Chapter Seventeen: One Pays Most

  Once again, Elijah was with the Karthans, the necklace around his neck, and as soon as he regained his bearings, he ripped off the necklace and stared around. Considering the others didn’t seem to notice that he had been gone, he didn’t remark on it, but his Guide did.

  Why are you nervous? What are these new memories? What the hell—

  Ignoring his Guide for now, Elijah turned to the Karthan Emperor, whose brows were furrowed in annoyance.

  “Why did you remove the necklace?” She asked, bitterness in her voice at the blatant offense. Revealing nothing, the princess hesitantly put it on once more, mildly surprised when it didn’t send him back to Faría’s world.

  “It was just cold,” he lied, setting himself comfortably on the chair to exude confidence. “Surprised me is all. Thank you for the gift. I appreciate it kindly. Now, I should get going, I have much to do.”

  The Karthan Emperor nodded, standing up and holding out her hand for Elijah to take.

  “I would love to say it was a pleasure to speak with you, but I believe we both feel different.”

  Einar’s ears flew back as Elijah took the Emperor’s hand and stood up, but he didn’t intervene. Clearly, he was on guard, though, and Elijah silently thanked him for that.

  As they exited the room, the Ulfúr stayed by the princess’ side, daring anyone to get near her. Past the house, he breathed a sigh of relief.

  “They really creep me out, those Karthans,” He told her. “Never liked coming here.”

  “You didn’t need to come with me,” Elijah pointed out. “I could’ve had another bodyguard.”

  “Call it a strange sense of devotion.”

  “I think I should just call it love,” he teased and Einar’s eyes widened, his pupils growing as he took a step back.

  “No, that’s not true, I wouldn’t deem—” He began, but Elijah just chuckled.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he responded. “I was just teasing.”

  “Yes, of course,” the Ulfúr responded, breathing a sigh of relief. “Right.” Still, the princess seemed to find a hint of disappointment behind his eyes, a confirmation that the man felt more than he was letting on, but, for now, he ignored it.

  Yes, ignore it please, Guide Amanda said. Princesses do not deal with bodyguards. He is a close friend, but he cannot be a lover.

  I don’t want him as a lover!

  I certainly hope not, but Princess Amanda Gold is unpredictable sometimes.

  I am not her.

  You will accept the truth, eventually.

  Huffing, he turned to the Ulfúr, whose face was deliberately turned forward towards nothing instead of at Elijah.

  “What did you think of the negotiation?” He asked Einar.

  “Wasn’t really much of a negotiation, was it?” Einar replied. “They were forced to obey, so they didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.”

  Elijah bit his lip. “That’s true. But, sometimes we have to rule with an iron fist, right?”

  The Ulfúr shrugged. “I’m not a very political guy, your highness, but if you asked me my opinion, I think it may be time to stop relying on orders to rule the Karthans. They are clearly high-strung and wish to be independent, and our strictness is only going to inflame them.”

  Repeat after me.

  “But they know they have no way of survival without us,” Elijah obeyed. “If we stop aiding them, they will suffer alone. We provide shelter and hope for them.”

  Einar bared his teeth a little but nodded his head.

  “That’s true, so what happens if they make an alliance with someone else, say, the Bharghejn?”

  “That probably will not happen,” Elijah repeated what his Guide told him, but inside what Einar said resonated with him.

  Guide Amanda, is this how we always deal with the Karthans?

  Only sometimes, his Guide replied. This was a particularly urgent mission, and they would be reluctant to obey, so we had to force them. But sometimes, the alliance is much more…friendly.

  Einar is right, though. The more you press down on them, the more restricted they feel, the more they’ll want to escape, the more they’ll want to risk everything to have a little freedom. And if that requires an alliance with someone else…

  What do you know about politics? Guide Amanda asked suspiciously. Did something like this happen in your world?

  No, Elijah responded. But I’ve seen similar situations in a domestic home. Not to mention the amount of fantasy books I’ve read. I may not be good at politics, but if I was the Karthan Emperor, I know what I would do.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Well, thank the Gods you’re not a Karthan, then, eh? His guide said. If you were, Queen Evangeline would have to find another heir to the throne, and let’s just say they’re not all up to par.

  I didn’t mean if the princess was a Karthan, Elijah replied.

  You are the princess, dumbass, Guide Amanda replied. Get with the program. It’s not that hard to not have an identity crisis, you know. Just say this to yourself: I am a princess whether I like it or not.

  That sounds like manipulation and brainwashing.

  Of course it is. How else do arguments work?

  With reasoning.

  Reason is for those who are too weak in speech and strength to truly dominate, Guide Amanda replied. Also, you receive less free stuff that way.

  What would you know? You’ve only ever been a princess, so of course everyone agrees with you and gives you things for free.

  Ah, so now it’s good to be a princess, eh? Guide Amanda was surely smiling in her metaphorical form, and Elijah couldn’t help but smile himself.

  “Something funny, your majesty?” Einar asked.

  “Just thinking about how lucky I am to have these voices in my head,” he replied sarcastically, chuckling, and Einar seemed to take a step back. “Oh, it’s alright. It doesn’t tell me to murder anyone. Usually.”

  The Ulfúr chuckled softly and awkwardly but edged closer to her as they walked the streets of the Karthans back to Advantia. Elijah could see the black void where the return to his new country should be, but yet the blackness seemed to reach him and warn him, creating a claustrophobia that he’d never felt before.

  You’re sure we can return to Advantia, right? Elijah asked.

  Of course, Guide Amanda replied, so much joy in her one-note response that it hurt his brain. Unless the Karthan Emperor blocked you for it, or the city was torn from Advantia, or Advantia was destroyed.

  Very reassuring.

  A rustling noise preceded a shape that rushed from under a house running directly for Elijah: a Karthan. Hate was in this Karthans eyes, a dagger laced green at the tip poised on its hand as it—he, I think—rushed the princess, screaming in rage. Elijah was too late to stop it, wincing and closing his eyes as the Karthan swung at him.

  Thunk.

  Einar stood over the Karthan, his sword out and dripping with blood while the Karthan lay on the ground, one hand holding the stump of his arm, screaming as black blood flowed through it.

  The Karthans have black blood, but the Emperor doesn’t. What the hell kind of world is this?

  Now that Elijah had a good look at the Karthan, he almost retched by the horror and deterioration in the Karthan’s body. The flesh hung saggy and burnt, sallow and dark, pitch black as night, its teeth rotten and its tongue fat and swollen. Hair like tiny strings flowed from his head, and it was naked, confirming that it was indeed a male, and Elijah was sure he'd never seen a creature more uglier. And when the creature spoke, its raspy voice grated his whole body, goosebumps coursing through them.

  “You’re a stain on this world, princess, just like all of you humans.”

  “You used to be one of us,” Elijah replied, cringing and taking a step back out of habit. The Karthan laughed harshly, spittle mixed with its black blood flying from its mouth.

  “We’re the peak of mutation,” he replied.

  “Say another word,” Einar growled, grabbing it by the neck, the naked Karthan struggling violently, thrashing with only one arm, “and I’ll shove my sword so hard up your ass you’ll never feel like a real man again.”

  “Oh, because you’re so much of a man, animal,” the Karthan replied. “You wolves are—”

  He didn’t get any farther as Einar followed through on his word, stabbing the Karthan through the ass until the sword stuck through its brain. Bones, muscle, and brain matter spewed from the top, blood following it. Some of it splattered on Einar, but he simply licked his lips and snarled.

  “It’s Ulfúr, you Gods-cursed motherfucker,” he said, then threw the body away. It fell limp on the street, and the realization brought Elijah from his stupor as he stared in horror at the aftermath. The gore was all throughout the street and Elijah couldn’t help it. He vomited all over the floor and collapsed on the ground in shock.

  But he wasn’t the only one who seemed to wake up, as Einar himself gasped in shock and came to help the princess. Holding her up, he walked them to the void slowly.

  “We need to leave quickly, princess,” he said urgently. “We killed a Karthan, and they won’t listen to our excuses. Can you walk?”

  Elijah nodded softly, staring numbly at Einar but putting one foot in front of the other.

  GET YOURSELF TOGETHER OR I SWEAR I WILL MURDER YOU WHERE YOU STAND! Guide Amanda screamed and that finally did the trick for him. Heart pounding a million miles a minute, he sprinted for the void, screaming in joy as he finally pushed through and landed in Advantia, the white light of the sun blinding him for a moment before he caught his bearings. Einar came through a second later, his sword sheathed and his eyes narrowed as he watched her.

  “Should’ve let me go first, your majesty,” He said, formality returned to his tone once more. “You never know what’s on the other side.”

  “My apologies, Einar, I just wanted to leave, I’m sure you understand.”

  “No need to apologize, just be careful in the future,” he responded. “And I totally agree with you.” His ears were flattened again, but Elijah could tell it wasn’t just from fear.

  “I’m sorry about what they said to you,” he said, unsure of whether he should embrace the wolf but deciding against it.

  “Common sentiment, I’m afraid,” the Ulfúr responded. “We’re a small nation and a small race, which is why some of us join the nation of Advantia. Still, we will never truly be accepted. Not by everyone.”

  “You don’t need to be accepted by everyone,” the princess responded. “No one can please everyone, you know. The Karthans hate me, too, and they may not have insulted me the same way they did you, but they did call themselves a more perfect version of me, and considering how pretty I am, I took that as a very insulting offense. I call for war!”

  Einar chuckled, joy tickling his smile and even his eyes, striking yet not completely destroying the sadness and anger. “Thank you, Amanda, I needed that. At least I saved your life, right?”

  “No, I could’ve killed him on my own,” Elijah affirmed teasingly, crossing his arms. “I just wanted to let you have your fun.”

  “Then next time maybe I should leave you alone and see how you handle it, eh, your majesty?” The Ulfúr asked, turning and walking towards the palace.

  “Einar?” Elijah asked, his voice turning somber and his smile vanishing slightly.

  “Yes?” The wolf-man replied, turning back to face her, a question in his expression.

  “Thank you.”

  Einar smiled warmly, his eyes truly shining with warmth for the first time since they’d entered the Karthans world, and tears lay unshed on them as joy entered his body.

  “Anytime, princess, I’m always here for you.”