The gods have got to be kidding him! Issac cursed out as soon as he returned to the spot where he had left Maximus and he was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, no, no, no," Issac began to panic, pacing up and down while occasionally running his hand through his blonde hair that touched down to his nape.
This cannot be happening, where was Maximus? He knew he should not have left that horse alone! Issac could swear Maximus hated him and was doing this to torment him. Wait a minute, what if this was the test? Was he supposed to find the horse?
What happens if he isn't able to find him? How would he be able to find Prince Aldric and give him the crown prince's response then? Would the cruel prince kill him if the message comes late?
Issac did not need a god to tell him the answer to that question. That crazy prince would probably play around with him for a while before ending his pathetic life. After all, he took delight in tormenting people.
"Maximus," He called out gently at first, hoping that the horse was asleep somewhere or something and would return to the sound of his voice.
Well, who was he kidding?
"Maximus!" He yelled this time, his voice echoing across the woods. There was no response and his heart rate spiked as another thought came into his mind. What if humans had stumbled upon the horse in his absence and captured him?
No, the damned horse was a fighter and if he could fight off a herd by himself, humans were no match for him. Moreover, he could not see signs of struggle in the dirt. If anything it seems Maximus had vanished into thin air because he was unable to find his track anymore, instead the trail was replaced by two feet which didn't make any sense.
"Maximus!" He called out once more and there was a sudden rustle in the forest and he turned to the source abruptly.
Issac had no idea what he was expecting but none of them came close to the woman that stepped out to meet him. His mind short-circuited and all he could think was that she was beautiful. Issac did not know how but his legs were already moving to go meet her.
She was dark-skinned and had hair that touched down to her butt and seemed oddly familiar. Unlike Prince Aldric's hair which had a bluish hue thanks to his winter Fae heritage, the woman's hair was jet black and her blue eyes were so beautiful he wanted to stare and get lost in it.
The woman stood rooted at that spot confidently with a beguiling smile while Issac walked towards her like a mindless zombie. He could not control his body and there seemed to be a haze that clouded his mind anytime he wanted to think. But even as mindless as he was, there was a nagging feeling inside of Issac that he needed to find someone.
His feet led her to the woman and he stood right in front of her as the eerie feeling passed through him. The hairs on his body stood on edge and he was filled with the desperation to remember as if finally recognizing that he was in danger.
"What a disappointment," The woman said, "I thought you would be different from the others." She lifted her hand and was just about to cup his cheek when he moved, quicker than the eye could see.
Issac managed to break out of the spell and now had his sword that had materialized out of thin air pointed at her neck.
"Who are you and what have you done with Maximus?" His voice was stern and Issac was on high alert as he watched.
There were lines of markings with small, thin black ink on the woman's face and while such traits were peculiar to witches, dark Fae possesses similar features as well like prince the prince and his runes. Issac's defense was high and his grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.
"Fascinating, you successfully fought my hypnosis," The woman murmured, her eyes wide and bright as she looked at Issac like a highly sought prize.
Even with the wicked pointed sword at her neck, she took a step forward while Issac took one back.
"Don't," He warned her, the sword cutting her and drawing a line of blood across her slender neck.
She stopped but her grin twisted into a smile that looked predatory and hungry and made Issac extremely wary of her. She almost reminded him of a certain prince.
"What did you do with Maximus?" He repeated, his tone forceful while he forced his body into a fighting stance.
"What did I do with Maximus? I'm Maximus." She giggled.
"What?" Issac did not hear that right.
The woman lifted her skirt and twirled around, "Ta-da! I'm Maximus! At least the she version of him." She found the situation hilarious.
What the hell was she saying? Issac was extremely confused now. No, this must be a ploy to pull down his defenses and strike him when he least expects it.
He stepped forward threateningly, "Listen to me, witch…." He tightened his grip on the sword, "I would cut you down if you don't tell me what you have -" She cut him off with a dramatic yawn.
"Tsk, Men, so predictable." She rolled her eyes upward, " Fine then." Her eyes were bright again, "Then I'll show you then."
It all happened so quickly but in a swirl of black smoke, the strange woman in front of him was gone and replaced by a majestic yet familiar black stallion.
However, the horse was larger than the woman once standing in its place hence Maximus hauled up to a stop and reared on its back legs with a neigh. The sudden mess startled Issac, but it was enough warning for him to create enough space between, almost stumbling back.
But then, he was left with one question,
WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE GODS JUST HAPPENED?
The vigil was held in the village hall and the arena was large enough to contain everyone. All of the villagers were on black and thoroughly covered up because of the cold. As if the weather wanted to honor the chief as well, the sun had come out towards evening, even though it had been brief. However, the cold was not Islinda's problem because she had a lot on her mind and they revolved around Eli and Valerie. She still couldn't accept the fact that the child had taken a liking to her evil stepsister after what she had done to him yesterday. It seemed odd and didn't make sense. Just what did Remy win him over with? It wasn't with her food because that alone was poison. But then, Islinda had to admit it was nice knowing someone would watch over Eli while she waited for Valerie to arrive. It would have been difficult seeing the Fae with the boy by her side and Islinda wasn't sure she wanted Eli privy to their interaction. Islinda had no idea what kind of relationship she had with Va
Issac was red-faced and looked like he was going to combust anytime soon. Just as "her poem" suggested, he was riding Maximus, her horse form, but not in the way she suggested. It seems that after passing her test, she had dropped all forms of pretense with him and now, he was on a talking horse. Yep, as if it couldn't get weirder. How couldn't he have seen the signs? Everything was pretty much obvious that she was not a normal horse. But then, Maxi was good at pretending. Now, he had to suffer through her horrible rhyme filled with sexual innuendo. "I'm satisfied with my ride,Now I've got to shake, shake, shake Shake my beautiful ass…." "Alright, that's enough!" Issac shouted and didn't need to ask twice, he got off the horse, his actions nimble and swift. He had been a soldier in the king's army after all and didn't find dismounting a horse one bit stressful. However, he was glaring at Maximus now, his ears were going to bleed anytime soon if she continued with that horrible p
Islinda didn't know she got to the chief's place, her mind had been racing the entire time. How could the man die at a critical time like this? If he were going to die, he should have at least found Eli's parents first before leaving. Now, she was left all alone to deal with the burden. The chief's place was filled to the brim with sympathizers who had come to offer their condolences to his family. It wasn't until that moment that the cold began to get to her and Islinda looked down to discover that she was barefooted and her toes were beginning to freeze. The shock had been so great, it had stripped her of all sense of reasoning. "Aiyo, how could you come out like that? Even if the chief's death is shocking, we cannot afford to lose a young soul too!" It took Islinda a minute to realize that the elderly woman was speaking to her. Islinda knew one from the marketplace, having sold one of her small animals to her. "Ahh, this…." She shifted on her toes uncomfortably, now embarrassed
"Good Morning big sister,"A grinning face was all she could see and Islinda nearly stumbled off the cot in the process. He startled her and how did she wake up this late? The sun was already peeking out through the window, her stepfamily was going to kill her."What's wrong big Sister? You look worried?" Adric inquired, noticing how quickly she made her bed."Eli, this is not the time for this. I need…." What does she need? She needed a breather, "I need to go about my morning chores and make sure the family is satisfied else they would take it out on you…." Islinda trailed off when she realized that was not the right thing to tell a child.She cleared her throat, coming to take Eli's hands in hers and bent to his height," When people are hungry, they get angry and do crazy things. But don't worry, no one will touch you." She smiled at him brightly, hoping that was enough to assure him.Now that she thought about it, the boy was more mature than she thought. He didn't throw tantrums
"How do I look?" Maximus twirled around in her new dress stolen from a villager's clothing line. Yes, they were in the village now at Issac's insistence. Her shy Fae threw quite a tantrum, insisting to meet her master now. Hence, she decided to train him like a dog by feeding him crumbs. Haha, she was joking. Maximus merely brought him to the village where the master was, enough to satisfy his desire but not exactly feeding him the information he needed. Issac was relieved now, she was no longer naked and his tunic had been returned to him. However, her scent now lingered on the material and she smelled like lush green grass and the wild. Issac caught him at last, horrified at the thought that he found the scent desirable. He stood straight at once, this was all a distraction. The sooner he was back in the Fae realm, the better for him. "I don't see the prince," He reminded her the reason he had agreed to come to the village with her - after helping her steal clothes of course. Not
Panic rose through Remy when she was unable to move a muscle. It was a lucid dream and she should be able to direct and control the course of her dream. But that wasn't the case. It was almost as if she was pushed into the seat of a carriage ride and someone else manipulated her dream. At first, she was unable to see anything past the encroaching darkness that sent chills down her spine and her instincts warned her to run! To wake from this slumber! But there she lay helpless, squirming in real life, not that there was anyone to help her. And suddenly, there he was, hovering over her, it was the young boy that the bitch Islinda had brought home. Remy should not be afraid of him but it was the feeling of a prey recognizing a bigger predator. There was a menacing energy around him that made her heart begin to pound loudly in her chest. Something was not right about the boy. "Ahh," He rasped, taking a good look at his handwork, "You don't look so scary anymore, do you? How easy it was