Dark One Rising(14)
“If you would stop acting like a ruffian and start acting more like the princess you are, maybe you would find the right man for you. A man doesn’t want a woman who does things like a man. He wants a feminine woman, a woman who can charm his friends and raise his children. He doesn’t want a woman who can protect herself; he wants to be her protector. I told Kevaan it was a bad idea to teach you such things, but, like you, he doesn’t listen.”
“I don’t like who I am when I’m at court, trying to impress men who only want one thing from a woman. I want love, like you and mother had, not just a bed companion.”
“Your mother and I loved each other dearly, yes, but she was a proper woman of the court. She had her little quirks that I found amusing, but she did not flaunt them around for everyone to see.”
Tears started to well up, but she fought them back. “Please, don’t do this, father.”
“There is nothing I can do now, Melenthia. I have given my word, and my word is stone. It’s over, Melenthia. You will marry Fallon at the end of the month. He will be back here in three days to propose to you.”
She knew that he would never wait until marriage to take her. If he was coming here, she was in danger of being violated right under her father’s nose. She started to cry, knowing there was nothing else she could say to convince him, but she held it back. Crying would certainly not convince him, but maybe a threat would.
“I will be gone before that. I won’t be a slave in his house, a plaything he can discard for another when he tires of abusing me. I won’t be subjected to a life of misery and physical pain so that you’re not embarrassed, so that Kevaan can inherit a kingdom that is untarnished. I will leave before that happens.”
She thought it would work, but it did not.
“If you choose to do so then you will be banished from this house forever. You will never again be my daughter. You will be stripped of everything that is supposed to come to you after my death. You’ll be an outcast. I don’t think you want that.”
“You would do that to me to save your precious reputation?”
He paused for a moment, knowing his answer would break her heart, and his. “Yes.”
She started to cry now, but not fully; she held back as many tears as she could. This was her last stand and did not want to go out with weakness.
“So be it then, father. I will be gone before morning.”
“If that is your choice, then I will abide by it, but know this, if you do so, you will never again be able to see or speak to your family, even Kevaan. As far as I’m concerned, from the moment you walk out the door, you are invisible. You no longer exist. I never had a daughter. But I don’t think you would do that to yourself, or to your brother.”
She turned on her heel and ran from the room. When she was gone, Randor slumped down to the bench, his knees too weak to hold him up any longer. He placed his head in his hands and wept.
CHAPTER 4
On the other side of the kingdom, in a dark basement, a man worked diligently on an incantation of great importance. He had been taught by his previous master how to call upon the Dark One and, like he had done before, called upon him now for help.
The liquid in the large open pit bubbled and roiled, sending up thick acrid smelling steam into the air, which pervaded the room. After minutes of repeating the words in his head, he spoke, calling on the Dark One to answer his plea.
“Oh, mighty Lord, I call you from the depths of your slumbering place, to show yourself to me and fulfill my request. I’m here to do your will, but difficult times are upon us, and I need your guidance and wisdom.”
He waited for what seemed to him like eternity, then finally the liquid boiled higher and a face appeared in the gray haze. The face was hideous and not easily looked upon, but Fallon had seen him before, and the image was no longer disturbing.
“Why have you awoken me from my slumber and called me here?”
“The time has come, My Master. It’s time for me to start my campaign to power. It’s time to solidify my place in this kingdom, my place as ruler over all. The woman from the prophecy is growing stronger. The sword of the elves has sung. I have made my move with her father. Now is the time for me to move forward with my plan.”
“What is it you need from me?”
“I need more bargaining power in order to get the people of this kingdom to bend to my will. The Kings: Randor and Dainard, will be difficult to manipulate unless I have something to guarantee my success. My power has grown strong, but I need more resources at my disposal.”
“Indeed you have grown in power. I can feel the energy flowing through you. You are right, the people of this kingdom are not easily swayed, and the leaders are formidable. You need something to bargain with. Very well, I will send my servant to help you, a powerful being to control the minds of your adversaries. A being that can take many forms. You humans call him a wraith, but this wraith is special. All humans know about wraiths will prove wrong, and he will be the extra push you need. We call him…” The Dark One said his name, which was undecipherable to the human ear, then enlisted a human name, one that would be easily translated in man’s tongue. “But you will call him Jaron.”