A Bard? Well, Fuck Me

Entry Six

THE PRINCESS OF SORROW

A Bard? Well, Fuck Me

My eyes refused to leave my Kalpea. I could not focus on Kray nor did I want to. He was some loser with a hero complex. So self righteous when he should have held self loathing close to his chest. I tightened my grip on her hand. I watched as she watched him. I cannot believe I hold onto a Kalpea. So rough and ignorant. She was an interesting person. It called to me. Her strangeness and way of doing things. My head cocked. It was an alien feeling. I only ever hung out with Vincent, Tyler, and occasionally a schoolmate from Bloodstone. I had an ex but she was… Well, unimportant to me anymore. I actually cared to know Carter in her strange quirks. I felt fascinated by her life. I wanted to know about that creature who scarred her. I took another sip from my cup. The warmth made me shiver. It brought heat to my cold bones. Carter’s arm slipped around my shoulders. Her hotness spread into me. I kept my hand tight on hers. I just wanted to make her comfortable. What a strange thing?

“The nest is just a couple of miles north of here.” Kray, you have the most annoying voice. I would appreciate it, if you would just shut the fuck up. Let me enjoy my morning. I have few left. “It won’t be full like some of the nests you may encounter. This one is rather new and should be quite simple.”

“Simple to kill?” Carter asked with an exasperated laugh.

“Yes.” The Shifter swore under her breath. Her free hand flexed around her mug. She gave me a look. I tried to reassure her with a glance. She sighed and took a sip from her mug. “I promise it will be painless for us. You will not get hurt.”

“Yes, Carter, you will manage to last another day. Shocking,” I muttered, my tone laced with poison.

As we hiked, I moved my hands swiftly through the air. A small ball of wind formed between my palms. A rather wicked smirk presented itself. I tossed it at Ears. She screeched as her long hair flew up into an even bigger mess. With a smug turn, I continued forward as she laughed. That rather lightened the mood. I felt a tap on my shoulder. Her wilder hair met me. She grinned wide and toothy. Her canines were prominently showing. Playful eyes dotted around the air unable to focus. She scratched the side of her neck, smiling wider until she finally stuck her tongue out. A gust pushed me backward. Carter began to wheeze to herself before grabbing onto my arm.

The culprit of the last windball pointed a finger at Kray. The Prince stood completely unaware. I flicked my wrist. Wind picked up some snow and tightened it into a compact ball. I fell backward. My weapon fell uselessly as cold crashed against my forehead. I squealed out as a second snowball crashed into my chest. I landed on a snowbank. Begrudgingly, I wiped the slush off myself. Out of the corner of my eye, Ashlyn and Carter bounded through the knee high snow. They giggled like a couple of kids. Ashlyn whipped a ball of snow at Carter’s stomach. The Kalpea groaned and gripped her torso dramatically. Within seconds, they were pelting each other. Carter missed nearly every time while Ashlyn struck her with power.

“You suck!” She screamed at Carter.

“I’ve never played softball!”

“Bitch, you’re in charge of the goddamn bow!”

“It’s different! A completely different fucking instrument!”

Carter slid behind a pine tree. Oh Gods. Her hands worked up the tree. Her fingers found a grip within the edges and ridges. She kicked up the bark and pulled herself up onto a branch in a weak attempt at a pull up. Do not fall. Dear Lords of the Sorrow and even the Kalpea’s Frozen Children. I would not say she climbed like a monkey I have seen in the zoos of Soulmine. In fact, she climbed as well as one would expect a dog to or rather a wolf. She slipped on the wood. Her face knocked on the branch. Oh my. She flopped over into a pile of snow. It exploded upward on impact. The Kalpea groaned.

I pulled Carter to her feet. She did not have a scratch on her, surprisingly. Though, it was rather hard to tell given her natural affinity for collecting them. My hands approached her face. They hovered. She did not flinch and I took that as an invitation. My fingers brushed away any bristles of wood. I wiped the melted snow from her numb cheeks. The healer appeared beside me. She opened the Kalpea’s eyelid. Carter followed her finger. Ashlyn then proceeded to snap in her face earning a reaction.

“Rule One: Carter’s not allowed to climb trees.”

“Why just me?!”

“Is Morgan's ass gonna fall? Is Vincent gonna pull his heavy ass up that branch? Kray! I- You know what? Maybe but his ass will get scared and come right back down! You will fall on your flat ass! Exhibit A!”

“What about you?”

“It’s not always about me.” The healer quickly turned on her heels. She set down the path toward the village once more.

“Your ignorance concerns me. How are you still alive, Ears?”

“I’m great!” She smiled and smacked my back. “Don’t you worry about me, Princess.” Her hand gripped my shoulder. “Now, will you please explain to me why the trees are above me and why we’re walking on blue?”

“What?” She burst into a roar of laughter.

“Kidding! I am perfectly fine!” She gave me a goofy grin. My eyes rolled which only served her to laugh even more.

“You are such a dick.”

I leaned back in my chair at the inn. The annoying bard strummed his way over to our table. I attempted to tear my own ears out. Ashlyn nearly smashed her face into the wood. Vincent brandished his sword, his eyes never leaving the man. Kray tried to get up and leave. Ashlyn held his wrist in an iron grip, silently demanding him to sit. The bard set his guitar on the table. He smiled, showing off all of his white, sharpened teeth. I narrowed my eyes at the Stalker. Two fangs protruded from the top row of his mouth. Black mist spilled from his dark eyes. On the verge, I see. Pale-grayish purple skin smoothed across his body. A Tumma.

In a dark turn of events, he pulled up a chair in between the Prince and the knight. The Stalker was by far shorter. He appeared like a child in between the two others with his clean shaven face. Youth, a mask on him, attempted to hide his age. His ears held three points, revealing his Elven nature not that the purple hue hid it. He may have been fit but what really struck me was how he sized up the much bigger men beside him. He did not lack confidence. You are not that impressive. Rather the opposite. He ran a hand through his short black hair. The smile shifted into a sharp and serious look.

“I would like to join your expedition.”

“No.” Everyone agreed with me. Waves of nods caused him to frown. I turned to my Kalpea and instantly regretted it. I twitched and narrowed my gaze. She fiddled with the nobs at the top of the guitar. I hushed my tone and leaned over. “Carter, that is not yours.” Her eyes widened. She shrugged. “What do you mean shrug?”

“It’s out of tune,” She whispered back. Softly and quietly, she plucked a string. Satisfied, she moved on to another nob. She struck her tongue out just a little as she focused harder. Her brow furrowed. I could only helplessly watch. Oh, my Gods.

“Trust me,” The Stalker said. He remained oblivious to Carter’s fingers. “I can be rather useful.”

“I don’t trust you. None of us do,” Ashyln said. “I don’t know you. Granted, I don’t know Morgan that well but she seems semi mentally stable… Okay maybe less than semi but I’m betting on pointing that ray of destruction at the enemy. What’s even your name?”

“Zahyn Xavier Cunningham. I am at your service.”

“No, thank you,” Vincent responded. “I do not like your name. It is untrustworthy and sounds like something from one of Morgan's romance novels.” What- How do you know? I crossed my arms and snarled at the redhead.

“Thank you.” The bard flexed his arms at me.

“I am going to kill him.” Zahyn wiggled his brow at me. He mouthed ‘bring it’. I shot up, fists clenched, ready to strike.

“We can’t kill him!” Kray shouted.

“Unfortunately, that is accurate,” Vincent groaned. “It is against the law. We are already criminals because of you, Morgan. We should try to be somewhat good- descend law abiding citizens. At least, for the time being. Until we change those idiotic laws.” A loud strum filled the air. We all shot our heads at Carter.

“Ope.” She ducked her head below the table. “If it’s any consolation, I like him. Not that my opinion means really anything.” She slowly popped back up and plopped a sausage into her mouth. Sneakily, well not actually sneakily at all, she stole a chopped potato from my plate. Then a second.

“Thank you, Shifter. What’s your name? I will sing you a ballad.”

“Carter.” Her mouth was stuffed with food.

“Do you even know what we do?” Vincent stood from his seat. “If you did, I think you would be more wary. I have trained my whole life to kill and I am scared. Morgan trained at Bloodstone. She learned to dominate thousands of men with the flick of her fingers. She is scared. Your bravery it stupid.” I am not scared!

“I trust I ca-”

“We need to get going,” Kray cut him off. Thank Gods. Nothing good comes from bards or Stalkers for that matter.

Carter stuffed her mouth as we walked out the door. She stuffed her pockets with crackers before promptly handing the guitar to Zahyn. He seemed a little concerned and gave it a gentle strum. An actual melody echoed from it.

Carter thickly swallowed whatever food she had shoved in her cheeks. She has to be part chipmunk, right? She is definitely hot blooded. I stared at her. Carter’s white shirt sat nearly wide open revealing her soft belly. The wind picked up the sides and passed around her torso. At least she wore the black pants and boots. She clipped her cloak around her throat. The wind carried it behind her back, leaving her still very exposed to the cold. The string of her bow hugged her chest tightly leaving a red line across her. The sword swung from her waist in the leather sheath. The tiny black cube fiddled in her hands. She clicked the buttons in a strange lyrical pattern. Her ears twitched in a subconscious unison. Every couple of seconds, she retucked her hair behind her ears.

I chewed on my lower lip. A strange churning sensation built in my lower stomach. It was the same feeling I had in Bloodstone. I clenched my fists tightly. My eyes shot all around trying to locate every noise the forest produced. The wind caused the trees to creak. My heart beat like a war drum. I looked at Vincent. The sun reflected off his armor. It would keep him safe. It was not easily penetrated.

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When I jumped in front of Carter, I did not think. I had hardly any experience with Larken. I did not even know what to make of my first exposure to one. It was so different from all the stories I had heard. I was told they could decimate someone. It was a miracle I survived two encounters. It was a miracle Carter survived at all. I did not even choose to fight it, I was just going to scare it away but I failed. She had to save me. It left a bad taste. I want to be safe. Her to be safe? I glanced at her. I need a dagger or something. I flexed my fingers.

My attention found Vincent again. I tugged his shoulder and the two of us fell back. Carter turned to investigate but I nodded for her to keep moving. He lifted the visor of his helmet and looked down to meet my eyes. His green orbs searched for an answer. I could feel tears form. Guilt grew thick in my throat. I rubbed my fingers trying to warm them. They’re always so fucking cold. They’ve been cold since that day. I hugged him. The steel pinched my skin. I squeezed him even tighter. The day he opened his eyes, the relief nearly drowned me. I did not know what was worse, the guilt of his death or the guilt of facing him. It took all my strength to look at him. The two of us stood. Sorrow padded the space between us. I left him. I left him with no way of knowing I would come back. I told him not to follow me. I had sent him away. I left him to care of Tyler and he left him! No- No- My brother is an adult.

“Morgan?” He reached forward. His fingers pressed into my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“It is just one Larken,” I spoke to myself. “We can do it. It is all of us compared to just one.” I began to massage my temple. Two aches formed at the top of my skull. “Right? It will be nothing.”

“If you can take down the Headmistress, I think you can take down a feathered beast quite easily.”

“You are still injured.” I placed my hand on his chest. I pushed past the metal feeling his wound burn against my palm. “Ashlyn is a good healer but arrows that deep only heal so fast. You are still wrapped up. I will deal with it. You, Ears, and everyone else can go back to the camp. It is my job. This is my job.” He sighed out.

“The hardest part of my job has never been the act of protecting you but rather preventing you from doing stupid shit.” I raised a brow. He had never spoken to me like that. “I can fight off the idiot in the bar but keeping you in check is like wrangling a stray cat with rabies. Just like in Bloodstone, you were left alone and you fucked it all up.” His gaze narrowed. “Fuck, Morgan! We haven’t talked about it. We have not talked about anything that happened. You went from a semi-behaved teacher to a murderer! Now, you are all cozy with a Shifter! A filthy fucking Shifter that you have known for five days. Stop focusing on saving us and start focusing on saving yourself. We will need a lot more than a miracle to clean up your mess! You are the only hope we have. Do not fuck this up!”

“Don’t you think I know all this!” I hissed. Tears almost broke out. I shoved his chest. “I made a mistake! I made a big fucking mistake! I did something awful and I will spend the rest of my days making up for it! Not you! I will! I can handle myself, Vincent!”

I charged through the snow. I moved past everyone. In ten minutes, they lost sight of me. I had approached the clearing. A couple of feathers floated down in front of me. My eyes traveled upward. A string of swears left my lips. Sticks coated in black ooze helped create a large nest. Hay and grass peppered throughout it. Bones and feathers stuck out from the black mass. It was big enough to fit four Krays comfortably and six or seven Carters. A home fit for a beast.

Carter called out after me. Her breathing was heavy. I turned around. She hunched over and gripped her knees. She held up a single finger while she attempted to catch her breath. After a few moments, she stood up ready to charge forward once again. I raised my hand. Carter froze in her tracks. Mid bound, arms forward she remained still. Her brow furrowed as she attempted to escape the standstill.

I took a step out from under the next. A warm moist smell took over my senses. The sour stench made me shrivel my nose. A screech shook the branches. Loud claps echoed afterward. The beast leaped into the air. Sweat ran down my forehead. My palms shook. The energy scattered from them. The scar through my brow became ice cold. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! I gripped and stumbled. Two arms caught me. I turned around and saw Carter. She narrowed her sweet mismatched eyes at me. I pushed into her. My legs tried to carry me away. I tried to take her with me, away from all this. Somehow, the Kalpea remained still. She, much softer than I would have, pushed my shoulder. What the fuck am I doing? I whipped back around ready to fight the fucking beast.

Lightning struck me. Electricity coursed through me. The feeling of pure anger drove my body to the edge. I am not fucking weak! I killed that bitch! I destroyed Bloodstone! Fire burst out of my hand. It exploded against the Larken’s chest. An angry roar released into the air. The beast swooped down. Vincent dove in front of me. His shield bashed into the creature’s face. He slashed the creature’s neck. Blood refused to spill from the thick skin. The Larken raised its claw. It knocked Vincent back into the snow. A yellow glow passed over him.

No time had truly passed, and Vincent jumped back to his feet. I rushed my palms into the air and ripped them downward. The Larken’s legs snapped down. A gut wrenching noise left its beak. An arrow whistled past my ear. It hit the creature’s forehead. It flung backward, landing on the ground harshly. It snapped violently. I met a force of energy at the beast. Its back attached to the slush. Vincent jumped into the air. His sword pointed downwards. It entered into the creature’s stomach. Black blood flew up like a geyser.

With one hand, Vincent wiped the gunk from his face. He attempted to twist the sword one final time. Talons wrapped around the end of the sword. They ripped it out. The larken threw it to the side with no care. Vincent dove her his weapon. Carter let loose another arrow. And another. And another. Several missed but just as many hit it. The creature climbed back to all fours. It reared up. It charged at me. I gritted my teeth. I imagined a sword. The phantom pierced into its eye. I pushed my hands forward. The shadow blade struck deeper. A ragged breath came from the Larken. It fell heavy to the ground. It died, fighting until the last breath. It twitched until its soul could no longer push it anymore.

My knees gave away. Slush hit my sides. It mixed with the black blood, staining me like dirt. Mist left the monster’s body. Its soul evaporated into the air, passing onto the next plane. Static enveloped me. The hair on my arms shot up. A tingle shook my limbs. Beside me, Carter growled. Hair sprouted from her arms, thick and dark. Ashlyn’s eyes glowed like the sun whereas Carter’s appeared like the moon. Vincent ripped off his helmet as he gasped for air. His chest plate fell to the ground. His chest had been completely healed. I turned to the Prince. His own palms filled with a bright light.

“How do you all feel?” He asked.

“I feel- I feel rather amazing.”

I flexed my fingers. A dark grin formed. Carter muttered something. I did not hear. A ringing filled my ears. I could not help but widen my smile. I let my head hang back. The energy entered me. Its soul took grip. Too quickly, the feeling left. I remained stronger but I craved so much more. It reminded me of that day. No! You will not be like them… What if? No! I scolded myself. You will not go down this path. But I did. I wanted it. It was fucking amazing. It was like drinking fresh water from a cold spring. Sweet and refreshing. I glanced at Carter. The perfect way to quench one’s thirst.

“I feel like I could run a mile!” Her voice finally registered. Carter jumped to her feet. The hair across her disappeared. “Though, I would never actually do that. That’s fucking gross.”

“A manic episode is on the way!” Ashlyn cheered. She threw her hands up in the air and ran around. “I am not responsible for my future actions!”

“I could bench Kray,” Vincent spoke confidently. He eyed up the Prince.

“How about we all take a breather?” He raised his hands up in defense. An awkward laugh left his throat. “I would prefer not being tossed in the air.” He turned to me. “Morgan, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Oh, yes. I have never been better.”

I stared down at my palms. Blue static bounded along my palms reminding me of a dark, wonderful day. Bloodstone. I had not felt that strong since then. Even during exam week when I would stand out during storms, raising my hands and getting struck by pure energy. I never felt this strong. Not even my Headmistress’s practices could compare. I remembered being strapped down to a table. My wrists were held above my head. She had been just seconds away from injecting me with a concentrated form of Mana. It was like a drug. We used to increase our energy. She created it from the souls she collected. Many despised the practice just like the art of drinking blood but it still remained. I never participated. I refused. I fought with all my might. I was only fourteen and nothing compared to what I had become just ten years later. Something snapped that night. The leather turned to liquid. I threw the nearest thing I could lay my hands on. She was nothing but shocked as the glass bottle hit her. Electricity sparked from my body. I was nearly lifted to my feet. Never in my life had I felt that powerful. The Larken made me feel that. Its soul did. I needed more. I needed every soul to worship me. I wanted to drink from their veins. This is wrong.

At least the Mighty were not getting a hold of the power. My eyes rolled at the thought of them. Twenty or so years ago they were a rather large group of assholes. They wandered around saving people like a true collection of heroes, or so people called them. It fell apart like all groups do. One got greedy, or so they claimed and killed the others. Luka Snow-Star, the King of Kapinar, gathered his men and attacked. Kai Midnight, my grandfather, broke at the Betrayal and war raged ever since. Rumor has it that I was supposed to marry one of Luka’s children or grandchildren. It was just a rumor though. The King never had a grandchild because both of his children died too young. All he had left were a list of enemies and a vengeance against Norkden and the Kalpea.

My aunt died during The Great Betrayal. She was an original member. Her lover, a Lady of Norkden and a very powerful royal, was murdered alongside her. Kray survived but gained his scar. Fredrick Coldheart, the final member, still lived as the Old King of Norkden with his son as the Young King. Kray attempted to reform the group for some power hungry reason. My cousin, Juno, was their leader. I grabbed my brow. It was ironic for her to be considered the Hero of Midnight. Apparently, they were too busy accepting rewards and doing shit to deal with the Larken. I guess I should thank them though. Because of their laziness, I felt great. Fight it. No, you must not go down this path.

Carter fiddled with her cube as we walked. The sun started to set behind the dark pine. Orange coated the top like paint. I had to admit, it made me miss home. I could go to the window of my bedroom. I would just simply throw open the curtains and there it would be. Each night, I was guaranteed a gorgeous sight. Slowly, the sky before me turned red and then a deep purple. Faint stars began to form. I stopped and stared at the beauty. Slowly the three moons rose. My little Kalpea knocked into my back.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!”

“Are you okay, Ears?” I turned around. I gently took the cube from her. She looked down at the ground, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Despite being several inches taller, I swear she barely reached my chest. I pressed my finger beneath my jaw and raised her face to mine. A couple of tears streaked down.

“You know- I used to be an adventurer until I took an arrow to the knee.” She laughed at herself. “No, but seriously I was. My adopted mom and I would come here. We’d travel and explore. It was a dream come true. I still love this place. I blocked out most of it though. I killed so many people that day Morgan. Monster- I was- The rush was chaotic but it didn’t feel good inside me.” Her brow furrowed. “I think- I think-”

She gripped my shoulder and hunched over. Her head threw forward. Vomit spilled onto the snow. I held her hair back as she released all her food. I rubbed her back. Ashlyn dropped both of her hands on her head. She whispered some incantation. I continued to massage her, hoping to provide some relief.

“Carter, hey, Larken have killed so many people. That creature would have demolished the village if we hadn’t stepped in.” I stared at Ashlyn. Kray's words spilled from her mouth. I wouldn’t say she was right but she wasn’t wrong either.

“Darling, it slipped into the next plane. I am sure it is living a good life.” Do I even believe this?

She took a couple of deep breaths. We eventually calmed her down. Kray assured her everything was for the best. She just nodded through his propaganda. Her quiet nature returned and pushed ahead trying to reach the camp. Before she disappeared, I returned her cube. She silently accepted, rushing forward. Her brow grew heavy. The wood on her bow turned a shade darker. My ears shifted toward Vincent’s sword. He held it out in his palms. A dead Larken engraved itself into the black metal. I want one.

Carter stopped at the entrance of the camp. Rustling made itself known. The unknown movement caused her hands to rush up. I ran in front of her. My hand instinctively rushed across her chest protectively, keeping her firmly behind me. In front of the fire, stood a sight that made me groan. I nearly smacked myself. The bard smiled widely. A Larken head hung from his hand. Black ooze dripped onto the snow. Steam rose from the ground. Its eyes stared dead back into mine. Kray walked in front of me. He placed his hands on his waist.

“I did it. Can I come?” He blew a kiss towards me. “I will admit this was hard but being a Stalker had its perks.” With his free hand, he pulled his shirt to the side. He exposed three black slash lines against his white tattoos. “I’ll never have to worry about turning, loves. The pain was limited which was nice. Plus, with me, camp morale will rise exponentially. I can sing and pl-”

“If I say yes, will you shut up?” Kray asked.

“I will leave!” I snapped at him. “I will walk right back out of here. I will take Carter, Vincent, and Shadow with me.”

“You have to promise to not sing.”

“I can’t promise that but I will do it less than normal.”

“Kray, please. I know our relationship is rather poor, but I beg of you! For all the Gods in this world, please! I will convert to a Plane Praise for you! Please no!”

“Fine, just try not to annoy Morgan, She has a quick temper.”

“Fuck! Fuck you! Fuck your mother! Fuck your girlfriend!”