CHAPTER 39: A SHAPESHIFTER

Erick groaned in pain, clutching his stomach and arm that was met with the prince’s brutal kick. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a moan of pain escaped. He couldn’t understand why the prince was asking for the Book of Dark Whispers when he had just taken it the day before.

"I am going to break every body in your body until you tell me what I want to know." The prince threatened, his voice filled with hatred and anger.

"I... I swear, I don’t understand. I already gave you the book yesterday. Why are you still asking for it?" Erick managed to say, his voice cracked and ragged as he panted from exhaustion.

The prince’s features darkened slightly, and Erick could tell he was surprised by the statement, just as surprised as Erick was. "Y... you’re not the prince, are you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. A broad grin stretched across the man’s face, curling from ear to ear.

"I am the prince, I am prince Hades of Valyron." He replied, mockery lacing his words.

Fear gnawed at Erick when he heard the sound of something falling to the ground on the other side of the room. Both he and the man turned their heads sharply toward the shelf.

Erick’s heart sank, he knew Gel was hiding behind it. She was the only other person in the house.

The prince’s eyes locked onto the shelf, and he began moving toward it with slow, deliberate steps. Panic surged through Erick. Realizing the girl might be in danger, he lunged forward and grabbed the prince’s leg.

"Please, don’t go there," he begged, his voice trembling. "I’m asking you, don’t hurt her."

But the prince easily broke free from the older man’s grip. With inhuman speed, he shoved the shelf aside, revealing Gel curled in the corner, her hand clamped over her mouth. Tears streamed down her face, and sweat glistened on her neck and forehead.

"Ah, a beautiful girl. So sad you will have to die," he murmured with a twisted grin, seizing a fistful of her hair and yanking her out roughly.

"Please!" Erick cried out, desperation thick in his voice. "Whoever you are, let her go! She’s just a child. She hasn’t done anything!" He struggled to crawl toward her, heart pounding, powerless against the monster before him.

"Your tears and pleading might mean something... if I gave a fuck," the prince whispered coldly into Gel’s ear. "But I don’t. I sold my soul to the devil, girl."

Gel kicked frantically, her nails digging into his hand as she tried to pry his fingers from her hair, desperation and terror fueling her struggle.

His grip on her hair tightened as he slammed her head hard against the wall, once, then twice, until her wails fell silent, her face smeared with thick, black blood.The prince released her from his grip making her fall to the ground with a heavy thud.

Erick stared, dumbfounded, at Gel’s motionless body crumpled on the ground like a discarded pile of clothes. He heard the man’s footsteps drawing closer, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away. Tears welled in his eyes as he recalled how he had told her to go home for the night, yet she had insisted on staying to help him with the potion he was working on.

"Would you like to know who I am before I end your life?" the prince asked, his voice low.

Erick slowly turned his head to face him, just in time to see the man’s form shift, revealing his true appearance. His eyes widened in horror, but before he could speak, blood splattered across his face. The prince’s fingers were already buried deep in his throat.

Erick gasped, choking on his own blood as he struggled to breathe. It didn’t take long before his skin turned pale, the light fading from his eyes. His body collapsed to the ground, lifeless, eyes locked open, staring into nothingness.

"That was fun." The man smiled in excitement returning his appearance to that of the prince before walking out of the room, humming a melody from his childhood.

~~~

Lilith had finished her training and her body trembled from exhaustion, even though she hadn’t done much physical activity. Viktor, noticing her fatigue, kindly offered to walk her back to the scullery, where she knew Fiona would be working for the day.

"I would like to ask you a few questions, if you are okay with it, Sir?" Lilith inquired, keeping her arms crossing on her chest while they moved in slow steps.

"Of course, you can ask whatever is it you want, Lilith. And please, you can call me Viktor." He said to which Lilith smile to.

She had no intention of calling him by his name, and she was almost certain he knew it too. "Lord Lucian is a powerful mage, why doesn’t he do what I am supposed to do. I mean break the curse I was brought here to break."

She looked up at him when he didn’t respond immediately. Viktor let out a deep breath before replying, "Lucian is not a mage or a witch. He is simply a sorcerer. Even though you come from a family of mages, it doesn’t guarantee that everyone will be blessed with the gift of magic. Lucian was one of the unlucky siblings who wasn’t. So, he had to learn how to perform magic from spellbooks, which makes him a sorcerer. Only witches and mages can break curses, no other magic wielder is strong enough to do that."

Lilith digested the information in silence, "Am I a witch or mage?"

"It is hard to tell because you just started the training and there are certain things you will be able to do if you’re a mage. Witches are able to manipulate things and people around them while mages can manipulate time. "Although you show signs of being a witch, I feel you are much more powerful than that." Viktor explained keeping his voice calm.

"Is the King the cursed one? Is he the one I seek to help?" Lilith immediately regretted her question as she noticed a slight change in Viktor’s expression.

"The king is indeed cursed, but he is not the one who needs your help." He turned his head to look at her. "The king is a very dangerous man. Do avoid mentioning anything about him, within or outside the walls of the castle, to anyone. It is best to avoid even speaking his name." The calmness in his voice had vanished, replaced by a coldness that sent a chill down Lilith’s spine. "Do you understand me, Lilith?" he added.

"Yes my Lord." Lilith replied with a nod, looking away, rubbing her hands against her arms as a sudden chill ran through her.

They continued walking in silence until they reached the entrance to the scullery. Viktor turned to her one last time. "We shall continue at the same time tomorrow. Focus on connecting better with your powers. Have a lovely day, Lilith." He smiled, but the stillness in his eyes remained unmistakable.

"Thank you Sir Viktor. I will do just that." Lilith returned his smile with a bow, only when Viktor began to walk away did she straighten her back, her eyes following his movements until he disappeared from her sight.

"Lilith! Why do you look like you have just seen a ghost?" She turned her head to see Fiona walking toward her.

She chuckled, "I certainly did not see a ghost, I was only lost in my thoughts. Tell me, Fiona, how is your day going?" Lilith said, changing the course of the conversation.

"My day is... rather boring. Madam Thalia made me rearrange the store. I have been at it since morning but will be done soon." She explained.

"Would you mind some assistance? I’m not doing anything at the moment, and it would be nice to help out," Lilith suggested, and Fiona’s smile widened.

"Very well then, let’s begin." They both walked into one of the stores and continued rearranging things. "Something’s been on my mind, and I’ve wanted to ask, where is your lover? He just vanished from the palace without a trace. No one seems to know where he went. Since you two are close, I thought you might know where he is?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she cleared her throat before speaking, "I’ve also noticed that he is nowhere to be seen. I really don’t know where he went. I haven’t seen him in over a week, either," she explained.

Fiona narrowed her eyes at Lilith, trying to find out if she was telling the truth or now, "Oh really? I just thought he would tell you about his whereabouts."

"Well, he didn’t. If he had said anything I would have no reason to keep it to myself." Lilith finally looked at Fiona, a smile stretched across her face.

"If you say so then, I am...."

Lilith couldn’t concentrate on anything the girl was saying. She could see Fiona’s mouth moving, but the words were drowned out. A sharp pain shot through her head, forcing her to press her fingers against her temples.

Her vision grew blurry, and her heartbeat quickened. She saw Fiona’s concerned face trying to speak to her, but Lilith just stared, unable to respond. Her knees grew weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her eyelids slowly closing, until she was drawn into darkness.