Chapter Nine: All Problems No Solutions
1434 Words
Several nights passed as we continue our journey to the southern realm. I am starving. We hadn't passed a village in days. Poor Eric was starting to look delicious, but I made a promise and I was trying to keep it.
After four days of not feeding, I was weak. but by some miracle we came upon a small farmhouse. I ran into the barn and tried drinking from one of the cows. Which ended up coming right back up.
Those damn witches were specific with the whole human blood part. I let out a sigh and went to meet Eric inside where the farmer and his wife welcomed us.
I looked at Eric gave him a sheepish grin and said, “I am so sorry about this.”
I moved faster than anyone could blink over to the farmer and his wife. I grabbed him, my teeth instantly on his throat, and within seconds he was bone dry.
His poor wife didn't even have time to react before she too was an empty husk on the floor. I let out a moan and licked my lips.
“Oh, I needed that so bad. I was starving.” I look at Eric and felt bad.
“You just, you just, you ate them, Lilly! What the hell?” He says stumbling over his words.
I let out a sigh, “Well I can't help it. Either I eat a few random strangers or I end up eating you. Take your pick.”
He walked away and went into one of the bedrooms. Then it happened. Eric let out a painful moan from the bedroom. I ran upstairs to see what was happening.
He is on the ground, his two legs now combined to form a fin. “What happened?” I ask kneeling next to him.
“I don't know, I didn't get wet. They just changed.” He says trying to sit up as comfortably as he can.
I go to the window and look outside; the rain has started to fall. I look at Eric.
“Oh no. I think there is more to your curse than you thought. It's raining outside. Your curse is controlled not just by getting wet, but by the rain as well.” I let out a sigh.
“Well this stinks. We can't go anywhere with you like that.” I say crossing my arms and sitting down.
He gives me an apologetic grin. “Sorry, can't help it. Kind of how you couldn't help draining innocent people.”
I roll my eyes...
Two weeks pass us by...
Finally, Eric is back to normal. We can leave and continue heading to the Southern Realm.
The journey takes at least six months by horseback and I begin to wish there was a quicker way. Which sadly, there isn't.
As if things weren't bad enough, I began to get the feeling we are being followed. I knew that there were bandits and animals in the woods, but it wasn't that.
It didn't take me long to figure it out. It seemed the witches were not okay with me meeting up with the other Princesses so they sent an old friend.
Eric and I had stopped for the day in a heavily wooded area. He built me a tent so I could hide from the sun. As I lay there trying to sleep, I hear twigs breaking.
I go to the tent entrance and whisper, “Eric, someone is coming.”
He gets up and looks around. As he stands there scanning the area an arrow flies out of the distance and hits him in the shoulder.
He groans and falls to his knees. I see him take a deep breath and then pull the arrow out. The wound begins to bleed, and my senses begin to tingle.
It takes all I have to fight the urge to drink from his shoulder. “Eric stay low and be quiet. The sun is almost down. As soon as it's dark I will deal with our visitor.”
Sunset is minutes away and I pray that whomever it is doesn't continue the attack. Sadly, my prayer goes unanswered. Another arrow is shot, this one ripping a hole in my tent.
I back away from the stream of light that has entered. I drop to my knees as I hear another arrow whistle past me ripping another hole in the tent.
Whomever it is already knows I can't be in the sun, and seven arrows later the tent is full of holes. The sun streaming in from all directions. I whimper as I try and hide from the light.
Eric is trying his hardest to help using his cloak to hide my body. I hear the crunching of leaves. He is close. So close I can hear him breathing. I whispered to Eric, “He is here, right outside the tent.”
We can see his shadow on the tent. I wait patiently as the light from the sun is slowly going away. As the tent flap opened the sun finally went down. I moved swiftly, grabbing whomever it was by the throat.
When I saw who it was, I let go. “Hunter?” I asked.
He pulled a knife out and went to stab me, but my curse had made me faster than a human. I grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.
“What the hell Hunter? Haven't we done this already?” I ask.
He struggles under my hold, tears in his eyes, “I'm sorry my lady. I can't help it. The witches… they’re making me. They've put a spell on me. I will continue to hunt you until one of us is dead.” He says through gritted teeth.
I hold him tighter making it harder for him to move, “I'm sorry if I'm hurting you. Tell me what you know Hunter. Please.”
He nods his body still trying to fight because of the spell. “My Princess, the witches don't want you getting to Brena. If you align yourself with the other princesses you all have a better chance of breaking your curses. If you manage to find your true loves, your curses become gifts.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“You are what they call a vampire my Princess. If you find Florian, you will be able to keep your powers. The strength, the speed, the sense, and the immortality. The only thing that will change is you will be able to live on food and blood. Even animal blood. You will no longer have to hunt humans. But...” He begins to say and then hesitates.
“But what Hunter, tell me.” I tighten my grip as he begins to struggle more the witches spell taking him over more.
“If you fail, on your twenty-third birthday, you will lose all control over yourself. You will kill and drain whomever you come across. A mindless blood lustful being.” He says, trying to pull himself away.
“I understand. I'm sorry about this Hunter.” I say before slamming my head onto his knocking him out.
I drag him to the closest tree and tie him up as tight as I can. I look at Eric. “We need to go now before he wakes up.”
Eric nods and we pack our things, get on our horses, and get out of there as quick as our horses can go.
“I'm surprised at you.” Eric says when we finally slow down.
“Why are you surprised?” I ask giving him a quick look.
“Well, you didn't drain him dry like you normally would.” He says with a smirk.
I shake my head. “You don't know my history with him. Do you?”
He laughs, “Of course not. It's not like we swap princess stories.”
I laugh, “Well to make a long story short my jealous stepmother tried to have him rip my heart out. Instead, he let me go. I was returning the favor.”
Eric nods, “That's crazy.”
“Oh, you have no idea. This new life has been full of irony. I swear I feel like fate is deliberately messing with me.” I say with a quiet laugh.
He laughs and then we grow quiet. We got to another town and I binged on blood. I was thirsty. More importantly, my mind was on something else as I fed.
My Florian...
- Writer
