They both looked up at the castle. It was barely visible between the trees surrounding it, the distance, and the setting of the black sun.
“I know the feeling,” Mila whispered. “We will have our answers. I plan to kill the beast, Roz. Want to wager who will succeed?”
Roz shrugged. “I don’t like to make bets when the odds are stacked against us. He’s escaped our ancestors.”
“Maybe his powers are too strong?”
“True, but if he does have powers, why hasn’t he used them before now?”
Mila’s head jerked to face her. “You think he might be powerless?”
“Maybe he just has certain powers, and even his can’t control what we’re facing now.”
“We’ll see,” Mila added. “Until 0300.”
“Until then,” Roz acknowledged as Mila left her.
Leuthar was nowhere in sight, and the stragglers were still exiting the door. Wanting to go home and think, Roz took off down the road. Dirt and rock crunching beneath her feet, she had the feeling someone was watching her.
Turning, she looked behind her, but no one was following. Checking the houses along the road beside her, she couldn’t find anyone. Still, the feeling persisted as she walked along.
“Leuthar?” Pausing, she checked again.
No one answered her.
Picking up speed she started to run home. She skidded to a stop outside her house, ran up the grass, climbed the porch step, and opened the door.
“Hey! Are you all right?” her father asked from inside.
Roz nodded, and when her pa held his arms open to her, she flew into them and hugged him tight.
“Leuthar with you?”
“No, he didn’t come home with me,” she said.
“How was the meeting? Are you all prepared for tomorrow?”
“I think so,” Roz spoke, and wouldn’t let him go. “They have evidence the beast might be inside. We may finally confront him and put an end to all of this.”
“Does that scare you?”
Roz took a deep breath. “A little. Rumors abound, but this is our chance, and I’ll be with my team to make it.”
“I know you will,” he kissed her head.
“They made me a leader, dad.”
She heard him smile. It was there in his tone when he spoke, “Did they now? Smart.”
“You have to say that because I’m your daughter.”
“No, I’m saying it because it was a good decision. You have an intelligent head on your shoulders, Roz. You’re always asking questions, and you want to know the truth.”
“Plus, I can fight.”
“Of course,” he chuckled. “I’m proud of you. However, does this mean Leuthar didn’t get a lead position?”
Roz nodded against his chest.
“It’s not for you to worry over. He’ll be fine. Did he have an outburst?”
“No, he didn’t. That has to prove he’ll be fine, right?”
Her dad squeezed her and kept his arms about her. Rubbing her shoulder, he stayed quiet for a moment.
“It could. We’ll need to keep an eye on him still. I’m proud of you, Roz. No matter what happens, I will always love you and be with you,” he whispered in her ear as he held her close.
“I love you too, Pa. I will do my best to make you proud.”
“I already am,” he told her before giving her an extra squeeze and letting go.
Roz missed the warmth of the hug and smiled when he chucked her under the chin.
“Did you eat?” he asked.
“Yeah, I did. They had food for us again.”
“Good. The sun’s setting. You know what that means?”
“0300 is around the corner?” Roz guessed.
“Bedtime.” He made a face and headed down the hallway.
“Night!” she called out.
“Night!” he replied, before disappearing into his room.
Looking around, Roz decided to go to bed as well. The clock on the wall read eight-thirty, and she knew three would come quickly. For a moment, she wondered if she should wait up for Leuthar, but dismissed the idea. He wouldn't appreciate her staying up for him.
Roz changed and got into bed before setting her alarm, a device her grandfather had given her years ago. It didn’t need electricity, batteries, or solar energy to run. She had given up trying to figure out what made it keep going.
Exhausted, she also feared sleep wouldn't come for a while. Staring at the ceiling, pictures of what might happen played out in front of her. Would they face the beast and die or win?
What would the beast look like? They'd only heard other people's versions of what he looked like, including her grandfather’s. Some said he looked like a wild boar or a fierce lion. A few years ago, one man tripped back to town with a horrified story of a vampire in their midst, her grandfather’s same story. Which was silly because everyone knew vampires weren't real. Then again, beasts weren't supposed to be real either.
Sighing, Roz turned onto her right. She blinked at the clock and wondered which version of the beast was true. It scared her to find out. She'd never tell anyone that, of course, but not knowing what he looked like worried her more than what he might do to them. Perhaps, they'd find him to be nothing more than an old, grouchy man. She smiled at the thought and yawned.
When the front door opened and closed, Roz jerked awake. She must have dozed at some point in her imaginings. Knowing it was Leuthar, she got up and tip-toed to the door. Instead of opening it, she leaned her ear against the crack and held her breath.
Her ears heard her brother stumble down the hall, and she suspected he was drunk. Again. Unwilling to face him and have a repeat of the previous night, Roz contemplated how he could drink the night they were to assemble themselves to go against the beast. What he was drinking to get drunk on was another question entirely.
How could he? She wanted to charge out of her room for an explanation. She didn't.
Facing him would not help her sleep. It also wouldn't fix the problem. Shoulders hiking
up, hand reaching to cradle the injured arm. It was better now, but the reminder was there.
“Weee willll winnn! Tooomorrrrrrrow, we will deffff-feat them allll!”
She heard his hissed message as he staggered down the hall.
A sound jerked her from the door, her eyes wide, and heart hammering again. He must have knocked something over. Swallowing, she waited to see if he would come to her door.
How do I barricade it?
Looking around the room, she rushed over and picked up the desk chair. Maneuvering it under the handle and jamming the door, she stepped back to see if it would hold. The chair tilted backward against the white wood. She pressed against the door, listening, and adding her weight to the barricade.
Silence. Nothing moved. Pulling back, the handle digging into her hip bone, she waited.
She could hear the click of his door opening.
“We willll wiinnnn!” His words crept around her. “Deathhh to her!”
Her? Who?
Finally, wondering if her father heard the racket from his room on the other side of the house, Roz detected the snap of the door as it closed behind her brother. Unsure of his words and if she should move from the door, she waited.
Leaning against the frame, heart pounding, seconds began to tick into minutes. Still, she didn't move. Breath held at intervals, puffs of air escaped, and she sucked in another breath. Listening, nothing sounded. Stomach nauseous, Roz finally backed away from the door.
Hands curled by her sides, she resisted the urge to run to her bed and hide beneath the covers. Waiting a few minutes more, Roz decided it was safe enough to head back to bed. The chair would alert her if Leuthar came crashing in, and she hoped she was wrong about her suspicions.
The “she” he spoke of stuck in her mind as Roz bent her knees to her chest and rested against her cold pillow. Eyes alternating from the door to the red-numbered clock, morning would come all too soon. S
leep was needed, but it did not come for a few more hours. When the clock clicked to 10:00, her eyelids slid closed and didn't raise again.
Roz's easy breathing was accompanied by the sound of a slight twist of one door knob and then her own. The chair held steady, and all went silent at last.
9
“Their soldiers are coming, their soldiers are coming,” the beast mocked.
Rolling his eyes, he watched the entire meeting. He listened as they talked about the dwindling levels of food and the sickness. He recrossed his arms and legs before coming to a stand.
Pacing in front of the mirror, he continued to eavesdrop.
“We have a choice. Die doing nothing or die trying!” Captain Madison shouted over the noise. “Which do you prefer to do?”
“Die trying!” they shouted.
They weren’t going to stop. He knew they were coming. Part of him was surprised how far they were willing to go to find and defeat him.
What they were discussing wasn’t a surprise to him. Most of it were fears and rumors he’d heard long before. Keeping an eye on Roz, he switched scenes when he saw her leave the training facility. Nina followed her.
He listened as she talked to her friend.
“Nina, this is all my fault. I just thought he would be made a leader, and I wanted to give him something positive to look forward to.”
“I can’t believe you told him he’d be chosen. You didn’t know he would be!”
The beast paused in his pacing and faced the mirror. He noticed their tense shoulders. He could tell they both weren’t happy, and since they were taking about Leuther, he supposed there was more to the story.
His hearing was perfect, and he could pick up their words even as they whispered or lowered their voices. The next part held his attention.
“Leuthar can’t have the sickness. If he did, he could have exploded in there. He didn’t. He isn’t sick!” Roz threw her arms around Nina and laughed.
“I suppose you’re right,” Nina hesitated. “It doesn’t mean he couldn’t get it. Any of us could, at any time. That’s the scary part.”
Roz nodded. “I know.” She looked up and down the street. “We should get back inside. We’re missing everything. I hope Leuthar comes back.”
“He will,” Nina said. “Let’s go.”
Watching, the beast felt a sense of relief. If her brother was okay, Roz would be more likely to… To what?
Shaking his head, the beast was uncertain where he was taking that thought. The meeting continued, and the humans broke into teams. He heard them discuss his powers and how they had been watching the castle for months.
This hadn’t gone unobserved by him. He’d watched them sneak around in the woods. Creeping closer, they had kept their eyes on his home for hours at a time. Their plans were thorough, he’d give them that much. In fact, the beast admired their tenacity.
Roz was a leader of one of the teams. This didn’t surprise him. She was strong and thought on her feet from what he could see. For a second, he felt a small spark in his heart, and it almost felt as if he felt pride in her.
Shaking his head, he wiggled his body as if he could get rid of the sensation. He continued to pace in front of the mirror. The meeting was going on longer than he’d anticipated.
“Only the food and shadows. Nothing concrete. However, we felt it was enough to share with you this evening.”
The beast heard this part and tuned out the rest of what the man said. He was aware of what they’d seen. The Second Kingdom had been kind enough to ensure he was fed. Food showed up on his porch once a week, and there was always enough for his servants as well.
There wasn’t any way he could keep them from seeing the food. He didn’t even try. It amused him to see the soldiers run around, gathering intel and building a case. They knew he was here. He wasn’t going to deny it. Neither was he going to make their job easy and allow them to find and kill him.
“We will meet here at 0300. Get some sleep,” one of the captains said.
His eyes flickered toward the mirror. Ev and Nina followed her out, and he saw them stop a few feet into the street. He rested his hands on the back of his chair and stared at the mirror.
Some days, this is all his life consisted of every second of every day. Watching the outside world. It had gotten worse since he took notice of Roz.
She was asking Ev if this would work, and the response made the beast growl.
“Nothing else has worked, Roz. We’re going to do this. Remember what you were asked inside? Do you want to die or die fighting?”
“I’ll fight, Ev. You know I will. It would help if you could tell me what you saw up there.”
“The same thing your captain told you. Food appearing and disappearing and shadows. We never saw a body or a beast. Our time is now, Roz. Whatever horror living up there needs to be taken down. Otherwise, we’re all going to die.”
Ev walked away. “Nina,” he called as he went.
“I’m sorry, Roz. You know why we’re doing this.”
Beast knew what they were doing this. That stab, in the region where his heart should be, came again. Sucking in a breath, he approached the mirror and placed his fingers on the glass. Tracing Roz’s figure, he wanted to know what would happen when they met.
Should I reveal himself to her? How would she react? What would she say?
He had no doubt she’d try to kill him. It was her mission in life to end his.
Perhaps that’s what I should do? Maybe I should allow her to kill me.
Shuddering, he didn’t know if that was his best idea. He’d made a few errors in his time, starting with the day he’d gathered his army to go against the Second Kingdom. If he could go back and change his decision, he would.
Roz began looking over her shoulder. He wondered if she could see him. When she called out her brother’s name, he wondered if Leuthar was there. Her darting gaze led to her speeding up and full-out running to her front door. She looked over her shoulder one last time before unlocking her door and slamming it behind her.
He didn’t see Leuthar anywhere.
“Show Leuthar,” he told the mirror.
Leuthar was in the fields. The young man walked between the crops. He strode into one of the fields.
The beast squinted at the field in the setting sun but couldn’t see which one it was. His eyes were burning as he concentrated on what the boy was doing.
After a few minutes, Leuthar popped out of the end of the field and walked to the building the beast knew to be the food pantry. The boy disappeared inside for a couple of minutes, and came out with his hands full of something, and the beast waited to find out what it was.
“Stealing from the food pantry, are you?” the beast murmured. “I can’t say I’m surprised. What are you taking, though?”
Beast watched as the boy came back out and went to the right. He walked over to the edge of a small wood and came upon a tree stump on the edge of the tree line. Sitting on the edge of a tree stump, Leuthar’s head turned from one direction to the next.
He set whatever was in his hands in his lap. There was a second darted look around the open field before he picked up one of the items.
Beast leaned forward. He gazed at the object in the Leuthar’s hand. It was round or oval shaped. It came from the ground, so could it be a potato?
“Mirror, focus on Leuthar’s hands,” he requested.
The mirror zeroed in on the food the boy was eating. Leuthar raised the vegetable to his mouth and began eating it like an apple. At this point, Beast could see what it was.
“It is potatoes. The community is too trusting I see. Their dwindling food supply might be helped if they had someone guarding the doors of the pantry. With all their other proactive planning, you’d think they would have thought of this by now,” he sighed.
The boy ate all three potatoes. After he’d finished the last one, Leuthar sat for a few minutes and kept an eye on his surroundings. Close to fifteen minutes later, h
e got up and stretched. Then, he walked into the bundle of trees surrounding the stump he’d been sitting on.
Beast watched him go a few feet into the wooded area and stop at one of the trees there. Leuthar stretched again before slinking under the tree and curling up.
“You’re going to sleep outside on the hard ground when you have a home and bed to go to? Not to mention, you’re a part of a team meant to attack me in the morning. You, boy, would never have made it onto my guard or army or policing staff. It’s no wonder your sister can beat you.”
Growling at the lack of commitment he was seeing, the beast shook his head and ran his hands over his face. He left the image on his mirror but strolled across the room and looked out the window. His enhanced sight could make out the buildings and trees.
The moonlight was bright, and it helped him see further into town. Beast thought about what was to come. He could do nothing and let them kill him. Another option was to allow them inside and find it empty. The last would be to turn them back around before they even enter his doorway.
They were certainly right about one thing. He did have the powers Second Kingdom had kindly given to him. Except for survival and to see into the outside world, the powers weren’t helpful to him. In fact, they couldn’t help him save his kingdom or himself. The powers couldn’t counteract the curse.
For the first decade, he’d tried every spell he could think of to get past the curse. Each one fell like a dud. He even attempted to make plants grow. That hadn’t worked either.
There were exceptions even to his powers.
Now, he had to decide. Die or not die?
“I could end this,” he whispered to himself. “I would finally be free. It might break the curse if they killed me. It would be sacrifice, wouldn’t it? I’m dying so they can live.”
It had been almost a century of watching his fighting army and strong people die off. The number of his kingdom had gone from thousands to a mere few hundred. This is what he had done.
Thinking about it sent a stab in the center of his chest. Pressing his head against the glass, he continued to look out into the night. He had a few hours to decide his fate, but he wouldn’t let any harm come to his servants. They didn’t deserve to be harmed, killed, or taken as prisoners because of him.
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