X Marks the Faerie
Chapter Ten: The Blood Of A Mortal
"She's worth that much to you?" Udekaine asked for the hundreth time since we left the Faerie King. I sighed and stopped walking.
"Udekaine. I love Kysha. I'm not going to just abandon my love for her. They took her wings away for loving someone the first time. I came here to help her find her wings, and that's what I'm going to do. If I have to prove myself to her brother then I will. Nothing will stop the way I feel about her."
The Gryphon was silent for a while and then let out an uneasy breath. "Gaylen. I think you're rushing into this a bit to early. The Goblin king is strong, and you need to train before you get to him."
I didn't want to listen to all this. I didn't need anyone to tell me what to do, or how to do something. "I don't care. I'm going to prove my love to Kysha." I told him again. There was no way he could talk me out of this one. Then Udekaine stopped and stood still. I turned to face him. "If you don't want to-" He cut me off. "Quiet boy. We're being followed." He said in a short whisper. I looked around me. I didn't see anything, but then again, I'm sure Gryphons had incredible hearing.
A growl escaped Udekaine's throat as he lashed out at the followers. But it was of no use. A net was thrown over Udekaine and he reared up in a roar. The net seemed to burn him. A heavy steam started rising from the net and with a large thud, Udekain hit the ground unconscious. I clenched my teeth. The attackers showed themselves. I flinched from the sight. Two of the ugliest women I had ever seen. "Who are you?" I called to them, trying to sound like I wasn't frightened.
They erupted in laughter. Their laughing made me cringe even more. I knew that their voice would probably give me the same effect. "We are the Crimson sisters, and we are the witches of these woods. You trespass through our land on a journey for love." One of the sisters said. "That is right hag, but why do you wish to harm me and my friend?"
They looked at one another and laughed again. I rolled my eyes. The fear I had, vanished. I couldn't take them seriously if they were going to laugh the entire time. I sighed heavily and they stopped laughing.
One of the them stepped forward towards me. "Dear boy, have you not heard of us?" She chuckled slightly. I shook my head. "I haven't heard of you because I'm not from this realm. If you knew about my journey for love then you would have known that I'm not from here. Therefore, you're the ones that look like idiots." I said to them crossing my arms.
They weren't laughing now. The uglier one stepped towards me now. "You dare insult us on our own land?" I didn't respond. She grabbed my arm and yanked. I flew forward. I fell in the dirt and she glowered over me. "You will pay for it boy." Then the darkness overtook me.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I was starting to come to and I felt incredibly weak. To top it off, those hags had bound me to a chair outside of a crummy looking cottage. I closed my eyes. Maybe this was all a crazy dream. My mom told me I read way too many books and that I'm going to lose touch with reality. I guess she was right. This was all a dream. I'm going to wake up at any minute now. I just sat there with my eyes shut, trying to think of home like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz.
A sharp pain sliced into the skin around my bicep. I cried out in pain. Nope. Definitely not a dream. I looked at my arm, blood was trickling from my arm like a broken water fountain. I looked up at the nasty old woman who had cut me. She was grinning at me in such a creepy way, I felt my own face hurt.
"What....do you want from me?" I weakly said.
"Oh, just your blood and bones, my dear." She started cackling.
"Blood and bones? Why can't you get that from a different wandering boy? Heck, if you let me go, I'll recommend people visit you, you'll have more young boys than you can shake a stick at." I tried to bargain.
"What a cunning lad you are and such an enticing offer you give." She teased.
"But we're afraid you're all we need." The other uglier hag spoke up.
"What luck has been bestowed upon us, that a traveler from the outside world be in our very own forest. With your blood, we shall open the portal to your world, and with your bones we shall regain our beauty once more, which is what gives you power in your world. With beauty, we can get around much easier and lure many delectable morsels to us." The ugliest one said.
"Oh....is that all? There's a cave somewhere back on the road I came from you can take to get to my world and for beauty, make up nowadays does wonders." I was getting desperate now.
They just cackled at me and began mixing strange objects and liquids with my blood. I was really wishing this was like one of my books because right about now, I would be rescued. I looked bleakly into the trees rather than watching their weird ritual. Something shimmered in the trees.
I squinted. I could barely make out two figures hiding behind some bushes. I hope those were my saviors, and if so, would that make me a damsel in distress? I laughed at the absurdity.
"Udekaine. I love Kysha. I'm not going to just abandon my love for her. They took her wings away for loving someone the first time. I came here to help her find her wings, and that's what I'm going to do. If I have to prove myself to her brother then I will. Nothing will stop the way I feel about her."
The Gryphon was silent for a while and then let out an uneasy breath. "Gaylen. I think you're rushing into this a bit to early. The Goblin king is strong, and you need to train before you get to him."
I didn't want to listen to all this. I didn't need anyone to tell me what to do, or how to do something. "I don't care. I'm going to prove my love to Kysha." I told him again. There was no way he could talk me out of this one. Then Udekaine stopped and stood still. I turned to face him. "If you don't want to-" He cut me off. "Quiet boy. We're being followed." He said in a short whisper. I looked around me. I didn't see anything, but then again, I'm sure Gryphons had incredible hearing.
A growl escaped Udekaine's throat as he lashed out at the followers. But it was of no use. A net was thrown over Udekaine and he reared up in a roar. The net seemed to burn him. A heavy steam started rising from the net and with a large thud, Udekain hit the ground unconscious. I clenched my teeth. The attackers showed themselves. I flinched from the sight. Two of the ugliest women I had ever seen. "Who are you?" I called to them, trying to sound like I wasn't frightened.
They erupted in laughter. Their laughing made me cringe even more. I knew that their voice would probably give me the same effect. "We are the Crimson sisters, and we are the witches of these woods. You trespass through our land on a journey for love." One of the sisters said. "That is right hag, but why do you wish to harm me and my friend?"
They looked at one another and laughed again. I rolled my eyes. The fear I had, vanished. I couldn't take them seriously if they were going to laugh the entire time. I sighed heavily and they stopped laughing.
One of the them stepped forward towards me. "Dear boy, have you not heard of us?" She chuckled slightly. I shook my head. "I haven't heard of you because I'm not from this realm. If you knew about my journey for love then you would have known that I'm not from here. Therefore, you're the ones that look like idiots." I said to them crossing my arms.
They weren't laughing now. The uglier one stepped towards me now. "You dare insult us on our own land?" I didn't respond. She grabbed my arm and yanked. I flew forward. I fell in the dirt and she glowered over me. "You will pay for it boy." Then the darkness overtook me.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I was starting to come to and I felt incredibly weak. To top it off, those hags had bound me to a chair outside of a crummy looking cottage. I closed my eyes. Maybe this was all a crazy dream. My mom told me I read way too many books and that I'm going to lose touch with reality. I guess she was right. This was all a dream. I'm going to wake up at any minute now. I just sat there with my eyes shut, trying to think of home like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz.
A sharp pain sliced into the skin around my bicep. I cried out in pain. Nope. Definitely not a dream. I looked at my arm, blood was trickling from my arm like a broken water fountain. I looked up at the nasty old woman who had cut me. She was grinning at me in such a creepy way, I felt my own face hurt.
"What....do you want from me?" I weakly said.
"Oh, just your blood and bones, my dear." She started cackling.
"Blood and bones? Why can't you get that from a different wandering boy? Heck, if you let me go, I'll recommend people visit you, you'll have more young boys than you can shake a stick at." I tried to bargain.
"What a cunning lad you are and such an enticing offer you give." She teased.
"But we're afraid you're all we need." The other uglier hag spoke up.
"What luck has been bestowed upon us, that a traveler from the outside world be in our very own forest. With your blood, we shall open the portal to your world, and with your bones we shall regain our beauty once more, which is what gives you power in your world. With beauty, we can get around much easier and lure many delectable morsels to us." The ugliest one said.
"Oh....is that all? There's a cave somewhere back on the road I came from you can take to get to my world and for beauty, make up nowadays does wonders." I was getting desperate now.
They just cackled at me and began mixing strange objects and liquids with my blood. I was really wishing this was like one of my books because right about now, I would be rescued. I looked bleakly into the trees rather than watching their weird ritual. Something shimmered in the trees.
I squinted. I could barely make out two figures hiding behind some bushes. I hope those were my saviors, and if so, would that make me a damsel in distress? I laughed at the absurdity.