Reggie attempted to read Chrissy then frowned and looked away. “I don’t intend to give up. I won’t ever be a part of his world. I am a fighter. And I intend to fight him to the death if necessary.”
Chrissy stared at Reggie and appeared bewildered. A strange smile crossed her face. “I guess I was wrong. You’re not me. You’re a standup fighter.” Chrissy’s smile brightened and a low chuckle escaped her throat. “While I patiently bide my time and wait.” She stood and appeared enthusiastic. “I think my day is finally here. Good luck. Begley and I will be praying for you.”
Chrissy left the room. Reggie stared at the door long after she had gone. She looked at the creature lying comfortably on the bed.
“Do we trust her?”
He gurgled a soft response.
Reggie nodded. “You’re absolutely right.”
†
Reggie entered Kahn’s study the following morning. The medieval room resembled a throne room more than a study. Kahn sat in his lavish chair toward the back of the massive room near the wall of windows. He looked like a king sitting on his throne. A smug smile added to the illusion. Reggie paused midway across the room before the massive desk. Dylan-creature crept in behind her in an attempt to hide his massive body from Kahn. Kahn indicated the chair several feet away from him. Reggie eyed him with distrust and reluctantly sat. Dylan-creature hid behind her chair and peered out.
“Since my brother amused himself by granting your brother’s assistance in the challenge, I’ve decided to raise the stakes,” he said.
“I didn’t agree to that.”
“Nor did I agree to your brother helping you. The challenge is the same. You must find the dagger and return it to the castle. You will have thirteen hours to complete the task. There will be no maps. It’s hidden within the old pirate ship along the coast on the far end of the island. You can’t walk the beach the entire distance, because a rock ledge prevents passage. You must travel through the center of the island. The rules are; there are no rules.”
“What’s to stop you from transporting me back here the moment I reach the pirate ship?” she demanded. “You have the ability to stop me with the snap of your fingers. I can’t compete against that.”
“Fair enough. I’m not permitted to use my powers to prevent you from completing your task. The dagger must be inside the castle before the end of the thirteenth hour. It just has to pass through the doorway. We’ll keep it simple to avoid any misunderstandings,” he said. “If you return the dagger to the castle within the allotted time period, your brother will be restored to his mortal state. You and he will be returned to your home as if none of this had ever happened. But if you don’t complete your task, your brother remains as he is, and you will replace Chrissy as my mistress for all eternity.”
Reggie felt her entire body twitch with fear but kept an emotionless expression. “What happens to Chrissy?”
“I suppose she’ll carry out her life sentence elsewhere in my kingdom.”
She shifted with discomfort then boldly glared at Kahn. “I guess you have upped the stakes. Sounds a little unbalanced to me. I’d assume eat bugs the rest of my life then be your mistress.”
Kahn appeared insulted and sneered. “That can be arranged.” His warped smile soon returned. “Do you have a counteroffer?”
“If I lose, I will assume Chrissy’s position by your side only if she is returned to her former life along with my brother.”
Kahn stared at Reggie and appeared slightly surprised by her bold request. “Hardly a fair trade.”
“Neither is allowing you to paw me,” she scoffed. “The choice is yours.”
Kahn and Reggie stared at each other in silence for a long, tense moment. Neither flinched. Kahn’s fingers began to tap on his throne, indicating some tension. His fingers stopped.
“Done.”
He quickly stood from his chair and pointed to her wrist. The elegant watch again appeared. The digital numbers were set at thirteen hours with zero minutes and zero seconds.
“You have ten minutes to prepare before the countdown begins.”Kahn suddenly vanished, startling her. Dylan-creature slowly crept from behind the chair. Reggie looked at him and appeared suspicious.
“I think I really struck a nerve this time.” She uncertainly stood, looked around the room, and then back at Dylan-creature. “I think he’s nervous. We can beat him, Dylan.”
Reggie and the creature hurried along the grand hallway toward the front doors of the castle. Begley stood near the foyer, watched her approach, and offered a tiny, sly smile.
“Good luck to you, madam,” Begley said.
Reggie returned the smile. “Thanks, Begley.”
He hurried down the hall to avoid being seen. Reggie waited by the main doors and watched the counter on her challenge watch. She fidgeted, took a deep breath, and collected herself. Helsing suddenly appeared, casually leaning against the door.
“Going through with it, huh?” Helsing asked.
“I have no choice.”
Helsing straightened and took a step closer. Reggie watched him with concern. He took her hand, studied the stone in her ring, and brushed his thumb past the opal. The colors in the stone began to swirl. He released her hand. Reggie gave him a bewildered look. “Consider it a mood ring,” he said. “Black indicates something dangerous ahead. White indicates non-dangerous territory.”
Reggie smiled gratefully. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“That’s all the help you’ll get from me.”
Reggie threw her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly but passionately on the lips. Helsing tensed with surprise. Reggie pulled back almost as quickly and smiled with embarrassment.
“Sorry. I got a little carried away.”
Helsing stared at her frozen with surprise then suddenly vanished. Reggie appeared startled then looked at Dylan-creature.
“I hope I didn’t scar him for life.”
Dylan-creature bared his teeth with disapproval as his long tail vigorously swished. The counter on her watch suddenly flashed. The front doors unlocked and slowly opened inward. Reggie looked at Dylan-creature, took a deep breath, and sighed.
“This is it. Let’s tempt fate one last time.”
†
Despite the daylight hours, the forest was predominantly dark, almost as if cursed. Reggie walked along the path in the woods with added caution. Dylan-creature crept alongside her and appeared possibly more frightened than she was. She glanced at her watch and groaned softly. It was taking longer than she had hoped. She uncertainly looked at her opal ring. The color remained white. Somehow, that didn’t comfort her.
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” she muttered.
Dylan-creature let out a soft wail in response. Reggie again looked at her ring. The color almost instantly changed to black. She stopped on the path and quickly looked around.
“There’s something out there,” she whispered.
Dylan-creature used his tail to push her closer to a tree, as if indicating for her to remain there. He then scaled a nearby tree and jumped to the next one. Reggie watched in silence as he jumped from tree to tree until she lost sight of him. Dylan-creature suddenly wailed loudly, as if he were in trouble. Reggie felt alarm sweep through her. She looked around then crept through the woods. She could hear faint chatter. She paused near one of the larger trees and looked around. Dylan-creature was heard wailing a warning. Reggie looked up the tree. He clawed at a large net, which contained him. As she looked around, the chatter stopped. Some sort of creature was hiding nearby. She cursed softly to herself then darted for the safety of another tree. The rope holding the net containing her brother was tied securely around a tree near her. She scanned the area then darted for the rope that would free her brother.
Several creatures suddenly leaped out of hiding and surrounded her. The four-foot tall creatures resembled two-legged geckos. Reggie appeared startled and let out a slight cry. She looked at the six creatures s
urrounding her. They chattered, bared blunt teeth, and held large sticks. Reggie spun into a series of karate kicks as the creatures approached and swiftly knocked them backwards across the forest floor. She had four of the six down when five more appeared. Four of them tackled her to the ground while snarling. Reggie punched and kicked them from her position on the ground, knocking a few off, but they continued coming at her until she was overpowered.
†
An hour later, Reggie was being held within a crude cage on the ground below where Dylan-creature hung in his net. Her wrists and ankles were tied with crude ropes made from plant life. She struggled to free her wrists tied behind her back from where she sat in the cage. Dylan-creature wailed from his net above. The gecko creatures chattered excitedly while building a bonfire. There were at least twenty creatures surrounding the camp now. A couple of the creatures played crude instruments in musical rhythm, while others appeared to be singing and dancing around the bonfire. Reggie continued to fight her ropes then looked up at Dylan-creature, who had fallen suspiciously silent. He chewed on the rope netting. Reggie stared with surprise then smiled. A large, black hawk landed on a low hanging branch near Reggie, startling her. The hawk whimsically transformed into Helsing. He casually sat on the branch with his back against the tree and one leg dangling while observing her situation. Reggie stared at him with surprise rather than relief.
“Not off to a very good start,” Helsing teased.
“You noticed?” she scoffed. “I’m working on correcting the problem. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to--” Reggie nodded to the ropes that bind her.
Helsing grinned with humor. “That would be cheating.”
“Kahn’s rules specifically stated there were no rules, therefore, it’s not cheating if you untie me.”
“You’ll try anything, won’t you?”
Reggie continued to struggle against the ropes that bind her wrists behind her back then glared at Helsing. “Yes, so save me some time and tell me what will work on you.”
“Where would the fun be in that?” Helsing teased.
“We’ll have fun later.” Reggie stopped struggling and glared at him with disgust. “You know, you’re not much of a gentleman.”
“I’m not mortal. I’m not any kind of man.”
Reggie snorted a laugh and again fought her ropes. “A comment like that would get you seriously teased in the men’s locker room.”
Helsing appeared bewildered. She stopped struggling, groaned with exhaustion, and rested her head against the bamboo cage bars. Helsing jumped down from his tree branch, approached the cage on the ground, and crouched down to her level where she sat.
She glared at him. “Haven’t I amused you enough for one morning?”
He studied her then grinned. “You’re unlike any mortal woman I’ve ever met before.”
“It’s probably the little cage and the bondage scene that’s throwing you off,” she announced. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your earlier assistance, but if you’re going to just leer at me outside my cage, I’d prefer it if you left.”
Helsing continued to smile and chuckled softly. As he straightened, the ropes fell from her wrists and ankles. Reggie rubbed her wrists then looked at him. The four-foot gecko creatures swarmed him as he turned. They vigorously shook their big sticks at Helsing. He offered a casual smile and waved his hand toward the nearby bonfire. The bonfire erupted into huge flames. The creatures ducked and squealed with fear. Helsing then waved his hand across the camp. The musical instruments played on their own. The tune was lively and upbeat. The creatures appeared fascinated and marveled at Helsing. They motioned him toward their bonfire. Reggie slowly straightened within her cage and stared with shock and amazement as Helsing danced with the lizard creatures. She looked at Dylan-creature. He had several links of rope chewed through, but it would require more gnawing.
“Come on, Dylan. You can do it,” she cheered him on. “Pretend the ropes are Twinkies.”
Dylan-creature stopped gnawing and glared at her. She smiled timidly. He returned to gnawing on the ropes. She glanced at the bonfire several times. The creatures were preoccupied with Helsing. He appeared to be having a good time with them. Dylan-creature suddenly fell from his netting and landed gracefully on his backside with a thud. He scurried for her cage and thrashed the bamboo with his tail in time with the drums. The sound of his tail striking the cage was barely heard above the drums. He got into a good rhythm then cracked it hard on the last beat. The bamboo cracked. Reggie pulled the broken pieces away and slipped through the opening. She looked back at the bonfire, watched Helsing dancing with the creatures, grinned, and then hurried away with her brother.
†
Despite the daylight hour, the woods remained dark as night. Reggie and Dylan-creature approached a stream. Reggie knelt along the bank and took a drink. Dylan-creature leaped into the water. Reggie collapsed onto her backside and watched him playfully splash around within the water. She allowed her head to fall into her hands and softly sobbed.
“Missed one hell of a party,” Helsing announced.
Reggie gasped while wiping her tears then stood and turned to face Helsing. She maintained a calm outward appearance.
“I can’t say I cared for my accommodations,” she remarked then managed a smile, “but you were a hit.”
“They’re just trying to make the best of it,” he replied. “They lost everything that ever mattered to them.”
“You’re starting to sound sympathetic to your brother’s tortured souls.”
“I never said I agreed with my brother’s hobby, but I don’t feel sympathy toward any of them,” he announced. “It was their greed that condemned them in the first place.”
“Love and devotion damned me to this place,” Reggie scoffed. “Greed had nothing to do with it.”
“You’re the exception.”
“You don’t know that. The truth is you don’t know what your brother does,” she replied. “If he lied and cheated to condemn me, who’s to say he didn’t do the same for the others.”
“It’s really none of my business. I’m not responsible for him or his actions,” he informed her. “We just try to stay out of each other’s way.”
“Your compassion is overwhelming,” she muttered. “I’m having a tough time understanding why you’re helping me.”
“You’re mistaken. I haven’t been helping you.”
Reggie smiled and held back her laugh. “If you say not. No matter, I like having you around.”
Helsing appeared slightly bewildered. She gently ran her hand along his lower arm, smiled, and then turned toward the stream. Her brother continued to splash around.
“Dylan, time to go.”
Helsing watched her a moment longer and remained bewildered. “Why would you like having me around?”
She looked back at him and smiled warmly. “Despite your superiority complex, you’re actually cute. Something about you puts me at ease. I can’t say I get that from a lot of guys.” She hesitated and considered the comment. “Maybe it’s because you’re not a mortal male. Although, that does make me wonder why your brother is sexually attracted to woman and you’re not.”
“My goals are a bit higher than his,” he replied. “Kahn wants instant gratification, whether it be emotional or sexual. There’s nothing spiritual about Kahn. He wants to rule his pathetic little world and be worshipped by frightened creatures.”
“And your goals?”
“It would be tough for you to understand.”
“Try me.”
“My goal is to be a Light Force. Our version of gods.”
“Can’t say I’ve ever heard that before,” she announced. “You and Kahn aren’t so different. He wants to be a god too, but his is the evil kind.”
Helsing offered a tiny smile and appeared almost humored.
“Almost like studying to become a priest, I suppose,” she said then smiled with embarrassment. “I feel bad about kissing you now.”<
br />
“You don’t have to feel bad about that. Over half of our Light Forces have children.”
“Oh, I just assumed--” She hid her smile. “Never mind.”
He appeared humored then indicated a path in the woods just across the stream. “That path looks friendly. I wouldn’t doubt it leads to the beach.” He looked at Reggie and grinned. “You’d better get going.” Helsing suddenly transformed into the black hawk and flew away.
Reggie watched him fly into the darkness and raised a brow. “That’s pretty damned hot.”
Chapter Four
Reggie and Dylan-creature walked onto the bright, sandy beach. In the distance, a battle worn pirate ship was stranded in the lagoon. It was an imposing and eerie image. Reggie felt relieved for the first time and looked at her watch.
“We’re making good time,” she remarked. “Look alive, Dylan. There has to be a catch. This was too easy.” Reggie then looked at her ring. It was black. She nervously looked around. “Definitely a bad sign.”
Reggie and Dylan-creature walked along the beach and kept close watch for trouble. Both slowed as the ship was seen more clearly. What appeared to be rocks lying on the beach were actually skeletal remains in tattered clothes embedded in the sand. Some had partially rotted flesh, indicating a more recent death. Dylan-creature stopped midstride and appeared reluctant to continue. Reggie stopped as well and looked across the large area littered with partially buried remains.
“To kill so many, it has to be a motion sensor trap.” She looked at the water between them and the ship. “We could swim, but who knows what’s under the water.”
Reaper of Souls: A fantasy short story Page 4