Nevermore

The Lady & The Snake

Japeth was hunting. He had a faint idea of what he was hunting but all his father had told him was that he was looking for an albino and a girl with a demon tattoo. Oh, and they can strangely disappear. Easy peasy, right? The deal had been for Japeth to find two girls of that description and bring them back to the School for Evil in exchange for Camelot. He had thought it was going to be easy and his father was ripping himself off. That thought had disappeared quickly - he had been riding on a horse named Dakota for nearly five hours and still hadn't arrived at Avalon. He knew he was close but was ever so tired...

It was almost nightfall when he reached Avalon. The sky was pitch-black and the cold seemed to freeze his veins. He arrived at the place where the guards had been before they had been defeated by two teenagers. The fire was out and to Japeth's shock, a big woman lay face down in the snow. Gingerly, he rolled her over and felt the body. She was stone cold. " Dead for a while," he said out loud.   

" I saw it happen," a silvery sweet voice remarked from the direction of the lake. Japeth bounded up and peered down to see a  woman  staring up at him.  There was no denying her beauty - even for him. " You're the Lady of the Lake," he breathed.     

" Why, yes I am." She smiled a sugary smile. 

Japeth's heart began to beat faster. If indeed what he had heard was true, the Lady of the Lake had a Safe Haven and the enchantments could be broken by a kiss. Either the people there would stay there forever and no longer be a threat or be ejected out if the Lady happened to kiss someone. Perfect. All he had to do was turn on his charm.

" You're even more beautiful in person," Japeth complimented. 

" Oh don't flatter me," the Lady flirted.

Lucky me, he thought. She likes me.

" So dear Lady, why do you continue to stay here all alone?" 

" I have an honour to protect good." 

Japeth resisted the urge to roll his eyes. " Is it good to yourself to force yourself to be here day after day? To never find happiness, friendship or love?" 

The Lady's eyes grew big and sad. " I..." 

" Is it fair to yourself in the name of good? After all you've done?" 

" If I kiss a boy I shall loose my powers." The Lady replied. 

" What would you choose? Love or power?"

The Lady looked at loss. " Love..." 

" Then free yourself from this dreadful prison!" 

" I don't have anyone to love or love me back."   

" Who says you don't?"

The moonlight seemed to light up the lake with a ghostly glow casting shadows of their figures. The Lady rose from the water and Japeth brought his lips to hers. The Lady's hands were around his neck as he prayed for the curse to take place. This went on for a few seconds, the Lady's grip preventing Japeth from breaking the kiss.

He finally was allowed to pull away as the Lady's face was changing rapidly. Fair creamy skin turned wrinkled and scabbed ; her eyes grew dull and her hair turned dirty until she looked nothing more than hag. He blinked for a few seconds, his mind processing what had just occurred - a minute ago , pretty and now she was reduced to an old crone. 

Japeth smirked, feeling like he wanted to jump up and down. It really wasn't that hard to convince her. She must of had an impulse, ready to lose her powers and kiss the first person she saw.  She must of despised being lonely. No matter. Japeth had been lonely all his life - she should have toughened up and dealt with it." Ha!" He cried, triumphant. " The Lady of the Lake outwitted by..." Japeth paused. He needed a villain name for people to remember him by. " The snake. What a funny idea." He continued. " A powerful  sorceress defeated by the Snake." 

The Lady looked shocked and her eyes were filled with tears. " I..." she began in a croaky voice but suddenly she looked down at her hands in terror. 

Japeth stepped back anxiously. He had a good idea of what was happening - good was being teleported out of their Safe Haven. Out of nowhere, the lake seemed to gleam, shine and shimmer all at once - rainbow colours shot across the water like sparks of light - a mini firework display, some may say, except it is performed in water. The water glowed and shone until the world seemed to break open - like a split that desperately needed stitches. Three people flew out of the split like frisbees. One was a weasel-faced teenage boy, another an old man with a long beard and the third a bony woman with dishevelled hair. 

Japeth stared them down with icy eyes that showed no mercy. Scims squirmed off his suit and headed for the three who were still recovering from their encounter with the ground. They were all still surprised at their surroundings : one second in heaven the next in hell. Get used to it, He thought.

The bearded man, who Japeth guessed as Merlin, was the first on his feet sweeping his cape around himself and offering his hand to the other two. Oh no you don't. Japeth had his own 'celestium' and was not in the mood to travel to Merlin's. "You think you can hide?" He crowed. " You can't hide from the snake." 

The weasel took Merlin's hand gladly but it was too late for the woman. The scims tore through her flesh and she dropped dead in an instant. " Lancelot..." she wheezed before dying, her eyes still wide and glassy. " No!" Merlin cried, while the weasel begged him to take them to the celestium. Japeth grinned in pleasure as the scims leapt towards them about to end their lives-

Gone. 

" Damn it!" Japeth screeched in anger. " I'll get them. I will." 

He sucked in air quickly, determined not to lose his temper. He needed to focus on the task at hand. Capture the girls. Ignore the others...for now. He swivelled back towards the lake but the Lady was gone, nothing more than a ripple echoing across the silent waters. He gritted his teeth and sent his scims out to find anything related to those girls he was supposed to find.  In the meantime, he busied himself with finding a map - he honestly had no clue where he was going, or where the girls would go. Japeth curled his lip and tried to figure out where they'd go. 

1 : wherever they intended to go they would not go on foot. 2 : if they were trying to find a ride, where's the closest spot? Japeth's finger traced the map uncertainly. There. 7 miles from Avalon was a farm - Old Maple Way. 

Japeth's mouth curled into a feral grin. " I guess I've got their destination," he pronounced.