Beautiful Beast

Chapter 21

"Kalista," Arawn shouts, and steel flashes at my side. His sword cuts through the body of a wolf that had been about to bury its claws into my heart.

"I need to find her. She's here," I reply frantically. My magic reaches through the writhing bodies and just to my right, I feel her. When I look, I catch a glimpse of a shuddering body soaked in blood. In a twinkling, my magic twists a vicious and thorny arrow and places it into the crossbow. Then with a deep breath, I let it fly. It goes straight and true, but at the last moment, another wolf jumps before her.

In response, the fury of the wolves escalates and Arawn shouts, "Kalista, we can't hold them back any longer." He swings at a wolf and another runs toward him. I pull the trigger of the crossbow and the impact of the magic arrow causes the creature to fly backward.

"Come on." Arawn takes hold of my arm and hauls me toward the cage.

As I go, I load the crossbow again and madly search the shapes around me. But it is anarchy and my hope of defeating her this night fades. No, it wouldn't have been that easy. She wouldn't have allowed it to be that easy.

Arawn jerks me toward the window. "I can't see the cage."

Right. It is invisible. I wave a hand through the air and the cage flickers into view. Half turning, I let an arrow fly into the heart of one of our pursuers, but another wolf is quick to replace the last. We stumble our way into the cage and jump over the hinge plate. Just as a wolf hurdles in after us, Arawn yanks me past the second door. He then places his hands around my waist and lifts me up to the windowsill. I clamber over and ungracefully tumble into the sitting room. Arawn follows and we are pursued by the furious howls of the wolves.

For a moment, we sit on the floor, breathing hard and attempting to mentally grasp the events of the last few minutes. She was there. And I shot her. And there is a wolf in the cage.

"The wolf." I scramble to my feet and peer out the window. The creature paces furiously about the cage and even attempts to push through the bars, but my creation holds fast. Hastily, I flutter my fingers toward the thick blanket which rests on the top of the cage. It unfurls and like curtains, covers the cage. I breathe the nighttime darkness spell and it is finished.

"Now we just have to wait for daylight," I say, staring at the eastern horizon. Of course, there is nothing but inky blackness there.

Arawn nods and pulls two chairs to the window. Wearily, we each sit in one. But although my body is fatigued, my mind spins wildly. My spell must hold. If the wolf disappears at dawn, all of this will have been for naught and she would have won. Again. I cannot let her win again.

I nearly jump from my seat at the touch of Arawn's fingers upon my hand. Looking down, I see that I am white-knuckle clutching the armrests of my chair.

"Relax. We can't do anything till morning," Arawn says and gently pries my left hand from around the armrest.

I let him take my hand and fold it between his fingers. "I just can't let her win anymore. If I was free of the shackles of this curse, I would stand a chance. And she would be afraid."

"She is already afraid. That is why she is attempting to foil us." He squeezes my hand. "Have courage. Morning is only a few hours away and then we will see whether this victory is ours."

Hope tugs softly upon my lips. "You are a wise man, Prince Arawn."

He chuckles. "Perhaps sometimes, but not nearly as often as I would like."

Now, a smile does kiss my lips and I lean back upon the chair. Arawn's decision to slay the beast was not a wise decision, but as I sit here with my hand in his, I am glad that he did.

Dawn creeps toward the horizon and I am not sure if I should feel afraid or excited. Victory will taste sweet, but so also, defeat will taste bitter.

Before the first rays of sun tumble over the horizon, I go to the west tower to collect the items I will need for the spell. I tuck them all in a wooden box and carry them down to the atrium with me. Arawn is already there.

As I descend the staircase, a tray of tea and biscuits bounces toward Arawn.

"Y-your tea, sir," Cedric huffs.

Arawn smiles. "Thank you, Cedric."

Tea? Why would Arawn ask for tea? I don't dwell on it because the sky is now grey and through the windows, I can see the wolves slinking away to the forest. Putting the box under my arm, I move to the great doors and push them open. As I do, a single strand of golden light races across the meadow. It touches the steps of the palace and rests there in a pool of gold.

Together, Arawn and I descend the palace steps and move to where the cage is situated.

"Is it still inside?" Arawn asks, narrowing his eyes at the blanket which covers the cage.

With my magic, I reach inside and sure enough, a shape angrily paces to and fro. "Yes, it's still in there. Now, hold this." I hand Arawn the box. "I am going to move the cage out to the lawn. I don't know what reaction this spell might create."

Holding my hands in front of me, I use my magic to drag the cage away from the palace and to the center of the lawn. I then use it to gather and arrange wood around the cage. Never would I burn an animal alive, but this creature is a creation of magic. It is like a ghost or a wraith. Once the fire touches it, it will explode into ashes.

Arawn bends and lays the wooden box at my feet. My hands tremble a little as I open the lid, but I take a deep breath and focus on the task. First, I sprinkle blackened rose petals from the enchanted rose over the wood, then I blow mortar dust from the ruins of the music room. Lastly, I lift a dagger from the box. It has a long thin blade and a hilt that sparkles with tiny jewels. Clenching my teeth, I draw the steel across my palm. It stings bitterly, but I do not make a sound. Ruby blood drips from my palm and onto our pyre. I clench my fist so that a few more drops fall—I must be thorough.

Stepping back, I look over the compilation of my curse. Will this truly succeed?

"Just one more piece." Arawn slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out a golden bauble. He throws it upon our pile where it catches on a piece of wood and glints in the sunlight. Now I understand why he asked for tea.

"Cedric is going to be furious," I say, staring momentarily at the watch whose hands are frozen.

"If this works, he will thank me. We need aspects of the curse. The servants are an aspect of the curse and this is the surest way to represent them." Truthfully, we are guessing at this. We have no idea whether mortar from the palace or a wolf is even necessary, but it is worth a try.

I nod curtly, then lift a bundle of four branches. One has new buds, one has lush leaves, one has golden leaves, and one is bare and frozen—each branch represents a quarter of the forest. With my free hand, I bring forth a globe of fire. It spins swiftly and I hold it to my bundle of branches. They break into flame and with this makeshift torch, I light the pyre.

"With these do I sever the creator from the creation," I say and step away from the flames. They spread quickly—faster than ordinary fire. The heat causes my skin to tingle, but I don't move away. Instead, I watch, captivated by the way the fire licks up the branches. There is sizzling and crackling as the flames catch my blood and the rose petals. When it reaches the watch, it leaps up to the sky in a sword of orange. Finally, it begins on the blanket which covers the cage.

This is the last piece. Will it grant remission or torment? 

*****

What do you think this spell will do? Will it help them or cause more problems?