth it out. I was filthy, bleeding from various cuts and scrapes covering my face and arms, but the explosion could have done much worse. Since I still wasn’t healing very fast I was relieved that it hadn’t.

  I needed a car and, since there was no way to salvage mine, I had the taxi take us to a dealership so that I could buy a new one. I had the guys wait in the lounge while I looked around the lot.

  Car salesmen, along with telemarketers, were on the top of my shit list, but there was no way to avoid them. As soon as one spotted me he’d raced over to ‘assist’ me in my purchase…whatever. All he wanted was his commission and I damn well knew it. He talked up a sports car that only seated two and was only $60,000. I was a practical girl, and though I had money there was no way I’d spend that much on a car, especially when I didn’t want to use the money in the first place.

  “We have quite a selection of vans and minivans if room is what you need,” said Clyde with his over-the-top smile that repelled me rather than enticed me.

  “I don’t drive vans.”

  “Well then let me show you—”

  “Look, Clyde, why don’t you go inside and I will come to you when I’ve made my decision.”

  A man of his type knew how to cover up his look of surprise. “Well, if you just give me your information I can get started on financing,” he persisted with that fake smile I wanted to slap off his face.

  I just glared at him. “Financing will not be necessary, and if you promise to leave me alone, I will pay $1,000 above sticker.”

  He couldn’t hide the look of surprise and greed behind his eyes. “Of course, just ask for Clyde when you’ve made your decision.” I just glared even harder as he walked away, he might as well have been skipping.

  After I’d looked at a few SUVs another salesman tried to approach me, but I was in no mood to deal with him. Once he saw the look on my face he hastily made a b-line for a couple a few cars over.

  It just seemed like such a pointless purchase when I wasn’t sure how much use I was going to get out of it, what with the p
ossible expiration date on my ankle.

  There was a presence behind me and I shouted, “Leave me the hell alone!” without even bothering to turn around.

  “Why are you so angry?” asked a familiar voice that melted away my current irritation.

  “I’m sorry Kafkus, but these car salesmen are like leeches.”

  He peered in all directions before leaning close to me. “We have been talking.”

  “About?”

  “The bomb.”

  “What about it? It was obviously an attempt to kill us.”

  “I think it was meant only for Kyle for betraying them. I do not think they planned for us to go there.”

  “Surely they are smarter than that. If they knew anything about me they’d know that I would go to any measure to get Violet back.”

  “I do not think they plan on letting her go.”

  “But why did they take her in the first place?”

  “I have no answer to that, but Quino was right before, they do need you for something. That fact is a dead giveaway that the bomb was not meant for us.”

  “And I assume that’s why you’re here now, right? To keep an eye on me?”

  “I could not bear the thought of you being taken from me. And you are my eyes favorite target, so I do not mind.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Clyde was striding his way back over to me and my smile vanished. “You just lost your bonus, come back again and I’m going $1,000 under sticker. And if you won’t accept that I’ll find one of your associates that will.” He turned on his heels and skulked off.

  Kafkus let out an amused chuckle. “You seem to have these ‘leeches’ under control.”

  “It’s a never ending battle, all they understand is money. Paying cash gives you the upper hand.”

  Another half hour of searching and I settled on a green Rav-4. It was small for an SUV but there was room enough for all of my guys. Though Clyde hadn’t gotten his extra cut he was still happy that I didn’t haggle him lower. After a ton of paperwork, we headed back to the apartment.

  Could anything go right? My once peaceful life was in complete turmoil. It was one thing after another, and it was really starting to piss me off. I just wanted to wake up from this nightmare and go back to what I used to have. I missed working. I missed having a positive outlook on life. All I thought about now was what was going to happen next to make my life even worse. The only positive thing that had come out of this whole mess was my two loves. That part I wouldn’t change. I thought of fate again. If fate existed, why would it be making my life so miserable? No, there was no such thing as fate, I was quite sure of that.

  As I approached my apartment, I found a note attached to the door.

  Meet me at the warehouse three days from now at nightfall. Your witch’s life depends on it. -L

  “What do we do?”

  Kafkus approached me and placed his arms around me. “Then we wait the three days. We can use that time to get you and Clifton up to par for battle.”

  “I know where we can practice,” Clifton added.

  I heard motion coming from behind the door and backed away. I flashed Kafkus a fearful expression and I could tell that he understood.

  He looked at Clifton who seemed to understand his silent meaning, like they had discussed tactics ahead of time.

  Clifton grabbed me around the waist. He began to back down the stairs and he didn’t let me go until we were in the safety of his apartment with every locked clicked in place.

  Chapter Nine

  I looked around Clifton’s equally small apartment. I had never been in here before. It was very simple. He had just the necessities, and nothing more. I could hear footsteps walking around in my apartment above along with muffled voices. Try as I might, I couldn’t make them out.

  I wandered into Clifton’s bedroom. Just a queen-sized bed and a small dresser were the only furniture in the room. A small pile of clothes sat in the corner. I breathed in deep, the room still smelt of Violet. She must have been sleeping in Clifton’s bed before she disappeared. I hoped that she was ok, wherever she was.

  “I have simple tastes,” he muttered, obviously trying to cover up the fact that he didn’t have much.

  “Except, it seems, when it comes to women. I couldn’t be simple if I tried, and believe me, I have tried.”

  “You are right about that.”

  I didn’t care that Clifton didn’t have much. All that he had, he’d earned himself, and I respected that. Besides, it wasn’t like I was with him for his wealth. I had plenty of money to take care of both of my men for the rest of our lives. I loved Clifton for who he was, not what he had.

  I jumped as three loud knocks came from the ceiling.

  “It’s ok. It means it’s ok to go up.”

  “When did you guys find time to plan all of these secret knocks and stares?” He just shrugged.

  Though I knew that it was safe to return to my apartment now, I still walked cautiously up to the door with Clifton holding my hand.

  “It’s ok, Tessa.”

  I opened the door like you would rip off a Band-Aid, quick and hard. The door flew open and hit the wall opposite, making a loud crashing sound. The entire room turned to stare at me.

  I noticed a ridged looking woman sitting on the couch across from me. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place her; that is, until she spoke.

  “Hello, Quartessa.” Her voice was rather condescending, and had a slightly bitchy tone.

  I stared at her before responding in the same manner. “Hello, Gwinny.”

  We had never really gotten along. She was much too prim and proper for my taste, blah. She was the epitome of what a princess was supposed to be, and everything that I wasn’t. She had always thought of me as childish and unworthy of my title.

  With her human skin tone she looked remarkably like a librarian. Her long deep brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Her aquamarine eyes illuminated her face. They might have looked welcoming if not for the stiffness of her classic facial features. Her nose was small and pointed and her mouth looked as though she were sucking on a sour candy. Though she wasn’t completely royalty, she was wearing a long golden gown that fell to the floor, hiding her feet from view. I hated to admit it to myself, but it actually looked good on her.

  “You look nice.”

  She eyed my jean skirt and t-shirt with evident revulsion. “You, uh, look nice too.” I could feel the sarcasm that she vaguely tried to conceal.

  “Come on, we are all family.”

  “Gader!” Though his skin was pale, and his long, wavy hair was a golden blonde, I knew that it was him. He held his arms out to me and I threw mine around him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was under the distinct impression that you invited me here.”

  “I did, but you said no.”

  “Well, I am glad that I did. Kafkus has been telling me some most interesting things.”

  I pulled away from him to look at Kafkus who flashed me an innocent grin. “I bet that he couldn’t wait to tell you that he is my Zezka.”

  “What!”

  “He, uh, didn’t tell you that part?” Why’d I open my big mouth?

  “No. He told me about the humans, the Yaro, and of Violet’s disappearance, but he seemed to have left out this interesting bit of news.” He walked right up to Kafkus and slapped him on the back. “Why would you keep this most exciting news from me?” Gader flashed me an "I told you so" kind of smile.

  “I did not want to announce it to the entire room.” He looked like there was something he wasn’t saying, like there was another reason. I wasn’t sure what that reason could be, but my female insecurities told me that he was ashamed of me for some reason.

  Kafkus strutted across the room, placed his hands on my face, and kissed me with such raw passion that I nearly collapsed from it. He said with his mouth just how much I meant to him. He rested his forehead on mine, still keeping his hands on my che
eks. “I did not want you to think me embarrassed of what we have.”

  He left me for the couch where Gwinny sat. Though he struck up a conversation with her, he kept steeling glances back at me.

  Gader was positively beaming at me in a very satisfied way. “Don’t look so smug,” I said and stuck my tongue out at him. He wiped the smirk off his face and came to stand by me. He playfully nudged me with his shoulder, making me smile.

  “I’m glad that you came. Though, I wish that you would have come alone.”

  “Come to this world and not bring my wife?” He chuckled. “No, she wanted to come. I do hope that one day you two will be able to get along.”

  I didn’t want to talk ill of the woman he loved (well, not in front of her at least), so I kept my comments to myself. “Maybe someday.”

  “May we speak in private please?”

  I nodded and grabbed his hand. I was leading him to the front door when I found Clifton blocking the way. “Where are you going?”

  “My brother would like a private word with me, if that’s ok with you?”

  “This is your brother?” he asked with an apologetic note to his voice.

  I mentally slapped myself. He had never met Gader. He thought Gader was just another man pining for my affection. “I’m sorry, Clifton. This is my brother Gader, heir to the Zolera throne. Gader, this is my other Zezka, Clifton.”

  They shook hands friendly enough.

  “I have heard a lot about you from my father, Clifton. He seems to be rather taken with you, as is my sister from what she has told me.”

  Clifton smiled at us both in turn before unblocking our path.

  I led Gader down to Clifton’s apartment and sat down next to him on the couch.

  “Clifton is very protective of you,” he commented.

  “So, what is the real reason you are here? I know that it is not to check in on my love life.”

  He shook his head. “Father tried to contact Violet this morning, but he received no reply. He was concerned for your safety as well as I was. I, of course, now know why he had no answer.”

  I hung my head. “Because Violet is gone.”