The Obsidian Pillar

Chapter Twelve - The Beast

'Good morning, sweet one,' her voice licked him awake from his dream, the same dream that he experienced every night.

He had been running through long corridors with walls insulated by elegantly detailed tapestries. His bare feet dashed upon thick rugs that covered the cold flagstones. The candles that burned in the braziers escorted his way through the castle towards her - the only woman that he had ever set eyes on during his short life before he had been taken away from his home. Every time that he reached her door he would pull on the handle with all of his might, but his young self was too small and weightless to open it. The dream always ended in him clawing at the wooden door as tears sailed down his cheeks.

'Get out!' He pulled the covers up over his head, hiding from the hazy apparition of the woman who stood unwelcome at the end of his bed.

'Don't you think that we should have a little talk, you and I?' she called in a melodious voice.

He rolled his eyes from under the sheets. She was forever patronising him, reminding him how small and insignificant he was compared to her. How powerless he was.

'There is nothing to talk about,' he snapped.

She laughed throatily and the sound echoed eerily around the tower room. The chill was biting at his toes and his fingertips as they pinned the covers to him. He heard a swift movement and yelled as the sheets flew from him and the cold air swathed his naked body. He sat bolt upright and saw that the sheet beneath him was marred by a deep red stain.

'I think that this is something to talk about, sweet one,' she spat, struggling to keep calm.

He checked the side of his torso, twisting his body and feeling the aches of his misadventures. The arrow wound was growing faint from her healing. She must have been there a while.

'I was shot with an arrow,' he answered sourly inspecting the tender skin.

She approached the bed, and he regretted his sharpness. Every step she took towards him stirred within him a queasiness that he could not suppress.

'I healed you, love, don't you want to thank me?' she asked bitterly before roughly pushing his hair from his face.

'The day I thank you will be the day that I die,' he retaliated, staring straight into her black eyes.

She grabbed his scalp with her sharp, purple nails and knotted her way into his curly, dark-blonde hair. She pulled his face up to meet hers.

'My little beast isfeisty this morning. Clearly his late night jaunt has done little to crush his energy.' She laughed frenziedly in his face.

Although many thought her to be a beauty, she was the ugliest thing that he had ever seen. Her brown hair fell in thick ringlets to her backside like the tendrils of a malevolent sea creature, and her eyes shone like the blackest, onyx stones, set into her white face like a shark's following the scent of blood; penetrating, lusting and dangerous. Her shiny red, plump lips set against her pale skin were less seductive and more like that of a fresh wound. Her smile was never sincere, but always maniacal.

'Sweet one, I forbade you from leaving the tower. You adore disobeying me, don't you? I should have known this day would come.'

She kissed him hard on the mouth. Her nails clawed dominantly at the back of his neck. He gagged at the wetness and pushed her away frantically as though her saliva was poison. She let go of him and sashayed around the room, reviewing the smashed wash basin and jug while he wiped his mouth on his arm. With a swipe of her hand the objects repaired themselves and were returned to their rightful places.

'Rosa!' the woman called sharply.

Don't come up here, Rosa, please.

'Yes, my lady?' Rosa was ashen-faced in the morning light. Her beautiful eyes were attached to the stone floor in fear. The sorceress grabbed her wrist and led her to his restraints, all of which had been broken in his rage the previous night.

'Rosa, dear, I thought that we had an agreement?' she whispered, bending down slightly to meet Rosa nose to nose. The girl nodded fearfully.

'What were you supposed to do, in light of an event like this?' the woman taunted.

'Call your name, my lady.'

'Yet you did not. Rosa, I cannot have my servants disobeying me, you understand?' The woman raised her hand.

'Don't hurt her,' he shouted from the bed, 'It was my wrongdoing, not hers.'

The sorceress laughed, tossing her head back in delight before swiping her hand through the air, magically locking the girl into the chains. Rosa looked from the chains clasped around her wrists to the wall that they were attached to in pure shock, before slowly meeting his eyes in fear.

'I leave you now, sweet one.'

The sorceress strode out onto the balcony before turning to blow a kiss at the terrified pair.

'Enjoy your meal.'