The Forgotten Light

66. Fairlight

It was just a game, Fairlight was sure of it.

Darksen was only pretending, after all, she herself heard him talking to his father, while hiding how bad he felt.

"I suspect, Darksen, that she never got lost," said the King calmly.

The Prince stopped a few meters away from her in before the steps to the platform, right in front of his father. "And you've got a point there, father," said Darksen carelessly.

Thandor leaned toward him, resting his elbows on his knees. "So you admit that you hid her," he ground out furiously through his teeth. "From the very beginning you protected her as best you could. Has she messed with your head so much that you suddenly start feeling sorry for her?"

The Prince listened carefully to the King's words, and when he finished, he burst out laughing, which no one in the room expected. "You don't even know how flattered I am by this."

Thandor straightened up on his throne, looking taken aback a bit. "Excuse me?"

The Prince spread his arms. He started walking up and down the aisle between the white-haired Beings.

"Since you believed it, she believed it all even more." A mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

Fairlight's heart began to beat fast. She didn't like all this.

"It wasn't easy to pretend to be someone I am not. It wasn't easy to try to be like my mother. Soft heart, sensitive soul, ugh." A shudder of disgust shook him. "But every effort pays off. I already had the stinky halfie in the palm of my hand, but alas, it looks like the game is over. She won't tell me anything anymore."

"And what did she reveal to you?"

"She squeaked where her friends are. I've already marked the exact place on the map."

Fairlight felt the blood rush to her head. The situation was getting more and more serious, the Prince had just raised a subject that he shouldn't have.

"You bastard..." she choked out. "You promised!"

The Invicta holding her by the shoulders, yanked her so hard that she almost bit her tongue off.

"Quiet!" growled Darksen, kicking the remains of the broken chandelier in her direction.

"Fascinating." Thandor mused. "Now I have a dilemma, what to do first - kill you, Ivy, or your friends? On the one hand, I'd rather you watch them die one by one, but on the other hand, procrastinating on getting rid of you has caused me enough problems already. And after the last unannounced visit, I no longer have any doubts about your life."

She had no idea what he was talking about, but somehow she didn't care. She was too shocked to, to focus on his words.

She looked at the Prince in disbelief. She wouldn't trust him if she felt she shouldn't. Darksen was not like other Beings. He just wasn't like them...

"I should have told you this before Darksen - you have a gift for finding important, meaningful lives. First the snow leopard, which is a chance for eternal life, then the daughter of Raysun, with whom everything can become real. And today you positively surprised me, I didn't think you could be so cunning." Thandor's gaze, if still possible, became darker, and the tone of voice heralded danger. "Just how much truth is there in everything you say? How can I be sure that you aren't lying?"

At the silent sign of the King, the Invicta behind her back touched a barrel to her temple. Fairlight stiffened.

"Do you think I care about her life?" snorted the Prince. "I'm really good, if even you find it hard to believe what I've done. Go ahead, what are you waiting for, shoot her. But before that, do you want the truth? Ask her name, because it's certainly not Ivy." He looked at her pityingly.

How could she be so mistaken? How stupid does one have to be to even believe that Invicta could be good?

She lowered her gaze, unable to bear the contempt that surrounded her and the humiliation.

"Come on, Starlight, don't be shy. Introduce yourself to the King, so he'll know what to have carved on your tombstone." He moved slowly toward her.

Invicta in the hall laughed out loud.

Yes, it was a game, but against her.

He took advantage of the fact that she was in trouble and helped her lock the Beast only to make her think he really wanted to help her. He pretended to be sick to keep her with him when there was chaos outside that she could have taken advantage of. And as soon as she stuck her nose out of his chamber, she was captured and dragged into that ruined hall to hear the final verdict.

"I don't think she likes you anymore, Prince," Damon stated from the platform.

Darksen shrugged. "As if I ever cared."

"Do you have anything to tell us before I have that pretty face of hers shot off?" Thandor asked, still amused.

"Sure. But not to you, only to her." She felt his cold fingers under her chin and noticed that he had blood on his hands. He leaned over and fixed his black as a starless night eyes on her. "It was so sweet that you stayed to take care of me, really. If only I had a heart, it would probably melt with gratitude."

"I hate you," she hissed, leering at him with an icy stare. She tried to hit him, but the Invicta behind her grabbed her even tighter, crushing her broken hand, digging the gun into her temple.

"Let me teach you one last lesson: a good heart is a weak heart, and any weakness leads to where you are right now." He took the gun out of the guard's hand and looked at it carefully. "Weakness leads to fatal defeat. Too bad we have the occasion to see it only once, right, Fairlight?"

Tears of rage welled up in her eyes. She was overwhelmed by fear, great disappointment and fury. She jerked with all her strength to free herself from the guard and threw herself at the Prince.

He, however, was already ready for it. With fatigue and indifference, he struck her in the temple with the barrel while squeezing the trigger.