Mazelina

Ever since her father’s death two years earlier, all of Mazelina’s feeling were of the same kind; depression. Her father, King Maverick of Landira, had been the unfortunate victim of a horrendous sword fighting incident, leaving her mother, Queen Laskil, to rule. Mazelina was their only child, but not exactly their dream daughter. She never had an interest in taking over ruling the country of Landira; she preferred just sitting around and not having anything to do with other people. Her medium length plum and silver colored hair always hung in her face, acting as a shield for her. Hiding was easy to do due to her slender figure and height of five-foot-three. Her tight fitting clothing also contributed to easy hiding.1

The stars showed bright in the vast night sky. From her place atop the highest tower of her home, Mazelina could clearly see every constellation known to Landira. Mazelina normally wasn’t allowed to go up to the East Tower, but rules never stopped her before. The East Tower was her favorite place to sit and reflect on everything she was feeling. She drew in a shuddering breath, evidence of her earlier cry-fest.2

From the time that she was ten, Mazelina had been sneaking away to the East Tower. She found the sky was like a strange resemblance of her; so many people in her life that were more important than her. The stars were people in her life, everyone always talked about the stars and how amazing they were. Mazelina was the sky. No one ever talks about the sky, only elements that make up the sky, like the clouds and colors. The sky holds everything together, is how everyone is connected, but never thought about in that way. Its just there.3

Mazelina stood up in the center of the tower and sidled over to the edge to look down into the city. The city she would one day rule. Buildings were ablaze with lights flooding out into the main streets. Although it was nearly midnight, people were still walking around, doing their shopping as if it were midday. Most of anything that was purchased down there was shipped to Landira from Carsci, a trade city on the complete opposite side of the country. Mazelina had heard many tales about Carsci and most of them gave her the impression that the city was extremely filthy and filled with rotten people who only wanted money. It was definitely not a place Mazelina ever wished to visit.4

Suddenly a noise came from beneath the door to the tower, pulling Mazelina away from her thoughts. She stood frozen, awaiting the punishment she was surely about to receive for breaking the rules… again. But nothing happened. No one came through the door and no blinding yellow light illuminated the tower. Perhaps they were summoned away from here, thought Mazelina with a short sigh of relief.5

Hours of undisturbed silence passed where Mazelina just stared out past the city and to the little surrounding suburbs. All the small homes were dark but lightly visible from the glow of the city. The homes looked so peaceful and quiet, how Mazelina wished her mind could be instead of raging with thoughts.6

Finally, the light for the stairway under the tower went out, making the small square door blend in with the rest of the wood paneling. Careful not to make any noise, Mazelina lifted the door and lowered herself onto the highest stone stair. The spiraling stairway was thrown into black darkness.7

The dark didn’t bother Mazelina; she knew every part of the castle like the back of her hand. What did bother her was who she might possibly run into while stalking back to her room. Helping hands were always searching through the many corridors for things left to clean up. Although she had memorized every square inch of the castle, she had not miraculously acquired nocturnal vision. As loud as she dared in the sitting silence, she whispered the simplest spell she could remember for light. When the words left her mouth a dim light grew in the corridor just above her head. Even with the light bobbing over her head, Mazelina could only see about an arm’s length in all directions, but at least she wasn’t wandering around in total darkness.8

Rounding corners and taking shortcuts was Mazelina’s usual route to take, but tonight she was in no hurry to get to her room. There was no one around to make her want to hurry along, no one to make her afraid of getting caught. She just had a very rare gut feeling that everyone had already settled in to their cozy beds without a care in the world.9

“Sneaking around after nighty-night time?” a deep, masculine voice said, startling Mazelina. She spun around and her magic-induced light fell on a tall, slender figure.10

“Savaric! You startled me!” Mazelina whispered urgently. “What do you want?”11

Savaric was one of the royal home’s best helpers. In fact, he was like an annoying brother to Mazelina. His stupid face always popped up whenever she was trying to stay out of trouble (or make it appear that way). She despised everything about the helper, from his ability to do magic better than anyone in the castle to the way his dark curls flopped over his eyes and on to his soft cheekbones. He just seemed all-around too perfect, and it pissed her off to the fullest extent.12

“I was just wondering what the Little Princess was doing out of bed and up in the East Tower.” Savaric answered Mazelina’s question, taking her out of her thoughts.13

“Two things. First, I’m not little; I’m sixteen.” Savaric shrugged his broad shoulders to say this statement didn’t change his thoughts. “And second, have you been spying on me?”14

“I was only doing my job, Little Princess.”15

“Your job does not involve following me around to find out what can be used to get me in trouble.” Mazelina’s distaste for Savaric was boiling quickly and she clenched her fists tightly, the nails cutting into her palms.16

“My job is to help your mother the Queen, and she has sought out my help to watch over you and keep you out of trouble.” Savaric said with an annoyingly smug grin. “Looks like my job will be more difficult than I imagined.”17

Mazelina was on the brink of exploding with anger, but she knew she mustn’t. She mustn’t wake up anyone or they would surely tell her mother that she had been up in the East Tower again. There would be no hope of a peaceful sleep after that.18

She let out a heavy sigh and let her shoulders drop. “What will it take for you to not tell my mother about the East Tower?”19

A toothy grin spread evilly across Savaric’s face, showing his teeth that gleamed with the magic he held. “That’s what I like to hear. What can you offer me?”20

That was a switch. Mazelina hadn’t expected Savaric to turn the tables on her and now she had nowhere to turn. “I… uhh… well uh…”21

“Don’t stress yourself Princess. Let’s just say you owe me one.”22

Whoa. Where had that come from? Mazelina had never known Savaric to just let something go like that. She stared unblinkingly at his back as he walked down the corridor away from her. He had to know something she didn’t, there was no other explanation. But whatever it was, she had a bad feeling it was about her.23

When Mazelina woke the next morning it was to a quiet castle. This was no ordinary day because on an ordinary day the castle would be alive with the folk music and helpers running about, trying to get all their work done. The quiet worried the princess and she bolted out of bed to find her mother and some answers.24

But the Queen was nowhere to be found. Mazelina checked every room, tower, and corridor, but she could not find her mother. Fear gripped her tightly and began to choke her, although there was no pressure on her lungs.25

“The Queen was taken by magical force last night.” Savaric said from the doorway of the empty room Mazelina was currently standing in.26

“Did no one do anything to stop who – or what – ever took her?” There was no emotion in Mazelina’s tone and her monotone voice surprised her.27

“We did all we could.”28

“I have to go find her.” Mazelina turned toward Savaric and the door and pushed past out into the hallway.29

“Just how do you expect to find her?” Savaric asked, following her quick pace down the hall. “You have no idea who these people are or where they came from. Plus they’re extremely powerful, probably able to crush you with any simple spell.”30

Mazelina suddenly stopped, causing Savaric to hurtle into her back. She turned to face him and glared up at his face, a natural reaction to his continual presence.31

“So you’re saying that I would need to know stronger magic? I’ll bring my spell books with me then.”32

“Level three magic won’t ever put a damper on this parade. They use dark magic, much more powerful than even level twenty magic.”33

“Then what do you propose I do? I’m not letting them just take my mother without a fight.”34

“If you’re absolutely sure about this, then I’m coming with you.”35

“Forget it.” Mazelina stormed back down the hall but Savaric caught her wrist in his strong hands before she could get very far.36

“Your mother would have me killed if I let you do this alone, and I’m not about to lose my life because of some brat like you. I’m coming and that’s final.” Mazelina could see a bright blue fire burning behind his fierce eyes. “Go get your gear and we’ll go.”37

He let go of her wrist and a bruise immediately started forming where his hand had been. Savaric’s strength frightened Mazelina, and he hadn’t even been holding her that tight. And what was that fire in his eyes? Could it be possible that he was some kind of magical being and no one had ever told her? She quickly pushed the thought away and focused on the situation in front of her.38

She pushed the door to her room open and quickly shoved her things in a bag that she slung over her shoulder. The sword that her father had given her before he died was hanging on the back of her door by its belt. Mazelina grabbed it and hastily buckled it around her waist. It felt heavy and unfamiliar, the sword in its scabbard lightly bumping her leg as she ran to meet Savaric.39

He was waiting for her right outside the back gates, his pack over his shoulder and sword at his side. Mazelina felt her heart skip a beat, and then became perplexed as to why. It was just Savaric, the annoying helper that she loathed.40

“No protective armor?” Savaric eyed Mazelina skeptically.41

“I don’t have any.” Mazelina admitted in a small voice. “I’ve never had a need for it.” Savaric shook his head slowly and reached into his pack, pulling out a heavy coat, armored pants, and boots that would never fit Mazelina in a thousand years. She slipped the coat and pants on easily over her normal clothes, not even bothering with the shoes, knowing that they would fall off her feet with ever step.42

Ten minutes passed and they were finally on their way. Savaric led the way through the city with Mazelina following behind, perfectly disguised in Savaric’s armor. The only way people would recognize her would be her purple and silver hair, but no one was paying that close attention. They passed through the city in very little time and quickly went through the little suburbs on the outskirts. Beyond the suburbs was nothing but open meadow.43

The journey lasted for hours in silence before Savaric stopped. He stood with his hands on his hips and looked around in the light of sundown. Orange, red, and purple shades of light cast menacing shadows over Savaric’s features and Mazelina thought she saw the faint glint of that blue fire in his eyes again. When she blinked his eyes were back to their normal shade of turquoise; maybe she was just imagining things.44

“This is a good place to stop for the day.” Savaric finally said.45

“Do you even know where we are?”46

A scowl cut across Savaric’s face but faded. “Of course.” He said. “I’m a walking map.”47

Mazelina considered this for a moment, wondering if she should trust him. He had no reason to put her in danger (other than her aggravating nature toward him) so she was content with their resting spot. She sat down on the soft grass of the meadow and instantly felt the pain of a day spent walking in her feet. Her pack was positioned in the grass behind her and served as a makeshift pillow.48

A flower was poking out of the tell reeds and Mazelina gently plucked it, making sure not to bend the stem or crush the petals. It was quite obviously a white daisy, evident by its pure white petals. Mazelina brought the daisy to her nose and inhaled, the sweet aroma filling her head.49

“Are you hungry at all?” Savaric asked from a few feet away. He was holding a hunk of meat out in Mazelina’s direction.50

Rolling onto her stomach and getting up on all fours, she crawled over to where Savaric was seated. He handed her the meat and she took it graciously, having not eaten at all since she woke up.51

“Thank you.” Mazelina said after devouring half of all the meat. She made to hand what was left to Savaric, but he held out his hand to stop her.52

“I’m not hungry. You need it more than I do anyway.”53

Mazelina cautiously took the meat back, wondering why Savaric was acting so strangely. Had he possibly turned over a new leaf? Or was he plotting against her? Maybe it had been him that had kidnapped the Queen, and now he was luring Mazelina out of the city to finish her off as well. The possibility sent an uncomfortable shiver down Mazelina’s spine. She wouldn’t think about that anymore.54

For the rest of the night no words were spoken. The silence was relaxing to Mazelina, letting her mind wander and think freely. She wondered who could have taken her mother, and even more so, how they could have possibly gotten away with it. How exactly had they gotten onto the castle grounds, into the castle, to her mother’s room, and gotten away with it all? And why were the townspeople so calm this morning? Surely they had heard about the break in and kidnapping?55

Her mind became so overwhelmed with thoughts that Mazelina had a difficult time holding the emotions inside. She couldn’t hold it in any longer and she let the hot tears escape her eyes. They rolled straight down from the corners of her eyes and into her hair, dampening the roots to a darker purple. Mazelina tried to stay as quiet as she could, not really wanting to deal with the strange new Savaric, but a loud sob erupted from her mouth that she couldn’t pass off as some strange animal in the distance.56

Hoping that Savaric hadn’t heard her, she turned her head cautiously to the left. Savaric was sitting up in the tall grass, using his hand to support himself and looking toward her through the dark. Mazelina froze, her eyes shut tightly, and prayed that he would think she was asleep. When she opened her eyes again he was standing over her. Mazelina was suddenly confused. Was that… concern in his eyes? Her brow screwed up while he continued to look down at her.57

“Are you okay?” he finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper.58

Mazelina nodded her reply, unable to trust her voice, but when he didn’t move she realized he hadn’t seen her.59

“I’m fine.” She said, and, just as she knew it would, her voice cracked with a shuddering sob. Savaric was kneeling down at her side in an instant and she could see the worry lines on his forehead. His eyes bore into her own. She wondered for a second if he could see into her soul, but she shook the thought away as silly.60

“No, I can’t.” Savaric said softly. Mazelina looked up at him, her eyes crinkling up with confusion.61

“What?”62

“I can’t see into your soul. Of all the things I can do, that is not one of them.”63

“So you can read minds.” Mazelina said, somewhat shamefully.64

“One of my many talents. By the way, I don’t much appreciate those things you think about me. They hurt me sometimes.”65

“Sorry.”66

“You want answers to your questions, to know who took your mother. I regret to say that I cannot provide that kind of information. But trust me, we will find her and everything will be okay. I won’t let you lose another parent.”67

Tears were clouding Mazelina’s vision. She decided it was pointless to hold them in, so she let them flow freely down her face.68

“Hey, don’t cry.” Savaric quietly pleaded. He gathered Mazelina up in a comforting and reassuring hug, surprising her. She could feel his heartbeat under his bare chest, much more rapid than that of a normal person. And the heat radiating off his body made Mazelina feel like she was sitting next to an open fire.69

“Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?”70

“It’s my job, Princess.” Mazelina was too tired to say anything more on the subject and was momentarily content with Savaric’s answer. She remained quiet until she finally drifted into sleep.71

Mazelina awoke the next morning feeling uncomfortably hot and her clothes were soaked through with sweat. Opening her eyes she found that the day before had not been some horrible dream and that she was lying in the meadow next to Savaric. His arm was draped protectively over her and she could feel his hot puffs of breath on her neck.72

She carefully disentangled herself from Savaric. Mazelina took her extra set of clothes from her pack and walked out a good ten feet before stripping down and pulling on her clean clothes. She still reeked horribly of sweat, but it would only get worse before she was able to head home.73

“Good morning Princess.” Savaric yawned as Mazelina came back to their resting place. “Are we ready for another day of travel?”74

Mazelina stayed silent. She was thinking about the past night, how it had completely weirded her out. Although Savaric being nice for once was a comforting change. And he looked very appealing without his shirt. He had just the kind of body Mazelina liked on a guy; faintly visible muscles under smooth skin. Not too muscular and not too scrawny.75

“What was that?”76

Mazelina had forgotten that Savaric could read minds. Had he really just heard what she was thinking about his half-naked state?77

“Nothing.” She said, perhaps a little too quickly, but Savaric went along with it, saying nothing more. They both gathered up their belongings and set out for another long day.78

Around midday Mazelina felt that she could walk no further. The past day’s travels had been absolute torture on her feet and her muscles were being strained with every step forward. Ten feet ahead was the first sign of civilization they had come by since leaving Landira. Large boulders were spread out across the meadow, serving as homes for the people that lived there. It was a strange little town with nothing around but rocks and berry bushes. The grass was old and yellowing from dehydration. At a first glance there seemed to be stone pots and deep fire pits left over from when people had actually inhabited the area, but when a closer look was taken the pots were just broken rocks strewn about and the fire pits were just holes in the ground. The whole place just gave an air of death and dying.79

“What is this place?” Mazelina whispered, forgetting about her sore muscles. Savaric ignored her, keeping his focus on the rocks ahead. She saw a small glint out of the corner of her eye and turned, seeing nothing but more berry bushes.80

“Sav, I don’t trust this place.” Mazelina ran a few paces to catch up with Savaric.81

“Did you just call me ‘Sav’?”82

Mazelina felt her pale cheeks fill quickly with a bright red blush. “No” she denied. “I really don’t trust this place.”83

“There isn’t anything to trust or distrust. It looks like no one has lived here for years. It’s a ghost town.”84

At his words the winds picked up into the makings of a tornado around them. The temperature dropped a good twenty degrees causing Mazelina to shiver from the sudden cold.85

“What’s happening?” Mazelina yelled over the roar of the tornado. Savaric was about to answer when the winds stilled and her question was answered.86

The chilling temperature remained constant and all around the two travelers were hundreds of shady figures. They had no distinct features about them, but they all had a humanesque shape. Combining the three obvious factors, Mazelina came to the realization that they were surrounded by ghosts.87

“Savaric, what do we do?”88

“I’m not sure, but I know they’re hostel. I can hear their thoughts and they all involve killing us in some way.”89

“So how do we get out of here without getting ourselves killed?” Mazelina’s fear was growing considerably and she was about to burst if something didn’t happen.90

“I’m working on it.” The tension mounted while Savaric thought of how to get both him and Mazelina out of the dead town and avoid being killed.91

“I have an idea.” Savaric finally said. “But I’m not exactly sure it will work.”92

“Just try anything!” Mazelina’s fear was so overwhelming that tears were building in her eyes.93

“Okay, grab onto me tightly and concentrate on getting out of here.” She did as Savaric instructed, holding onto him with a viper grip and screwing up her face in concentration. Savaric concentrated hard on getting both him and Mazelina away from the ghosts in one piece by transporting them through midair.94

The ghosts were becoming impatient with the little movement of their prey that they began to slowly inch forward. Soon they would be too impatient to do anything else but charge at the intruders.95

Mazelina’s strength started to wane and her concentration was faltering.96

“Why aren’t we going anywhere?” The ghosts were quickly closing in on them and were now making an ear-splitting screeching noise.97

“You need to concentrate more!” Savaric said through tightly clenched teeth.98

“I’m concentrating as hard as I can!”99

“Will yourself for more strength. Just a little more and we’ll be out of here!”100

Mazelina gathered up every bit of strength that she had and focused it all on getting away from the ghosts. Just as the ghosts were about to close in on Savaric and Mazelina, a powerful wind shuddered through the meadow and a magical fire was suddenly ablaze around them. The heat of the fire was being propelled outward from Savaric, making his usual warm touch one of ice.101

“Brace yourself!” Savaric yelled over the noise. His grip on Mazelina tightened and she felt a sensational feeling of flying through time and space. They were flying up through the sky, above the ghosts, the wind, and the fire. Before she could get too wrapped up in the new winds that engulfed her, they were back on the ground, miles away from the little ghost city. Mazelina tried to push herself up off of the grass but fell on her back with a loud yelp. Pain shot from her left wrist up her am and finally through her whole body.102

“What is it?” Savaric asked, hurriedly crawling across the grass to where Mazelina lay, cradling her wrist.103

“I think its broken.” She strained to say through a tight throat and clenched teeth. She closed her eyes in an effort to stop the tear from rolling down her face. In her darkened world she felt Savaric’s calloused hands lightly prod her wrist and a horrible pain shot through her, causing her to scream.104

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Savaric apologized hastily. “Try to be extremely still and please try not to scream.”105

Mazelina heard the tearing of fabric and cool trickling of water. Then Savaric cautiously lifted her wrist. A scream threatened to bolt from Mazelina, but she caught it at the last second, biting down hard on her lip until she drew blood. Savaric continued to work on her wrist, wrapping the soaked cloth tighter and tighter over the injury until it became stiff. Then she heard another tear and Savaric was lifting her slightly to wrap more cloth around her torso, binding her wrist to her stomach.106

Opening her eyes slightly, Mazelina peeked at Savaric’s handiwork. Her left arm was tightly bound to her torso and her wrist was wrapped thickly in a water-soaked cloth; torn bits of Savaric’s shirt. She looked up to see Savaric watching her closely, perhaps wondering what she would do next.107

“Thank you.” Mazelina said weakly. She steadily got herself up to a sitting position, being very careful not to bump her arm, and shakily got to her feet. The blood rushed to her head and she nearly fell over from lightheadedness, but Savaric was quick to catch her, holding her safely to his chest for just a second longer than was necessary.108

“Thank you.” Mazelina said again with a sheepish grin. Savaric warmly returned the smile and made sure Mazelina wouldn’t fall before letting go of her completely.109

“We should probably start walking again.” Savaric said, clearing his throat rather loudly. He turned his gaze away from Mazelina.110

“Yeah, probably.” She agreed.111

They started walking again, heading north to the complete opposite side of the small country. Once again they journey was accompanied by silence, although Mazelina was desperately searching for something to fill it with. She quickly deserted her attempts though and instead began thinking of a spell that could heal her wrist. She finally settled on a seemingly simple spell and started to wave her hands over her wrist, but Savaric stopped her short.112

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He said quietly, looking Mazelina straight in her golden brown eyes.113

“And why not?” she countered.114

“Those healing spells have a reputation for backfiring and making injuries worse instead of better.”115

“You’re making that up. I want a healed wrist, so just let me do the spell.” Mazelina narrowed her glare at Savaric.116

“Fine, go ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Mazelina saw a glint of that angry blue fire in his eyes before he backed away. He crossed his arms over his still bare chest – the torn fabric of his shirt binding Mazelina’s wrist – and watched her expectantly, one eyebrow raised slightly to enhance his smirk.117

Mazelina gazed at her wrist, thinking hard about what Savaric said. Would he really lie to her about the healing spells? He hadn’t used one on her when he was tending to her broken wrist; that counted for something. But what if he was just trying to get into her head? Control her? Not wanting to think of Savaric in such an evil light, Mazelina chose to believe him. She let her hand fall limply to her side, throwing aggravated glares at Savaric.118

“Good choice.” He smiled. “Now come on, we have to keep moving.”119

Savaric turned away from Mazelina, started to walk again, and Mazelina mumbled under her breath about him being a girl.120

The journey went on in silence, just like before, but this time Mazelina didn’t bother thinking about conversation starters. Instead she just ranted in her mind about how peeved she was at Savaric, partially hoping he was listening.121

“Stop.” Savaric whispered, sounding more like a shout in the silence. “This is a good place to rest for the night.”122

Mazelina hadn’t noticed the darkening sky, but now she noticed the deep purple merging with a dark blue/black color. Stars were poking out in the dark canvas like tiny pin-pricks in a black sheet that had been stretched across a bright light. She let her pack slide off her shoulder, letting it collapse onto the lush grass. More flowers surrounded the new resting spot than the last. There were dandelions spotting the area, tall cow vetch, and beautiful musk mallow. Sitting in the center of the flowers, Mazelina picked one of the seeded dandelions and blew at the seeds. In one blow all the seeds detached from the stem, flowing away on the wind.123

“What did you wish for?” Savaric whispered softly from behind her.124

“If I say, it won’t come true.” Mazelina was now completely confused by Savaric’s mood swings. How could he possibly be so thoroughly angry at her and then be so nice to her the next minute?125

“I’m sorry I’ve been confusing you. But I promise that everything will all be clear in time.”126

Mazelina stared up at Savaric after he apologized and started to walk back to his pack. She really wanted to think about her wish, but was afraid that Savaric would overhear her thoughts. Pushing everything aside, Mazelina lie down in the grass and fell asleep.127

“Wake up.” Savaric poked at Mazelina with his toes. “We need to start moving again.”128

Mazelina’s eyes fluttered open. The sunlight burned her retinas because they were so accustomed to the dark.129

“What time is it?” She felt as though she had only gotten two hours of sleep all night.130

“Just around six in the morning, judging by the sun’s position.” Savaric answered nonchalantly. Mazelina groaned her annoyance and rolled over with her face pressed to the earth.131

“I wan’ ‘oo shleep.” She mumbled to the ground.132

“That’s too bad.” Savaric said, obviously not meaning it. “We need to get moving if we want to find your mother before they kill her, if they haven’t already that is.”133

“Don’t say that.” Mazelina said with quiet terror. “She’s not dead. I know she’s still out there.”134

“You’re scared.” Savaric stated flatly.135

“No I’m not.” She lied.136

“You are, I can feel it. I can feel your emotions in the air. Just another one of my talents.” Mazelina was silent. “What are you afraid of?”137

“Not finding my mother.” Although this was only part of the truth.138

“That’s not all.” It was not a question.139

“No.” Mazelina lowered her gaze, feeling slightly ashamed and foolish. “I’m also afraid of you.”140

Savaric laughed. It was a hearty laugh, starting deep in the pit of his stomach. “Why would you be afraid of me?”141

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Mazelina spit out defensively. “I can’t figure you out. One minute you’re the nicest person in the world, and next I’m running for cover because of the fire in your eyes.”142

This made Savaric laugh even more, throwing his head back with a laughing bark. She watched the way his dark curls bounced in front of his eyes, having the sudden urge to reach out and wind one of the gorgeous curls around her fingers.143

“Stop laughing at me.” Mazelina pleaded quietly.144

“I’m sorry.” Savaric took a few deep breaths to force his laughter to stop. “You’re right to be afraid of me. You have no idea what I’m capable of.” The blue fire blazed up in his turquoise eyes for just a second. “Let’s get going.”145

Once again, they gathered up their packs and continued north. Clouds covered the sky, shadowing the ground. The temperature was considerably colder that day, winds tugging at hair and trying to push Mazelina and Savaric off course. Mazelina shivered in her thick clothes, Savaric’s armor doing no good against the bitter cold.146

The winds picked up, blowing cold in Mazelina’s face, making her golden brown eyes water. Out of nowhere Savaric stopped. Mazelina ran into him.147

“Why’d we sto-“ she didn’t get to finish because Savaric covered her mouth with a large hand. He signaled her to keep quiet as the crept forward.148

The thick fog that had gathered during the day faded as they walked forward, revealing a large stone structure. The grey stones looked ancient, cracked and covered with swirly vines. A sign hung in the midst of the overgrown vines near a small entrance to the structure. It said only one word: ‘carlinskar’; Landiran for ‘beware’.149

“What is this?” Mazelina asked quietly, unsure if she really wanted an answer. The awful stench of death hung heavy in the air, suffocatingly thick and utterly disgusting.150

“It’s a labyrinth.” Savaric said. He continued on toward the small opening in the stones. Mazelina followed closely behind him, feeling a strange pull from the depths of the labyrinth. The pull urged them forward until it was clear that there was no way to escape around the labyrinth; they had to venture through it.151

“Cast a light spell.” Savaric said over his shoulder. “We’re going to need it.”152

Mazelina muttered the spell for light and positioned it just above their heads. The huge walls led them all over the area. Vines covered every square inch of the crumbling stones and gathered all over the ground.153

“Savaric,” Mazelina said hesitantly after an hour or so,” are you sure we’re going the right way?”154

He turned to face her, the light casting a dark shadow over his eyes. His sword was held tightly in his left hand, out and ready for any possible attack.155

“If we were going the wrong way don’t you think we would have turned around by now?”156

Mazelina hadn’t thought about that. In fact, she hadn’t thought of anything in a while. They walked for a long time in the twisting maze and Mazelina was beginning to think they would never get out. She stopped walking and collapsed against a wall, overcome by exhaustion and depression. Savaric sensed her sudden stop and turned.157

“What are you doing?” he asked. “We have to keep moving if we want to get out of here.”158

“I can’t. I can’t go any farther, it’s hopeless.” Savaric continued to stare but said nothing. “This was a mistake. How could I even think that I could save my mother? I don’t even know who took her or where they are!”159

Steamy tears formed at the corners of Mazelina’s eyes and began to drizzle down her face.160

“It can’t be a mistake if it’s something that you truly need to do.” Savaric said consolingly. “Now c’mon, we have to move.”161

“No! This was a mistake! We’re so far from home that I don’t even know where we are. Plus, we have no idea of where we’re supposed to be going!”162

Savaric twitched slightly. His anger was building as Mazelina became more and more pessimistic about the journey. The knuckles on his left hand were turning a ghostly white from his tightening grip on his sword hilt.163

“And if we do find my mother, are we going to have to fight some inexplicable strong force?” Mazelina continued, ignoring Savaric’s growing anger and annoyance. “I’m only in my level three magic classes! There’s no way we could fight them on our own and win. We would most likely end up dead and our travels will have been for nothing!”164

Savaric was shaking with anger now, the magical light above his head vibrating as well.165

“Mazelina, if you don’t shut up right now, I swear I will not be able to control myself.” He threatened quietly through tightly clenched teeth. Even as he spoke the vines on the surrounding walls started to come alive, twitching and pulling away from the stone.166

“Oh yeah, what are you going to do?” Mazelina shot to her feet, now both pessimistic and angry. “Are you going to tell me what I’m thinking? That would be a huge waste of time because I could just say it and we’ll both know! We’re never going to save my mother; she’s probably dead by now anyway! And we’re probably walking right into the killer’s trap. But I have more! I think you’re the one that started this whole thing, and now you’re just leading me far away from home so that you can finish me off and –“167

Mazelina was silenced by a vine that shot away from the gray walls, wrapping itself over her mouth and stilling her speech. More vines followed in quick succession, wrapping tightly around her small body and rendering her incapable of movement. Savaric was controlling the vines magically, unable to suppress his anger toward Mazelina’s words. He willed the thick vines to drag her close to him so that she could clearly see the angry fire in his eyes.168

“Never. Say. Anything. Like. That. Again.” Savaric paused slightly after every word to make sure the meaning could sink in. Mazelina’s expression was terrified; her tranquil brown eyes wide and her mouth hanging open the tiniest bit. She could see the blue fire blazing in his eyes brighter than she had ever seen it before.169

“You are going to let your thoughts go, think more positively, and continue on this journey. Do you understand me?”170

Mazelina, too frightened to speak, simply nodded her answer. Savaric analyzed her expression and thoughts for a second longer, then, slowly, he released the vines. They unraveled all around Mazelina and she was once again standing on the cold ground.171

Suddenly, a loud, animalistic roar sounded from somewhere in the maze, close to Mazelina and Savaric.172

“What was that?” Mazelina whimpered, still afraid of Savaric’s anger.173

“Get behind me.” Savaric shoved Mazelina behind him. He stuck the tip of his sword into the light over his head, bringing it down to shine ahead of them. Mazelina gripped his shoulders, digging her fingernails into his skin with fear.174

“Savaric,” Mazelina was terribly afraid, but she would never admit it. She knew Savaric knew anyway from feeling her emotions and reading her mind.175

“You’re fine, I’ll keep you safe.” Savaric whispered. He reached back to Mazelina. His hand was hot on her back, and she hadn’t noticed that she was trembling until she was pressed right against his back.176

“Okay,” Savaric whispered, “we have to move. If we stay here whatever it is will find us, but we have to stay quiet.”177

They crept along in the glow of the enchanted light on the sword, making as little noise as possible. The darkness got thicker the closer they got to the center of the maze until they could hardly see their enchanted light anymore. Although she had faith that Savaric would protect her from anything, Mazelina’s heart raced with the possibility of the labyrinth monster finding and destroying them.178

Savaric stood still in the middle of the narrow pathway. He turned to face Mazelina and looked deep into her wide, fearful brown eyes.179

“Maz, calm down. I’m afraid you might go into shock, your heart rate is so high.”180

“It’s so dark. What if that thing finds us?” Mazelina asked. She wrapped herself around Savaric, needing to feel the safe comfort of his warm body and arms around her.181

“It won’t find us. We’ll be fine, I promise.” Savaric graciously held onto Mazelina, pulling her tight to his body. She lifted her face to look at him, and he in turn looked down at her. He could see in her eyes a desperate longing, a longing that he himself could feel strongly in his bones.182

The want to kiss her was so powerful, so overwhelming; it was intoxicating. Savaric tried to talk himself out of it, knowing that he shouldn’t feel this way. She was three years younger than he, sixteen to his nineteen years. He was a very powerful, very dangerous magical being and he would most likely end up hurting her. But ultimately, Mazelina was the princess, and he really shouldn’t make a move on royalty.183

But the way she was looking at him, the way she felt so safe with him, and how her body felt close to his eliminated everything else. Savaric lowered his head cautiously, evaluating Mazelina’s thoughts; no hesitations and no objections. With nothing but positive thoughts in Mazelina’s mind, Savaric mushed his lips to hers.184

Mazelina melted into Savaric beneath his miraculously soft lips. She could feel the fire inside of him flare up with unmistakable desire, causing her to sweat a little with its heat. Her breath caught in her chest, her heart raced. Nothing could ruin this moment. Savaric let his sword clatter to the ground, freeing his left hand. The sound shattered the silence.185

“Whose there!”186

“Who said that?” Mazelina asked, quickly pulling apart from Savaric. She whipped her head around, looking for the source of the crazy voice.187

“I didn’t hear anything.” Savaric said, wiping Mazelina’s thick purple hair out of his face. “C’mon, we have to move. We’ve been here too long.” He took her small hand and started to lead her away.188

“Wait.” Mazelina pulled her hand away from Savaric’s and turned back toward the voice. “Hello? Is someone there?”189

Silence passed in seconds before a figure began to form out of the darkness. The only thing they could really see were feet because Savaric’s sword was still on the ground. The feet were grimy, covered in dirt and some questionable green substance. Hair covered the toes and the nails were hideously long.190

Savaric slowly moved forward to pick up his sword so that they might see what the feet belonged to. The light moved up to reveal a pair of battered legs that hadn’t seen the sun in who knows how long, shreds of worn clothing hanging from the skeletonesque torso, and thin, boney arms that connected with hands as dirty as the feet. Then Savaric flashed the light across the face which threw Mazelina back with a wave of nausea and repulsion.191

The face was that of a man, oddly but not surprisingly framed by scraggly long hair. His hair was the color of dirt – probably coated by dirt a great deal, thought Mazelina. His wild eyes were sunken into his face that was white as a ghost in the places where dirt hadn’t been caked on. The man was just all around dirty and grimy.192

“Who are you people!” the man demanded. His voice was strangled and wild like his stare.193

“I don’t believe you’re in any position to be demanding anything.” Savaric said in a menacing voice that made Mazelina cringe. He thrust his sword toward the man for emphasis. “Tell us who you are and of your business here!”194

“You have no power over me, boy.” The man chuckled, a wheezy cough following. “I only answer to royalty.”195

“Then I suggest you answer before I cut you to pieces for the Princess Mazelina.” Savaric countered. Mazelina could sense the triumphant smirk he always got spreading over his face.196

“The Princess Mazelina? Forgive me, dear Princess, I was not aware! My name is Samuel Jenkins and I have been lost in this here labyrinth for nearly a year trying to find the exit and avoiding being torn apart by the Manticore.”197

Mazelina looked at Savaric, her face expressing her wonderment.198

“The Manticore is an old creature, talked about over all the lands.” Savaric explained in a monotone voice. “He has the head of a man, complete with three rows of razor sharp teeth and blood-red eyes. The body is one of a lion, the tail having a scorpion’s sting. His voice sounds like the music from a flute. He is extremely powerful, able to leap great distances, and is rather fond of human flesh.” Savaric turned toward Samuel. “But I thought he was just a myth?”199

“I’ve seen him!” Samuel scrambled forward to grab Savaric by his shoulders (he wanted to grab his shirt but it was tied around Mazelina’s broken wrist.)200

“He’s huge!” Samuel continued. “Looking into his eyes will drive you crazy!”201

“Samuel, calm down.” Mazelina gently pried Samuel off of Savaric. “We can’t let him find us.”202

Samuel eased away from Savaric. His eyes went funny and he focused on the wall directly behind Mazelina. Without warning, Samuel lunged toward Mazelina and the wall, reaching his grimy hand out to grab a spider that had been crawling there. He hastily stuffed the spider in his mouth; a most horrific and disgusting sight. The spider’s outer shell crunched loudly as Samuel’s teeth ground down on it, some of the gooey insides dribbled down his chin. Mazelina cringed with disgust. 203

“Okay, we really have to go.” Savaric urged. He took Mazelina’s hand again and pulled her in the direction they had been going about ten minutes before.204

“Please, take me with you!” Samuel pleaded. “I’ve been trapped here for so long, I’ve forgotten what its like to see the sun!”205

“C’mon then. Just be quiet.”206

The three trudged along in the dark, looking around corners to avoid the Manticore. They did considerably well, and soon the thick darkness ebbed away to a darker shade of gray. When there was barely more light than darkness, Samuel spoke.207

“We’re almost there! I’m finally going to be free of this prison!” he shouted.208

The animalistic roar echoed loudly through the tunnels from deep in the center of the labyrinth. Mazelina, Savaric, and Samuel all turned to look back with frightened stares. The ground under their feet began to shake like an earthquake and grew more violent as the Manticore closed the gap between them. He would be upon the three in no time at all.209

“Run!” Savaric shouted, unsheathing his sword. Mazelina did the same. All three of them ran toward the light, getting closer to the exit. But the Manticore was faster, growing closer with each long leap he took.210

“We’ll never be able to outrun it!” Mazelina shouted. “What are we going to do?”211

“Keep running Princess and Savaric!” Samuel cried. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned. “I’ll divert him so you can escape.”212

“Samuel, no!” Mazelina said. “You’ve wanted to get out of here for ages! Are you really just going to give that up?”213

“You’re more important Princess. I would first be killed before letting you die. I’m loyal to the royal family and always will be. Now go! The Manticore will be here soon!”214

Mazelina still wouldn’t move, instead looking at Samuel in surprise and with her mouth hanging open slightly. Savaric had to pull on her hand to get her to finally move down the path somewhat. Just as they were rounding the corner they caught a glimpse of the Manticore, and Samuel preparing to distract him.215

The Manticore towered over Samuel, measuring almost nine feet in height. He was absolutely huge; the man’s head three to five times larger than normal. His ruby eyes glittered in the dark, completing the menacing look propelled forward by his large grin that showed all three rows of piercingly sharp teeth. Dragon-like spikes ran down the length of his tail, ending in the longest, sharpest spike; the scorpion’s stinger. Supporting his large body were four thick legs that connected with four enormous clawed paws. He was the most terrifying creature Mazelina had ever seen. His large, towering body was angled down toward Samuel and saliva dripped from his huge mouth carelessly. Just before she was dragged around the corner, Mazelina saw him raise one large paw, ready to swipe at his prey.216

Mazelina and Savaric ran toward the labyrinth’s exit at top speed, ignoring the growing fatigue. The sounds of their hurried footfalls were drowned out by the musical roar of the Manticore. They ran faster. They had to keep running if they wanted to escape. Along the way the Manticore’s musical cry rang out through the stone walls again. Had Samuel succeeded in distracting him? All they could do was hope. But Mazelina still felt horrendously guilty for leaving him behind, even though it was what he wanted.217

Finally, after hours upon hours of wandering in the dark, the two emerged from the labyrinth into the twilight. Looking back at the larger-than-life stone structure, Mazelina just had to break down with the pressure of everything that had happened in the past few days. She had lost her mother so suddenly, choosing to embark on this ridiculous journey to who-knows-where, being caught in a hostel ghost town, and spending hours in a dark labyrinth avoiding a Manticore. It was all too overwhelming and she collapsed onto the cold grass, crying into her hands.218

“Why are you crying?” Savaric asked with an unhidden hint of annoyance. “We just escaped a deadly creature and maze!”219

“This is all just too much. I can’t take it anymore!” Mazelina sobbed.220

Savaric blew out and exasperated breath. His flawless facial features screwed up in his anger. Mazelina was being such a drag! “Mazelina, quit it with all the bullshit! All you’ve been doing is complaining and being a complete pessimist! You saw what happened in the labyrinth when –“221

“Yeah, thanks for that!” Mazelina interrupted. “I think you broke the rest of my arm!”222

The veins in Savaric’s temples were pulsating. “Shut. Up. You have been pushing me and I am sick of it! I have been nice and ignoring your complaints, but I’m not taking it anymore!”223

“What are you going to do?” Mazelina cowered on the ground. She pulled her legs to her chest, her eyes growing wide.224

“Nothing.” Savaric spat. “I’m still loyal to your mother and she would have my head for doing anything to you. But I swear, if I wasn’t bound by the royal family you would be in some real danger.”225

“Please don’t say that.” Mazelina whispered. She got shakily to her feet.226

“I will say anything I want to you. The only person I have to watch my tongue around is your mother, and you definitely aren’t her.”227

Mazelina looked up at Savaric. His dark hair had little bits of leaves in it and his face was smudged with dirt. His chest was glistening with sweat, highlighting his barely visible six pack and pecks.228

“You’re right.” Mazelina conceded, passion flaring up in her. Not passion for the fight either, passion for Savaric. “I’m not my mother. My mother would never do this.” She pressed her body to Savaric’s, clapping her hand behind his neck, and surprised him with a heated kiss. Her mother would surely never do this, and normally neither would Mazelina. But the magic in Savaric had a weird affect on her and made her act in crazy ways.229

Savaric’s muscles flexed under his skin with surprise. He hadn’t expected this of Mazelina, but he liked it. He kissed her back with a forceful amount of pleasure; it was like he would devour her. His fingers tangled in the plum colored hair at the nape of her neck, pulling her head back to deepen the kiss.230

A single bead of sweat rolled to the base of Mazelina’s neck with the heat she and Savaric were brewing. She couldn’t explain to herself (or anyone else if they asked) what was happening, just that she was thoroughly enjoying it. Before she was sure that Savaric was the annoying older brother she’d never had, but now she was definitely rethinking. There was no way in hell she would ever make out with a sibling, but Savaric had been bumped up when he first kissed her in the labyrinth. He was now officially the mysteriously sexy helper in her home.231

“We should probably start walking again…” Savaric said, slightly breathless. “You think we…?”232

“No, come back.” Mazelina pulled Savaric back to her lips. She couldn’t believe she’d gone so long without Savaric’s kisses.233

“We really need to go.” Savaric mumbled. “Or at least get away from this labyrinth.”234

“Okay, I guess we should.”235

They walked a good three miles away from the labyrinth to make sure there was a decent amount of distance. The whole walk they were silent, but would glance over to the other with warm smiles, thinking of kissing each other. At the labyrinth the grass had been sparse and dead, but the farther away from it that they walked, the greener and brighter the grass became. Within an hour they were resting in an open meadow. It was beautiful with its lively green grass, lack of trees to see the stars, and billions of wild flowers. It seemed that each meadow they came to was more filled with flowers than the last, creating a more romantic atmosphere for the two lovers.236

Mazelina lay out flat on the grass, letting her tired limbs (minus her broken left arm) fall where they may and rest. She closed her eyes to revel in the wonderful feeling of resting after a long day of travel. They had to be at least fifty miles away from home in Landira.237

“Are you hungry, Princess?” Savaric asked. Mazelina could hear him rummaging through his pack for something edible.238

“Only for rest.” She answered. The rummaging stopped and the faint sound of Savaric’s footsteps on the ground replaced the noise.239

He plopped himself down right next to Mazelina, but did nothing more. In his mind he thought hard about what he should do next. Should he lay with her, pull her closer? Or should he just let her be? Truthfully, he had no idea. He’d never been in a situation like this before. But he needn’t worry about what he should do much longer because Mazelina took over the situation. She pulled Savaric to lay down gently by his arm and lovingly curled herself around him. He was content and they fell to sleep like that.240

~*~241

Hours of walking. No stops, no conversation, just walking. Mazelina was steadily becoming more physically drained as the long days drug on. Dragging isn’t even right, thought Mazelina. They were going by slower than a snail inching across a sidewalk. All she and Savaric ever did was walk, fight, and occasionally make out. The routine was getting frustratingly old.242

Savaric hadn’t even spoken to Mazelina today. When she woke up he was far off in the distance, just sitting and staring forward. She hadn’t wanted to bother him about it though; she didn’t want to push him back into his angry persona. If he wanted to tell her about it, he would.243

Now Savaric was walking about five feet ahead of Mazelina, not speaking and never looking anywhere but straight. He bore a stony expression; his brows furrowed, eyes narrowed, and mouth in a tight line. It was slightly unsettling to see him acting in such a fashion. When Mazelina had asked him if he was okay he just grumbled at her and kept walking.244

The sun was high above the land, beating down hot and hard. Sweat drenched Mazelina, soaking her hair and making her wrinkle her nose at the displeasing stench. Worse was that she had nothing to block her from the sun even a little bit.245

Soon a small line of civilization was visible on the horizon. Different sized buildings emerged with towering smoke stacks. A low buzz came from the city when Mazelina and Savaric got closer. This place was definitely habited by many people. Mazelina wondered what place this could be until she noticed the air around the buildings. It was a darker cloud surrounding the city, contaminated with dirt, soot, and smoke. Mazelina had only heard of one place that could be so dirty to have its own dirt cloud; it had to be Carsci. They had somehow reached the opposite side of the tiny country.246

“Savaric, we’re running out of places to look.” Mazelina said. She quickly jogged over to his side. “We’ve reached the far side of the country and still found no sign of Mother.”247

“I have a good idea of where they are now.” Savaric said. He kept his gaze locked forward without even a glance in Mazelina’s direction.248

They walked on into the city. Tall buildings lined the narrow streets. Both the streets and the buildings were blackened with dirt and soot and blocked out much of the sun’s light. Farther into the city were hundreds of people, all bustling about at the different merchant carts. Scents of freshly caught fish and picked wild flowers floated about the air, constructing the beginnings of a strangely serene atmosphere. It was hard to hear anyone that might be trying to talk to you unless they were literally screaming in your ear. People all over were talking over each other with different conversations, and the merchants that lined the crowded streets shouted what products they were selling over the roar of the crowd. Carsci was a very dirty city indeed, just as Mazelina had imagined.249

Savaric wasted no time in getting to where he thought – knew – they had to go. He pushed through the strong current of shoppers, shoving someone occasionally and getting harsh words in reply. They wound through streets, in and out of deserted allies until they were getting close to the cities edge. They were nearing the site of the river that ran clear through the country. Buildings were scarce here and the townspeople had long since been left behind.250

The sounds of their foot falls bounced off of the lone buildings, echoing back eerily. Mazelina’s stomach lurched violently with her anxiety. Savaric knew exactly where he was going. He led Mazelina down to the docks where cargo ships were unloaded and down to the edge of the river below. There, under the flow of the water, was a small latch. He plunged his hand into the water up to his elbow and pulled on the latch. A dull thud rang out behind Mazelina and Savaric and a large slab of the ground sprang up to reveal a dark passage leading deep into the earth.251

“How did you know that was there?” Mazelina asked skeptically. Savaric ignored her, pushing past her to go down the tunnel. Mazelina followed him, watching his back closely through narrowed eyes.252

The tunnel was long and dark. It reeked of wet fungus and was a chilling temperature. The cold dirt walls were perfectly carved from the earth. Small lit torches were spaciously placed along the passage, illuminating large spider webs and the occasional rat.253

Mazelina shrunk inside herself with oncoming fear. She was going back to not trusting Savaric. Suddenly he turned to her, the nearby torch throwing his face into incriminating shadows.254

“Look,” he said, holding Mazelina by the shoulders, “I haven’t exactly been… truthful.” He appeared to be struggling with his words. Something was trying desperately to hold his words back, but he forced them out. “The people we’re going after, they are the most powerful people you will probably ever face. I know because… I’ve been working for them. I’m the reason they were able to kidnap your mother so easily and not get caught. It was my job to bring you here so they can finish off the royal family and take over Landira.”255

Mazelina cringed under Savaric’s words and vise-like grip on her. She had been right all along, but somehow she’d never really believed it; she didn’t want to believe it.256

“Those were my original intentions; the real reason I came with you. You just drove me so crazy! And I was willing to do anything to get rid of you… to finally get you out of my hair.” Savaric hung his head, seemingly in pain. “But all that changed that first night. I just realized you were nothing like I thought. And as we spent more time together I began to hate you less. I actually did a complete turn around. When we were in that labyrinth, and you were so scared, I think I actually started to love you.257

“That’s why I wouldn’t talk to you this morning. I was – am – ashamed; ashamed of what I’m doing. When we get to the end of this tunnel, those people are going to try and kill you, but I won’t let them. I’ll do all I possibly can to keep them away from you.”258

Savaric was caught up in his newfound passion. He forced his lips on Mazelina’s with all of the magical fire that had built up inside of him. His hands cupped her small face gently, giving her just the right tilt. He knew she knew what was coming by the way her brown eyes fluttered shut and she moved closer, invitingly. It was the most passionate kiss he’d ever given and ever received.259

Mazelina had been afraid of Savaric’s confession. She couldn’t and wouldn’t believe that Savaric had brought her all this way for people to murder her. But the humiliation and disgust behind the words made them unbelievably real. And the passion and revelation behind Savaric’s confession of love, that was just too real to even think about looking past. Savaric loved Mazelina… and she loved him back. When he kissed her with that fire to back his feelings, Mazelina couldn’t hold in her feelings any longer. All of her previous fears seemed to evaporate into nothingness. For the moment nothing seemed worth her thoughts except for Savaric as their lips fought for complete control, both parties tugging and biting slightly.260

All the love she had inside of her went into that kiss. She wound her right arm around Savaric’s neck, leaning up on tiptoes to reach him better. Their lips danced together in beautiful harmony, turning perfectly together in time to their own music.261

Savaric pulled away slowly, still holding Mazelina’s face gently. He looked at her lovingly with a blissful smile. She kept her eyes closed, her long black eyelashes lightly brushing her cheeks. Her little pink lips were still slightly pursed, showing her minimal disappointment in the end of the kiss. She was absolutely beautiful in all her girlish innocence.262

“I promise, I won’t let them hurt you.” Savaric whispered, holding Mazelina to his chest, his muscles contracting defensively.263

They walked the last few feet to the end of the tunnel. Carved into the dirt wall was a huge stone door. The presence of dark magic was strong on the other side of the door. Savaric gave Mazelina one final bone crunching squeeze, and they pushed the door open together.264

Beyond the door was a blinding red light. It took Mazelina some time to adjust to the brightness, then things slowly came into focus. The room was constructed completely from rock with a huge pit in the center. Columns held up the roof in a circle around the pit. Strange rock formations hung from the ceiling, giving the secret room the slight look of a cave. The red light came from the bottom of the pit.265

Three cloaked men stood at the far end of the room, facing away from the door. The men on the ends were very tall and seemingly thin. It was hard to tell with the cloaks. The last man, the one standing in the middle, was much shorter than the others and much fatter. He was the only one of the men with his hood down. His hair was wispy, hardly covering his fat head. From what Mazelina could tell, the fat man in the middle was the leader, the other two his evil minions.266

Savaric looked at Mazelina then and hoped that his plea for her to play along showed in his eyes.267

“Carleth.” Savaric said, his voice traveling easily in the open room. The fat, bald man turned and Mazelina got her first look at his face.268

The man’s fat didn’t stop in his mid-section; it was also collected in his chubby cheeks. He had small round eyes as black as the night sky, and they glittered with evil power. His small lips spread into a deceivingly charming smile upon seeing the sight of Savaric with Mazelina in tow.269

“Ahh Savaric.” Carleth said cheerily. He walked with outstretched hands around the large pit. “I’m so glad you finally arrived. Now we can complete what we came here to do.”270

As Carleth walked toward Savaric and Mazelina, the two henchmen followed. Their hoods shadowed their faces completely, giving them a more eerie look. They moved with fluidity and ease as if they weren’t actually walking at all but floating along.271

“Carleth, it’s been only a few days.” Savaric complied. “I would have been here sooner, but handling a princess, especially a princess like this one here, is more trouble than you would think.”272

“Well you’re here now, and that’s all that should matter now.” Carleth motioned to his men and they came forward, hands sticking out from their sleeves. They were a ghostly white with fingers that were almost completely bone and there were no visible veins whatsoever. It was extremely unsettling and close to nauseating.273

“Yes Carleth.” Savaric said. “You see, about that, I don’t think we should do this.”274

“What are you saying Savaric?” Carleth’s expression turned confused and kind of dangerous. “Why are you suddenly turning on me? You’ve always been a loyal follower…”275

Carleth’s small eyes moved to Mazelina. She was standing partially concealed by Savaric’s body and her hand was clasped tightly in his. Her eyes weren’t wide, but still conveyed more fear than she could with words or actions.276

“Oh I see.” Carleth smiled evilly, revealing his small sharp teeth. “You love her. I warned you about this, did I not? I knew you wouldn’t be able to spend so much time with her and develop some kinds of feelings, but you insisted anyway. And, me being the good person I am, I gave you the job against my better judgment. You young people just can’t be trusted to do a job right.”277

Savaric’s muscles rippled under his skin in a defensive manner. The angry fire burst into flame inside of him, originating somewhere deep in his stomach and spreading quickly throughout his entire body. His skin was hot to the touch and his grip on Mazelina’s hand could have broken it to shards if he hadn’t been somewhat in control.278

“Savaric, I hired you to do a job and I won’t rest until I know that that job is handled.” Carleth said menacingly. He reached slowly to wrap his stubby fingers around Mazelina’s slender arm and eased her away from Savaric, although it was unclear how. When he’d gotten her away from Savaric a good distance, he handed her over to one of the minions. The bony fingers were cold as ice on her skin.279

Carleth drew his sword and inspected it carefully. Its long metallic blade reflected the red light from the pit, but the light did not bounce away from the sword. Strangely, the blade was absorbing the light, the metallic silver color changing to a sickening shade of red. The pit no longer held the blinding red light, instead being cast in a long line from the sword.280

The red light swung in a half circle as Carleth rotated his sword so that he could hold the hilt out to Savaric. He took it mechanically, his eyes never leaving Carleth’s smiling face. Carleth waved his hands before Savaric with very complex movements; he was casting a spell that Savaric showed no signs of resistance to.281

Carleth lowered his arms and whispered something to Savaric. Mazelina hadn’t noticed that the ghostly minion had dragged her at least fifteen feet back, but when Savaric began to advance on them she struggled against her captor. The minion wouldn’t move. Mazelina’s legs went numb and she fell limp in the cold hands. Savaric continued his advance, the sword held out and his gaze fixed.282

“Savaric.” Mazelina whimpered. “Please don’t do this. I know you’re still there behind that spell… please…”283

Savaric said nothing nor did he waver in his advance. Mazelina could feel her lower lip quivering and the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. She had nothing left to do but watch as Savaric was forced to kill her.284

“I’m sorry.” Savaric whispered when he was close enough to Mazelina for her to hear. Unbearable pain shot through his heart; a hundred arrows being shot into his chest at close range. He pulled his sword bearing hand back involuntarily, reacting to the spell Carleth had placed on him. With eyes shut tight, one lone tear rolling down his cheek, Savaric thrust the blade clear through Mazelina’s gut.285

Seconds ticked by like slow passing hours. Mazelina’s anguished cry rang out in the stone room as the sword pierced her skin. Savaric pulled the blade from the bloody hole in Mazelina’s abdomen. Carleth’s spell wavered and fizzled out, freeing Savaric. Everything moved in slow motion as Savaric came to realize what he had done. Hot tears began to flood his eyes, the glowing sword clattered to the stone floor, and he collapsed to his knees, holding his head in his hands.286

“Nicely done Savaric.” Carleth applauded. “I knew you could do it. All you needed was a little persuasion.”287

Savaric slowly raised his head. His fiery rage coursed through his body until the fire was no longer contained in his skin; it was a part of him. Bright orange flames erupted from his hands. He turned to Carleth, flinging giant fire balls at his evil face. Carleth dodged every ball dripping with flames with ease, hardly moving an inch.288

“Oh Savaric, you’ve really disappointed me.” Carleth purred. “What am I going to do with you now?”289

Carleth stood staring at Savaric. The fire from his hands was ripped from him, taken over by Carleth’s power. Without the fire Savaric was weak, his complexion growing steadily paler. Mazelina tried hard to watch the horrible scene playing out before her but it took too much concentration away from her bleeding wound. She instead continued to apply pressure to her stomach. She soon lost consciousness.290

~*~291

Mazelina felt immense amounts of pressure being put upon her mid-section. As she came to she started to remember what had happened up until the point when she passed out. It took all of her remaining strength to open her eyes and see Savaric leaning over her, pressing his hands over her wound; the wound he’d made. There was an element missing from his eyes and in the way he was carrying himself. That fire that he’d once possessed was now gone, put out forever.292

“Sav…” Mazelina forced her voice out. It was raspy and weak.293

Savaric’s head quickly snapped around, his eyes wide with evident shock. It was almost as if he thought Mazelina was back from the dead.294

“What happened?”295

“Carleth’s dead, he and his minions thrown down the pit and never to return again.” Savaric stammered with surprise. He removed one of his blood covered hands from Mazelina’s wound to grab her hand, relieving some of the pressure.296

Mazelina’s short breaths quickened with her struggle to hold onto her life. “What about my mother?”297

Savaric hung his head, his gorgeous brown curls hiding his face. “She didn’t make it. They killed her before we even got here. Maz, I’m so sorry. For everything I ever put you through. I love you. Just please… don’t leave, just hold on.”298

“I… love… you… too.” Mazelina gasped between breaths. Even if it was the last thing she said, at least Savaric knew the truth. Her breaths got shorter and faster and it was a real task trying to keep her eyes open.299

Savaric let his tears trickle down his face. He didn’t want to hide any longer. “Please Mazelina. Don’t leave me.” He laid a soft kiss on her whitening lips. He sobbed into Mazelina’s shoulder, no longer hiding how he felt.300

Mazelina could feel her life dragging away. Her eyes rolled back into her head and her lids fluttered shut. Her body shook as she took her last, shuddering breath.