“Please, your highness. We have wronged you. Punish us, but please let our families go.” One of the family heads said, trembling lips nearly hidden by his moustache.
Noelle’s head whipped towards him and she recognised him as one of the heads who’d visited her just yesterday. Except now, he looked different than the man from before. In comparison to the proud and confident man, he cowered on his knees, pale-faced in front of the goblin representing Lust. She shook her head. “Were you not the same man who came and asked me to step down? If I remember correctly, you said I was not fit to rule. I wasn’t worthy. Only a child, right?”
He bent his head low and shook it, feeling regret for his words. “I was foolish. I was blinded by Sir Eaton’s thirst for power. I didn’t see that we already had the leader we needed all this while. It was Sir Eaton, he caused all this. He’s the one who ought to be punished.”
Tobias burst into fresh tears as a man he thought to be his friend completely threw him to the dogs. He looked to his family, gazing into the scared eyes of his wife and children. He had failed them, as their protector, their champion, and guardian. Tobias Eaton was not a brave man. Stubborn, conceited perhaps, but not brave. For years, he had been riding on the approval and support of others and now, that support was gone. He looked to the man who had denied him and all he saw was fear. No remorse, either. The man was just trying to save his hide and family.
Was that a crime? He realised what his final act would be.
“Princess,” Tobias said, trying to add some steel to his voice and he started to get up, “You will do well to let these men go. There will be no more bloodshed in my name. I made the mistake; I shall be the one to handle the results.” He stood with his chest out and some members of the crowd shook their head in admiration.
The goblin watched him, slight amusement written all over its angry features.
Noelle realised what he was doing and she didn’t appreciate it. She gave her first mental command and with one quick slice, the goblin of wrath sliced off his left leg. He collapsed awkwardly in a heap on the floor, screaming at the top of his lungs. His words were gibberish. The crowd gasped as blood gushed out of the open wound. The severed leg danced in the dirt and his wife screamed in pure terror.
“Now, hear me, people of Tibethia! These men came into my palace with the intention of taking it from me. They threatened me and called me names. They saw an opportunity to take over because my late father didn’t have a male heir before his untimely passing at the hands of the fugitive Queen Esther Anna. I had but one thing to say to them: Come, and I will destroy you all, and your families.” Noelle scanned over the crowd, and it was apparent that she had their attention. “Let it be known that I am a woman of my word!”
As the people of Tibethia and the heads of the leading families watched, the goblins slaughtered every woman and child in cold blood and then returned to their posts beside the various heads.
“You monster! You killed them. You killed them all!” Tobias screamed, though his voice barely carried as he clutched his leg. He lost a lot of blood and was slowly starting to lose consciousness. “You’re evil. You’re pure evil!”
She smiled. At least he had gotten something right. “I’m merely defending my family name. The LaChance house will continue to rule this kingdom.” She waved her hand to the crowd. “There will be no more leading family here. Only one power exists in this kingdom. Me. Insubordination will not be taken lightly. People of Tibethia, you be the judge of today’s happenings!” With that, Noelle turned and walked back inside.
Tobias Eaton was the last person to be killed.
10
Present time. Miles outside of Tibethia. Along the coasts.
* * *
Esther Anna sought out the only woman on the port and spoke with her. She had listened carefully to Prince Phillip’s description of the vessel he was looking for, and to the best of her abilities, she relayed that information to her. Unfortunately, the woman had very little information to offer, other than the fact that the vessel in question was a rare commodity along the coast. Disappointed that her hunt didn’t provide much help, Esther returned to Phillip to deliver the bad news. After asking everyone on the port for two days straight, they were unsuccessful in their search.
Upon hearing this, the prince sighed and scratched his head, falling deep into thought as he thought of an alternative plan.
“What do we do now?” She asked as she turned, her gaze fixed out to the sea.
Phillip looked at her, worried and helpless at the same time. He hadn’t a clue of what to do next. For a moment, his thoughts drifted to the Kingdom of Tibethia. The prince figured that the fuss with the leading families died down by now, and the princess would return her focus her to the hunt for Esther Anna. He huffed. It seemed that time and luck weren’t on their side. Suddenly, his breath caught in his throat. The boat coming in to dock was staring at the exact boat was the one they nearly gave up on; after searching for days, they had found it.
It was still a little far out to sea, but they could finally rest easy. The prince and his companion, the queen, sat down and waited patiently and excitedly for their prized boat to arrive. While they waited, they overheard some men standing a short distance away from them discussing and some key words stood out: Tibethia, and Princess Noelle.
The pair looked at each other at the same time and exchanged knowing looks. They inched closer to the men so they could hear them a bit better.
“The princess is some sort of sorceress, I swear to you. She been deceiving us this whole time! She’s not as innocent as she seems…” Said one of the men. He had the look of a pirate and would have fit the profile perfectly if only he had a wooden foot and hook in place of a hand, though he donned a bandana head, and they could clearly see a scar running down his face. His buddy was short and fat and looked too tired to be paying attention, and perhaps his thoughts drifted off to a feast where he was happily stuffing his face. The short, round man also had a scar on his face. The third man in their circle had an ‘everyman look’, which looked approachable and likeable. He politely nodded as the first man spoke, soaking in his words like a sponge in a puddle.
“I’d always said I didn’t like the vibe I was getting from that princess…” The third man said in a surprisingly deep voice.
“I know what you mean, brother. I’m shaken to my bones. Those goblins were vicious. There were bodies littered everywhere. Them house leaders looked like they were going to piss themselves!” The bandana man said, and they all nodded in agreement.
“Ey! Ain’t no such thing as goblins!” The fat man said with a snort, as he waved off his companions for speaking such nonsense.
“Oy, shut up Eddie!” the first man groaned, “You speak like a common land lover sometimes. You were a sailor once. You cannot tell me you didn’t see things. Goblins, they be real—real as you or I, and I saw them, some nasty ones, too. Tch—and the other one who rounded up the families? A demon for sure!” He shivered as he spoke.
Still, their chubby friend raised a skeptical eyebrow.
The third man just shook his head and sighed, “I never did like the princess. Now she’s killed them and declared herself ruler? What about the prince?”
The first man shrugged and his bandana slid down some, so he reached up to fix it. “I don’t know, I believe the wedding is still on, but one can’t be too sure. But the princess…no one is going to be stupid enough to challenge her now, everyone is scared shitless! Those Goblins, they’re guarding the palace walls now!”
The fat man grunted. “Ay, I’m hungry. All this talk of murder and royalty sure has worked up my appetite.”
The men laughed.
“You pig! You eat too much, and it’s bad for your heart.” The first man teased as he nudged his friends shoulder.
“Shut up and buy me a heart problem for breakfast then, old friend!” He replied, and the group began their trek toward the dining area, laughing and joking as they did.
Phillip and Esther Anna were stunned, rendered speechless by their conversation. Noelle slaughtered them, the leading families, killed them all and perhaps innocents as well, all in front of the people. The princess had employed the best tactics to gain her the favour of the people, or at least, their submission. She had employed fear. She was the only person with any ties to leadership now and the people had no choice but to follow her. Their window of opportunity seemed to be closing rapidly, so the sooner they went to sea, the better.
“I can’t believe it…those poor women and children!” Esther Anna said sadly, “Killed because of their husband’s greed.” The death and carnage they had been trying to avoid had already started and they were powerless to stop it from continuing. Their only play was to get to the lamp as soon as possible.
Phillip cringed as he thought of the goblins. Seven of them? He couldn’t quite recall, but he figured they had been summoned by the princess with the sole purpose of being her weapons against the opposition. Her reign of terror had begun and they were no closer to getting the lamp. Phillip didn’t miss that one of the pirate’s mention ‘the other one’, who must have been a demon. This made Esther Anna wonder if he’d meant Damien, as the description fit. If that were the case, it meant he wasn’t after them, and that the cloaking spell the fairies used had worked a little too well. She smiled at the prospect. Their mission would be a lot easier without the woodsman at their heels.
“Their deaths will not be in vain.” Phillip finally spoke up, with a look of determination in his eye. He meant every word, and Esther Anna appreciated his sentiment.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, their vessel docked. Phillip rose to his feet and stretched out, and rearranged his pack now that he was standing. He offered a hand to help the queen to her feet as well.
“Well, let’s hope these guys are as greedy as they look.” Phillip uttered, as they approached the crew who were disembarking from the ship.
It was a good sign they were laughing heartily amongst themselves.
Phillip’s gait was easy as he stepped forward. “Hello, fellas.” He offered a cheery smile, but this made them stop their chatter in an instant. The fairy prince’s smile never wavered and he stood watching them, arms at ease, hanging at his sides. “How’re you boys doing this fine morning? I see you just returned from a voyage. I trust it was successful?”
They looked him over, maintaining their belligerent expressions and looking just about ready to jump at him for distracting their fraternising.
“What’s it to ya, huh?” One of the men asked, with his gaze fixed on Esther Anna.
She stared back at him defiantly as he took a couple of steps forward, and he laughed.
“What’s it to ya?” he repeated, looking up at Phillip now.
“Well, it is a fine-looking boat. I would like to borrow it. Rent, if we may, for a very short voyage of my own.” Phillip smiled, and he noticed that seemed to bother them, on top of his request to rent their vessel.
One of the men behind murmured something he couldn’t hear, an insult, perhaps, but it was ignored.
The man who stood closest to the prince scoffed as if he could not believe what he was hearing. “Boat’s not available for sale or rent, son. You can ask over around there.” He pointed toward a part of the harbour and he began to turn away.
Esther Anna stepped forward. “Well, you see sir, we have already asked over there, and they didn’t have what we wanted. We were just about to give up when you sailed in. I promise that we will return it in one piece, and even pay you for any damages caused. We will pay now, in gold, upfront.”
Phillip smirked, impressed at Esther Anna’s offer, and her courage.
The man gazed at her again. He looked at Prince Phillip and his eyes lingered on the sword that swung lazily at his hip and he smiled. “Gold, you say?” He arched an eyebrow, letting his words trail off into the air before he shook his head. “Sorry, but the Marry Finny Fine is not for sale. Now run along. My next answer will not be quite as civil.”
He started to turn away, but a hand placed on his shoulder stopped him and his men shifted uncomfortably. He turned to gaze to that of a smiling Prince Phillip, who removed his hand and reached into the pack when he had the man’s attention. Phillip retrieved a handful of fairy gold coins, and when he revealed the money, it was clear he’d gotten the man’s attention since his eyes widened with recognition. One by one, his comrades moved in closer to get a better look at what they all knew to be the rarest currency all the kingdoms. Finding even one fairy coin was something the most accomplished sailors bragged about, yet here he was, carrying a bag full of them.
Phillip watched as he picked out one of the gold coins. He proceeded to use a specialized test, one that he’d perhaps picked up from sailor stories, to determine the authenticity of the gold. Close behind him, Esther Anna rolled her eyes at the man’s distrust. It was expected, however, as they knew quite well that the kingdom was littered with cheats and thieves. The man would be a fool to be so quick to trust the strangers who might have had a bag full of counterfeit coin, after all.
It was a three-part test, and he nod as the coin passed each one. Once it was complete, he looked back at his men, and they all smiled and exchanged knowing glances. “Fairy gold. That be some really hard currency to come by, boy. Who are you?” He scanned his gaze over Phillip, then to the queen, then back to Phillip once more.
“That is not the business at hand my friend.” Phillip responded, as he transferred the pack from one shoulder to the other. The hungry and eager eyes of the men followed the movement. “You’ll have to trust me. There’s plenty where that came from and you can even conduct your verification tests while we wait. I assure you, it is authentic fairy gold, for the chance to sail off with your ship. You have to admit, it is a very good deal.”
The men huddled amongst themselves and discussed their plan of action in hushed whispers. They peeked up from time to time, stealing nervous glances at Phillip and Esther Anna as if they half-expected them to vanish out of sight.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Esther asked, and her question jarred him out of his thoughts.
“I can’t say for sure, at my signal, I need you to run and hide behind that boat over there.” Phillip pointed to an abandoned vessel that was being used to store supplies.
Esther Anna nodded and returned to her position. She looked around and noticed that people were throwing odd stares towards them. What was he thinking? She wondered. Showing off fairy gold to strangers who were already reluctant to let them use their vessel was just a recipe for disaster. While she remained uneasy about the men talking for this long, he stood there confidently.
Is there something he’s not telling me?
The presumed leader of the men stepped forward. His eyes glistened with something that looked like greed, mixed with something else.
So, what’s it going to be? Phillip wondered.
“Well, my men and I have decided…” He turned to the men and they nodded.
Phillip saw one of them pull out a dagger and twiddle it between his fingers with a small smile on his face, though his own smile didn’t falter. “And?” He looked at the man with the dagger briefly before returning his gaze to the leader.
Esther Anna didn’t seem bothered by the weapon at all.
“And…we’ve decided we’ll take your money.” the man replied.
Phillip feigned happiness and obliviousness rubbing both palms together and smiling happily, “That’s very good. I’m glad we could reach an amicable conclusion.”
The eight men burst out in a roar of laughter, which made Esther Anna shift uncomfortably. Phillip stared at the men wearing a fake expression of confusion. He was giving them as many chances as he could afford to just take the money and be on their merry way. Why did they choose to be so predictable? He wondered as the man looked to his men and back to Phillip.
“I wasn’t finished yet, boy!�
� The man said and his smile vanished. He glared daggers at Phillip as he spoke. “We will be taking the money. Period. The Marry Finny Fine, like I said before, is not for sale.” He pulled his sabre from its sheath and let his eyes scan over the blade, carefully.
“Well, gentlemen, that’s a real pity. But if that’s the way it’s going to be, and you don’t really want to rent out your boat, then me and my friend here, are going to have to take our fairy gold and leave.” Phillip turned to walk away.
However, he read the attack even before the man had begun the move. Rearing back, the man pulled back his free hand and thrust it towards Prince Phillip’s face, with the intent for it to be a jaw splitting punch. Phillip saw this move and turned to the side. He quickly unsheathed his sword, and in a lightning quick move he lifted the blade, cutting edge out, up to his face. It happened faster than the man could think, and by the time he realised his mistake, it was too late. With all the force he could muster, the man punched through the blade, splitting his hand in two in between the middle and ring finger. His cry of pain spurned his men to action and at the same time another cry rang out.
“Move, now!” Phillip shouted.
Esther Anna didn’t have to be told twice—and she took her position as Phillip told her.
The fiends dashed towards Phillip, and instead of fighting with his blade, he returned his sword to its scabbard.
The man who’d reached him first lunged at him with his blade. Phillip was incredibly light on his feet, which surprised his attacker. Phillip moved to the side and disarmed the man with one strike. The sword tumbled to the ground with a mocking clang. With this opening, Phillip used his momentum to push the man back with a face-splitting kick. The second man’s attack met with a parry in mid-air, and Phillip threw the man over his shoulder and lurched him forward, to give him some time and distance between attacks. The sound of a bloodcurdling scream of attack announced the presence of a third attacker. Phillip bent down and the man’s blow sailed over his head, missing his mark completely. The prince sprung up and launched his fist to the man’s chin, sending him backwards in a flip that made him land on his face with a sickening crunch.
Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances Page 109