by Neo Edmund
Prince stood at attention. “You have little to fear with me by your side. The men of my line served as the Alpha’s personal guards during the last war against Ragnarok. I came to Wayward to seek you out. I had no idea I would find you here of all places.”
A thundering gong rang out.
Red turned to see the crowd was coming to order and looking toward the grand staircase. At the top, a dozen royal knights marched out and formed a line. Two chefs rolled out a towering multi-layered birthday cake with sixteen burning candles, each over a foot in height.
A guard with a trumpet played an ear-piercing song of salute. When he was done, he addressed the crowd. “Now presenting your host for the evening, her Royal Highness, Ice Seether.”
The crowd cheered with somewhat fake enthusiasm as Ice marched by the line of knights, waving her arms around and blowing kisses to the crowd. She wore a purple fur robe and a sparkling crown atop her head. In her hand she clutched a gold scepter, studded to the brim with sparkling jewels of every color in the rainbow.
“Thank you. Thank you.” Ice said with melodramatic graciousness.
Red rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Is this for real?”
Prince grinned. “Oh, it’s only just begun.”
Ice raised her scepter, and the crowd again came to order. “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears.” Ice chuckled. “Okay, that was just a little joke.”
The crowd gave a halfhearted laugh.
Red looked to Prince and stuck her tongue out like she was gagging. Prince snickered, but then did his best to maintain proper composure.
Ice cleared her throat. “Now seriously, I cannot thank you all enough for being so gracious as to share with me, this grand day of all days, my birthday.”
The crowd again applauded without much sincerity.
Ice held up a glass of champagne. “I do hope you are all enjoying the food and drink provided to you at no cost by yours very truly.”
Red looked to Prince. “Very truly?”
“And she’s just getting going.”
Ice picked up a finely gift-wrapped box. “Now, I did see the room downstairs overflowing with the plethora of gifts. While I know you would enjoy more than anything to see me open each and every one of them, I’m afraid you would be here watching until my next birthday.”
The crowd laughed politely.
"I know, I know. I can be a jokester when I get on a roll." Ice giggled for a long moment. “So, moving on, it is time to get to the occasion at hand. We have a special guest among us tonight. She and I were born on the very same day, only seconds apart, from what I have come to learn. For this reason, I have a deep feeling of sisterhood with her.”
Red’s face turned ghost-white in a heartbeat.
Ice raised her scepter high. “Join me in welcoming her not only to my home on this night of nights, but in welcoming her foretold return to Wayward. The one that I regard as sister, her royal highness, Red Riding.”
Before Red could manage to sneak away, a spotlight blared right onto her face. The entire crowd looked to her and broke into a roar of applause. Prince took Red’s arm to steady her as she stumbled, a little off-balance from the shock of it all.
“Come, my sister,” Ice said. “Step forward and stand by my side.”
Red shook her head in a near panic. “No way. I cannot go up there.”
“Do not fear, my Huntress. I will assist you.” Prince placed Red’s arm on his own and nudged her forward. As they made the long trek through the applauding crowd, Red felt as if the world was spinning around her. By the time they reached the bottom of the staircase, she was nearly hyperventilating. It was far too much attention for her nerves to endure in one night.
Just as she was going to make a break for the nearest exit, Dote approached her with a gushing smile and a big clump of chocolate cake stuck to her dress. “This is the greatest thing to ever happen,” Dote said.
A sensation of vertigo overcame Red as she looked up to Ice at the top of the staircase. It was nearly enough to make her throw up right then and there.
“Shall I carry you up?” Prince asked.
Red took a deep breath and held on tight to the polished brass banister. The agonizing climb to the top was only thirty steps, but with the eyes of the crowd glaring on her back, the steps looked as if they stretched into infinity.
She couldn’t understand why Ice was making such a big deal over her return to Wayward. Red thought perhaps Ice was so eccentric that she made a big deal over things just for the sake of doing it. With this thought, she realized what Prince meant when he called his parents ostentatious.
“Isn’t she just magnificent?” Ice greeted Red at the top of the grand staircase, with a hug and a kiss on each cheek.
“Ice, you shouldn’t have done this.” Red looked out at the applauding crowd and again had to fight the urge to throw up. She could only hope that whatever Ice was planning would be done and over with as quickly as possible.
“Don’t be silly, darling Red. We are royals and deserve to be adored as such.” Ice raised her scepter to silence the crowd. “Now, if you would all be so kind as to indulge me for a moment longer. Please join me in singing a birthday salute to my dearest sister.”
“Ice, please don’t …”
“Dear Red, stop being so modest.”
The trumpet player blew a single note. The crowd began singing a birthday salute in Red’s honor.
Trembling like a twig in a windstorm, Red looked out over the crowd. Among the finely dressed guests, one face stood out in the very back of the room. He was wearing ripped jeans and a leather jacket. Red was fairly certain it was the mysterious rider. The sound around her faded away as their eyes connected across the crowd.
“You shouldn’t be here, Red Riding. You’re in major danger,” the voice of the mysterious rider spoke out like an echo in the wind.
Ice tapped Red on the back of the shoulder. The sound of the applauding crowd came back like a smack to Red’s face. She looked over to see there were sixteen candles burning on the cake. Ice gestured for Red to join her in blowing them out.
Red looked back to the crowd, but the rider was nowhere to be seen. The whole experience was so odd that she wasn’t sure it had really happened. As overwhelmed as she was at the moment, it could have been a hallucination.
“Make a wish, birthday sister,” Ice said.
When Red joined Ice in blowing out the candles, the only thing she could think to wish for was that she could be anywhere other than there.
Again, the crowd cheered.
Ice picked up a small gift-wrapped box and offered it to Red. “A birthday gift, from one sister to another.”
“Ice, this is all too much.”
“Red Riding, there is no such thing as too much when it comes to women of our elevated status,” Ice said.
Red reluctantly accepted the gift and proceeded to rip away the shiny purple wrapping paper. Underneath was a wooden box with fine carvings of the moon in its eight phases and the Earth in the center. She recalled seeing this same image on the ceiling of the Moon Temple. “Ice, it’s beautiful.”
“Just wait until you see what’s inside, Red Riding.”
It occurred to Red that this was the first birthday gift she had ever received, or the first she could remember. The only significant gift she could recall was her beloved motorcycle, which came from a kindly old man that she had befriended during a brief stay in a foster home. He told her that one day she would need it for a special purpose. If he had not insisted she promise never to part with it, she would have traded it away for money to buy food and clothes. She certainly would not have had it to carry her away from the city and into her new life in Wayward.
Ice stepped up behind Red. “Don’t make us wait all night.”
“Sorry. I’m just trying to savor the moment.” Red opened the box, revealing a golden choker with a purple amulet that glimmered in the light. “It’s magnificent.”
“Isn’t
it though?” Ice took the choker from the box and proceeded to hook it around Red’s throat. “Perfection.”
“Ice, I don’t know how to thank you.”
“It’s my deepest pleasure,” Ice said. “Now where’s my gift?”
Red grimaced as she searched for an answer.
“Just teasing.” Ice giggled and hugged Red.
Red faked a grin. “You’re too much, Ice Seether.”
“You don’t have to tell me, birthday sister. Now, if you don’t mind, I have some pressing matters to tend to.” Ice took off in a dash, again leaving Red standing alone in a crowd of strangers.
The chef approached Red and held out a large knife. “Please honor us by cutting the first piece of cake, your highness.”
“If I must.” Red took the knife and was about to cut the cake, but stopped short when a thought came that brought a devious grin to her face. She looked down the stairs to where Dote was watching through eyes gushing with pure joy.
Before she could even gesture for her to come up, Dote shrieked and raced up the stairs in a frenzy of excitement. The chef watched with speechless dread as Red placed the knife into Dote’s waiting hands.
“Lady Dote, I dub you the royal cutter of my birthday cake,” Red said.
Dote didn’t hesitate to stab the knife right into the heart of the cake that towered more than twice her height. “Red, you are the best friend ever.”
“No, Dote, you’re the best friend ever.”
Chapter 12
It took Red the better part of an hour to get away from the grand ballroom. After Ice had made such a big to-do over her, the other party guests just had to meet her. But to Red, they all seemed more interested in making themselves known to her than in knowing her. Most of their questions had to do with how she came to know Ice. Others were curious about any business ventures she might be involved in with the Seether Clan.
Just about the time she couldn’t take anymore, Prince intervened and led her away on what he referred to as “urgent business.” She just wanted to leave Ice’s palace in her memories, but Dote was having so much fun serving the cake, it would have been a crime to pull her away.
For the following hour, Red wandered the halls surrounding the ballroom. Most rooms she ventured into held collections of art from various parts of the world. One room was dedicated entirely to weapons, spanning from primitive spears and clubs to medieval swords and crossbows, all the way up to guns.
Through all of it, Red couldn’t shake the warning of danger from the mysterious rider. It seemed ridiculous to believe he had spoken to her from across the crowd, but considering the events of the last two days, it was best to keep an open mind to all possibilities. As far as she could tell there wasn’t a hint of danger lurking anywhere, but she remained cautious nonetheless.
When Red came upon a door marked PRIVATE, she had to resist her mischievous instinct to venture inside. As she turned to walk away, she heard what sounded like a little girl calling out in distress. A quick search of the area didn’t reveal anybody who might be in need of help. As far as she could tell, the only place the cries could be coming from was inside the room.
To be certain that there was really something wrong before calling for help and causing a commotion, she pressed an ear against the wooden door marked PRIVATE. A girl’s cries for help could be heard quite clearly. Had the plea not sounded so deathly urgent, Red would have gone with her original plan of going for help.
The door snapped shut behind Red as she ventured inside. She did a quick search of the wall, but was unable to find a light switch. It was hard to make out the details of the room under the dim lighting. From what she could gather, it was a hall used for fancy banquets, though all the chairs and tables were stacked up in the corner.
“Is anybody in here?” Red spoke just louder than a whisper.
The girl’s whimpering cries continued from nearby. Taking a few steps further into the dark room, Red caught a glimpse of a teen girl cowering on her knees. She had long blue-hair, an oversized nose ring, and was as scrawny as a skeleton. What was really odd was that she was wearing a baggy tuxedo that looked like it came from a long-forgotten era.
“Hey there. Are you okay?” Red asked.
“Please help. They’re going to kill me,” the blue-haired girl screeched.
Red took a couple of cautious steps closer. “Who’s going to kill you?”
The blue-haired girl pointed past Red. “They are.”
Red sensed something dangerous coming her way, though as far as she could see, there wasn’t anybody else in the room. With lightning quick reflexes, she reached up and caught the blunt end of a wooden staff swung at her by an invisible attacker. Even with the extreme force behind the strike, she was able to stop it without a bit of effort.
The invisible attacker tried to pull the staff away, but Red’s grip was ironclad. She gave the staff a hard pull, yanking the six-foot-long wooden weapon out of the attacker’s hands.
“You’ll have to show yourself if you want it back,” Red said.
Moving on pure instinct, she swung the staff wide. It was just in time to block a strike from another invisible attacker. The clack of the two weapons colliding told Red it was from a staff of equal size.
A rapid series of unseen strikes came at Red from every side. From what she could figure, there were four invisible attackers in total. She was overcome with an unexpected thrill as she effortlessly fought off their relentless attempts to hit her.
How am I doing this? Red wondered.
It all changed in an instant when a strike got through and smacked Red in the chest. The intense pain consumed Red with a rather dangerous surge of aggression. She unleashed a vicious counterstrike that knocked one of the invisible attackers to the ground with a groan. Judging from the pitch, Red gathered that her attacker was a girl. She was pretty sure that all four of them were.
“Hey, ladies. Why don’t we all call a truce before things get out of control here?” Red said.
Red blocked another strike and followed up with a powerful kick to the attacker’s gut. This time she saw the silhouetted outline of a girl armed with a wooden staff soaring away.
“Just remember you made me do that,” Red said.
Another attack came at Red. She blocked with her forearm and grabbed the attacker’s staff. With a powerful yank, she pulled the weapon away, then spun the staff around and cracked the attacker across the face. The attacker’s silhouetted image flickered as she crashed to the floor.
“Anybody else want to take a shot at me?” Red’s senses were so heightened she could have heard a speck of dust hit the floor. She knew that one attacker remained, and was far more skilled than the others “I know you’re there. Come get me, if you dare.”
Red heard the final attacker’s staff whooshing toward her head. With perfect timing, she dropped down and executed a spinning sweep kick. The blow connected across the back of the invisible attacker’s legs, knocking her down.
“You done yet?” Red asked.
The final attacker sprang to her feet and charged Red with a rapid mêlée of staff strikes. Red defended with ease until the attacker executed a downward blow that snapped her staff in half.
The attacker unleashed a powerful series of strikes, forcing Red to block with her forearms. The final swing cracked Red across the ribs, sending a shockwave of pain blasting through her body.
In a flurry of rage, Red began swinging her fists so fast that they made whooshing sounds as they cut through the air. She caught her invisible attacker’s staff and pulled it away. With a vicious roar, she cracked it in half over her knee and bashed her enemy across the face with the blunt end.
The sound of labored gasping told Red that her attacker was down on her knees, unable to fight. Void of rational thought, Red raised the jagged end of the broken staff and let out a malevolent roar.
“Don’t do it.” the blue-haired girl yelped out.
Red shot a raging glare at the blue-haire
d girl then shifted her gaze to the jagged end of her weapon. In an instant, she realized the terrible act she was about to commit. “You four had better get out, or things are going to get messy.”
Within seconds, the entrance door swung open. As the light from the hall blared in, Red saw the silhouetted outlines of four teenage girls limping and gasping as they exited the room. They were wearing short skirts and button-down tops similar in style to schoolgirl uniforms. The last attacker to exit looked back at Red and gave a hateful stare, making it clear that this was not over.
“You’d best keep walking,” Red said.
After the door slammed shut, Red dropped to her knees and took a breath of relief. Her forearms were throbbing in pain and covered in bruises. She was far more upset to find that the seam of her gown was ripped down one side.
“That was crazy insane.” The blue-haired girl stumbled to her feet and walked over to Red. “I thought you were going to off her.”
Red shook with a nervous twinge. “Huh?”
“You were a half-second from dusting her. It’s a good thing I said something, or we’d have a body to get rid of.”
Red gulped in fear when she realized this was true. “Guess I should thank you.”
“Nah, you saved my life. I stopped you from taking one. That’s what friends are for, Red.”
Red took a closer look at the girl. “Do we know each other?”
“Stop messing around. It’s me. Your best friend in the world.”
Red shook her head and shrugged.
The blue-haired girl grumbled. “Oh, you have got to be kidding. You. Me. Dote. The inseparable trio.”
Red realized something that didn’t make a bit of sense to her. “Are you Ash?”
“Duh. It’s about time you recognized me, Red Riding.”
“But Ash is a boy.”
“Shot to the heart.” Ash clutched his chest and gasped in a panic. “You think I’m a girl?”
A feeling of guilt hit Red like a fist in the stomach. It’s not like the mistake was entirely her fault. Ash had more girlish features than any boy she had ever seen. After a quick moment of consideration, she resolved that there was only one way that she could undo the damage.