Disenchanted (10 page)

***

"Son of a bitch!"

Syra
caught her foot in a rabbit warren and landed face down in the dirt, biting her
tongue. A bird cawed, sounding like mocking laughter. She pushed her cloak out
of her eyes and tried to stand. She trampled her long black satin skirt and
face planted again. The bird laughed. She sat up, hitched her skirt above her
knee high boots and rose, brushing twigs from her crimson corset and picking
leaves from her raven hair. She turned around, coming face to face with a crow.
It cawed sharply, flapping its wings.

"Were you laughing at
me?"

"You tripped and fell on
your face. Only those without souls wouldn't have laughed."

"You can talk?"

"You have no trouble
accepting the concept of a talking lake but a talking crow is weird?"

"We're only allowed to leave
the castle every other weekend, must be back before dark and go only to town.
Which is in the opposite direction. Talking crows aren't part of the
entertainment."

"Yet you're prowling the
woods, bribing lakes and killing Revenants."

"My therapist thought I
needed a hobby. I'm not the scrapbooking type. I've spent my life training for
the day I leave the castle."

"They'll kill you if they
catch you."

"Then I'll make sure they
don't catch me. My friend's missing."

"He's worth risking your
life for?"

"If you're not prepared to
die for your friends, you don't deserve them."

"Would
he
die for
you
?"

Yesterday she would've answered 'yes'
without hesitation. Tonight…"Have you seen him? Tall, slim but muscular,
dark spiked hair, purple eyes, wearing black. He has a raven tattoo on his
back."

The crow cocked his head.
"Return to the castle."

"You've seen him haven't
you?" She circled the tree as he hopped to a different branch.

"If they find you, they'll
kill you and mount your head on a spike to welcome visitors."

"Beats a welcome mat. Where
is he?"

"If you continue on this
quest, be prepared for answers you don't want."

"Where
is
he?"

"Queen
Tyrannos
has him."

She stopped. "The Snow
Queen?"

"Her horse dragged him to
her palace. It's her captive's first test. If they survive, she deems them
worthy enough to become her consort."

"You mean her sex
slave." He cocked his head again. "Did he survive?"

The crow cawed and shook his
feathers. "Yes."

"Shit! I mean, good. I have
to rescue him!"

"You've already lost
him."

"We're soul mates."

"The male of the species
appreciates two things - sex and beauty. However if sex is on offer, he'll
overlook a woman's physical flaws. Not only is Queen
Tyrannos
the most beautiful woman in
Demetar
, she'll drop her
dress for any man she wants. What do you
possibly
have to entice him back?"

"A lifetime of friendship, a
fantastic sense of humour and I kick his arse in fighting. We have fun. Failing
that, I'll threaten to sell his autographed photo of The Power Rangers. He has
such a man crush on Jason it's embarrassing."

"That counts for nothing if
a pretty girl flashes him her sacred secret."

"I sincerely doubt he'd
photograph some girl's secret garden, keep it in a frame by his bed and kiss it
goodnight. I won't let him rot in some dungeon while some skanky whore abuses
him."

"What makes you think he
wants to be rescued?"

"
Ythan
would never go to her willingly. I won't let her rape him!"

"Queen
Tyrannos
has bewitched him. His life, his memories are gone."

"Which way to her
palace?"

He extended his wing then cawed
and flew away. Rage drove
Syra
on. How could
Ythan
fall under Queen
Tyrannos
'
spell? He
knew
what a monster she
was. He
knew
how much
Syra
hated women like her yet he allowed himself to be
captivated by her. She hated the thought that he was just like every other guy.
When she reached the Snow Queen's palace, she wouldn't hug
Ythan
,
she'd kick him in the balls.

Rustling. She stopped. She was on
a narrow path, flanked by jagged black mountains shaped like gruesome
creatures. Goblin's Pass. She swore. She hadn't been paying attention and it
was too late to retreat. Unsheathing her sword, she crept along, every sense
alert. Goblin's Pass was known amongst the Warriors as Suicide Pass.

Many Warriors had taken this
path, determined to claim the glory of crossing it.

Nobody had returned.

Their names were crudely carved into
a wooden plaque hanging inside the castle door. The plaque was almost full.
Reaching into her bag, she retrieved her flail. She let the weapon dangle by
her side, hoping the chain didn't attract their attention.

Voices. She flattened herself
against the mountain, holding her breath. They were above her. Stones cascaded,
one striking her head. She bit her lip, blood trickling under her hairline.

Something sniffed loudly. Then
she overheard a furious discussion but only understood one word - blood.

She whirled around and backed
away. Two goblins peered down at her.

"We've found dinner,"
one said.

"I wouldn't be very
satisfying - I'm all bone and muscle."

"I like bones."

"I like muscles," the
second one said.

"Well I like goblin
pie," she retorted.

"No such thing."

"I ate it last night with
vegetables and a goblet of wine."

"Nobody's eaten a goblin and
survived. We regenerate then play havoc with your insides."

They leapt from the path, landing
either side of her. She wasn't being killed by creatures half her size. She
raised her sword. The one to her left imitated her. The other one held an axe.

"You Warriors have a strange
way of greeting folk," the axe-brandishing goblin said. "Very
violent."

The swords clashed. She back
kicked the one with the axe, spun away and struck the sword-wielding one with
the flail. It bounced off his head.

"That's not very
polite!" He rubbed his head.

She blocked his attack then swept
his legs from under him. He landed on his feet. The axe
swooshed
towards her. She twisted and blocked it. She twirled the flail and it wound
around the axe haft. She yanked it out of the goblin's grasp then whacked the
other goblin on the head with it.

While he was dazed, she knocked
his sword out of his hand and caught it.

"Surrender or die."

"Goblins don't
surrender," the one who lost the axe said. "They summon backup."

He whistled. The mountain shook
as hundreds of goblins emerged from their hiding places, chattering excitedly
about the mortal and making rock cakes.

"Aw crap."

"Seize her!" The Goblin
Master commanded.

They obeyed. She dropped their
weapons. The Goblin Master marched over, his armour clanking. He snatched her
bag and rifled through it, taking her money, food and daggers.

"I'm Inga, the Goblin
Master. What's your business here?"

"I'm passing through."

"Nobody passes through
Goblin's Pass."

"Then the name's false
advertising."

"We chose it because it
sounds mysterious and dangerous. I wanted Only the Cave. I was outvoted. What
brings you here?"

"I'm going to the Snow
Queen's palace."

The goblins laughed. It sounded
like tumbling boulders.

"You really want to die,
don't you, mortal?"

"Not until I've completed my
Power Rangers sticker book. I'm going to kill her."

They stopped laughing.

"You don't look like a
traitor."

"I'm an upgrade for the new
season, with extra accessories. She has my friend,
Ythan
."
She described him.

"He was dragged this way,
like a tin can on a wedding car. His soul is lost."

"I'll check Lost and Found
after I've rescued him."

He looked her up and down.
"You wear the Warrior's cloak. So you're a traitor and a deserter?"

"Ok, now list my good
points. Do you know the way to the palace?"

He stared at her for so long she
thought he'd fallen into a trance.

"Any enemy of the Snow Queen
is a friend of the goblins. She entranced the angels to attack us and steal our
kingdom."

"Angels can be entranced? I
thought they were neutered."

"They will be when we
reclaim our kingdom. We were carrying a magic mirror up to the angels to
destroy them. It fell and shattered. Any shard that enters a human will turn
their soul to ice. One must've entered your friend. You have my sincere
apologies."

He relinquished her daggers and
food then whistled.
Syra
heard wings then stumbled
when a gust of wind hit her. A dragon with iridescent black scales landed on
the path. "
Talgorrah
knows the way.
Congratulations on being the first Warrior to survive Goblin's Pass. Every time
we greet a Warrior, they fall to their deaths. Perhaps our welcome is too
enthusiastic, but we rarely have visitors. They shouldn't let clumsy people
become Warriors. Perhaps we should put up signs, warning them to stay away from
the edge." He vanished into a cave and returned with a cloth parcel.
"You'll know when to use this."

"Thank you!" She hugged
him then leapt onto the dragon's back. "How do I save
Ythan's
soul?"

"You have to melt his
heart."

***

Tyrannos
smiled seductively as she sashayed across the room, unfastening her bodice.
Ythan
lay on the ice bed, his injuries healed by her witch.
Her dress fell to the floor, revealing a silver corset and knickers. He licked
his lips as she climbed onto the bed and crawled towards him. She straddled
him, kissing him. He responded eagerly.

"You're mine," she
whispered, ripping off his top. She kissed his chest while he squirmed.

Something pricked his memory but
the moment
Tyrannos
unhooked her corset, he forgot it
as he cupped her breasts and kissed them. She laughed and stroked his hair.

"I can make you do whatever
I want."

***

Wind whipped
Syra's
tangled hair around her face, stinging her eyes and tugging her clothes. She
shielded her face in
Talgorrah's
neck.
Demetar
looked miniscule. She clung on, terrified she'd
fall to her bloody death, wondering if she'd feel the moment her broken body
collided with the earth.

She admired the dragon's raven
scales. Sometimes they appeared purple, other times blue, sometimes green.
Sometimes all of them.
Talgorrah
tipped sideways,
soaring above a lustrous lake. The beautiful calm water was a facade. Everyone
who swam in Demon's Creek drowned. Every now and again a body floated to the
surface, its eyes and tongue missing.

She averted her eyes and
concentrated on finding the Snow Queen's palace.
Talgorrah
swooped, landing in the middle of standing stones. He roared, a fireball
erupting before disintegrating.
Syra
slid off his
back and kissed his nose.
Talgorrah
nodded then
flicked his tail, his massive wings beating the air as he departed. Scorched
into the ground were symbols with words beside them. Identical symbols were
carved into the stones.

"You've given me a
map."

A bottle labelled Dragon's Breath
lay beside the map. She slipped it into her bag. She'd repay the goblins if she
ever returned alive. She worked her way around the circle, deciphering the
code. She examined the landscape then stepped out of the circle. A fireball
struck the ground, devouring the map key until all that remained were ashes
that scattered in the wind.

She headed north, pulling her
cloak around her and tugging gloves on. The snow reached her knees, making each
step laborious. She wished
Talgorrah
was here to melt
it. After an hour, she stopped for some food. She shivered as she ate, her lips
freezing when she drank. Ice shards floated in her flask. She rubbed her arms.
At this rate she'd die of hypothermia. That wasn't a Warrior's death. No-one
got a name plaque for that.

She could barely feel her hands
and feet. Ice clung to her hair. Mournful moans resonated off the mountain.
Ghostly shapes rose from the snow, swirling around her. Their icicle fangs
glinted as they nipped her flesh. She fumbled for her sword, but their bitter
breaths turned it to ice. Their red eyes glowing, they pounced, their fangs and
talons piercing her skin. Her dagger passed through them, a coating of ice
smothering the blade. She reached into her bag for the Dragon's Breath. It
slipped from her numb fingers. The cork popped out. A fireball engulfed the
ghosts and they evaporated, their screams echoing off the mountains.

She fell to her knees, her
weakened body begging for a suicidal surrender. She picked up the bottle, put
the cork on and dropped it in her bag. Through the blizzard, she saw the Ice
Palace. It resembled a
fairytale
castle. She
staggered to her feet, frostbite needling her arms. Two guards flanked the door.
She ducked back then snatched up her daggers. Her frozen fingers refused to
work. She blew on them before sneaking back. She threw a stone at the door.
When one guard turned around, she leapt on his back and stabbed a dagger
through his eye before slitting the other one's throat. Their blood seeped
across the snow like spilled rubies.