Chapter 13

Rue was the first to move into the greenhouse, her prince and James entering after her. The warm garden was the last place where their friend was taken right in front of them. Carefully the moved around potted plants and stone benches looking for any clues on where Corvin had taken Ahiru.

"Look," Siegfried calls over to the other pulling up the thin stone making to the greenhouse floor. The removal of the slabs opening a massive whole tunneling down into the darkness.

"We might not leave this way if we go down." James kneeled to peer into the hole, tossing a small stone letting it fall "It's a straight drop."

The golden eyed prince looked down then shook his head "We should find another way in" He turned to look at Rue.

Rue was not willing to find another tunnel entrance. Instead of answering him she gave her prince a frim look and jumped down the hole.

"Rue!" Siegfried reaches for but too late and had to fall into the hole after her.

Rue felt him caught her making them tumble through the darkness together as her. Her heart pounded violently at the thought that they survive the drop. Though her prince was right ahead of her summoning up a gentle wind and a cloud of flower petals to soften their fall.

"of!" James rolled to break his fall shortly after them.

Siegfried offered to help the other teens up holding out a hand to him.

"No, I'm fine." He shook his head as he got to his feet.

As the group oriented themselves they noticed the chamber they had landed in. A cavernous room with walls of woven wood and the thorny vines, bones of birds and monstrous avian beasts caught in its joints. There was an uneasiness staring at the hollow sockets of the skulls started to glow. The cadavers rattling and shaking in their binds.

James and Siegfried drew their blades reading to fight the skeletons, yet despite the violent movements the monsters didn't attack them. Instead, they stared off into the distance as the sound of footsteps echoed getting louder.

"You!" James shouted noticing Corvin in his princely attire approaching from the darkness.

Corvin smiled at the trio his icy eyes gleaming "Welcome." He answered as if he was talking friends.
"Where's Ahiru you creep!" Rue hissed her hand clenched.

"She is safe and happy," Corvin answered in a calm voice.

"Then let us see her." The snowy-haired prince points his sword at him.

Corvin tilted his head as if he was actually thinking about fulfilling their request "So, you can force her to leave me?"

"Gaw!" Rue shrieked as the avian cadavers reaching out pulling at her hair and clothes.

"Never!" Any warmth was drained from Corvin's words "Now I'll give you three an ultimatum, leave and your desire to sperate me from my princess with you." His voice snapped with a warning "Then we can all live in happy pace."

"Certainly not!" James rushed at him holding his blade up to slice the prince of birds. The young warrior stopped halfway seeing that Corvin stretch out his arms as if embracing the attack.

"Go head strike me!" He tautened James "You've seen first hand what you blessed sword will do to me."

The green-eyed teen swallowed loudly as a chilling quite snaked into the chamber.

"James? You didn't." Siegfried's words cut into the stillness.

The blonde prince dropped his arms as he smiled wildly as James's hand shook at the simple question.

"Yes, I did!" James looked back to the prince "You should have seen him before that twisted thing he was before." His voice cracked "He was a monster! A beast of despair just that Raven."

"Tell me, Prince Siegfried?" Crovin cocked his head as if he was curious vulture "What were you thinking giving a commoner's son a blade that will grant it's victims a wish?"

"Why did you wish to be human?" He deflected the question.

"No, not to be human." Corvin said with disappointment "I wished for a forum that would help me achieve my revenge." A living cloud crow swarmed the uppermost part of the room "On you." He caught his curved dark sword and lunged at Siegfried.

The snowy-haired prince dodged the install attack before trading blows with Corvin. The two swung at each other sword classing in gracefully arc, each resulting in an explosion of sparks with each collision. Their skirmish didn't last long Siegfried with one move disarmed the other teen. The talon shaped sword falling to the earthen floor with a thud.

The sound of Rue's scream killed any sense of victory that the fight could have brought. The skeletons holding her against the wall. James was locked in a similar predicament as the undead creatures snapping and hindering him from saving her.

With Siegfried distracted by the sight, Corvin darted for his weapon pressing it against the princes back. "If you vow to leave I'll let her go." His eyes narrowed.

"No!" Siegfried spun around with swinging his at the black-caped price.

Corvin wasn't able to dodge the attack "Gaw!" the sacred blade slicing side making him scream "You will regret this!"

The shrill cries of birds echoed his pain. The walls and ceiling shaking and contorting violently dust stirring about. When the clouds of dust settled Corvin was nowhere in sight as several tunnels where know open.

Ahiru's eye fluttered open she sat up and stretch feeling like a weight had been lifted from her. Getting to her feet wobbling as she made her way out of a tangled nest of cloths. It was dark with only a dim beam of light revealing reflectively ripples of a stream. As she stared into the water she gasped.

While her reflection was faint she noticed and now felt that her necklace was gone.

"Qua!" The noise got caught in her making herself unable to become a duck. Confused she stared at her hand something was very wrong.

"Ahiru!" A pained voice called to her from the darkness.

"Cor-ah!" She shook seeing Corvin's hangered body stumbled to her "what happened to you!" she caught him mid-fall.

"Your friends." Was all he could say.

Ahiru's welled up her mind not want to believe what he had said.

"It hurts but I'll recover, long as I don't get another injury." He stroked her cheek trying to hide his wound "It's dark in here, come here."

Gently he took her hand leading her to the beam of light pushing aside the pile of rubble. Leading for her into a sunlit chamber, colorful birds sleeping peacefully

"We can wait here." He said before slumping against the wall.

"Wait for?" She asks before hearing him collapse. "Corvin I'm sorry." She held him feeling guilty for his dispirit state.

Corvin stared up at her his blue eyes filled with pain "Ahuir please." His body fell limp before he could say another word.

(AN: The end is almost in sight for the first fanfiction. After chapter fourteen there will between two separate ends one by popular request and the ending I intended to write. Remember to leave a review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. If you liked this story check out my other fanfictions or go to my profile and check out YouTube channel or fiction press. It's from the support of patient and helpful readers like you that motivate me to improve my writing and has helped me through some hard times. Thank you so much. -AJ)