Chapter 24

The trip to the throne room seemed twice as long as it had last night, but Avalina forced herself to keep a steady pace instead of tiptoeing by like she had last time. She had to go home, she was going home and not even the master. . .she chilled all over again at the idea of just who it might be. . .could stop her. Prydain must be warned immediately if her suspicion was correct.

Just thinking about him stood her hair on end and she shivered. It took all of her control to keep from fleeing on the spot. The only reason she was going anyway was to ask him to lower the drawbridge.

Why he would want her again was strange. Maybe he knew she had been trying to sneak out?

When the doors loomed into sight Avalina thought she would drop.

'I can't go in there!' Every muscle and thought screamed at her.

'Oh yes you can!' Her heart told her firmly. 'For your family, friends and country, you can and *will* go in there, or you're not fit to be a native of Prydain! A brush-farmer either, of all things. The people of Prydain are not cowards, and neither are you.'

As she raised her hand to knock, the doors came open by themselves, just like before, and although she walked significantly slower now, she did not dare to give in to herself and stop. It would be over if she did that.

Approaching the bottom of the steps to the throne, she knelt for a long moment before rising, deciding to speak first and get this over with.

"You wanted me, sir?" She asked softly. If she dared to try and raise her voice it would portray the true extent of her terror.

A short pause followed, before she heard a rasping breath being drawn slowly in, and the deliberate, grating voice that followed.

"Are you leaving?"

Avalina's stomach jerked at this but she kept her composure.

"Yes, sir. The storm is over, and I will be on my way as I promised."

"Why so soon?" His voice ground out, echoing in the chamber.

Avalina willed her voice not to crack.

"My family is worried sick about me, sir, and it is time I got home. Although I am truly g-grateful for your hospitality and providing me shelter. It will not be forgotten. I humbly request you to lower the d-drawbridge? Please?"

Avalina slowly raised her head, up to where the throne was. Just as before, she could see nothing of his face.

A pause.

"Stay."

Another pause.

"Please."

Avalina fought to keep her breath even, choosing her words carefully. The first word had sounded like a command, the second might have been a request if his voice had not still carried that authoritative monotone.

"I can't, sir. Although your offer is generous, I h-have to get home. My family needs me very much."

"I insist you stay."

Avalina fought to keep from losing her composure.

"I am sorry, sire, but I can't."

On sudden impulse she added, "I don't even know who you are."

A soft noise that might have been a chuckle came from the shadows.

"Would you like to know?"

Avalina's stomach twisted harder as she picked her words as carefully as she could.

"What I meant is, sir, that I haven't seen your face these past days."

Another, darker chuckle followed, making Avalina's terror clinch at her heart.

"As you wish."

Something about those three words made Avalina feel like her chest would cave in.

A soft rustling of fabric drew her eyes up again to the throne, and she realized he was now standing, descending the steps slowly.

Avalina's eyes traveled up his robe, taking in his hands at his sides, instantly knowing something was very wrong. His hands were skeletal and a dark, sickly green, and long claws adorned the ends of his fingers.

A brown fur stole covered his shoulders and fell down his back, nearly reaching his feet, being held together at the front with a gold-colored crescent-shaped pin.

As he continued to descend, the rest of his body came into the light, lastly his face, and here Avalina gasped aloud, shock and horror rendering her completely immobile.

His face was skeletal and sunken in, the same shade of green skin stretching over the bones underneath. No nose to speak of, pronounced cheekbones, a mouth full of fangs and uneven teeth, and large eye sockets that were nigh hollow.

But they were not hollow. They were the blackest, emptiest looking eyes Avalina had ever seen, but she could feel them boring deep into her, right into her very soul, rooting her to the spot.

Two pairs of horns. . .a smaller pair up front and a larger, more bull-like set sitting behind those, proudly adorned his head, a little off to the sides but still situated near the center of his skull. They stuck out of holes cut inside the hood of his wine-colored robe, no doubt for that very purpose. They were the same color as his face and hands.

"Y-y-you!" Avalina choked out, shaking uncontrollably now. "Y-y-y-you're the H-Horned K-K-King!"

A soft chuckle came from the being, who had paused on the last step from the bottom, staring at her.

"I see I have not been forgotten."

Stepping off the last step, he continued.

"Which is why you cannot leave."

Avalina, having been completely frozen in place in terror up to this point, shook herself out of it as she realized in horror he was practically at arm's length from her and closing.

Only one thought managed to process successfully, but it was enough.

'Run.'

With a scream of pure terror, she turned and ran for her very life.

Out the doors and through the winding corridors (Which were still lit) Avalina ran for all she was worth, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she tried to pump even harder.

'Run! Faster, faster! You have to get out of here, NOW!'

A thunderous crash echoed through the castle that was nearly deafening.

Avalina shrieked and tripped over a stone that wasn't laid quite as smoothly as the rest, crashing hard to the floor. She was up and running again before she quite realized what she had done.

'Run, Run, RUN! Warn Prydain! Warn Prydain!'

Avalina saw the door up ahead, leading to the balcony overlooking the entrance room to the castle.

'Almost there, almost there. . .'

Heart racing a mile a minute, Avalina tried to run even faster.

'You have to warn Prydain he's back! Oh gods, he's back!'

Reaching the door and realizing it wasn't going to open for her this time, Avalina turned the knob and shoved against it with all her might.

For one, horrifying second she thought it was locked, until it came open and nearly threw her onto the balcony.

Avalina barely had time to regain her footing before she looked toward the steps. . .

Only to see the Horned King standing right in front of her, half obscured by the thick shadows.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her roughly to him, nearly holding her off the ground as he lifted her arm above her head.

Her terrified scream was sharply cut off as his other hand closed around her throat.

Releasing her wrist, he turned his left hand around his head in a somewhat swirling motion as she instinctively tried to loosen his hand around her neck.

Choking, Avalina felt her eyes fill with tears of terror as she desperately tried to breathe. If air had not been her main priority as the moment she would have gagged at the thought of touching him, but that was currently the last thing on her mind.

'I don't want to die!'

A crash like thunder smashed painfully against her ears, and she was vaguely aware of a reddish, smoke-like substance surrounding them.

The Horned King moved forward as it cleared, pulling her helplessly alongside him as if she weighed nothing at all.

Avalina tried to beg for mercy, but nothing would come out. As he pulled her in front of him, his piercing glare bored right into her face, and she felt like her ribs and chest had turned to ice in pure terror. His eyes could freeze a desert.

As she struggled harder, his eyes lit up a brilliant red, his pupils black slits against the bloody background.

Black spots clouded her vision, making the Horned King look all the more horrifying.

The tears kept flowing as her struggles weakened, and she knew she was seconds away from passing out.

Avalina knew she was going to die as her legs gave out from under her. But she didn't want the Horned King to be her last coherent thought in this life, so she shut her eyes and focused elsewhere.

'I'm so sorry Momma! I love you so much!'

Air suddenly entered her lungs, allowing her to breathe again.

Dropping to the ground on her knees and elbows, she choked and gagged as her respiratory system kicked into overhaul, making up for the time lost and pumping fresh air through her lungs.

A door slamming caused her to tearfully look up, her vision still speckled.

The Horned King stood there, not six feet in front of her.

Falling back in terror, she became aware of the bars between them. In a flash she comprehended that she was in the dungeon at the prison level of the castle.

Staring down at her with those flaming eyes, the Horned King rumbled,

"Maybe this will teach you not to run from me."

"Please, sir, let me go home," Avalina pleaded as fresh tears worked down her face.

"Please? I don't want to stay here. My family needs me. I beg of you, don't keep me here!"

The Horned King glared harder at her.

"And have you running off to tell all of Prydain of my return? I think not."

Turning, he slowly made his way through another door to a flight of stairs, no doubt leading back up to the main levels.

"You are staying here."

Weakly getting to her feet, Avalina held herself up against the bars.

"Please, Sire, no! I can't stay here! I can't!"

The slamming of the door was her answer.

The last shreds of shattered hope that had fluttered vainly in the air turned to ashes as nothing but black despair filled her broken heart.

Avalina crumpled to the stone floor and sobbed.