Page 3 of Crowned A Traitor
"We are strengthening ourselves, the Humans should fear us not the other way around," Dario said, "I didn't hear you complaining about the taste."
"I didn't eat meat!" Klara exclaimed when Lucius began to snigger, "We use the bones to make the stock for the sauce."
"And we take the blood clots from the organs to add a punchy flavour," Dario finished for his brother. Klara felt the metallic taste return to her tongue, and she thought she would vomit. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" Dario laughed at her distress. Klara glanced toward the door. She needed to escape without any bloodshed. The fall of the Beanstalk would be big news in the Forest and Klara couldn't afford to alert the Queens to her movements. Klara considered letting the vile Creatures live, but Dario dashed forward and restrained her arms.
"It's your funeral!" Klara said, grasping his arm. Dario let out a tortured gargle as her touch forced him to feel all the pain he had ever inflicted. Dario's grasp loosened as he fought his own mind and Klara freed herself. Free from the pain, Dario was on her once again. Even without contact, her power should have been strong enough to subdue him. Dario must have fed recently to have recovered so quickly. "Wiggly little Witch," Dario spat, and Klara stopped struggling. Dario avoided contact with her skin and Klara suddenly regretted wearing long sleeves.
"Let me go, and I will let you all live."
"Sadly, we can't do that, but we will make it a quick death," Gino said, as if he was doing Klara a favour. "Honey, we cannot keep killing the waiters, and this one works hard," Silvia reasoned and Gino pulled at his neck.
"Fine. Boys rip out her heart. Once we have eaten it, she will join the family," Gino did not seem pleased with the prospect of having her as a new family member. Klara could hear her pulse echoing in her ears as Lucius stood in front of her. With the King of Hell's blood flowing through her veins, Klara wondered if she could be turned into a Dark Creature.
"I really think you should reconsider," Klara smirked.
"Don't fret dear, you will soon be one of us," Silvia smiled. The last thing Klara saw was Lucius' hand breaking through her chest plate before she plunged into darkness.
???
Ah, shit, I'm going to have to ask Father for a new heart. Klara’s body took over and her wings revealed themselves. She heard their curses as her glamorised black eyes transformed to ice white. “How is this possible?" Lucius said with her heart still in his hand.
"Given my parentage, I don't technically need a heart," Klara shrugged, "but sure makes life more pleasant."
Lucius's mouth dropped open, knowing exactly who she was. Klara ripped the crystal from her neck. Her touch transformed the crystal into a spear and with one swing Klara took Dario and Lucius' head before they had time to think.
Silvia's shrill scream pierced what little soul Klara had as the childless mother ran through the swing doors. Klara considered going after her, but the sight of her dead children would be enough to drive her demented, and no one would believe the Daughter of Hell was slaughtering Ghouls in the Forest dining hall. Gino let out a mumbled shout and grabbed a meat cleaver from the counter before Klara could raise her spear, the cleaver connected with her shoulder. Black blood dripped down her arm to her hand. "Nice try," Klara said, ripping the cleaver out of her shoulder. She grunted as the pain rocketed to her hand.
Without her heart, Klara became vulnerable to pain. Gino fell back as Klara looked at her bloodied shoulder and let out a sigh, "Now I need Spiders Web. Don't you know how expensive that is." Stealing Web from the Castle pantry would raise questions Klara did not want to answer.
"Let us talk about this," Gino raised his hands in defeat. "I would rather not," Klara plunged the crystal spear through his chest. The stunned expression remained on his face as he shattered into ash. Klara coughed as the ash filled the air, and she stepped over the decapitated sons' bodies. She sank the spear into their hearts, and they evaporated, leaving behind no evidence of slaughter.
The Queens didn't mind a slaughter, so long as it was carried out on their orders. However, they would object to Klara playing a part in the loss of their precious taxes. The spear shrank to fit in her palm with the chain reappearing. Unable to clasp it with one hand she placed it in her dungaree pocket and untied her apron.
Breathless and bloodied, Klara left the kitchen. She was about to leave when she spotted the gems and stones abandoned on the counter. Klara tore out the gem tray from the counter with ease. "With all that effort, I should at least get paid," Klara muttered, taking her backpack and black jacket from the hook on the wall and slipped them on.
Klara left some lesser gems on the counter to attract looters. Too many gems on her person would attract thieves on the path back to the Castle, and she couldn't risk any run-ins. Klara adjusted the backpack straps to stop them from pulling on her injured shoulder. Gripping the stones in her pockets, she felt a sense of ease.One step closer to freedom.
Klara opened the door and looked back at the glossy diner and the beautifully painted murals. Klara placed her palm on the wall and let the glamour slip from the walls. The thick paint peeled, the booths split apart, and the floorboards became cracked and uneven. The whole place stank of rotting flesh and mould.
The scent would alert the other Creatures by dawn. If Silvia were smart, she would go into hiding and learn from her mistakes. By morning, any Guard would assume the looters were behind the destruction. Klara felt a sadness for the old establishment that had brought some joy to the Forest of Malum.
~2~
"Just a little cut," Klara assured herself, placing her hand on her wounded chest. Black blood oozed from the hole in her chest. "All in a night’s work," Klara sighed as the cold humidity of the Forest surrounded her. She stopped at the rusted gate and peered down Grimms path before zipping up her jacket. Klara didn't need the scent of her fresh blood, drawing the Lycaons and other carnivorous beasts to her.
A howl echoed through the Forest as the Alphas called their packs to return. For this, Klara was relieved. By the time she would pass the caves to the West of the Queens' Mountain, the Lycaons would already be settled in.
Fangs, claws and the smashing of plates rattled Klara as she remembered the last meeting between the Queens and the Alphas. The Lycaons had attempted to take Klara's life in retaliation for being pushed deeper into the western mountains. Klara understood that the alphas didn't want to conform to the Queen's orders, but if they had agreed to help with the River border between Malum and Kalos, their lands wouldn't have been restricted.
Klara had tried to convince the Queens that mercy would be the best approach, but compassion wasn't in their nature. When she closed her eyes, Klara could still see the Lycaon heads piked along the mountain pass as a warning to the Queens' visitors. Not that they received many. Music quietened her mind as she placed the soft headphones over her ears. Klara hoped she would make it to the pass as the Ogres changed over.
"What am I going to tell the Queens?" Klara kicked a stone as she walked along the moonlit path. They hated when Klara went exploring, but if they discovered their ward had sought employment, it would be toads’ legs and mucus broth for a year. Klara's skin prickled, and she didn't need her heart to tell her someone was following her. Klara slipped her headphones around her neck and searched the trees.
"I know you are following me!" Klara stopped to see a small shadow dancing between the trees. "Come out." Klara's order pulled the Creature from the shadows. She readied her stance, ignoring the empty throb in her chest, "I'm waiting..." Klara said when a fluffy white rabbit, too cute for the Forest of Malum bounced out from a decaying rose bush.
"What a cute bunny." Klara placed her hands on her hips as the small rabbit rose up on its hind legs. She stared at the adorable Creature and stroked its soft ear. A slight touch and the Shifter puffed into a ball of fur. Klara's magic revealed a weasel with sharp teeth and a knawed on tail.
"Now that's more like it," Klara said, continuing walking as the weasel slithered beside her.
