"Let us talk about this," Gino raised his hands in defeat. "I would rather not," Klara plunged the crystal spear through his chest. The stunned expression remained on his face as he shattered into ash. Klara coughed as the ash filled the air, and she stepped over the decapitated sons' bodies. She sank the spear into their hearts, and they evaporated, leaving behind no evidence of slaughter.
The Queens didn't mind a slaughter, so long as it was carried out on their orders. However, they would object to Klara playing a part in the loss of their precious taxes. The spear shrank to fit in her palm with the chain reappearing. Unable to clasp it with one hand she placed it in her dungaree pocket and untied her apron.
Breathless and bloodied, Klara left the kitchen. She was about to leave when she spotted the gems and stones abandoned on the counter. Klara tore out the gem tray from the counter with ease. "With all that effort, I should at least get paid," Klara muttered, taking her backpack and black jacket from the hook on the wall and slipped them on.
Klara left some lesser gems on the counter to attract looters. Too many gems on her person would attract thieves on the path back to the Castle, and she couldn't risk any run-ins. Klara adjusted the backpack straps to stop them from pulling on her injured shoulder. Gripping the stones in her pockets, she felt a sense of ease. One step closer to freedom.
Klara opened the door and looked back at the glossy diner and the beautifully painted murals. Klara placed her palm on the wall and let the glamour slip from the walls. The thick paint peeled, the booths split apart, and the floorboards became cracked and uneven. The whole place stank of rotting flesh and mould.
The scent would alert the other Creatures by dawn. If Silvia were smart, she would go into hiding and learn from her mistakes. By morning, any Guard would assume the looters were behind the destruction. Klara felt a sadness for the old establishment that had brought some joy to the Forest of Malum.
~2~
"Just a little cut," Klara assured herself, placing her hand on her wounded chest. Black blood oozed from the hole in her chest. "All in a night’s work," Klara sighed as the cold humidity of the Forest surrounded her. She stopped at the rusted gate and peered down Grimms path before zipping up her jacket. Klara didn't need the scent of her fresh blood, drawing the Lycaons and other carnivorous beasts to her.
A howl echoed through the Forest as the Alphas called their packs to return. For this, Klara was relieved. By the time she would pass the caves to the West of the Queens' Mountain, the Lycaons would already be settled in.
Fangs, claws and the smashing of plates rattled Klara as she remembered the last meeting between the Queens and the Alphas. The Lycaons had attempted to take Klara's life in retaliation for being pushed deeper into the western mountains. Klara understood that the alphas didn't want to conform to the Queen's orders, but if they had agreed to help with the River border between Malum and Kalos, their lands wouldn't have been restricted.
Klara had tried to convince the Queens that mercy would be the best approach, but compassion wasn't in their nature. When she closed her eyes, Klara could still see the Lycaon heads piked along the mountain pass as a warning to the Queens' visitors. Not that they received many. Music quietened her mind as she placed the soft headphones over her ears. Klara hoped she would make it to the pass as the Ogres changed over.
"What am I going to tell the Queens?" Klara kicked a stone as she walked along the moonlit path. They hated when Klara went exploring, but if they discovered their ward had sought employment, it would be toads’ legs and mucus broth for a year. Klara's skin prickled, and she didn't need her heart to tell her someone was following her. Klara slipped her headphones around her neck and searched the trees.
"I know you are following me!" Klara stopped to see a small shadow dancing between the trees. "Come out." Klara's order pulled the Creature from the shadows. She readied her stance, ignoring the empty throb in her chest, "I'm waiting..." Klara said when a fluffy white rabbit, too cute for the Forest of Malum bounced out from a decaying rose bush.
"What a cute bunny." Klara placed her hands on her hips as the small rabbit rose up on its hind legs. She stared at the adorable Creature and stroked its soft ear. A slight touch and the Shifter puffed into a ball of fur. Klara's magic revealed a weasel with sharp teeth and a knawed on tail.
"Now that's more like it," Klara said, continuing walking as the weasel slithered beside her.
"Heiress," the weasel snarled, its yellow eyes staring up at her. The weasel wasn't just a Shifter. The yellow eyes told her of its Demonic nature—one of the High Queen's scouts. Klara felt a lump in her throat, either the Queens knew she was missing, or they were feeling exceptionally paranoid. "What do you want?" Klara slid the weasel out of her way with the side of her boot.
"The Queen Mothers are searching for you, and from that ripe smell you're injured," the weasel licked its lips. "They sent you to fetch me. They must prefer you in Hell." Klara picked the weasel up by the scruff of its neck. The weasel grew in size as her revealing touch weakened the scout's ability to remain out of Demon form. The weasel hissed, stretching its altering skin as it resisted the urge to shift, "I'm merely a servant, if I see something that the Queens are interested in then I'm honour bound to report it." Klara dropped the weasel, not surprised that it landed on its claws.
"What honour do you have? you are a Demon hiding in the shape of a weasel?" The weasel darted through her legs, causing Klara to stumble.
"Can't you see I'm heading that way, go back to your hovel," Klara tossed a small ruby at the weasel. The scout leapt at the shimmering stone, wrapping its claws around it.
"Thank you, Heiress, your secret is safe," the hiss drifted in the air, and she looked for the weasel behind her. Instead, there sat the fluffy white bunny winking at her. "Beat it before I send you back to Hell."
The bunny's eye sang with delight as the Demon's true voice ripped through the small body, "Lucifer says Hello," it said, and before Klara could force the Demon back to Hell, it slithered back into the dark bushes.
They know I'm missing. Klara ran her hand through her hair, noticing the lengths of dark blue as her anxiety seeped into her cells. The only downside of having the power of revelation, it’s that it made hiding her own emotions and thoughts damn near impossible. If there was one skill you needed to survive the Forest of Malum, it was the power of deception.
The trees thinned, and the mud path turned to stone, Klara darted behind a tree as she reached the mountain pass. Two Ogres stood on either side of the archway. The pillars were made of bedrock and sculpted into Abadan's armoured form. Both womanly and terrifying, Abadan's ego knows no shame as the High Queen. Klara could see the Castle sitting high in the mountains. The daunting black and grey stone sat amongst the night's clouds. Staircases wrapped around the towers and yellow light peered out from arched windows.
The Queens' Castle once belonged to the Fae Queen and been a grand Castle of white and gold. That was long before Klara's time before the treaty handed Malum over to Lucifer. The Castle was redesigned by the Queens' as they rule the Forest as proxy. Now the Castle stands to intimidate the Creatures below.
Klara could trick the Ogres on watch, they weren't known for their brains, but as she was about to step out, two of Abadan's Crimson Guard replaced the Ogres. Klara considered turning herself in. They will probably search me, she thought, knowing she couldn't be found with the gems. Klara struck the tree with her fist. When she looked up, a guard was staring in her direction, and she had no choice but to step out from the tree line.
Klara turned down the road and walked away from the mountain pass. The Guards eyed Klara as she passed, but they wouldn't recognize her. The only good thing about being kept prisoner is that very few Creatures knew Klara's face. When she could no longer feel their eyes on her back, Klara let out a sigh.
The market road was empty at this hour. There were no merchant carts or families headed to the dawn markets to search for whatever food had been dug up, caught
or smuggled through the Port the night before. She reached the crossroads where the mud and stone roads met.
I've had better ideas. Klara paced the crossroads and the moonlight was a beacon for what she was about to do. But as she felt her T-shirt painted to her bloodied body, she knew she didn't have much time. The Queens would discover her wound and a fight she could explain but discovering gems meant challenging their power over of her.
Klara dug a small hole in the centre of the crossroads and let the gems fall into the hole. The ground vibrated as the earth sensed the use of magic. Klara swiped her wound, gathering the blood she needed. Droplets of blood fell from her fingertips and onto the precious gems. She only had to wait a few seconds before the dealer appeared.
"Heiress? What can a mere dealer do for you?" The Crossroads Demon buzzed with excitement as it sensed the finery of the gems and the chance of a deal.
The shadowy Demon bowed before Klara, and she rolled her eyes, gesturing for the Demon to rise. Its yellow eyes trained on her. "You know who I am?"
The Demon chuckled softly. "What Demon doesn't know the scent of Lucifer's blood." The smacking of the Demon's lips sent shivers down Klara's spine.
"No deals are to be made at this crossroad until I remove the gems and this," Klara ordered removing the walkman from her pocket and headphones from around her neck.
The Demon darted around her, not revealing its face or form. "No deals…and concealing Human contraband, I could be tortured for a decade for hiding such a thing," the Demon darted away from the object in her hand. As if to touch the walkman would burn its shadowed skin. Klara didn't need to see the Demon to know it was pouting.
"Edisa! You will obey me," Klara ordered, and a clawed hand emerged from the shadow, snatching the walkman from her hands.
"What's in it for me?" Edisa snarled. Klara snapped her fingers, revealing the Demon's real face. A pentagram was scarred into the centre of the Demon's forehead. The Demon hissed in protest, startled by the sudden exposure.
"I won't tell my Father that you have been..." she grabbed Edisa's clawed hand seeing past Edisa's eyes and into the Demon's darkest secrets. At first, Klara saw nothing but darkness, but as her magic snaked its way through the Demon's mind, she saw its Human birth, the murder that turned the soul Demonic and then she had the ammo she needed.
"Sneaking Demons out from Hell for a percentage of their dealt souls, that's punishable by Maze," Klara shrugged, and Edisa dropped to their knees with its disfigured hands splayed on the road. Klara's hand went to her hair as she felt a strand come away. Without a heart, every touch and revealed truth would cost her.
"I beg your forgiveness. I will do what you ask," Edisa panted for mercy, and with the threat of the Maze looming, Klara knew her gems and walkman were safe. She would only have a short amount of time before the Demon figured out a way to betray her. It was in their nature.
"Go before I change my mind," Klara said, and in a puff of red vines, Edisa vanished.
◆◆◆
Klara found her way back through the Forest to the concealed side of the mountain. She looked at her boots caked in mud from pushing the dirt on top of the gems. She smacked them against a tree because tracking mud into the Castle would mean punishment.
Klara craned her neck, ready for the climb to the escape tunnel. Klara scaled the mountain until the tops of the trees merged into one and her shoulder pulled from its socket straining under her weight. Klara cursed the Queens for living on the highest mountain peak. One of Eve's enchantments could have easily moved the location of the Castle, but due to their incessant paranoia, the Queens preferred the strategical advantage. I'll give them something to be paranoid about. Klara smiled at the thought.
"One last push," Klara muttered resting her forehead against the cold stone. Usually, the climb took her less than ten minutes, but as her nails bit into the rock, she felt like she had been climbing for an eternity. Fresh blood absorbed into her t-shirt and dungarees as she pulled her body over the ledge to the escape tunnel. Klara leant on her knees, her hand slipping inside her jacket. She wasn't sure where her wounds began and ended. The salty smell of the ocean whipped up around her as she stared at the sea in the distance. The escape tunnels had been created after the last uprising so that Klara would have a way out if those who opposed her future rule rose again. And yet it was the beings ordered to protect Klara that she wanted to escape from.
The fallen strands of ivy concealing the entrance of the tunnel swept back and Klara stared into the darkness that was ready to consume those who dared enter. Unlike trespassers, Klara was welcomed. She pressed her hand against the invisible door, and a rainbow of colours echoed from her hand. After a moment, vines of magic wove together, and a crystal door took shape.
Magic could be cruel, but it had its beauty. She pressed her hand to the doorknob, allowing the magic to know her and the door unlocked itself. This particular tunnel was usually free from the Queens' eyes. The Ogres didn't like the cold tunnels this high in the mountain. The door sealed behind Klara and torches lit her path to the heart of the Castle. The thin air caused Klara's lungs to ache, something she had never experienced when she had a heart. However, the sharp chill she was used to. It would lower her body temperature and keep her from being detected by the Seekers, a small ant that emitted a pitch that would incapacitate intruders long enough for the Ogres to capture them.
Klara followed the torched walls, hearing thousands of Seekers rattling around. The closer Klara got to the Castle, the brighter the torches became.
The Queens loved their privacy, and the Seekers are one of their favourite weapons. Klara had suffered one or two of their attacks as a child when she had tried to sneak out the hidden doors at ground level. That was before Klara knew they couldn't detect in cold conditions. A Seekers scream was enough to make a Creature claw off their ears.
The mud turned to cobblestones as she reached the door to the east wing of the Castle and Klara's presence forced it open.
Klara glanced back the way she came, wishing she could make a break for it. But she wouldn't survive the journey to Kalos without a heart. Klara opened the inner door to the Castle corridor, and the smell of food wafted from the kitchens close by. Arthur's cooking was the best Hell could offer. The Queens' took him for themselves, but only after the King ordered Klara to be raised in Malum.
Klara knew the Queens would be feasting after their evening rituals. There were no Guards or Ogres that she could see. Klara needed to join her Guardians to avoid suspicion so she strolled down the corridor knowing the quickest way to the Queens would be by portrait. Klara searched for Ethel the Deplorable, once considered a great warrior before Father gave her a seat on the council and her greed got the better of her. Klara stepped into the painting and found herself staring at the feasting Queens through the matching portrait in the banquet hall.
~3~
"That rancid girl is going to get us skinned," Eve said fretting while sucking on the skin of a snake. Klara felt ill watching their vicious appetites.
"Why the King created a child only to dump her on us is a mystery to me?" Eve continued, and Klara could see the bored expression on Abadan and Lilith's face.
"Maybe the King was lonely in the Manor," Lilith said, the sound of her scraping fork against the gold plate pierced Klara's ears.
"Don't be ridiculous! He has us," Eve smiled sweetly, clearly still in love with the fallen Angel who lured her from the Garden. Lilith shrugged, ignoring her sister Queen.
"Abadan you must admit that dumping his Creature of us is too much! Klara has no respect for us," Eve continued, and Klara was about to jump in when Lilith slammed her fist on the table, shaking the plates and platters laid out before them. "Questioning the King is above your station Eve," Lilith warned, dropping her cloak from her strong shoulders.
Klara often wondered the same since nobody had made an attempt on her life in years. She was older now, trained, and yet her Father hadn't asked her to return home to Hell
. Maybe Lucifer couldn't handle her becoming a woman or handle a rival for the throne. He created an Heir, and as soon as his council of Demons pointed this out to him, Klara was packed up and shipped off, and something told her his intentions weren't entirely for her safety.
◆◆◆
"Klara Lucifer, where have you been?" Queen Lilith scolded not bothering to turn in her chair as Klara stepped through the portrait. "Don't let me interrupt the feast," Klara smiled, avoiding the question as she strode past the long table. Grateful that her jacket made her appear whole. The gold candelabras on the long table lit up the vast quantity of foods from every corner of the Forest of Malum. Almost every night they feasted despite many of the Creatures going hungry.
Klara resisted the urge to sigh in relief as the chill of the Castle eased her pain. The heat of her skin overwhelmed her as her body failed to heal itself without a heart.
"Care to try that again," Lilith said, twisting the fork around her fingers.
"Out, I was out." Klara pulled up the collar of her jacket, hoping the scent of blood would escape their senses.
"Out where? The Guards have been searching since the second moon descended," Lilith continued while Abadan kept disturbingly silent at the head of the table. Klara could force them to reveal their true intentions toward her. Let the King see what they thought of their ward, how they despised and wanted rid of her, but that would cause too much trouble. Klara would rather leave them to rule while she made her plans to live in the blissful lands of Kalos.
Abadan would deal out her punishment while her mentor Lilith loved to scold. "I don't see why I am to blame for the Guards' failure."
"How dare you speak to us with such a tone… you have ruined my appetite." Eve tossed her napkin on the table. "Then I will leave you before I ruin your feast."
Crowned A Traitor: A Hellish Fairytale Page 2