The Faerie Curses

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The East Tunnel

Vivanna's eyes grew larger in astonishment as red bloomed on her chest. Her blood clouded the water as the tattooed Sprite drew his sword from her body. She crumpled to the floor of bones, floating limply as I watched her life drain from her.

The tattooed Sprite's chest shook with twisted laughter as Vivanna's indigo tail glimmered bright before her purple scales faded into a colorless gray. She was dead.

I was swimming forward through the battle, my rage driving me blindly towards the mermaid's body and the evil Sprite that cackled triumphantly.

"Marissa!" Diandre shouted, but his voice was lost in the sounds of melodies and death.

My vision was a bright, stark red. My hand shook as it grasped the hilt of my sword. I was going to kill him. I was going to kill him for good. His mocking laughter rang in my ears, taunting me. I paddled in the water as fast as I could, drawing closer to him. My wings threatened to sink me down, but I swam harder.

"You bastard!" I screamed.

The tattooed sprite gave me a cruel smile.

"If it isn't the little knight in shining armor." He remarked, taking in my T-shirt and leather pants. As he studied me, his eyebrows raised in recognition. "My my, haven't you grown up. It seems like only yesterday when you were just a weak child." He licked his lips, recalling the moment in savory detail. "Ah yes. The little girl crying in the snow. I will never forget that smooth little neck. If I had only pressed a little harder, it would have cracked and broken."

I remembered his strong hands that has choked me that night and bared my teeth.

"You know what else I remember, little knight?" The tattooed Sprite said to me. The ink designs on his skin seemed to laugh up at me. "Killing your poor father."

The image of the arrow burying itself in my father's chest flashed through my mind. I had never known who had shot him.

"You murdered him." I whispered.

The tattooed sprite inspected the blood on his iron sword, as if he could see every drop that he had ever spilled.

"It was a very nice shot, don't you agree?" He chuckled. "Right where I wanted it. Just in the right place for him to feel excruciating agony before he died."

"I'm going to kill you." I hissed, my grief and rage building inside.

"I'd like to see you try, little knight." The tattooed Sprite said. "But you're just as weak as the rest of your family." He closed his eyes. "I can still hear their screams in my memory. Screams and screams." He opened them, and they glittered darkly. "Soon, I'll hear your screams too."

With a yell, I leaped forward with my sword. I wanted to end him. I wanted to watch him die in front of me. I wanted to have him look into my eyes and know that he didn't win in the end. I wanted him to know my family's pain and beg them for forgiveness. So many things that I wanted.

My chest lurched, and my entire insides exploded in agony. My heart seemed to have erupted with pain, and I fell to my knees on the floor of bones. I screamed and screamed as I was consumed with the darkness that swirled inside, slowly killing me. My ice sword clattered to the floor of bones, leaving me defenseless.

The tattooed Sprite stood over me, his bleached hair waving in the water as his face unfolded into a victorious smile.

"So my spy did her job," he cackled. "The curse has possessed you, little knight."