Armageddon

Everything about him seemed to freeze like once again she was being held by a statue. Unmoving. Unbreathing. Her silent sobs filled the room, she refused to look him in the eye. She felt his grip on her loosen if only a fraction. She gingerly slid out of his grasp, making sure to fix her appearance before bolting to the door. She hesitated, her slender fingers on the doorknob when his voice sounded directly behind her. “Whatever you do, don’t turn back. Run,” he warned, barely even a whisper. She was out the door the next moment, the strands of her hair vanishing from his outstretched grasp.

The entrance closed and he placed his forehead against the wooden door. His knuckles turned white as his fingers crushed into the wooden frame. He feared he would run after her, take her in the hallway like an animal. He stared at the thin wood; it wouldn’t slow him down a fraction. He could almost see her expression already, imaging the moment he entered her body. He wanted to fill her completely, wanted to make them one, body, and soul. A groan rumbled out of his chest and the wood he held onto so tightly snapped in his grasp.

Tia shut the door to her room behind her, her hand on her chest. She felt like her heart was about to burst. Never had she ever had such an experience. She was thrilled, despite better judgment, that he was as interested in her as he was. He was very attractive, and she did like what little she knew about him. For the most part. She was scared though because she didn’t know him. She found herself pacing her room, her right index finger playing with the strands of her hair.

It was too soon in their relationship for such an intimate moment, wasn’t it? They had a Yes, he had proposed to her. The realization of it dawned upon her and she slowly walked to her bed, sinking onto the cushiony bedding. He wanted to make her his Queen. A Queen? She shook her head, panic tugging at her heart. She wasn’t qualified to be a Queen. She threw herself back and covered her face, kicking her legs and screaming into a pillow. For a moment, she entertained the idea of returning to his room.

Days passed in the castle and her schedule slowly became filled with more and more things to do. She was enrolled in lessons and classes her Human life neglected to teach. She learned how to eat properly so as not to embarrass Vladimir at the royal dinner parties. Every day she was continuously instructed on how to dance. She learned rather quickly not everyone shared the same, ‘save the Humans’, a mentality that Vladimir had, but thankfully she didn’t run into any more creatures that wanted to eat her. For the most part, the only discord she came across was them wishing she’d return home.

She also noticed fewer people commented on her smell as the days progressed, and Alexander - who was with her whenever he wasn’t with Vlad - told her it was because of the food she was eating. A Professor she visited from time to time, an older man (possibly a gnome, very short in stature) broke it down very simply for her. When she asked him about it, his unpretentious response was, “You are what you eat.”

Though some of the food she ate as the days she could name, others she had never even heard of. They were normal animals, nothing of higher intelligence, to her knowledge - she didn’t think she was eating the Fae - but the animals were fed enchanted grain, which in turn enchanted them, and the predators who ate them, continuously cycling the never-ending flow of magic.

The Professor was instructed to test her a few times a week, just to watch the effects of the magic around her as she became more and more accustomed to it. He did speculate a change in her, though he admitted it could just be a theory. He expressed his hope to her once that one day she would be able to harness the flow herself and become something more than Human.

It was dusk nearly a month later as Tia walked the hallway by a large open garden. The last rays of the sun filtered in through the open windows, lining the corridor in perfect symmetry. She heard soft talking just around the bend and slowly crept up, hesitating when she recognized Alex’s voice. He seemed to be speaking with someone she didn’t know, by the sound of his voice, and everything about it seemed shady.

“Don’t assassinate him, his Majesty wants him brought here,” Alexander instructed.

A rough, dangerous voice was displeased by the order. “I only just found him, and now I’m to drag him through the Zoo? How many Humans you plan on sheltering here?”

“Prince Vladimir will kill him in the Games. This Human needs to be cut down, for his ties with Lady Tiana binds them by fate. Vladimir must be the one to earn her hand in marriage. Only he can be allowed to kill the boy, otherwise, their bond will never be severed.”

Tia’s palms instantly became clammy. She backed up slowly, freezing when she heard more voices behind her. The shock of what she overheard written all over her face, she knew she couldn’t be found here. They meant to kill her fiancé. She quickly took in her surroundings and hopped through an open window. She knew the brush would snap under her weight, but the quicker she retreated the less of the odds she would be discovered.

Her legs carried her through the garden and around a cobblestone wall. There was a large forest in the middle of the castle, something she could easily get lost in. She wished not to be found, she longed to make a clean getaway.

The universe had other plans for her. She broke through a clearing in the forest when a branch sliced her shoulder. She gasped in pain and quickly covered the wound, kneeling as the hot burst of agony spread through her body in an instant. A glimmer of orange and red caught her attention and she looked up, her gaze meeting that of Kazimir’s.

He sat on a bench below a long, thin window that stretched up the side of the castle. With cherry blossom trees on either side of him and a book in his hand, he gave her a curious look before tossing a lock of hair off his forehead.

“Tia, dearie, are you running away?” he asked, a bubbling curiosity about him.

She stood up and glanced over her shoulder. “That’s a complicated question, but no. Just... running elsewhere.” She looked back at him with a ‘caught red-handed’ smile, only to freeze in horror. He stood halfway between her and where he had been, his eyes grayed over and his skin melting. He stood eerily still, and his very presence seemed to flicker before her.

His mouth opened slowly, a blackness seeping through his skin as unexpectedly he looked nothing close to Human any longer. She suddenly remembered the blood pooling down her elbow and took a step back.

An unearthly screech filled the air, a haunting voice shaking her very soul. “I remember now,” Kazimir advanced on her, his battle cry shattering the tranquility. She lashed out at him, landing a blow to his throat. He choked on the impact but quickly grabbed at her, his body desperate while his jaw snapped shut inches from her face. She screamed and fell backward onto her back. She kicked him, lifting him in the air with her foot before scrabbling to getaway.

He grabbed at her ankle and yanked her back to him, crawling across her body. She quickly rolled back onto her back to try to fight him off when his teeth came crushing down against her open wound. She watched as her blood sprayed his face and a loud ringing filled her ears. She realized she couldn’t breathe as she tried to fight him off, like all the air in her body was rushing out of her lungs.

Multiple Gargoyles flew in from several directions at that instant. Alexander swiftly inserted his fingers into Kazimir’s mouth, reaching far enough back to make the Zombie gag and release his grip on Tia. She twisted back as fast as she could when two sets of hands lifted her off the ground. She gaped in horror as Alexander and a few others fought to restrain the Duke, his claw-like hands reaching for her as that shrill of a screech filled the air. She was lifted higher and higher by the other Gargoyles and soon the ground beneath them vanished from sight.

A feverish pain came across her and she began fighting in their grasp, desperate to curl into a ball, possibly in a bath of ice water. She pushed at their fingers as they continued to carry her over the castle. They were speaking, their lips moving, but all she heard was that ear-piercing ring.

The two Gargoyles quickly took her to the infirmary on the other end of the compound as she began screeching and foaming at the mouth. A large chunk of skin hung off her shoulder and blood pooled down her arm. Several humanoid doctors quickly took the Human from the blood-soaked Gargoyles and pulled her into the hospital wing. They held her against a bed as three of them began to chant in perfect equilibrium. Another pocked a needle into a liquid jar and injected it into her wound. Tia felt the world around her grow still and become quiet, the only noise the soft song that filled her head and body. She arched her back and opened and closed her jaw, blinking several times.

A male with gray hair appeared in her vision, a light shining in her eyes. She focused on him as questions reflected in her eyes. He offered her a kind smile and hushed her. “Relax Human child, you won’t turn into a Zombie on our watch. Let us stop the spread of the virus before we work on closing that wound of yours. You’re perfectly safe, listen to our song. The Witch Doctors here won’t let you feel any discomfort.” She nodded, laying back in the bed. A few of them let go their grip on her and she nodded again, her eyes fluttering. Unable to resist any further, she shut her eyes and let the song take her into a beautiful dream.

A tousled Vladimir appeared in her dreams; the sun shone brightly through the open windows as he stroked her hair back away from her face. She smiled at him, the world around her very bright. He gave her a strained smile, his thumb petting her cheekbone as he cupped her face in his hand. She held it there. It was so large and warm compared to her.

“How are you feeling?” He asked softly. His silky gray shirt looked extra soft as she reached for it, holding the fabric in her free hand. It was even softer than she had imagined. She leaned closer to him, his scent filling her lungs.

“Good, really good,” she spoke sleepily. “I’m glad I’m dreaming about you, right now.” A funny look crossed his expression and he tilted his head.

“A dream you say?” His voice was soft. “Yes, I suppose that’s what we’ll call this.”

She nestled her face in his hand and kissed his finger. “I had a nightmare, Vlad. I had a nightmare you were going to kill Michael. He used to be my fiancé, but he isn’t any longer. Don’t kill him, no one needs to die because of me.”

“Where did you hear that?”

She shrugged, the memory not coming to her. “If you’re going to be my boyfriend, you can’t do things that upset me. Otherwise, I won’t marry you.”

Something dark played at his eyes and he hesitated to respond. “I’ve already upset you, though.”

“Are you referring to that time in your room? Yeah, that was pretty scary. But we need to develop boundaries. And I guess that was a good start.” She looked at him closely. “Hey, how come I haven’t seen you around since then? Are you embarrassed? I’ve been so busy with this stupid schedule. Everyone seems to want to teach me something new or eat this or try that.” She frowned. “I miss seeing you.”

Vlad seemed stunned by her openness in expressing her feelings. Finding his voice, he responded, “Nervous, is more like it. You don’t know how tempting you are to me. Sometimes I feel like it’s too dangerous to be around you.”

She laughed. He blinked in shock. “Don’t be ridiculous. How are we supposed to go on dates or get to know each other with you avoiding me because you want to have sex?” She reached up and tousled his hair. His eyes widened and a slight blush crossed the tip of his ears. “Like any other boy, you are just gonna have to control yourself. The time will come. Or it won’t,”

“Or it won’t?”

She gave him a playfully dangerous look. “Yea, I may get gobbled up, ya know. Or maybe we just won’t work out, you never know what’s going to happen.” His eyes darkened a fraction; those burgundy irises, sometimes blood-red, sometimes the darkest of browns. She frowned again, looking at him now. “Your eyes are so beautiful. Does it have any meaning when they change colors?” He took her hand in his own and held it to his lips, allowing her scent to flow within him. His eyes slowly began brightening, until they were burning with passion and desire. She gazed in awe as they changed before her.

“When they’re red like this, it means I’m in a state of wanting. It can be either good or bad. For you, you should always regard this as a dangerous sign. Because there is nothing, nothing, I desire more in the world, than you.”

She offered him a wickedly flirtatious look. “Well, it’s a good thing this is a dream, then, isn’t it?” She opened her mouth around his thumb and lightly pressed down with her teeth. His eyes nearly flashed. Very carefully he stood up, looming over her. She watched him with big, curious eyes as he removed his hand from her grip and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Well, that’s no fun,” she complained.

He lowered his mouth to her ear and in a husky voice, he said, “This isn’t a dream, Tiana.”

That wasn’t right. It had to be a dream. She twisted in her bed to get a better look at him. He gently placed his lips on hers, lingering there for a moment before standing. With a final parting look he turned on his heel and retreated from the hospital.

A few more days passed in the hospital as she was patched up by the magic of the doctors. The light seemed brighter than normal, and her vision had improved tenfold. She expressed the changes to her nurses, which made them a little cautious. She was instructed to be prepared for the worst, that the new changes might never go away.

Her Gnome scientist visited her regularly and mingled with the staff. They expressed theories and discussed what might happen - or what might not - and asked for her opinion as well. She was a lab rat. It was officially decided. They wouldn’t be so rude to say it out loud, but she knew the truth even if it wouldn’t be said.

One day, with everyone gathered around her, she couldn’t help but press her lips and ask, “What became of Duke Kazimir?”

Several sets of eyes hesitated on her. The Professor jumped onto the bed and gave her a curious look though his perfectly round glasses. “He was placed under house arrest and lost some land and titles. Why? Why do you ask?”

She shrugged. “I was only curious; I honestly don’t feel like it was his fault. He’s a natural predator to my kind, and I was bleeding. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I feel like I should be the one punished, not him.”

A doctor shook his head. “Don’t be unreasonable,” he instructed, his wiry gray hair wiry bobbing with his emphatic response. “We all know the danger of having you around, yet we are in control of our actions. Duke Kazimir knew better than anyone the dangers involved, as well as the precautions he must take.”

She toyed with the blankets in her lap, unconvinced.