Royal Affliction (The Anti-Princess Saga)

by Jennifer Marsh

  “You’re right, Tess. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome, Kyle. So, are you are feeling better?”

  “Yes.”

  He got off the bed and turned back to me. “I’m gonna get something to eat. Do you want anything?”

  “No thanks. I’m pretty tired. I think I’m just going to go to sleep.”

  “Oh, okay.” He sounded a little disappointed. “I guess I’ll just see you in the morning then.”

  “Goodnight, Kyle.”

  “Nite, Tess.”

  I curled up in my bed and stared at the wall for a few minutes, thoughts of Kyle swimming through my head. I was tired, but I didn’t fall asleep right away. I just thought of how good my life had been in comparison to Kyle’s. Maybe there was a reason that he had come into my life. Maybe I was supposed to help him.

  As soon as I closed my eyes I saw Violet but only because I knew it was Violet could I tell it was her. She was screaming, in more pain than I’d seen anyone in…ever. My eyes shot open, when I’d rather them stayed shut. If this was a vision into what was happening to her right now I could have maybe seen something useful to help us find her. I closed my eyes again tight, hoping for another flash of where Violet was, instead I saw a flash of something else my brain was reminding me of and my eyes shot open again, but this time by choice.

  “Kyle?”

  “Yeah?”

  “That tattoo of yours, how close do you need to be in order to know a Boru is near?”

  “I don’t know, a mile maybe. Why?”

  I leapt from the bed, grabbed his hand and said “You’re coming with me,” as I dragged him into the other room.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Hunting.” My body was tense, my mind resolute. I was going to find Violet. She would have done the same for me.

  “Can I at least put a shirt on?”

  “Yes, but hurry up!”

  “Where are you going?” Kafkus intervened. His eyes were disapproving even before I told him the somewhat of a plan I’d concocted, and his face was even less forbidding when I did. “So, you plan to drive around aimlessly, hoping to come across a Boru who you plan on torturing until he tells you where Violet is?” The plan had sounded better in my head—as plans often do—but my mind was set.

  “Kafkus, I can’t just sit on my ass and do nothing while they’re doing who knows what to her.”

  “Your intensions are pure, Quartessa, but your plan…”

  “Look, you can either come with me, or you can stay here. Either way I’m going.”

  Kafkus looked to Clifton then to Quino. “You two stay with Loach.”

  “I go where Tessa goes,” objected Clifton as I knew he would and I waited for the other one. “If you are looking for Violet then I will not stay behind,” said Quino.

  I sighed. “We can’t all go. Someone needs to stay in case of an attack.” No one volunteered. “I’ll be in the car and leave the decisions up to the rest of you,” I said before marching out of the house without glancing back and a loud “Men, ahhhh!”

  My patience had just about run out when, finally, Kyle and Quino knocked on the window and I let them in. Quino’s appearance was a bit surprising to me, but I was sure it was something along the lines of “if I can’t go with her you can’t either.”

  “Can we stop at a drive thru first?” Kyle asked, taking the seat next to mine.

  “Sure…whatever…just stick your arm out the window and tell me if it turns green.”

  ********************

  Two hours of un-eventfulness left me feeling like my plan was a dud. Other than a few groups of teenagers the night was dead at this hour. Why did I think this endeavor would yield results? But it made my conscious a little clearer knowing that I was trying, even if I was failing.

  “Over there!” Kyle suddenly yelled out and I cricked my neck from turning so fast.

  “Where?!” It was pitch-black. I couldn’t see a thing.

  “I don’t know, that way.”

  I all but slammed to a halt on the side of the road but neither of my guys made a sound of protest. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible we headed through the park entrance and into unknown territory.

  We kept to the shadows mostly to search each area before continuing onward but everything was quiet and still. There wasn’t even a trace of the grotesque Boru aroma. Kyle had said that the tattoo had about a mile radius so he could be anywhere. But it was then that I picked it up, that very distinct smell of decaying citrus. My body tensed up even more than it already was. The sword in my hand was my only defense. I hoped it was good enough.

  An outline of a figure came into focus before my eyes and I just reacted, charging at it with my sword raised. The figure quickly turned around, as did his female companion whom I had failed to notice and froze the blade in my hand a split second before it touched him.

  “Sorry,” I apologized but they both seemed to be in shock from the crazy woman with a sword that had almost killed them. “Umm…have a good night.” The two of them sprung to their feet and took off at a pace that implied I was giving them a head start before following them.

  “Smooth,” Kyle mocked and I glared at him.

  The smell had dissipated, so we traveled deeper into the forest-like area extending beyond the park. The scent grew stronger the deeper we went but there was still no sign indicating where it was coming from.

  Kyle tapped my shoulder put his fingers to his eyes then pointed to his right before doing a front stealthy roll behind a tree and I had to clasp a hand over my mouth to keep myself silent. Leave it to Kyle to make light of a very serious situation. Quino gave us both a look, clearly irritated by out immature behavior regardless of the circumstances. I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and that sobered me up. I knew what it was though I couldn’t get a good look at it. I silently pointed it out to the others and Quino pushed me behind him as we headed that way.

  A loan man was standing in a small clearing. Just standing. It was dark but the being appeared to be human. The moonlight reflected off his pale skin but I knew that he was just who we were looking for. I knew that he knew where Violet was. Knew that he could tell me everything: about the Boru’s plan and where the jerk who attacked me was hiding.

  Quino made some tactical gesture that left a blank expression on my face and I wasn’t the only one. Kyle nudged me and shrugged. Quino sighed and mimed us surrounding him so that he couldn’t escape. I nodded but Kyle—who had no means of protection—looked far from pleased about the plan. Quino went left, I went right and poor Kyle was left by himself. I’d have given him my sword, but that’s the only thing I had to protect myself.

  Quino hadn’t mimed a signal so I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for. But just like I had to the poor teenagers, I ran flat-out, sword raised above my head and saw Quino doing the same thing across the way, but with much more stealth. Kyle was nowhere to be seen but the fact that he’d chickened out wasn’t too surprising.

  The Boru ducked and I went flying over the top of him, my sword buried in a foot of dirt. Quino sliced cleanly through his wrist and I was showered in blood from the wound. This Boru was strong. He proved that by grabbing Quino round the neck with his remaining hand and lifting him two full in the air. I struggled to remove my sword from the ground to help him but it was wedged in there good.

  Frantically I stared between Quino’s choking body and my sword when out of nowhere Kyle came belting from the woods, leapt onto the Boru’s back and got his arm wrapped around his neck. Not even that stopped the beast. Quino’s face was turning purple. I had to do something but I didn’t have any strength or weapons at the moment. I reacted purely on instinct and with one good knee to his undercarriage, the Boru went down.

  Chapter Ten

  Kafkus and Clifton stood there staring at the man we’d, literally, dragged back to the apartment and who was now tied to the couch. We’d put a tarp under him to protect the fabric as he was still bleeding pretty bad
.

  It hadn’t been the blow to the crotch that had rendered him out cold, yet it had impaired him enough so Kyle could bring the biggest rock he could carry down on the back of his head. I’d voiced my praise to him afterwards, something that seemed to have made his year with the smile he’d flashed me after. Kafkus had actually laughed when I’d told him how we’d brought down the big oaf and commended me and Kyle on our resourcefulness and instinct.

  Kyle looked as exhausted as I felt after the ordeal and lack of sleep, but he didn’t dare sit down for the same reason I didn’t: we had an enemy in the house. If I sat down I’d pass out, and I wanted to get all the information I could from this jerk.

  The entire room tensed as the Boru’s eyes fluttered into awareness. I was shoved back into Kyle’s front by Quino. Fed up with their constant need to keep me safe, especially from a monster that I had helped bring down, I shoved my way past Kafkus with a grunt and he actually let me. But I felt him pull closer to my side with his blade drawn as if he was my professional bodyguard. It might have annoyed me had I not been paying more attention to the man on the couch. Loach, I noticed, had retreated somewhere where he couldn’t be seen, and I couldn’t blame him after what the man’s race had done to him. Hell it could be this very Boru who’d given him his torture.

  The Boru’s eyelids lifted and he peered around the room, catching each of our eyes for a fraction of a second before moving on to the next. To my astonishment, he laughed, though it didn’t shake my men and it kind of pissed me off. His eyes found their way back to mine and he gave a little wink. “That was a cheap shot, Princess, and you know it.”

  My demeanor didn’t change. “I used what would work. There are no rules in war which is clearly what your kind have started.”

  “War? No, not war, more like…justice.”

  “Justice?” Quino’s voice rang out like a base drum. “What did Violet do to your kind to deserve whatever horrible things you are doing to her?”

  The Boru flashed a most wicked smile before answering. “I assure you, Violet has been most cooperative.”

  “Like hell she has!” I snapped taking another step towards the creature, a step Kafkus mimed beside me as if we were joined at the hip. “Tell us where she is!”

  He laughed again. “Though I will not tell you where she is now, you will see her in a few days’ time.”

  “And who knows what state she will be in by then. I want her back NOW!” The voice I’d used even scared myself. I may have been angry, I may have been fearful, but my voice had undoubtedly reminded me of my father. Though it didn’t shake the creature in front of me who closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath in no language I knew.

  “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 wh
o 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.