Forever Fae

3. Alasdair

3

ALASDAIR

- Dark Sorcerer -

(Black Forest)

“The plan has been set in motion, Master.”

The hideous troll kneeling in front of me said the words I wanted to hear. His name was Gothin. After being cast out of his tribe, he came straight to the Black Forest where I found him. I looked down upon him and congratulated him on the good news.

“Good, good. My time for revenge is well under way, so … what news do you have of the ceremony tonight?” I asked, hopeful.

Gothin lifted his head and grinned, showing off his rotten, pointed teeth. “Our people are in place. No one suspects what we have planned.”

Smiling, I walked away from him to peer over at the expanse of land I’d called my home for the past century. This is wonderful news, I thought to myself. Once I had the princess in my grasp, I’d be able to keep the prophecy from coming true. I wished I could just walk right into the Summer Court and take her, but I couldn’t. I had to be patient, and then when the time was right she’d be mine.

For the time being, I was safe in the Black Forest. I was the last dark sorcerer of my time, but I really only existed in my spirit form. When the war happened over a century ago, my family were all slaughtered by the courts while I barely got away unscathed. With my revenge planned and my army secretly building, soon I’d be very close to my goal.

No one dared to enter the forest, but if and when they did, they were either killed or forced to join my army. Either way was fine with me. Inheriting my family’s power had come with many advantages. My army and minions listened to everything I said and they followed my orders. I’d lured numerous creatures here with thoughts of wealth and prosperity, and in return, I had their full loyalty. Most of my army are traitors to their own kind or thieves that had been cast out of their clans. They were greedy, murderous fiends that were going to help me take over the whole realm.

My family came to the Land of the Fae from the mortal realm. When my people used their magic to find other realms, they stumbled upon the Land of the Fae. Once they crossed over, their magic intensified. The natural magic of the land fueled theirs, and with their arrival the courts were alerted to the change. When my people were told to leave, war broke out because my people didn’t comply with the demands. We were told the black magic of our people would corrupt the land. Both courts came at us full force and the fae almost didn’t win. Our power didn’t have enough time to strengthen before they devastated our numbers.

In present time, the courts are unaware of my existence here in the Black Forest. They might be close to figuring it out, but hopefully my plan for vengeance will be well under way before they have the chance to stop me. My power has slowly gained, and the power I absorb is giving me a body. I can obtain my flesh for a short while if I use the special talisman for energy.

When I take my true solid form, it will be the body I was born with. However, I can change my true form to make me look like anyone a person desires, and that one advantage will come in handy when I have the princess here. When I’m in my spirit form, I take my true form’s shape, but I’m not solid. I appear as a ghost, but more corporeal than a ghost. Over time, I will be solid and able to enjoy the temptations of life on my own.

I can take over a fae’s body and enjoy things through them, which I’ve done occasionally, but it takes a lot of power to do it, so I don’t do it that often. I’ve done it several times with my minions to get the inside information myself. As long as they wear the necklaces I gave them, I’d have the power to transfer into them.

I absorb my power through the forest and by a secret way that nobody other than my army knows about. Around my neck I wear a talisman. The gem is a bloodstone that naturally helps to strengthen and lengthen lifespan, and it also helps to steal traces of power from the people in my army as well, so I consider it payment to be able to be a part of my army. The power I steal then gets absorbed into me, making me stronger.

If I were to put the talisman around someone’s neck, it’d absorb their power more quickly and kill them in mere seconds. I do this as punishment to those I captured who won’t pay fealty to me. Once I take the almighty princess, I planned to steal most of her power. The more power I take, the easier it’ll be to persuade her. I don’t want to completely drain her because I want to keep her as my queen. There were no lovely women in the forest, but I’d actually been around the princess and seen her exquisite beauty. I could see the light inside of her that only one of The Four possesses. It would soon become mine, and I’d be one step closer to gaining the power I needed and the body I desired.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I turned around to find Gothin staring at me, expectantly waiting on orders. “Prepare the scrying bowl. I need speak to my informant,” I commanded him. He left immediately and came back just as fast, setting it up for me to use.

“The bowl is ready, Master,” he informed me gruffly before bowing.

“You’re dismissed,” I replied, waving him off.

The scrying bowl allowed me to contact any of my people through a reflective surface. All that was needed was a drop of blood and the true name of the one sought. Using the power of the talisman, I allowed myself to take my solid form. There only needed to be one drop of blood, so I used the knife on the table to slice my finger. The droplet fell into the bowl and I called forth the person I was seeking. Only a moment went by before he appeared in the bowl, looking a little nervous and apprehensive. I could smell the fear and I loved it, I loved that they feared me.

“Good evening, master. What can I do for you?” my minion asked.

I relaxed back in my chair and answered, “I’m just making sure you have all the information I need. I know you have all the inside details of where the princess will be for the next couple of days.”

My informant cleared his throat, definitely nervous, and replied, “I have the information, but remember she won’t be alone during these trips. She’ll have her guardian with her at all times after the ceremony.”

Agitated, I gritted my teeth. Why do these people underestimate my power?

“That won’t be a problem. Just make sure her schedule doesn’t change, and use the gifts I gave to you. Keep the necklace on you at all times. That way I can take your place when I need to see what’s going on. Also, make sure you only use the gem I gave you when you’re ready to take the princess. It’ll only give you the power of invisibility until the magic runs out, so use it wisely.”

The informant bowed his head and was clearly ready to end the conversation. “Yes, Master. I will do as you wish and I will not fail.”

With a wave of my hand, I cleared the scrying bowl. My plan was in motion and it was such a wonderful feeling to know I was about to have the power I sought and the female I’d been waiting to capture. The thought of her sent my blood boiling throughout my body. Having her here with me and in my bed was going to be worth it once I had her power. My body grew hard with an intense longing thinking about how strong her power was going to make me feel. I wished she was here right now to help me with that, but for now, I had something else in mind.

“Gothin, get in here,” I yelled.

He came in and bowed his head. “Yes, Master.”

“How many people did our army capture today?”

Gothin counted them off on his fingers. “Ten, I believe.”

“I need you to bring me one now,” I snapped impatiently. The rush of draining a poor soul of their magic was intoxicating. If I had a permanent body it would feel like a ten hour o****m, but I enjoyed it much the same when I was in spirit form, only it didn’t last as long.

Gothin rushed out of the dwelling and was back in only a few seconds pushing a luscious faerie woman down to my feet. Bending down, I lifted her chin so she’d have to meet my eyes.

“You are a pretty little thing, aren’t you?” I said to her.

She had to be about twenty years old. Her body looked ripe and beautiful, and it was a shame I had to take that away from her. I’d noticed that the power I got from females was so much better than the males. The women had purer hearts, which made their power stronger. I placed the talisman around the fae’s neck and she immediately began to cry and wail. Rolling my eyes, I blew out an angry breath. Why do these women have to be so damn weak?

Grabbing her neck, I forcefully pulled her up off the ground. “All you fae are so pathetic!” I snarled in her face. “I don’t see how you all won the war all those years ago.”

Tired of her wailing, I squeezed her neck until I heard the crunch of her bones shattering. Tossing her to the ground, I waited for the talisman to finish sucking the life force out of her body. It didn’t take long for her body to be drained and disintegrate into a pile of ash.

The bloodstone shone bright red and glowed ominously throughout the room. Excited, I picked it up off the floor and wiped the ashes away from the stone before placing it around my neck. Sitting back, I relished in the feelings of the power coursing through my body, making me stronger. I needed the power of The Four to complete my transformation, and I looked forward to obtaining it with Calista by my side. Her stubbornness was something I would enjoy breaking.