Valpar: A Steamy Orc-Rom Com, page 31
“Liar!” I screamed and reached to grab him.
Karma darted away and flew to a height where I couldn’t reach.
“That’s enough,” Ivy said, waving her hand. “Here is what’s going to happen, Calliope. Listen real good, now, because I’m explaining this once and if your little head can’t get it, then I guess it’s over for the both of you.”
She pulled out a piece of a worn envelope. It looked like it had been folded multiple times. It was discolored and even had drops of some sort of liquid dried on it.
I instantly knew what it was before she explained.
“This is the letter to you wrote to yourself.” Ivy waved it in front of her. “Such a sad story where you came from. Tragic… almost made me feel sorry for you. No wonder you wanted to forget.”
She read it. That bitch read it!
Rage surged through my veins, a fiery torrent. I felt like Valpar and his emotional turmoil to uproot a tree. The desire to extract her very life from her body, to squeeze her insides so they were on the forest floor, consumed me.
Dang, I got dark real quick.
Simon turned his body to kick her, but Ivy was on alert and jumped in the air to float above him. She tsked, shaking her head. “We’ve planned this too well to let it all go. Not for a stupid goat to mess it up. Karma, do you have it?”
Karma came fluttering down from the tree, carrying a bottle the size of him. He was stronger than he looked and held it, leaning it up against his body while Ivy took the time to tie Simon to the base of another tree.
“Stay there, Calliope, or I’ll slit Simon’s throat and let the rogue vamps come find the both of you.” Ivy glared, daring me to step away from my spot.
It was useless. I stood there and watched as she tied Simon’s neck to the tree, his legs kicked into the dirt, his grunts ripping my heart out.
“Hang on, Simon, I’m gonna make it better.” I pleaded with him. He stilled and his went body stiff. He was tied so tightly to the tree I didn’t know if he had fainted or not, because he couldn’t move.
Goddess, we’re utterly screwed.
But I was determined to get us both out of here. He helped me when I needed it all those years. Really, he was my companion not the other way around.
Ivy dusted her hands off and took the bottle from Karma. “Now for the show.” She took the bottle and swirled it in her hand. It was corked at the top, but with the bottle being translucent, you could still see the liquid inside sloshing about.
“This is a magic-breaking potion. It has some fancy name.” Ivy waved her hand carelessly. “All I know is it will break whatever spell that is on you, and you will remember every damn thing you’ve been through. Down to the last detail.”
I threaded my fingers together and looked away from her.
“Drink this, or we kill your pet.” She put her free hand on her hip. “You’ll become the depressed little loser you really are, and not want to even go back to your happy, insignificant life with your adoptive family. Put everyone out of their misery, trying to push you off on some orc and give the rest of the fairies a chance.”
If they had been spying on me, then they should know that the curse would be broken soon, since he was my mate. Did she really not think I was his?
“Why break it now?” I asked. “I’ll have to remember my past soon.”
Ivy strolled up to me with the bottle in her hand. She leaned forward, her nose close to mine. “Like I said, you aren’t really his mate. Besides, once you take this and realize what sort of past you had, trust me, you won’t want to live anyway. You won’t want to go back.”
Simon cried and huffed with the rope wrapped around his body and snout. He tried to shake his head, kicking the dirt beneath him.
Was my life that terrible before?
I tentatively took the bottle in my hand, and Ivy and Karma smiled in triumph. She backed away and grabbed a small flame from Karma that I had not seen before, putting it under the letter.
“Wait no!” I reached out, but she held it away from me, an enormous grin on her face.
I watched as the fire slowly consumed the letter and the pieces dropped to the ground.
Once I take this potion, I won’t have my words to bring myself through the trauma of my past. What ever I had said to help me get through—they were gone.
Why did they have to be so cruel?
“We won’t face murder charges,” Karma said happily, “because technically, we didn’t kill you. Supposedly, you were to remember your memories anyway. We just sped it along. We didn’t kidnap you; you willingly came with us. We’ve broken no laws.” He leaned his body back while he fluttered in the air, placing both of his hands behind his head.
They coerced me, but I couldn’t argue anymore. I had to get Simon free. “Release Simon and I’ll take it.” I said with as much courage as I could.
“You aren’t the one with the knife.” Ivy said as she pulled it from a sleeve on her thigh under her dress. “I suggest you get going. Just drop it on your skin, that’s all you need.” She placed the knife under Simon’s neck, and he stilled, his nose flaring.
I held on to the bottle tighter and placed my hand on top, feeling the cork. I knew nothing about magic, but just holding the bottle and knowing I would regain my memories just from the liquid inside, I knew that my life would change forever.
I wouldn’t have Valpar or my family here with me. That was what Ivy and Karma were hoping for.
I couldn’t believe they would go this far—how can people be so cruel.
I would do it though—for Simon. My first best friend.
Before I popped off the top, footsteps came from the right. The thicket, where branches barely holding dark navy leaves and dead flowers, moved. The branches were so thick, I could hardly see the other side. Once it became louder, I backed away, moving toward Simon. Ivy didn't stop me, both her and Karma were stunned to see someone come out of the brush.
A tall woman, with snow white skin and hair that fell to her hips, approached us. Her features were delicate and ethereal, with high cheekbones and a slender nose. The woman’s lips were adorned with a soft, gentle smile, contrasting with the mysterious aura that emanated from her captivating eyes. The pale blue irises seemed to hold secrets. Secrets I didn’t really want to know. Her face was friendly, but the light blue eyes were unsettling. She wore a sage green dress with a matching cape that went over her head.
I clutched the bottle because I had nothing to hold on to, and partly, because it was my only way to free Simon.
Ivy walked around me with her eyebrows raised. “Esmeray? What are you doing here?”
The woman, Esmeray, smiled and lifted her hand. “I’ve come to see Calliope.” Her eyes lingered on me and a chill ran down my body. “Here is your coin. I will take her, and you no longer need to worry about the human.”
Karma and Ivy looked at one another, and Ivy shook her head. “No,” Ivy stepped in front of me. “She’s ours, we are—”
With a flick of Esmeray’s finger, Ivy’s body exploded into a burst of white petals. I jumped, falling backwards, holding onto the potion. Karma screamed and held onto the tree limb Simon was tied to, as if for dear life.
“I trust that the little pixie won’t be interrupting me, will he?” she crooned.
Karma shook his head while I stared at her wide-eyed.
What in Hades was going on?
Esmeray giggled and offered her hand. I looked between her and her hand several times before I reluctantly took it, and she pulled me up to stand.
“Where is Ivy?” My voice shook as I watched the white petals fall to the ground.
Esmeray’s shoulders rose, then fell. “With the soil now. She deserved it, she questioned me.”
Snickerdoodle, we are in bigger trouble.
“Walk with me, Calliope.” She held out her arm for me to thread into. I turned to see Karma shaking, and he waved his hand for me to follow her. I didn’t have a choice. She could turn me into flower petals too, so reluctantly I went with her.
She hummed while she walked and led me past the thick bushes and slowly down a hill embankment. As she walked, small flowers flowed behind her despite the dead area around us. How can something so pretty do something so evil as to kill someone?
We stopped as we came to an old abandoned or fort more like. Stones lay overturned, debris scattered everywhere. It looked like it was once a grand fortress, maybe even a mansion back during its time.
“My mother used to run a coven here,” Esmeray began. “Some of the strongest witches and warlocks trained in this area. They had a vision, one that would reshape how Bergarian would be today—if she and the rest of the coven and not been killed.”
My body was stiff, but as she told me she’d lost her mother I relaxed. Perhaps she needed a friend to talk to. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I can’t imagine losing a mother. Especially one you deeply cared about.”
Esmeray frowned and turned to me. “Indeed.”
“What happened?” I tried to show sympathy toward her. Ivy wasn’t a great person, but maybe this woman needed someone to talk to, someone to let out her feelings with. Perhaps she was going to rescue me?
Her frown deepened. “There was a golden dragon named Horus, led by Queen Melina, who stormed into the threshold and set fire to all the coven. Eventually swallowing my mother’s entire body.”
Uh oh! Nope, not a friend, not a friend.
Red flags, big, big red flags.
I slowly stepped away from her.
I’ve heard this story before. Aunt Melina told me about the coven that tried to overthrow the Golden Light Kingdom’s court from the inside, before the war. The Sorceress Prinna was powerful and tried to pry apart Uncle Osirus’ kingdom.
“Ah, so your mother was the Sorceress Prinna, the great Sorceress Prinna. Ah yes, she was, ah, very wonderful.” I continued to back away and Esmeray watched me curiously.
“She was. She was a vision. My father, at the time, kept me in a cabin in Vermillion territory to keep me safe, since I was too young to fight. When I found out about her death, I swore I would get revenge one day. Lo and behold, just a few days ago, a vengeful little fairy and pixie searched for a witch who wanted to ruin the life of the king and queen of the Golden Light Kingdom’s favorite human.”
I continue to back away from her, my legs being scratched by the briars.
“I-I’m not the favorite. I think they find me just funny and interesting. Like a court jester.” I held the bottle tight to my chest.
As I retreated, Esmeray took slow strides toward me, her presence palpable. Vines slithered in her wake, entangling the trees, constricting them, dragging them down with a resounding crash. The thud reverberated, igniting a tremor in my chest, as a surge of fear coursed through me.
“I don’t believe that to be so,” she said smoothly. “I’ve watched on my own. They do care for you. I just cannot get too close to the kingdom. You see, I am not as powerful as my mother—yet.”
I felt the blood rushing to my ears, the pounding in my chest grew louder. When I turned to run a vine slipped around my ankle. It only gave me so much slack until it pulled me back for her to taunt me.
“You see, I’m still far too young to be a sorceress. I can’t get near the palace because Osirus is too strong. So, I had to wait until the fairy and the pixie brought you here. Your orc won’t find you either, and by the time the king finds out where you are, you will be long dead. It will pierce him through the heart and make him weak with sorrow,” she crooned.
I panicked when the vines wrapped around my legs. I tried to push them down, kick them away, but she just giggled and held her hands out like she was some messiah to all of Bergarian.
“I’ll put this realm back where it was supposed to be, under dark magic, and take over the Earth realm where humans will be enslaved.” She cackled and put a hand over her mouth. “Baby steps, I’m getting a head of myself.”
“Help!” I screamed out when the vines wrapped around my torso and my arms, pinning them down.
Her eyebrows turned downward, and a wicked smile crossed her face. “Slow, crushing, painful deaths have always been my favorite.” The vines grew tighter, and I screamed, just as two deafening roars came from overhead.
Chapter Forty
Valpar
It wasn’t here. The parchment was nowhere to be found, and I didn’t know how to tell my miresa. What will she say? She was going to read it, prepare herself for what was yet to come, and I had lost it!
I wiped my sweaty hand across my clammy face, feeling the dampness on my skin. My brows furrowed, creating deep lines of worry on my forehead, as the drums pounded harder in my chest; the rhythmic thumping echoed in my ears. The weight of my failure settled heavily upon me, suffocating any ounce of confidence I had at being a good male for her. I had always prided myself on my strength, on being a shield to protect her from the harsh world outside. But now, I found myself utterly powerless, losing the one thing that could prepare her.
All I could do was hold her when the time came for her to remember. I still didn’t know what she would decide: To know it after I had claimed her or know it little by little, but whatever she did, I would support her. She was mine, branding her or not.
Even if it killed us both.
I balled my hands into fists and leaned on the table. I waited for my miresa to say something. She would have by now, she was not normally this quiet.
Bassza.
I whipped my head to the bed to find the leash that I had her tied to still wrapped around the bedpost, but instead of her waist being tied, it was a bundle of pillows.
What?
I yanked the pillows off the bed, desperately searching for any sign of her. The sharp edges of my claws tore through the fabric, sending a flurry of feathers swirling through the air, filling the room with a cloud of downy chaos. As I tore through the layers, a surge of heat welled up in my chest.
“Calliope!” I roared and it echoed throughout the cave. “Come out, now!”
There was no answer, so I darted into the bathroom, the closet, and even checked the back of the cave to see if she went to the heavy door.
She wasn’t here!
I turned my back for a moment, not even long enough for the dust to settle and my female had evaded me!
“Calliope!” I roared again and gathered my weapons. I strapped my sword to my back while I ran down the passage. I didn’t care if I was making noise. I wanted all the fucking kingdom to know that I was coming, and I was going to retrieve my female.
I stepped out into the light sources and covered my eyes. I took a large breath, searching for her scent. She couldn’t have gone far. I did not have my back turned for long, but when I took in the air around me, I could only find remnants of her calming aroma.
I tilted my head back, seeing if she had climbed the boulder behind, trying to toy with me, but when I gazed upward I saw something far in the sky. I squinted, covering my eyes from the glare of the light sources and what I saw, I could hardly believe.
A fairy—or a fae holding onto a rope and a person hanging below it.
I didn’t think I’d ever seen that before.
My eyes widened.
She wouldn’t.
She would.
If it was to find her companion she would do anything. Even if it meant putting her life in danger.
Fuck!
“Calliope!” I screamed, but she didn’t turn her head, I cannot even tell if she was able to turn her head or not. They were so far away, and each second was a waste of time.
With a burst of adrenaline, I sprinted recklessly through the dense forest, disregarding any notion of stealth. My sole focus was on speed, determined to prevent her escape, refusing to let her slip from my sight. My pace quickened, propelling me towards the Golden Light Palace. As I crested a hill, a breathtaking sight unfolded before me: a vast pasture dotted with horses, leisurely grazing. The sight of these magnificent creatures filled me with a surge of exhilaration, spurring me onward.
I pursed my lips and let out a sharp whistle, the sound slicing through the air. Squinting my eyes, I scanned the scene filled with the horses, hoping to catch a glimpse of my horse, Ulam. Suddenly, a deafening rumble reverberated through the air, growing louder with each passing second. My heart leapt with anticipation as I turned around and my eyes widened at the sight of Ulam galloping towards me. As I soared over the last barrier of the courtyard, a rush of wind hit my face, accompanied by the unmistakable warmth of Ulam’s breath on my neck.
He raced alongside me once he caught up. I grabbed his mane and jumped, pulling myself onto his back. I was grateful that Osirus gave us the largest breed of horses because I would need his strength to get us to my mate.
The guards near the palace gates must have heard the commotion, because they left their posts to see me coming around the side of the palace.
“Tell the king, Calliope has been taken!” They all looked at each other like idiots but I didn’t have time to stop. I had to continue.
Sensing my urgency, Ulam quickened his pace, his hooves thundering against the soil, leaving deep indentations in the soil. As we raced through the forest, the overhanging trees seemed to taunt me, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers, obstructing my view. I strained my eyes, but I was losing sight of her amidst the dense foliage.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I tapped Ulam’s sides with my heels. His breath was heavy, but I felt the excitement running through him.
He sped up even more, the wind whipping past us as we raced through the dense forest. Branches snapped and leaves swirled around us in a frenzy as Ulam charged forward with determination. My heart pounded in my chest, the adrenaline coursing through the branches on my arms as I pushed him faster, desperate to catch up.
As we burst out of the trees into a clearing, I could no longer see the floating fae with my helpless mate, dangling from a rope.
