The Nightshade Prince

Into The Mind Of Madness

The horses hooves pounded the frozen earth, kicking up mud and brittle leaves as Tassia and Reva headed through the black forest. Dispite her stubborn nature Reva had followed Tassias pursuit and saddled her new horse in bitter silence as they made headway through the blackened forest. The stable master who they had bought their horses off had eyed them cautiously when he had seen the glint of the pale silver of the blade that hung at her hip. Tassia knew that that he was questioning why two women would carry a weapon so openly and so defiantly but he did not interrogate them. He meerly took the silver they offered him greedily and handed them the reigns to their new horses.

The twilight chill whipped the cloaks of the two hooded riders as they rode solemnly and silently through the black forest. Ahead of them the mountain tops pierced through the rolling mist like jagged teeth. The horses slowed to a trot and Tassia watched the onset of the fading sun drifting behind the the snow capped mountains, a vision painted by the hand of a nature herself, a murial of burnt oranges and translucent pinks fading into a violet ombre of the oncoming night. And despite the negative emotions haunting her Tassia thought it beautiful and for a moment a peacefulness set over her and she was lost against the lulling beauty of tranquility.

Peace. What was peace? She hadn't known peace in so long. Her heart had been primed for bitterness and revenge since the day she watched her father slaughtered by the hand of the silver prince. He had taken everything from her and she vowed that she would do the same. Only she would destroy him and all that his infection had brought upon them.

"why so quite?" Tassia was awoken by the sound of Revas voice. She turned her cloaked head to look at the rider next to her and a sigh escaped her.

"Thinking." was all she replied. She swayed in the saddle atop her horse watching as the sun sunk deeper behind the mountain peaks. "The night creatures will soon awake if we don't break the clearing before dark."

"And what is your plan? To ride right up to the silver haired prince's castle and walk right in?" Reva snorted. "forgive me Tassia but you must have a death wish."

Maybe she did.

Tassia bit her tongue. "what matters is that that bastard dies" Tassia finally answered her voice low.

"so you keep saying." Reva answered. "but wirh no strategy Tassia this whole thing is madness. You will not escape with your life."

And then she heard the sound of Reva spurring her horse infront of her before blocking her way with her mount. Their eyes met and Tassia could see the pain in her friends eyes then as she spoke.

" you don't want want to come back do you? " she whispered. Reva's horse whinnied and kicked at the mud as if anxious about the confrontation but Tassia knew that was not the case. The sun was setting rappidly and soon the undisturbed peace the day brought would be broken and stained by the foulness of the night creatures. Tassia raised her head to look upon the darkening sky. The shadow of the moon was already rising.

Soon she thought.

"Answer me!" Reva snarled finding it hard to keep hold of her horse who was beginning to sense danger.

"Now is not the time for such talk!" Tassia replied her tone monotonous. After all, what did it matter if she lived or died as long as the devil was slain.

"now is the perfect time!" Reva hissed. "I thought you mad Tassie but not this mad. To willingly want to die just to end the Nightshade prince's reign? Are you so empty that life eludes you? For God's sake killing him is nevee going to bring your father back from the dead!"

Rage infiltrated her veins then at Reva's words.

" hold you're tongue! " Tassia hissed." you know nothing of my suffering. It is up to me what I decide to do. And if I walk into those halls to my doom then so be it. But I will not die in vain. As long as he is brought to his knees wirh my sword buried deep into his chest then I can die a peaceful death. I do need you to tell me how I should go about my business."

" you have lost your mind!" Reva whispered exasperated."I should never have fed into your delusions. I should have stopped you." the sound of steele cutbtbrough the air then as Tassia stared down the edge of her sword that was pointing at Reva. Her face was dark, as if the shadows in her heart had crossed her features.

"Try Reva and I will not hesitate to cut you down."

They were engulfed in darkness now.

Reva stared at Tassia. Her face sharp. "I will not watch you do this." she whispered.

"Then go!" Tassia raged. "go and run back to that stinking hovel we just came from and hide. Hide from the creatures that are no doubt hunting us this very second. Go and leave me to my madness. I don't.."

But she never got a chance to finish her sentence for something heavy and hard hit her from out of her saddle knocking her to the ground with so much force that her eyes darkneed.

........

Someone was screaming her name. A voice. It sounded so close yet so far as if she was lost in a dream. Her head throbbed and the warm, wet sensation dripping down her forehead made it clear that she was bleeding. And quite alot.

Her vision had become distorted, blurred as if a film had Veiled her eyesight hindering her from seeing the world clearly around her. But even through the distortion and the thick hearing the world suddenly seemed to force its way into focus and Tassia was faced with the destruction around her.

It had began to rain. And the mud around her fallen body had began to sink around her hands and feet. She lay on her stomach in pain desperatley gripping at the mud willing her vision to restore as she heard the screams around her.

Grunting Tassia rolled onto her back, her mass of red hair clinging to her face black with mud. And then she saw where the screams were coming from.

A great giant thing in armour was dragging Reva through the mud by her hair, kicking and screaming. As her vision cleared Tassias eyes focused on her friend and her heart filler with rage and fear all at once.

"Reva!" she screamed frolicking in the mud her hands abscent mindedly searched for her blade. The feel of cold steele tracing her muddied fingertips drove her to clutch at its hilt and screaming she threw herself to her feet ignoring the seering pain In her head and lunged towards the giant armour.

"let her go!" she screamed. Sword winging in the air as she ran towards to creature, cold wet mud splattering her booted feet as she ran.

"Tassia!" Reva cried her hands raised above her head clawing at the giant armours grasp tears falling from her eyes from fright.

As Tassia ran towards the giant armour snarls emerged from the black forest, great beasts with red eyes and sharp teeth fur as black as the night around them but shone as slick as tarr. A great beast lunged at Tassia and she screamed swinging her sword wildly as its great foul body impaled itself on its blade with a sickening crunch. It's death howl was mournful and pityful and with a racing heart she watched as the red eyes extinguished all signs of life.

An angered growl pierced the air then and as Tassia turned her head she was met wirh the cold, hard steele of metal smashing against her head. The last thing she remembered was the hot steam that eminated from the giant armours helm, the deep gutteral breathing and the she screaming to Reva to run as she was thrown across the creatures giant shoulders before it all went black.