Ileus: The Dark Prince

With a sigh, Darla took Anastasia's hand and said, "Let us go. The queen is waiting for you. There is a dinner in the evening and both the king and the queen want you to join them with you. After dinner, she would like to talk to you. I have to tell you a thousand things. There's a lot to prepare. So, hurry up, we don't have the time to waste!" 

"She is not going anywhere without me!" Ileus said, now tense as hell. He grabbed her waist with the other arm and then picked her up as if she was his toy and that the villains in front of her were trying their best to steal her. One night without her? What would he do? Where would he go? 

Darla narrowed her eyes as Kaizan stared at him. Anastasia didn't know where to bury her head. She was flustered and shy and embarrassed along with a thousand other things her body was experiencing. "Well, I knew you won't yield like this, and that's why I had already warned the queen!" 

Ileus gave her a glare that could wither a normal human. Shadows peeled off him as anger blazed in his golden eyes. 

Aidan came to stand right next to Darla with his arms bulging. He held her waist as if protecting her. 

Ileus ignored them both and started walking away with his prize towards his bedchamber. However, what happened next left him stunned. All at once, Anastasia disappeared from his arms. He stumbled forward looking wildly at Darla. Darla winked and then she also vanished. 

"Motheeerrrrrr!" Ileus roared with fury. This was all his mother's doing. She snatched his woman from him. 

Aidan and Kaizan were left standing with the crown prince, whose sharp anger burst like dense shadows around him. 

Kaizan pursed his lips, shook his head and then said exasperatedly, "I know a way to visit her. I have a trick up my sleeve." 

Ileus cocked his head and then a moment later became corporeal. "What trick?" he asked, as he pouted. 

"Gods!" Kaizan didn't know how he would play his friend's mother now. But it was important to keep the big baby under control. What he said next left Ileus with a raised eyebrow. 

--- 

Anastasia found herself in a chamber in the north wing. Dumbstruck, she looked around her and saw that Adrianna was sitting on a plush couch. An older woman with dark skin and salt and pepper hair was waiting near a pile of clothes. She bowed to Anastasia as soon as she looked at her. 

"My child!" Adrianna got up from the couch and walked to hug her daughter-in-law. "We have been waiting for you from a long time, and don't look so astonished." She hugged Anastasia tightly and cupped her cheeks. "I heard what you did in Level three and let me tell you that was kickass." 

Anastasia bowed to her. She smiled but she didn't know what the meaning of kickass was. It must be a good word for Adrianna to use it like a praise. How did her mother-in-law know such amazing words? "It was necessary," she replied. "Tamara should have taken up my proposal if she wanted to live." 

Adrianna tugged her hand to go to the couch she was sitting on. "I also heard that you sang a beautiful song. When will I get the chance to hear it?" 

She chuckled. "Whenever you like Mother, though I am not sure if you'd like my voice." 

Adrianna sat down and patted the cushion next to her. When Anastasia sat there, she said, "There's one thing which I found very strange. How come your magic only affected Tamara while the rest of the audience came out unscathed? And so did the dancers?"

Anastasia looked at her folded hands in her lap. "Honestly, I don't know, but I wanted to save all others. I broke my notes into various high and low pitches to lessen the effect of magic. When I sang, I thought of my parents, their love and the first— first flight I took today. I thought of Ileus who let me fly freely in the skies of Draoidh, and then—" her voice choked with emotions. Adrianna stroked her back to allow her to settle down. When Anastasia found her voice, she said, "I just filled my song with a lot of positive energy. That energy flowed out of me and smacked the dark form which Tamara had assumed. I think that's where my magic affected her. I don't know how to explain it…"

"That is interesting," Adrianna muttered. 

Anastasia turned to gaze at her and asked, "Do you know what happened there?" 

"I can guess it," Adrianna said, narrowing her eyes. "The kind of magic that Tamara was holding was necromancer magic. Now being a priestess, she could never get hold of that kind of magic for it would have been the death of her. But when you ordered to send her away on her new role, she wanted to give one last try to kill you and take revenge. I guess she either stole that magic or borrowed it from someone. The necromancer magic covered her with all the darkness that was within her mind."

"And?" 

Adrianna's gaze went to the pedestal that the maids were preparing for Anastasia. "Well, when your positive magic hit her negative one, it started rapidly retreating. Her plan backfired. The alarming rate at which your magic sliced through hers, it was like being sobered up in a few seconds from an addiction of lifetime. And so her body gave up." 

Anastasia recalled how badly Tamara had started bruising. Blood oozed out from her mouth, eyes, nose and ears. She was a pitiful sight, but Anastasia didn't feel guilty. 

Adrianna continued, "It couldn't be reversed and so Tamara died a painful death." 

"That means that if someone has necromancer magic, they will never be able to come out of it?" asked Anastasia thinking about Iona. 

Adrianna knew who she was talking about. She took a deep breath. "I don't know, Anastasia. It is all subjective. Just like your magic. It didn't affect the dancers, but it affected only Tamara. We can cast definitive spells, but eventually we do customize them for those who can oppose them." Her eyes stared into blank space. 

Anastasia nodded. She brushed her mother-in-law's hands with her thumb. Understanding the heaviness in the air, she was about to change the topic, when Darla suddenly appeared. 

"Your Highness!" she bowed immediately. She was out of her breath and extremely rattled. 

Knowing the looks on her face, Adrianna let out a small laugh and said smugly, "Don't worry Darla, my son would never be able to find where his mate is in the north wing." 

Darla giggled, which soon turned into a full-blown laugh as if the two were sisters in conspiracy. "I warned you, didn't I?" 

"You did well, Darla," Adrianna joined in her laughter. Then she said to Anastasia, "We have the finest seamstress of the wizard kingdom for you over here, my dear. And she is waiting to create a fine wedding dress for you. Why don't you go and try? Darla is going to help you select the fabric, color and style. Though my choice would be yellow."