Love's Power

Chapter 10

Crack!

The sound of a poor man's cry followed the shock of a magical burst, the power still fuming from Deep Blue's hands. Quickly standing up as best as he could, the man got back to work as to avoid another wrath from his cruel master.

"Keep working!!" Deep Blue's voice demanded, cold and merciless. The slaves before him held their whimpers and resumed their tasks.

Icy eyes scanned the area, watching guards map the surrounding lands and slaves work with the horses or supplies. For a whole day, the dark king and his company had been going, with no progress to the intended goal.

Deep Blue growled. When his scouts had returned before, having not found Princess Amai within the 10-mile boundaries he ordered them to search, his mood had turned more shadowy. He had assumed that his princess hadn't gotten too far with a group including five sisters, but the girls were quicker than expected. By now they could be miles ahead of him, and it could take him as long as weeks to find them.

"You can run, my sweet Amai. However, even with your powers and sisters, you cannot escape from me for too long."

Amai. Every time he thought about or said her name, it made his eyes shutter in wicked bliss. Deep Blue visualized the times he had been with her. Their first meeting, corning her against the tree in the woods, dancing with her at the ball, having her in his arms in the royal garden, feeling her lips against his own.

He shuddered as he pictured those lips, wanting so badly to feel them again. He was going mad, he knew that. But he didn't care.

"My Lord."

Turning to the captain of his guard, Deep Blue said; "What?"

The captain lowered his head before speaking. "We still cannot get anything out of the king and queen. We've done everything we can, but they won't say anything regarding the princesses. We've also sent scouts another five miles out, and there's no trace yet of them."

"Curses!" Deep Blue gritted his teeth. His patience was fading fast. The longer Amai wasn't with him, the more his frustration grew. Storming towards the border of his camp, he conjured up his raven spy.

"Search everywhere for Princess Amai. Go as far as the surrounding kingdoms, if necessary, just find her!"

The black bird took off into the sky, its master already anxious for its success.

"I will have you, my precious princess. You'll be in my arms, and I'll never let you go."

........................................................................................................................................................... About two more days passed in the princesses journey. Since learning of the enchanted cottage, they made a course to the south, stopping only when necessary. The girls have only entered one other village for food and water for themselves and their horses.

Currently, they were riding along an open field in the height of noon. They were all munching on a small lunch as they rode, not wanting to stop being so close to the cottage now.

Zakuro looked at the map she was carrying. "If I'm right, I think we'll make it no later than early tomorrow morning."

"Thank goodness!" Mint exclaimed, fanning herself. "I honestly can't stand all the traveling for too much longer. I need a place to sit down and have tea."

Ichigo snorted. "Even in danger, all you think about is tea. I'm surprised you're not married to it yet."

She laughed as Mint huffed. Amai smiled. Though the journey was long and tiring, with dire circumstances, the six sisters managed to keep smiles on their faces. With the distance closing between them and their soon-to-be refuge, spirits had been highly lifted.

"I wonder if it'll look magical, since an enchantress lived there." Pudding wondered.

Retasu clapped her hands together. "I hope there will be a lot of books. It would be wonderful to read ancient spells and magic."

"Amai, maybe you could learn new things from this place." Ichigo said, Amai turning to her as she listened. "I mean, old magical cottage, magical princess, right?"

Amai thought for a moment. Really, she hadn't used her powers much since the castle escape, mostly due to her fear of drawing too much attention. However, it intrigued her. An enchantress from long ago, leaving her home guarded and possibly with artifacts and such. It almost seemed like fate, guiding the gifted princess to this place.

"Hey." Pudding's voice chirped. "Maybe once we get there, you can send Kisshu a message, Amai!"

The sentence made Amai go still for a minute. Turning to her youngest sister, she asked her; "What?"

The blonde princess grinned widely. "At the cottage, you can use magic to make some kind of message to send Kisshu, wherever he is, and let him know you're safe. You can make it in a way that Deep Blue can't discover it."

"That's a great idea!" Retasu said. "Amai, this can be perfect for guiding Kisshu to you and seeing him again. It's exactly what you need."

Amai took in her sister's suggestions. They were right. Her heart was getting sick the longer she was away from Kisshu. She wanted so badly to know that he was alright, and that he wasn't hurt. Maybe she could guide him to her. It definitely would make her feel better.

"You're right. I need to see him again!" The girls all smiled, happy to strengthen their sister's confidence.

The rest of the day was no major affair. They passed a few farms and country cottages as they rode, making a quick stop at one to refill their water and feed their horses. By nightfall, though tired, they were only a mile away from their destination. Hearts were racing and blood was pumping, for at least they would be able to sleep peacefully and comfortably under a safe roof.

The moon was full and high in the dark sky, shedding light on the path leading the princesses. Pudding was asleep, leaning against Retasu's back. Zakuro and Mint were both awake, enjoying the sweet silence of the night. Ichigo was talking quietly to herself about sweets that they could all eat at the cottage. Amai gazed up at the stars, thinking about everything. Her family, Kisshu, her fears of Deep Blue. She signed.

"How did my life become a nightmare so quickly?" her mind couldn't help asking herself. There was so much she had dreamed about in her young life, but now she wasn't sure if she'd ever get her dreams, not with shadows chasing after her.

At last. You've come.

"Huh?" Amai's head spun around at the whisper. It didn't seem to come from any general direction. Zakuro noticed her confused face. "What's wrong, Amai?" "I... I thought I just heard something." Zakuro and Mint both looked around, but they also didn't see anything. "I didn't hear anything, did you, Zakuro?"

"No, I didn't."

Holding her hands to her chest, Amai let out a breath. The voice, whatever it was, seemed warm and soft, which left her in another whirlwind of confusion. "What was that?"

All of a sudden, she felt a rush of warmth hit her body. She could feel her magic react to something, something powerful and warm. She alerted her sisters. "I think... I think we're here."

"What?" The girls all asked. Amai's eyes were wide, sparkling as the stared straight ahead. "My magic can feel it, the enchantress's power. We're here."

She had Ichigo stop their horse, the others following suit. Hopping off, she walked in front of the group, fixated on the center. Walking a little way more, her eyes beheld three willow trees, standing tall in a sort of gate like manner. Retasu gasped. "Oh, this must be it! The innkeeper said the cottage was around three willow trees."

The magic seemed to grow stronger as Amai kept walking. Her body started to glow as it approached the closest tree. On the bark hidden under the weeping branches, there was a mark. A heart, with some sort of jewel in the middle.

Place your hands on the mark, Princess.

The voice whispered, and again, only Amai heard it. She chose to trust it and did as instructed. Both her hands placed on the mark; the bark surprisingly smooth. At her touch, it glowed. The entire tree beamed brightly, as did the other two. The air rippled, the area around the princesses shifting. Everyone watched in amazement as the empty earth before them faded away into a beautiful glade shielded by the willows, with a large cottage resting in it.