Deliverance

by Brittany Comeaux

  “Why do such men have to look at a woman like she is an object? It’s disgusting!” Crystal replied.

  “Not every woman has to be a prude little virgin like you,” Blaze blurted out rudely.

  Crystal stopped in her tracks and stared at Blaze like he had slapped her. Blaze rolled his eyes and said, “Oh come on. It’s quite obvious that you’ve never slept with a man; don’t pretend you have. And I’m sure even if you wanted to, Gavril would have snapped their necks before they could touch you.”

  “And what about you? Are you saying you’ve . . .”

  “Of course I’ve been with women before. As the prince, I conducted business at the Daldussan castle while my father ran things in Cierith. Do you have any idea the things that go on there? There were so many rich women that visited the castle that felt like rebelling against their fathers. Even here in Cierith, I’ve had tons of women who always wanted to sleep with a prince. I can’t count how many times I have been propositioned,” replied Blaze.

  Crystal’s face suddenly turned bright red. “That’s disgusting! How can you just jump into bed with someone you barely know?”

  “I’m a man. It’s in a man’s nature to want to have sex with every beautiful girl that he sees, and any man who tells you otherwise is lying,” Blaze replied.

  “That’s terrible! I would never give myself to just anyone who shows an interest in me!”

  Crystal then walked ahead of him, steaming, and so Blaze couldn’t resist asking his next question, “Have you ever even been kissed by a man?”

  When Crystal did not respond, but started walking faster, Blaze realized that the answer to his question was “no,” and so he then grinned with triumph. Her naivety was so amusing.

  Eventually, after what seemed like hours of not speaking to or looking at each other, Crystal and Blaze eventually made it to Valamar’s estate. It was even more elaborate and gaudy up close. Two guards stood in front of the gates and when Crystal and Blaze approached them, they immediately straightened up.

  “Who goes there?” the taller, skinnier one asked.

  “I am a mage from the City of Magi,” Crystal began, “and I have recently heard that Lord Valamar purchased a red gem shard from a shopkeeper in town. I need to speak with Lord Valamar about this shard right away.”

  “Who is that man? He doesn’t look like a mage to me!” the skinny guard retorted.

  “He is a mercenary that was hired to protect me. I am the granddaughter of . . . Elder Bredewig,” replied Crystal. She had suddenly remembered that Bredewig had traveled to Ordale recently and hoped that the guards had heard of him.

  “Oh, yes, I remember him. He came here to the estate a few months ago,” said the other guard, who was much shorter and thicker around his mid-region.

  “I had no idea he had any grandchildren,” muttered the skinny guard.

  “I am here on official business on my grandfather’s behalf. May we please have an audience with Lord Valamar?” Crystal asked again.

  “Yes, Ma’am. You may enter,” replied the short guard. The two guards then opened the iron gates inward and Crystal and Blaze stepped forward.

  The manor had a large courtyard in front with rose bushes lining the stone walkway. Gorgeous green gardens grew on either side of the walkway behind the rose bushes and the front gates connected to a six-foot-tall cobblestone wall that was covered in vines. It seemed that there was not an inch of the property that did not show off the owner’s vast wealth.

  Crystal and Blaze finally arrived at the front door and saw a handle for knocking. Crystal lifted the handled and banged on the door three times and after a minute of waiting, a scrawny, middle-aged man in an elaborate suit that clashed with his ragged appearance answered the door.

  “Welcome to the Valamar estate. I am Lord Valamar’s butler, Quincy. How may I help you?” he asked in a weak voice.

  “Good evening, Sir. I am Crystal, granddaughter of Elder Bredewig of the City of Magi, and I need to speak with Lord Valamar about the object he recently purchased,” replied Crystal.

  “Very well. I shall announce your presence to Lord Valamar. You may wait in the foyer while I find him,” replied the butler. He turned around and Crystal and Blaze followed him inside.

  The inside of the manor was even more fancy and decorative than outside. The walls were a rich mahogany color and moldings along the corners were painted gold. A large double staircase, also gold, sat in the middle of the room. The stairs were lined with an expensive, dark red rug with gold trim. A similar but larger rug lay across the dark marble floor beneath Crystal’s feet and had gold tassels on the ends. Along the walls were several large paintings of various subjects, but mostly of women.

  “I shall return shortly,” said the butler, bowing.

  Crystal politely thanked him as he climbed the staircase. She was looking around the room again when she caught Blaze picking up a decorative vase from its pedestal.

  “Put that down before you break it!” she scolded.

  “Get a grip, Princess,” he retorted.

  “Don’t CALL me that out loud, you idiot!”

  Blaze rolled his eyes and carefully placed the vase back in place, but not before pretending to lose his grip on it and childishly laughing at Crystal’s reaction, and began eyeing a portrait of a woman that hung on the wall above the vase.

  “Another woman you slept with, by any chance?” Crystal muttered.

  “No, she looks too innocent. This is almost how I’d picture you in your rich castle life,” Blaze replied.

  Just as Crystal rolled her eyes at his remark, she suddenly heard footsteps coming down the steps. However, they were not as light as the butler’s, but heavier and quicker-paced. She then saw a man coming down the stairs who she could only assume was Valamar.

  Even though she did not find him attractive, Crystal could understand why many women did. Valamar was in his early thirties and was quite tall with an athletic build. His skin had a golden tan and he had long, smooth, gold hair that barely brushed against his wide cheekbones. His jaw was strong and wide and his face was clean-shaven. He had dark blue eyes that most women would melt after staring into. Crystal guessed this was what was known as a “god-like” physique, but she was not affected by his charming and devilish good looks.

  “Good evening, my guests,” he said with a deep, calm voice.

  “Good evening, Lord Valamar. My name is Crystal,” Crystal said to him, holding out her hand for a handshake.

  Valamar stared at her for a moment, and then, instead of shaking her hand, he gently grabbed it, lifted it to his lips, and kissed the top of her hand tenderly. If this “god” noticed that she became uncomfortable from this, he did not acknowledge it.

  “Lovely to meet you, Miss Crystal. My butler, Quincy, has already informed me of your grandfather.” replied Valamar, releasing her hand, “Interesting fellow. I can hardly believe he has such a beautiful granddaughter.”

  Crystal felt her face burn with embarrassment, and clearly Valamar noticed, because he chuckled. Blaze then interrupted by clearing his throat. Loudly.

  “I am sorry, Sir. What is your name?” asked Valamar, who seemed a little offended by Blaze’s rudeness.

  “Blaze,” the prince quickly blurted out. Crystal froze up, but she relaxed when Valamar did not seem to recognize his name.

  “He was hired to be my bodyguard.” Crystal said, “My grandfather is a little over-protective.” She then gave a nervous, but very fake laugh.

  “Well then, I welcome you both to my humble home,” replied Valamar. Crystal thanked Caris that Valamar didn’t notice Blaze snicker at the humble comment. Valamar then continued, “What is it I can do for you this evening?”

  “My grandfather has recently heard of something that you purchased. It was a large red gem that a shopkeeper found outside of town,” Crystal explained.

  “Ah yes. It intrigued me so much, so I felt I just had to have it. I cannot understand why,” the wealthy man replied.

>   An uneasy feeling brewed inside of Crystal’s gut. She knew well that it was the shard’s dark aura that drew Valamar to it, and she now knew that it would be even more difficult to get him to relinquish it.

  “Well, it just so happens that my grandfather lost that gem whenever he left Ordale several months ago, and he sent me back to retrieve it once he heard you had claimed it,” Crystal lied.

  Valamar paused and stared into Crystal’s eyes with so much intensity that it made her want to shudder. “With all due respect, darling, why would I just give up something I paid an incredible amount of money for?”

  Crystal did not like being referred to with a pet name, but she hid her contempt and replied, “Because it is a very dangerous artifact.”

  “Dangerous?” Valamar asked curiously. He began to stroke his chin with interest.

  “I am afraid so.” Crystal regretfully responded, “My grandfather was attacked by thieves outside of the city, and though he got away unharmed, he dropped the artifact. Unfortunately, by the time he realized it was missing, he had already made it home. It has a dark spell on it, and I fear that if you hold onto it, you will become very ill and possibly die. It is the duty of the elders to ensure you are not harmed.”

  Valamar thought for a moment, and then said, “I am sorry, my dear, but I spent far too much money on the gem to just give it away so easily. I regret to say this, but your grandfather needs to be less careless.”

  “But Sir—” Crystal began, but she was interrupted.

  “However, I may change my mind for a small favor from you,” Valamar said with a coy smile.

  His smile made Crystal nervous and she was a little afraid to know what he meant by favor, but she asked anyway, “What kind of favor?”

  “I would be honored, Miss Crystal, if you would go out to dinner with me this evening,” replied Valamar, who grabbed her hand and kissed it again.

  Crystal stood frozen in place with her mouth agape. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Blaze turn around, walk to the corner of the room, and try to cover a laugh with his hand.

  “I-I . . .” was all she could respond.

  “If you go out with me this evening, the gem is yours. You can bring it back to your grandfather and there will be no harm done,” Valamar said.

  Crystal stood silent for a few minutes. The only sound was coming from Blaze’s muffled laughter. Eventually, she realized that it was the only way to get the shard, so she reluctantly stammered out, “A-all right. I’ll go to dinner with you. I only have to go once, right?”

  “Just once,” Valamar replied smoothly. “Then you may have the gem.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Blaze was still laughing when he and Crystal approached Gavril and Thaddeus at the front gates of Ordale. Before Crystal could explain why Blaze was laughing, Gavril interrupted her.

  “We already know what Valamar said. Thaddeus saw everything through Blaze’s eyes,” the former general told her. He then glared at Blaze when he laughed again.

  “I cannot believe he thought he could buy me like that!” Crystal fumed.

  “I know. It disgusts me too. I honestly wish you hadn’t agreed to this,” Gavril replied.

  “It’s the only way to get the shard, so I had no choice,” Crystal regretfully admitted.

  Just as Blaze managed to stop laughing, the twins, Kerali, and Sigurd showed up.

  “What happened at the estate?” asked Kerali. Everyone was silent except for Blaze, who burst into laughter yet again.

  “What the bloody hell are you laughing at, whelp?” Sigurd scolded him.

  “He . . . said he will only give me the shard if I . . . go on a date with him,” muttered a red-faced Crystal. Blaze suddenly turned away and laughed even harder. Taryn let out a muffled laugh as well, but stopped when Maryn slapped the back of his head.

  “Stop laughing you fool!” Sigurd bellowed at Blaze, which made several startled bystanders stop and stare at him.

  Blaze then turned back to the rebels and tried to calm down while everyone glared at him, particularly Gavril.

  “So when do you have to go?” Thaddeus asked Crystal.

  “I told Valamar that Blaze and I were going to rent each a room at the inn and that I would return afterward. He then told me that he would have an outfit waiting for me when I return and that once I was dressed, we would leave,” she responded.

  “Well you should get going before Valamar gets suspicious. We will follow you to make sure you are all right,” Gavril said. Then he turned to Blaze and said, “And you will sneak into the mansion and wait for her to return.”

  “Why me?” Blaze asked.

  “Because I said so,” Gavril retorted coldly.

  ****

  “Ah! You’ve returned!” Valamar said elated. Crystal walked through the front door of the mansion after Quincy let her in again.

  “Let’s just get this over with,” was all Crystal felt like saying to him.

  “Now, don’t worry. You will have a grand time tonight. I promise.” replied Valamar, “Now follow Quincy to the guest room so you may change into the outfit I picked out for you. I know it will look spectacular on you!”

  Crystal groaned and followed the butler to a bedroom on the ground floor. Once inside Crystal saw a glamorous, emerald green dress lying on the bed. She closed the door behind her, walked over to the bed, and examined it. The dress was long-sleeved with silver trim. The bottom was wide and billowy and the fabric was made of soft velvet. Crystal also spotted a pair of tiny, lace shoes on the floor, but she decided to just wear her boots. After all, the dress would cover her shoes, so it wasn’t like anyone would notice.

  After undressing and struggling to slip into the large dress, she heard a knock at the door.

  “Just a moment!” she called.

  “I am the maid, Ma’am. Lord Valamar asked me to help you get dressed,” a woman’s voice called from behind the door.

  Before Crystal could say, “I’m not dressed,” the door opened and a petite, dark-haired woman walked in and closed the door behind her.

  “I see you need my help after all. Let me help you get that on properly,” the maid said.

  After half an hour of buttoning, lacing, and tying, the maid not only got the dress on Crystal, but she also used a ribbon and hair pin to fix Crystal’s hair in a loose, twisted style over her right shoulder. Her wavy brown hair dangled over her pale skin and the green ribbon dangled underneath her hair. The maid even dabbed a little face powder and lipstick onto Crystal’s face, which she hated.

  She remembered her mother once wearing makeup, but her father assured her that she looked better without it. She remembered asking her father why, and he responded, “Because makeup hides a woman’s true beauty.” He also told her that she looked just like her mother and assured her that she would never need makeup. She then remembered that she never saw her mother wear makeup again.

  Just then, the maid suddenly unhooked Crystal’s pendant.

  “HEY!” she shouted.

  The tiny woman took a frightened step back with the pendant still in her hand. “I am sorry, Ma’am, but Lord Valamar insisted that you not wear this; he said it didn’t match your dress. I promise it will be well taken care of,” she replied.

  “I don’t care what Valamar said. GIVE IT BACK!” yelled Crystal.

  “Oh please ma’am! He said he’d throw me out on the street if I didn’t make you look perfect!” the maid begged.

  Crystal sighed. Even though she hated the idea of this man, or any man for that matter, trying to change her appearance, she didn’t want to be responsible for throwing an innocent out on the streets, especially Ordale’s thug-littered streets. She then thought of the group of perverts she walked by earlier and shuddered to think of what would happen if this poor girl happened to walk by them.

  “Fine,” she muttered to the maid. The maid thanked her and placed her pendant on top of her other clothes.

  “Lord Valamar was right.” the maid said, taking a st
ep back to admire her handiwork, “The color of the dress matches your eyes beautifully!”

  Crystal was even more uncomfortable by the thought of Valamar starting into her eyes, but she brushed it off and assured herself that this would only last for one night and then she could leave with the Gaull shard.

  She took a look at herself in a tall mirror in the corner of the room. She looked fake with all the makeup she had on, but the maid insisted she looked like a “lovely porcelain doll.” The dress showed her bare shoulders and fit snugly around her waist. Around her hips, the dress became wider and round like a ballroom gown. She looked like a princess, All right, but she couldn’t help but feel like a street walker.

  When Crystal walked into the foyer all dolled up, she was not happy to see that Valamar was already waiting for her, and she was even less happy when he exclaimed, “You look GORGEOUS!”

  Her face grew hot again. She hated this kind of attention, but for the sake of the shard, she tried to hide it by muttering, “Thank you.”

  Valamar himself wore a dress coat that was the same color as Crystal’s dress, which nearly made her gag, a ruffled white collar, white gloves, white dress slacks, and black dress boots. He held out his hand to her, which she hesitantly took. With his other hand, he then gave her a fan to hold onto.

  Crystal figured that she could use the fan for hiding her face out of shame, so she took it without question. Valamar then held out his elbow towards her and she looked at him with a puzzled expression. Noticing her confusion, he instructed her to lock onto his arm with hers, and she reluctantly complied. As soon as Quincy placed a dark cape onto Valamar’s soldiers, the aristocrat led her outside to the awaiting carriage, but not before she caught a glimpse of Blaze staring at her and trying to hide a grin from behind a rose bush.

  ****