"What is your name?"
"Do you need to know the name of your food?"
"Would you eat an unknown food presented to you?"
"So long as it didn't look weird or smell bad."
The ghoul leaned in and sniffed her.
Elle was annoyed. She crossed her arms. "It's not going to take long for some very demented and terrible people to come after me and find me. I would prefer to be dead when they arrive. I hate to rush you, but could you stop picking at your food?"
"Name?" The ghoul leaned back, raising an eyebrow.
Defeated, Elle plopped her head into her hand and rested her elbow upon her knee. "Elle."
The ghoul smiled, showing ghastly long, sharp teeth. "Nice to meet you Elle, my name is Leadbury. Galfridus Leadbury, but I prefer to be called Leadbury."
"Nice to meet you, Leadbury. Now, are you going to eat me or not?"
Leadbury looked her over once more, sniffing the air. He reached out a clawed paw. Elle closed her eyes. This was it. She would escape.
She felt a definitive poke, as the ghoul's paw pushed her stomach into her gut. Leadbury retracted his hand.
"On principle, I cannot eat someone so willing to be eaten. I will not participate in assisted suicide. Nor can I eat something with so little meat on their bones. You would not even be tasty to consume."
Elle leaned forward, her eyes widening. "Excuse me?"
The ghoul leaned forward, smiling gruesomely. His breath was warm. "I'm not going to eat you."
Disheartened, Elle shrugged her shoulder's forward. "You sure?"
Leadbury nodded. She pouted. This was ridiculous. Not even a ghoul would eat me! How unlucky can a girl be?
"Now, tell me about these demented and terrible people." The ghoul sat at her feet, staring intently at her. She blinked, trying to ascertain her situation. Did this ghoul want to
have a chat with her?
She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat tightened. Suddenly, it seemed, all she could do was cry. Leadbury sat there whispering comforting words to her.
"Shh. It's alright. It will be okay."
Despite her tears, she couldn't help but laugh. "From everything that I read, nothing mentioned the nurturing nature of ghouls."
Leadbury smiled menacingly, though Elle had started to believe that he couldn't help it. "Not everything you read in books is true."
She wiped her tears as her make-up ran down her face.
"Elle! Where are you? Elle!"
Every hair on her body rose on end. She cringed. Elias.
Her eyes locked with Leadbury.
He looked concerned. The ghoul frowned. "Is that the demented man?"
She nodded fervently.
"Come with me. I will keep you safe." He bent down so that she could jump on his back.
Elle looked at the ghoul. Either he will protect me or eat me. I can't lose on this one. She jumped on his back and rode off into the forest, the odd canter of the ghoul strangely calming.
Mias felt uncontrollable rage. Fire. Hot. His fingers burned with the need to release his power to its full potential. Elias would pay for everything he had done. Elle was gone, taken by a ghoul, to be eaten. She would not have known better, what ghouls do to people, the terrible end that she would meet. His fury bore into his palms, nails digging into his skin. The pain was almost euphoric.
"We don't know that she's dead. Don't give up on her like that, not after all you've done. We've come so far." Abernos shook Mias.
"There is no way that she could survive a ghoul." Berenos interjected.
Mias pushed Abernos from him. "Leave me be!"
He charged out into the forest. The dark of night covered his path, but he knew his way through the forest. He would storm back to his castle. This night would be his final reckoning. Elias had seen the last days of his reign. Mias was the rightful heir to the Ágend family castle, land, and titles. He still maintained his power.
Plus, Mias had an advantage that Elias did not. He knew the secret of the portal and he could wield it. And he would.
The giant mahogany doors to his ball room flew open. Everyone's head flew to the entrance. Mias stood in the doorway, the moon outlining his silhouette, hands engulfed in green flames. Anger radiated from Mias's form.
Elias felt his mouth drop. Quickly he closed it, smoothing back his hair. "You always had a flare for the dramatic, Mias."
Elias sighed. This night was quickly unraveling. He had nothing impressive to demonstrate his power, Elle was sobbing in the garden, and Mias had appeared just as everything had begun to unravel, as if on cue. He knew he had to maintain his calm. Maybe there was a way he could use Mias's arrival to his advantage. Maybe he could yet salvage this night.
"What have you done?"
Elias took a deep breath, fresh air filling his lungs. Stay collected, Elias, it will not do you any good to explode into a fevered rage. Show them what an unrivalled leader you in comparison to both the king and Mias. "Only what I have needed to do. There is no need to be spiteful."
"You don't understand, do you?" Mias looked as if he were about to erupt. Never had Elias seen his brother so riled up. It was positively delightful. Elias could not help but smile.
His smugness exuded from him, "I understand plenty. You have come back to submit to my superior rule, to recognize and pay homage to the rightful heir."
"Elle is dead. You killed her." Silence exploded, invading every crevice and space in the ballroom. Not a soul spoke. No one moved.
Elias stared at Mias. He did not believe him. Elle could not be dead. He had just kissed her in the garden. She was very much alive. "You lie."
"You murdered her. She ran out into the forest straight into the arms of a ghoul. I saw the ghoul take her."
"You will pay for what you have done."
Mias began to summon his magic. Elias backed away. He glanced at the King of Ærworuld. The King appeared surprisingly calm, almost smug at this turn of events. No, he could not lose this night, not after all he had worked for.
He turned to his brothers, cowering in a corner of the ballroom. He yelled, "Help me, you fools!"
Elias summoned his power. Red flame gathered in his hands. It burned. The pain felt good in his hands. He just needed to release it at the right moment.
Elias turned back to Mias. Fear shook his core. Mias was lost, in a moment of magic surging through him. Elias could see that Mias had more power than he. It was if he were summoning another force, another power greater than his own.
The power was thick, almost tangible, like a chemical mass of air waiting for a spark to ignite. Elias could feel it press against his clothes and graze against his skin. Mias's eyes shot open.
Mias's magical blow exploded in a brilliant green light. The total force of the blow sent Mias flying backwards into the nearest wall and Elias flying into his brothers. The ballroom cleared, women screamed as their heels clacked across the floor. As he was thrust back, Elias's only move was to create a shield around himself, to mitigate any damage that could be done. He could not prevent his loss of consciousness.
After a little while, Elias regained his awareness. A green haze had descended upon the ballroom. All around him laid unconscious or dead in the wake of Mias's fury. Elias stood, dusting and smoothing his clothes.
Elias did not know for certain if Elle was truly dead. The thought troubled him greatly. She was to be his queen. They were to rule the mortal world and Ærworuld. He had begun to include her in his future, in his dreams. Mias seemed convinced, but Elias could not trust his brother. For now, until he was certain that she was dead she would be presumed missing.
A smile tugged on his lips as he saw what was presented before him: Mias unconscious from the power it took to wield such magic and the King unconscious from the force of Mias's blow.
Yes, he could salvage this night, indeed.
Abernos saw the green light exploding from the direction of the castle. He had known it was Mias. They knew devastation would lie before them once they arrived, but they went anyways.
The devastation had been more terrible than any of them could have imagined. Their efforts were doomed now. As they reached the mahogany doors, Elias had awoken. In silence they watched him rise and stalk over to Mias.
Abernos locked eyes with Berenos. Elias now had Mias, and what looked to be the King of Ærworuld. There was nothing they could do in this moment. They needed more supporters. They needed more strength. Abernos knew he could not handle the tragedy of the night. First the loss of Elle, and then the subsequent win of Elias. Mias had not known what disaster he could create, Abernos was certain.
Abernos and his group leapt into the forest. Morning would arrive in a few hours. Much had happened. They needed to regroup. They needed a new battle plan. Elias would only become stronger than ever after this.
In defeat, they crept off into the night hoping for with the new dawn, a better day.