Kingdom

125. Nightfall (11)

Nori sees red. How dare the damn wizard appear again? How dare he order her around!

"I told you to stay away from him." the tiger says. "Why won't you listen to me?"

Nori stares at the lake unseeingly, holding the King closer to herself, trying to block the voice. Yet it echoes again in her head, louder and more menacing than before.

"Since you are in my domain, I can sense the King's heartbeat from afar, and I can tell you are doing something to his magic. You should stop messing him up."

Her body shakes, torn between terror and rage.

"Are you okay?" Yoongi asks, pulling back to look at her. "Why are you trembling?Are you cold?"

She meets his eyes, yet no words come out of her mouth. She cannot speak, she can hardly breathe, as if trapped under water.

"It bothers me to know you are so stubborn and disobedient." the tiger says with a condescending tone. "Maybe I should help the witch to get rid of you?"

Nori's hands shake frantically, her wet clothes turning freezing cold against her skin. Yoongi steps back, his eyes darting up and down her face."You are so pale, what is wrong?"

"But I don't have to." The voice continues."I don't need a witch to teach you a lesson. I can play with you from afar. Your Royal magic is so feeble and easy to manipulate. Too bad you haven't sealed your marriage, yet."

Her eyes fill with tears from the effort to escape him. Yet she cannot. Nori can't speak, move, or even breathe. She is choking, drowning, and unable to call for help. Yoongi says something she cannot hear, the only sound ringing in her ears is the cold chuckle of the wizard. That bloody wizard.

Fuck him. Fuck this. Fuck being cautions.

Something inside of her snaps. Her rage consumes her fear. Nori summons the King's magic, imagining it gathering inside of her like a ball of fire.

"Do not play with magic, Princess, you will get burnt."

"Then you shall burn with me!" she shouts out. The invisible bubble of ice breaks. Her hands stop shaking, her skin heats up, her breathing stabilizes.

She focuses her mind on the dark presence of that voice, imagining him like a little dot in the distance. She traps him in her grip and pulls him closer, forcing him out of the shadows.

"Come out you, coward," Nori snarls at the dark fog forming over the far corner of the lake. "Talk to my face if you have something to tell me."

Yoongi stares at her dumbfounded. "I am here..."

"Not you." Nori points at the gathering fog. "Him."

Yoongi turns towards the lake and flinches backwards. A tall, black figure emerges from the fog, slowly approaching them, stepping over the water, leaving footprints of dark fumes behind his steps.

Yoongi gulps. "What did you do?"

"It's only a vision," Nori says. "Let me deal with him. Whatever happens, do not interfere. This is between me and him."

She steps forward and stands between Yoongi and the shadow that approaches. The figure has no face, his body is made entirely of dark, thick smoke.

"Why can't I see your face, wizard?" Nori asks.

"I don't remember my face." His deep voice echoes in the cave like thunder. "Why did you pull my conscience in here? Do you know how dangerous it is to play with magic you can't control?"