Written by Mystical Darkness
She felt like crying. Her eyes were a horrible mix of purple and black around the edge, her nose and left arm were both broken, she had a bruise on her back, and her mouth was dripping blood. Her throat felt like someone had stuffed a horse down it, and she couldn’t breathe. She felt worse than she had ever felt before.
Knock, knock!
“No,” she whispered. “No…”
“KEL?!” came the voice from outside. “Let us in! You’ve missed dinner! The Stump’s really annoyed…”
The voice belonged to Neal – he probably had Roald, Owen and Cleon with him. Kel sighed. She didn’t want them to see her in this state – so weak, so helpless…
“Go away,” she said, in almost a whisper.
“No,” said Prince Roald. “I command you to open the door this instance! By Royal-”
“It’s unlocked,” she replied.
The four boys looked at each other, and shrugged.
“Okay – we’re coming in!” came Cleon’s joyous voice, as they opened the door.
They opened it swiftly, with ease, and smiled as they walked over to Kel’s bed.
“Kel, what – OH MY JOLLY! KEL, what happened to you?” asked Owen, worried seeing the damage.
She groaned. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, we do,” said Neal, holding her hand and kneeling on the floor. “Yes, we do.”
It hurt her to feel him hold her hand – it felt like her hand was burning. A tear escaped her eye, followed by many others.
“Did someone rape you?” asked Owen. Everyone glared at him. “WHAT?!”
“No,” replied Kel. “Neal, get off my hand.” He promptly did so. “Okay. It all started when I was ten…”
* * *
“…I was friends with a girl named Raven. A ‘beauty’, the local boys called her – ‘much more prettier than the Lump.’ Anyway, Raven had a friend, named Luciiafaali – ‘Lucy’, for short. She was short, and ugly, and rather jealous of Raven and me, though Mithros strike her in the heart with a flaming arrow if she dare admit it. She hated me, and scolded and teased me for wanting to be a page. Raven told her off each time, though, in her heart, Raven did think it was stupid – me trying to be a page, a squire, and then a knight.”
“I don’t,” whispered Neal.
“Shush, Neal!” commanded Roald. “You’ve interrupted Kel! Continue.”
Kel nodded, graciously. “Anyway, the day before I left to come here Raven disappeared. Luciiafaali was the last to see her – ‘She was with me, by the lake. She went off home after I thought I saw a spidren. “You’re being stupid, Lucy”, she said, and left.’ Of course it was all a lie, and last year it was proved.” She took a breath, and looked at each one. “You sure you want me to continue? It gets a bit gory-”
“‘Gory’, my flower, is the definition of being a squire,” put in Cleon, and the others nodded. Kel sighed, and continued:
“Last year, by the old tree with the ‘Cajji loves Kian’ carved into it, two of my brothers found a skeleton stuck into one of the branches. Its clothes had blood smeared over it, and it was a wonder no one had noticed it. It… It was Raven.”
A tear trickled down her cheek, and the four boys gasped. “Oh my jolly!” gasped Owen. “That’s sick!”
“I know,” said Kel. “Anyway, they confronted Luciiafaali and she said, ‘I killed her, of course. And I will kill you and all your relatives as well! And then we’ll see who will crumble – Kel, or I!’ And with that she flew off.”
“Flew?” asked Roald, confused.
Kel sighed. “She… She was an Immortia – an ancient race that feed on the death and decay of others. She’s… She’s come to kill me, like she did Raven and…”
She couldn’t force it out. She couldn’t…
“Who, Kel?” asked Neal, worriedly.
“I cannot tell you,” she said. “But you’ve got to help me. Once she’s killed all my relatives, she will come for you!”
She looked at them, tears in her eyes. It scared Neal. “Then we must leave at once,” announced Prince Roald. “Tell no one, and we shall meet back here soon – before the next meal. Come! Prepare – to kill Luciiafaali, the Immortia.”