"Where is she?" the Kayell look-alike growled to the innkeeper. "Her things
are still in the room---where is she?"
"I don't know what you are talking about---" the woman uttered. A trickle of blood lined her lower lip. She leaned her body against the wall in an attempt to hold herself up. Her blue eyes remained firmly set on Victor.
"You are only making this more difficult on yourself."
His tone hinted at his impatient annoyance. The only other people in the room consisted of a trio of guards who kept their eyes set on the others as they prowled the streets. The small side room was quaint. Light tan coloring decorated the room, accented by a pale rose hue. Yet the calming affect this normally had was overshadowed by the blood trail that lined the room. The bed's sheets were crumpled and stained, dragged halfway off. The washing pitcher lay forgotten on the ground surrounded by its own broken pieces and a puddle that had finally stopped growing.
"My patience doesn't last long, as I'm sure you've noticed."
His voice was calm as he spoke yet his eyes never lost their intent. He pulled a knife out from a sheath at his side. Moving closer to the injured woman he ran it slowly up one of her arms. "I'm going to ask you once more, where is Naetalia?!"
The woman raised her chin defiantly, her eyes boring into the imposter.
With a single movement, the knife dug into the skin of her shoulder. She cried out in pain, her eyes closed unintentionally. The dagger pulled across her collarbone and into her neck, crossing until her screams became muffled and died completely. Her body fell to the ground.
Victor growled at the mess and proceeded to wipe the blade on a clean piece of the bed sheet nearby.
One of the guards turned back to him and he responded with a nod to the door. The guard grabbed the attention of the other two, and in a moment the room was quiet once more.
...............................
Naetalia reached into the darkness, trying to find something to move towards. She could hear Kayell a little ahead of her, although, she was not about to risk speaking up again.
Her heart paused for the briefest second as the man caused a small flame to erupt in the room. Kayell's form was illuminated by the lamp not far from her and she moved closer. The walls of the small room seemed to close in. There were no windows, and the only door was on the far side, mostly composed of wooden panels. The shelves were scattered with dusty books, jars, and vials, among other things. Although her attention seemed to be more focused on getting out of the small space.
"Do we have to stay in here for long?" she whispered as quietly as she could.
"Hopefully not."
He moved the lamp closer to the paneling and leaned in close, looking around. The young woman noticed the shiver in his hand as he held the light. She brought her eyes up to scan his face, instantly noticing the darkened color of his lips.
"Kayell," Naetalia said softly, moving closer. Her hand rested on his arm.
"You're going to freeze, we have to get you something warm."
He turned quickly with a glare.
"I've been going around for how long now with cold-blood? Freezing to death is the least of my worries!"
She pulled back swiftly. She rationalized how she barely knew the man, but she hadn't heard him with that tone before. It must have been her expression because he seemed to realize how the outburst came out. His features softened and he put the lamp on a near shelf.
"Tally, I'm sorry."
He turned his body towards her, his eyes wandering down to the floor.
"Just...just this is really hard right now," he placed his hands on her arms. His eyes wandered to hers and held firmly.
"I'm on a time limit. I can't---I won't be able to stay like this yet. If I can't get you to where you need to be before I---there's no way for me to know when I'm going to change back."
Her eyes narrowed in puzzlement.
"Wait, are you placing this all on your shoulders?"
Somehow he felt as though he had suddenly said something wrong.
"I can do this just as well on my own, you know. There's no reason for you to feel like it is all your responsibility!"
The frustration in her voice was coming through very clearly, filling the small room.
"But I got you into the whole mess. I feel completely responsible for putting you in any sort of danger to begin with. If it hadn't have been for me---"
"If it hadn't have been for you, I would have been stuck in a society of conceited nobles with nothing better to do than bid for my attentions and discuss the latest fashions. And let me tell you how dull that can get very fast. Dull and lonely!"
His eyes narrowed in confusion as the woman continued.
"Not that I am exactly enjoying this whole situation, but at least it is something different. I can at least feel something about what I am trying to accomplish. I at least have someone I can talk about it with. Someone who I'm strangely finding it easy to talk to and even argue with. Someone who isn't viewing me as a prized cow or some sort."
His eyebrow rose in amusement and a smile fell across his face.
"A cow? I hope you honestly don't think of yourself as a cow."
His expression grew slightly more serious again and she felt herself flushing under his gaze.
"Well, I didn't mean literally. Only, that's how it feels sometimes. And I didn't mean to go on like that---it's just---"
She looked down at her fingers, suddenly realizing how she had just spoken to the prince. He raised a finger to her chin and brought her face up to look at him, a soft smile meeting her.
"A cow and a frog---an interesting match, wouldn't you say?"
Naetalia searched his eyes, slightly confused at his soft words.
"I don't mind listening to you a bit. In fact, I wouldn't mind if you did that a good amount more often."
Naetalia lost herself easily in the brown orbs and it took her a minute to realize how close they had been standing together.
"Tally---I'm---"
The panel creaked open, causing the pair to freeze instantly. Their wide eyes fell on a weathered, elderly man's face.
"If you two were attempting to keep quiet, you did a terrible job at it," he remarked sternly. His dark eyes flickered between them. He turned to Kayell and nodded him out of the small room.
"Both of you---out, now."
"I don't know what you are talking about---" the woman uttered. A trickle of blood lined her lower lip. She leaned her body against the wall in an attempt to hold herself up. Her blue eyes remained firmly set on Victor.
"You are only making this more difficult on yourself."
His tone hinted at his impatient annoyance. The only other people in the room consisted of a trio of guards who kept their eyes set on the others as they prowled the streets. The small side room was quaint. Light tan coloring decorated the room, accented by a pale rose hue. Yet the calming affect this normally had was overshadowed by the blood trail that lined the room. The bed's sheets were crumpled and stained, dragged halfway off. The washing pitcher lay forgotten on the ground surrounded by its own broken pieces and a puddle that had finally stopped growing.
"My patience doesn't last long, as I'm sure you've noticed."
His voice was calm as he spoke yet his eyes never lost their intent. He pulled a knife out from a sheath at his side. Moving closer to the injured woman he ran it slowly up one of her arms. "I'm going to ask you once more, where is Naetalia?!"
The woman raised her chin defiantly, her eyes boring into the imposter.
With a single movement, the knife dug into the skin of her shoulder. She cried out in pain, her eyes closed unintentionally. The dagger pulled across her collarbone and into her neck, crossing until her screams became muffled and died completely. Her body fell to the ground.
Victor growled at the mess and proceeded to wipe the blade on a clean piece of the bed sheet nearby.
One of the guards turned back to him and he responded with a nod to the door. The guard grabbed the attention of the other two, and in a moment the room was quiet once more.
...............................
Naetalia reached into the darkness, trying to find something to move towards. She could hear Kayell a little ahead of her, although, she was not about to risk speaking up again.
Her heart paused for the briefest second as the man caused a small flame to erupt in the room. Kayell's form was illuminated by the lamp not far from her and she moved closer. The walls of the small room seemed to close in. There were no windows, and the only door was on the far side, mostly composed of wooden panels. The shelves were scattered with dusty books, jars, and vials, among other things. Although her attention seemed to be more focused on getting out of the small space.
"Do we have to stay in here for long?" she whispered as quietly as she could.
"Hopefully not."
He moved the lamp closer to the paneling and leaned in close, looking around. The young woman noticed the shiver in his hand as he held the light. She brought her eyes up to scan his face, instantly noticing the darkened color of his lips.
"Kayell," Naetalia said softly, moving closer. Her hand rested on his arm.
"You're going to freeze, we have to get you something warm."
He turned quickly with a glare.
"I've been going around for how long now with cold-blood? Freezing to death is the least of my worries!"
She pulled back swiftly. She rationalized how she barely knew the man, but she hadn't heard him with that tone before. It must have been her expression because he seemed to realize how the outburst came out. His features softened and he put the lamp on a near shelf.
"Tally, I'm sorry."
He turned his body towards her, his eyes wandering down to the floor.
"Just...just this is really hard right now," he placed his hands on her arms. His eyes wandered to hers and held firmly.
"I'm on a time limit. I can't---I won't be able to stay like this yet. If I can't get you to where you need to be before I---there's no way for me to know when I'm going to change back."
Her eyes narrowed in puzzlement.
"Wait, are you placing this all on your shoulders?"
Somehow he felt as though he had suddenly said something wrong.
"I can do this just as well on my own, you know. There's no reason for you to feel like it is all your responsibility!"
The frustration in her voice was coming through very clearly, filling the small room.
"But I got you into the whole mess. I feel completely responsible for putting you in any sort of danger to begin with. If it hadn't have been for me---"
"If it hadn't have been for you, I would have been stuck in a society of conceited nobles with nothing better to do than bid for my attentions and discuss the latest fashions. And let me tell you how dull that can get very fast. Dull and lonely!"
His eyes narrowed in confusion as the woman continued.
"Not that I am exactly enjoying this whole situation, but at least it is something different. I can at least feel something about what I am trying to accomplish. I at least have someone I can talk about it with. Someone who I'm strangely finding it easy to talk to and even argue with. Someone who isn't viewing me as a prized cow or some sort."
His eyebrow rose in amusement and a smile fell across his face.
"A cow? I hope you honestly don't think of yourself as a cow."
His expression grew slightly more serious again and she felt herself flushing under his gaze.
"Well, I didn't mean literally. Only, that's how it feels sometimes. And I didn't mean to go on like that---it's just---"
She looked down at her fingers, suddenly realizing how she had just spoken to the prince. He raised a finger to her chin and brought her face up to look at him, a soft smile meeting her.
"A cow and a frog---an interesting match, wouldn't you say?"
Naetalia searched his eyes, slightly confused at his soft words.
"I don't mind listening to you a bit. In fact, I wouldn't mind if you did that a good amount more often."
Naetalia lost herself easily in the brown orbs and it took her a minute to realize how close they had been standing together.
"Tally---I'm---"
The panel creaked open, causing the pair to freeze instantly. Their wide eyes fell on a weathered, elderly man's face.
"If you two were attempting to keep quiet, you did a terrible job at it," he remarked sternly. His dark eyes flickered between them. He turned to Kayell and nodded him out of the small room.
"Both of you---out, now."