Chapter 11 - The Lovesick Giant Spirit
As the two spirits hummed cheerfully while they prepared their meal, Eddie looked at his lord prince apologetically.
“I’m sorry, sire,” Eddie said. “If it weren’t for my greed for those sandwiches, they wouldn’t have neutralized my powers for a few hours. Then, we wouldn’t be in here.”
Max raised a hand, calling for silence. “It’s OK. I don’t dwell on past mistakes. That’s not important. What’s important is to figure out a way to get out of here.”
Everyone was now looking to him for leadership and he wasn’t going to let them down. He was the Crown Prince, after all. He needed to prove that he had leadership material in order to be worthy of ascending to the Occult Throne.
He tried to think. His Glove of Vulcan needed to be recharged, so he couldn’t use that for a little while. And Eddie’s powers had been neutralized by those fake sandwiches.
He turned to Ariel, who looked surprisingly calm.
He asked the cat, “What can you do? What are your powers?”
The cat playfully took a swipe at him with her paws. “I can scratch.”
Max frowned. “This is not the time for jokes. Why are you so calm?”
“Because I know that you are capable of rescuing us from this situation. I see greatness in you, Max. You can do it.”
She stretched out on the cold stone floor and then lay down lazily.
Max wracked his brain, but he could think of nothing.
There had always been a small part of him that was negative. This part had always nagged at him, making him doubt himself.
And now that they were captured and helpless, this negative part was growing stronger.
“I can’t do this,” said Max, succumbing to his insecurities. “I have no idea what to do. I don’t know this world.”
Nonplussed, the cat continued to stretch. “Don't forget that you are the true heir. You are the true Emperor. You have greatness inside you. You were meant to be the greatest Emperor in the history of the Empire.”
“But how do you know that?” said Max. “I can’t do this. I’m just some nobody kid. An orphan who doesn’t know his parents. I’m not some great prince who can save the Supernatural World. Until a couple of days ago, I didn’t even know the Supernatural World existed.”
What he wouldn’t give to be able to be safe and warm in his bed at home.
Ariel scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Just remember what advice people have given you.”
Ms. Hansen’s voice drifted through his head. “But the important thing is if there’s no adversity or challenges in life, then how can you grow, right? You need to embrace yourself entirely. Have some confidence. Only then can you grow. Only then will you be happy.”
Max realized that if he didn’t risk anything and if there were no challenges or obstacles or adversity, there was no way he could learn and grow and become a man. So if he was safe and warm in his bed at home, he wouldn’t be learning or growing or becoming a man.
The archbishop’s voice also drifted through Max’s head. “Now, all hope rests on you, sire. Don’t forget that you must embrace yourself. Have faith. Have confidence. And everything will be alright.”
Interrupting his thoughts, Ariel said, “You can be great, if you think you can. The only difference between success and failure is in your thoughts. There’s an old saying, “The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t - they are both right.”
Max realized that his teacher, the archbishop and the cat were all right. He needed to embrace himself entirely. He needed to have confidence. He needed to clear his mind to think.
Suddenly, he felt himself charged with confidence.
I know I can, he thought to himself. I just know it.
He watched silently as the two ghosts began to prepare the broth.
What happened next made Max think.
Avaricia was chopping a stick of carrot when she cut her hand. Drawn to the scent of meat, Gluttonia immediately stopped stirring the bubbling cauldron and gave Avaricia a look of pure gluttony.
They both paused and looked at each other.
Gluttonia looked at the cut on Avaricia’s hand, which was starting to leak a white ghost blood.
And then, like a shark feeding frenzy, Gluttonia lunged at her friend, trying to eat her hand.
Avaricia stepped back and brandished a sharp knife menacingly. “What are you trying to eat me for? We have two very tasty young boys in there.” She indicated the dungeon with her knife. “And a cat for dessert.”
Gluttonia growled and snarled. She could not stop lunging at her friend.
Avaricia stepped back protectively, holding up the knife the entire time.
Gluttonia stopped short of eating her friend’s hand, but she looked like she really wanted to. Only the knife stood in her way.
As Max watched Gluttonia attempt to eat Avaricia’s limb, a plan started to hatch in his mind. A slow grin spread across his face. He shared the plan with Eddie and Ariel, who both approved of it enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Gluttonia reluctantly returned to stirring the cauldron.
Soon, the cauldron was ready for fresh meat.
The two spirits approached the dungeon, preparing to cook their food.
Max’s heart skipped a beat. His plan had to be executed with perfect timing or else they were doomed.
When the door of the dungeon creaked open, Max eyed the butcher knife. Gleaming in the dim candlelight, it was lying on the counter of the kitchen.
Perfect, he thought.
Gluttonia grabbed Eddie and Avaricia grabbed Max.
“In you go,” said Gluttonia, trying to throw Eddie into the steaming pot. But Eddie was too large to be picked up and dropped in, so the two of them struggled for a bit.
In the meantime, Max was moved to the kitchen counter area, close to the butcher knife.
Max waited patiently, biding his time.
Avaricia gripped Max tightly, but when she realized that he wasn’t struggling, she relaxed a bit.
That was when Max struck.
Taking advantage of Avaricia’s guard being down momentarily, Max quickly broke free, grabbed the butcher knife and stabbed Avaricia’s in the thigh. White ghost blood oozed out.
Avarcia screeched and howled.
Smelling the scent, Gluttonia released Eddie.
Unable to control herself, she lunged at Avaricia, who tried to dodge. The two of them engaged in a cat and mouse game, but it was obvious that Avaricia was losing.
Ignoring them, Max rushed over to the restaurant area, grabbed a chair and smashed a window open.
“Come on,” he shouted to his companions.
Without looking back, the three of them leapt out of the cottage and into freedom as the two spirits cursed and screamed at each other.
From behind him, Max could hear the shrill bloodcurdling cries of one spirit as she was being devoured by another.
Book 1: The Crown Prince (The Kid Emperor of Occultoria) Page 22