Page 77 of The Prince and His Stolen Groom
“I am the Lord of Darkness,” the mage bellowed. Another wave of shadows rushed forward, coating the room. Somehow a small circle of light remained, showing me how little space I had to move in.
“The Prince of Shadows,” he continued. Figures leapt from the shadows, grabbing my arms and legs, pinning me to the bed. I struggled against them, but it was like they weighed a thousand pounds, too heavy to budge no matter how I tried.
“You have belittled and mocked me.”
Heart pounding, I forced myself to look into his eyes, now as solid black as the shadows he controlled. If I was going to die, I was at least not going to be a gods damned coward about it.
“You have scorned everything I offered you.”
The sword tip lowered to my throat, piercing the skin. Blood trickled down my neck.
“And you have ruined my boots.”
The sword’s pressure released from my neck as he swung his arm back, raising it high above his head for more momentum. “These were a gift from mywife!” he snarled right as the sword came down.
Homosexual Supporting Cast Vs. Evil Minions
Ominous shadows shrouded the tower. Brendon, Franny, and Kit all eyed the pitch-black windows with varying degrees of worry and—in Kit’s case—battle-ready eagerness. Her hand clenched at her side as if grabbing a sword hilt and she wished she hadn’t returned the Whatever Its Name Was sword back to the Good Wizard. What would it take to earn her own legendary sword? Would whatever was inside that tower be enough of a challenge?
“Oh Freddy, what have you done,” Franny whispered, hand covering her mouth. She knew her brother had some … questionable methods, but this was beyond anything she had seen before. The shadows pulsed a warning:Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here.
Brendon gritted his teeth. He didn’t for one moment believe it was Rick’s magic. The fact that it was Franny’s first thought irritated him further. Arguing about it now would only delay Rick’s rescue, so he focused on what was important. “The door’s closed. How do we enter?”
“When I was here, the Good Wizard broke it down,” Kit replied.
“Do either of you know any magic?”
Franny shook her head, then hedged, “Would you consider this an emergency?”
Brendon looked at her blankly before stating firmly, “Yes. Yes, it is.”
“Then I might be able to open it.” She strode toward the door and reached for the knob. Her hand shook as it inched slowly … slowly forward.
“Fran?” Kit called, voice gentle. “Everything alright?”
“It’s just … What if the door is the only thing keeping the shadows inside? What if opening it will unleash darkness onto the kingdom?”
“What if your brother’s dying in there?” Brendon snapped. When she didn’t move fast enough, he grabbed her hand and forced it onto the doorknob.
“Brendon, no!” she shrieked even as the door opened.
As she’d feared, the darkness spilled out of the tower in an unnatural wave. Brendon flinched, expecting it to fill the whole forest. Instead, it slowed to a trickle, puddling at their feet.
A figure rose from the shadows and shook itself out. “Fucking towers,” it muttered. It looked around, then a black hand pointed to Kit. “You!”
“Me?” Kit asked, pointing at herself in confusion. To her knowledge, she wasn’t familiar with any shadow-people. Unless … she squinted. “You’re a lot smaller than you were the first time.”
The shadow swelled, taking on a new draconic form. “No sword or wizard to help you this time, knight,” it roared, shadows pouring from its mouth like smoke.
Kit grinned and cracked her knuckles. “I can still thrash you.”
Trusting his best friend to take care of this first challenge, Brendon entered the tower, calling out, “Rick! Rick, are you in here?”
A purple imp floated in the air, perusing the books on the highest shelf. It looked toward Brendon with wide eyes. “Hey! You can’t be in here! We’re busy with important business!”
“Where’s Rick?” Brendon demanded.
The imp looked to the stairs, still pitch black, then back to Brendon. “Nowhere. He, uh, doesn’t exist anymore. Be on your way, foul human!” He plucked a book from the shelf and chucked it at Brendon’s head.
