Chapter 4

Two weeks had gone by from the time that she had been placed under Sir Ren's protection, and they weren't any closer to leaving the LoveME kingdom than before. She was starting to get a little restless and more irritable than before. Although, she did discover that this man was actually quite nice, not as much of a playboy as she had originally thought, and there was something different about him. He wasn't like most humans. Scratch that, he wasn't like any human she'd ever encountered before. There were little moments where she could swear that he was truly one of her kind. He was never obvious about it, but there were little things that guided her to that line of thought, like: his diet or non-existent diet, the way he groomed himself, and little things that others wouldn't notice unless they were in his company constantly.

"When will we be leaving to find that elf?" She asked for the umpteenth time since they'd left that meeting several days ago. Fourteen to be exact, but who was counting? Time wasn't really a thing for her.

He looked up from some documents he'd been going over, regarding their travel arrangements and the path they would be taking. "I'm waiting for a friend. He's my scout."

"Oh?~" She pondered curiously.

"I sent him ahead. I'd prefer to not take any risky chances with you in my possession. Maria may have disguised you, but there's still that chance that he might suspect." He told her in seriousness.

"I see. I suppose you're right." She agreed with his logic. Especially since that ass had sent a few of his little cronies to try and breach the palace security a few days ago, looking for a way in to find her. "I guess the decoy didn't work." She pouted inwardly. Maria had put forth so much effort and it was seemingly all for naught.

He shook his head. "No, I believe it worked. I just think he might be trying to confirm it." He informed her.

"Will everyone be okay?" She asked worriedly. She certainly didn't wish for anything bad to happen to the humans that had been so kind to her, and she did feel something of an affinity to the little girl.

Ren chuckled. "They'll be fine. They have Maria. In fact, I think she welcomes the challenge. She mentioned something about testing his skills."

She snorted. "He may be a bastard, but he is quite talented and he learns quickly." The words she spoke sounded as though she was praising him, but they left a really bad taste once they were released.

Ren's demeanor darkened a bit. After all he'd done to her, she could still praise him.

She noticed a sour look that no one else would be able to interpret, and chuckled wryly. "Don't get me wrong. I still think he's a bastard and a colossal jerk, but he's quite driven when it comes to magic. She truly needs to take care where it concerns him. I don't wish for her to get into harm's way or be cursed like I was due to carelessness or underestimating him."

Ren brightened at the explanation and nodded in agreement. "She's always been cautious. You needn't worry for her." He told her, remembering all of the battle victories Maria had. Even at her young age.

~xoxo~

"Hmm, I just don't get it." He murmured, examining the sword that was laid out on his desk. It seemed like the right one, but it was completely depleted of any magic that it might have once held. No trace left at all. The scabbard should have at least protected it a little. He thought, scrutinizing the gemmed piece.

"Well? Do we have a deal?" The spoiled little noble thief asked haughtily.

He narrowed his eyes, waved a hand at her and silenced her with an unspoken spell. "Too noisy. You're worse than Poochi." He complained at the now struggling Kimiko Morizumi.

"Mmmph…" She looked on in fear at the flashy mage as she sat struggling on the floor, shocked that he had actually been able to cast a spell that removed her mouth completely.

He chuckled. "Not to worry. You won't be that way for long." He informed, looming closer to her, his long golden hair brushing past her face. "Because you will tell me every little detail about where you found this sword. You will tell me everything you know or…" He whispered into her ear with a feral smirk. "Or I will make sure that you and every member of your family will blink out of existence… after I have my fun with you." He finished cheerily.

She paled then nodded vigorously in tears. "Mmmph, mmph…"

He patted her on the head. "Good girl." He then levitated her to a chair and immobilized her completely. She couldn't have moved even if she'd tried. "Now…" He sighed out and snapped his fingers at the richly clad, delicate ravenette. "Where did you hide the Fae Queen?" He asked, not caring of his revelation. This little thief certainly wouldn't be capable of spreading or revealing the information when he was finished with her.

"Th-the Fae Queen?! I don't know anything about anyone like that!" She exclaimed in a panic. If she brought harm to someone like that, her entire family would be doomed.

Sho chuckled maliciously. "Stupid bitch! The sword that was in that scabbard, you little thief! You know, the sword that you switched out and replaced with a fake!" He hissed as his fingers danced in the casting of another spell.

"Wh-What?! NO! That was the only sword!" She exclaimed, watching ugly grey fur growing on her arms.

He pulled a chair in front of her and gracefully sat down, crossing his legs and leaning back comfortably. "So, you want me to believe that you, a thief, a noble borne liar, and someone that obviously has no problem with brushing off morality, didn't decide to profit off of an ancient crystal vorpal sword? Huh… Tell me something a smidge more believable and I may have mercy on you. Perhaps turn you into a snake instead of its food." He threatened, tapping an elegant, bejeweled finger on the arm of the gilded, red velvet cushioned chair.

She needed to calm herself. She knew she needed to, but how could she calm down and think clearly as she was slowly turning into some kind of rodent?

He stood up impatiently, walked to a cabinet and pulled out a crystal bottle that contained a wine as dark as old blood. She shivered at the thought that it could possibly be real blood. The gods only knew how he kept his youth over the years. He then poured himself a draught, just enough for maybe five large mouthfuls, into a crystal wine glass that reflected tiny rainbows on the walls as the sun hit it. He took his seat before her once again, and a small side-table slide next to him to rest his glass upon it after taking a sip.

He sighed out. "I have all of the time in the world to get the truth out of you. So, by all means, please take your time and think it through. I want every little detail… about that scabbard, the sword within, and exactly how and where you found it." He ordered in a pleasant voice that sent a chill racing down her spine, as if a snake had twisted itself around her body and was just waiting for her to fall asleep. "Not to worry, I'll make sure that your transformation is prolonged enough to give you more than enough time to gather your thoughts."

She shivered once again, and could feel a slight pain in her face where tiny whiskers were slowly attempting to poke through the skin on her cheeks.

"Shape-shifting, soul-sucking bitch, shape-shifting, soul-sucking bitch." The colorful little parrot by the window suddenly squawked.

Aki lazily glanced at Mimori, shook her head and stood to stretch out her tawny feline body. "Meow…" Shut up Mimori or you'll piss him off again. Aki warned as she oozed off of her cushion, wondering if the little rat would be given to her to play with for a little while.

One of the many horrible thoughts that had suddenly hit Kimiko was that she would soon be that cat's plaything. "It was in that child-mage's library! I swear! The one in the LoveME Kingdom! I swear by all the gods that it was the only sword there!" She exclaimed. Better to be a snake than a rat. "I don't know what happened to it!"

"Hmm…" He looked into his wine glass in contemplation.

"Please don't turn me into a rat. You promised that I could be a snake if I told the truth." She begged, watching her body change further.

An evil smile crossed his lips and he glanced up languidly. "I lied." He told her flatly, snapping his fingers, causing the spell to accelerate. "Tsk. Tsk… too bad for you." He sighed out and continued to sip the dark elixir.