11. Kit Quick to Anger
Kit: Quick to Anger
It was a sharp cry that alerted Kit to the danger that lurked in the room. One moment, he’d been focused on the book in front of him, then Nelle had cried out sharply. He thrust the book aside and rushed across the room to where she stood, her eyes wide and frightened.
“Nelle? What’s—” Kit stopped suddenly, seeing a sheen of icy blue flash over the young woman’s eyes.
“Kit. Go. Now,” she gritted out, anguish twisting her face as she spoke, as if each word pained her.
“What’s going?—”
“Ah, ah, little prince.” Nelle’s voice changed completely, changing to a low, throaty sing-song voice. “You had your chance with little Loli. Now you’re playing with me.”
A shiver ran down Kit’s spine. “And who exactly are you?” he asked, backing away from the petite woman.
Nelle gave out a cackle that shook her entire body.
“Now, that would be telling. Not to worry, little prince, I’m sure you’ll figure it out, eventually.
Hopefully sooner, since we both need my poor Loli’s fragile mind to survive the encounter.
This type of control can have terrible effects on the psyche. ”
“She doesn’t like to be called Loli,” Kit said, his mind desperately looking for a way out.
“It’s a pity, since I don’t plan to change it. It’s a family name. She’s named for someone I used to love dearly.” An eerie smile played about her lips. “I’m surprised you’re standing up for her, considering what she did to you. Not to mention how your disappearance has affected your family.”
Though Kit could no longer feel the sting of cold, he couldn’t hold back a shiver. “My family?”
A cruel smile spread across Nelle’s face.
“I should be proud, I suppose. I don’t know exactly what she did to you, but if we’re being honest, it’s better than anything I could have done myself.
You see, there’s nothing to trace back to me.
And if you ever showed your face to your darling father, he’d order his guards to kill you on sight.
But the poor man is heartbroken without you.
A shadow of the man he once was. And even if she didn’t actively do anything to your dear brother, your disappearance brought him right into my arms.”
Rage boiled inside of Kit, making it difficult to think. “Where is my brother?” he demanded.
“Somewhere you’ll never find him.” She gave another eerie cackle. “Loli might be able to find him, if she had her memories, but right now, she’s as useless as an emptied potion bottle.”
Kit roared, a spurt of flame exploding from his mouth. Nelle screamed but remained rooted in place. Seconds later, the crooning voice was back. “Careful, princeling. You wouldn’t want to hurt little Loli, would you? After all, she’s the only one who can break your spell.”
“Then don’t test me, witch,” Kit snarled.
“I wish I could make that promise, but, really, it’s just so easy,” the crooning voice said.
“What else can I make you do? The opportunities are endless.” The icy blue eyes lit up.
“Perhaps I should tell you about how I drew your brother to me. It wasn’t easy, you know.
He didn’t trust me, and he certainly didn’t want to get near me.
But every man has his weakness, and I found Prince Robert’s.
He was so desperate for answers after all this time, he walked willingly into my trap. ”
This time, Kit didn’t waste time or energy with words.
Instead, he barreled toward Nelle, his arms outstretched.
She didn’t protect herself or give any sign that she’d noticed his attack.
When he slammed into her, full force, she dropped like a bag of rocks.
Before he knew what he was doing, Kit had his hands around her neck.
“Release my brother. Now!” he demanded, his fingers closing around her throat.
“Sorry, that’s one thing I can’t do,” the crooning voice wheezed. A smirk spread over her face, even as he loomed over her. “I still need all my pawns for the moment, after all.”
Kit resisted the urge to squeeze, as he snarled, “And what about this pawn? Do you still need her?”
The voice faltered. “Don’t—you won’t hurt her. You need her to break your spell.” Despite the bravado in her voice, he could hear it shaking. “Don’t be a fool, little prince.”
“Don’t call me that,” Kit hissed.
The light in Nelle’s eyes flickered, and, for a moment, sage green eyes replaced the blue. Her normal voice shook as she wheezed, “Kit…please…”
The pain in her words penetrated the tiny part of Kit’s brain that was still sane. His grip loosened incrementally. “Nelle?”
Another smirk appeared as the blue eyes returned. “Careful, princeling. You wouldn’t want the heartless prince to lose his fearsome reputation, now would you?”
Kit reared back, throwing himself away from Nelle. I would love to kill her for that remark alone, his inner demons whispered. But, no…he wouldn’t be killing the speaker. He’d be killing Nelle. The only hope he had of breaking free of his monstrous form. He couldn’t…
As if reading his inner thoughts, or perhaps just registering the way his fists clenched and unclenched, the icy blue eyes lit up. “That’s right. You don’t want to repeat your past. What you did to Queen Nessa. The day you became a murderer.”
A chill swept through Kit’s body when she spoke his mother’s name. He couldn’t take it anymore. He forced himself to his feet and growled, “I will not do your dirty work, witch.” Without another word, he stormed out of the room and into the hall.
Once he was alone, he sank to the ground, his limbs trembling as he remembered the day that his mother died.
The day was unbelievably hot, and all Kit wanted to do was go down to the creek with the other palace children. His best friend, Cooper, had already gone, along with Liesl and John, Robin’s two closest companions. He and Robin were the only two left behind.
He’d momentarily considered sneaking them out without asking permission from his father and mother, but he immediately rejected the idea.
King Edward was a kind and fair man, but, if his sons were being sneaky or dishonest, he would mete out punishments without questions.
Better to ask permission and get denied than to go without asking and risk his wrath.
That had been a lesson he hadn’t wanted to have to learn twice.
“Brady, do you know where my father is?” he asked a passing valet.
“I believe he and your mother are in your father’s quarters, your highness,” Brady said, his head bowed with deference. Something Kit couldn’t quite read flickered in his eyes for a moment before disappearing. “Er, you might want to give them a few more moments of privacy.”
Kit nodded uncomprehendingly, before bounding down the hall.
He didn’t understand why Brady might want him to leave his parents alone.
After all, they didn’t do anything important while he and Robin weren’t in the room, did they?
Especially in the middle of the day, when anyone might interrupt them.
Strange noises emanated from the room Brady had indicated.
For a second, Kit paused. Even though he’d just turned five, he still knew better than to interrupt his father when he was busy with affairs of state.
He pressed his ear to the door, trying to determine whether his parents were in the middle of an argument or something that he didn’t want to interrupt.
But when he heard his father cry, “No. Please. No more!” Kit’s blood ran cold.
His father was in trouble. He burst through the door to see a scene he didn’t understand.
His father was in a chair, his face etched in pain.
His skin was pale and fading to an ashen gray, and his muscles were rigid, as if he couldn’t move.
And his mother…waves of sickeningly dark energy passed from him to her.
Her gleeful smile, the light in her eyes, the way the energy swirled around her like smoke, was so unlike the perfect queen she’d always portrayed that Kit barely recognized her. Neither parent registered his entrance.
Instead, his mother crooned, “Just a little more, Edward.” The smile stretching even further across her face. “You can do that for me, can’t you? Just give me a little more of that fabulous energy. Then I’ll put you back under my control and let you go.”
“No!” The word was out of Kit’s mouth before he could stop it.
King Edward didn’t seem to notice him. His head lolled back, the pain apparently overwhelming him.
But Queen Nessa’s head snapped to her son, and a frown replaced the smile.
“Go away, Christopher. You’re not needed here,” she hissed, as the energy swirling around her faltered.
She scowled and returned her focus to the king. “Go bother your nanny or your brother.”
“No. Leave Father alone,” Kit demanded.
“You don’t give the orders here, son,” Queen Nessa said, not taking her eyes off of her husband. “Leave now and forget what you’ve seen here.”
Kit’s stomach dropped, but he knew he couldn’t leave his father in this state. Instead, he rushed forward, charging the queen like he did when he and his brother were playing. He had to break the bond between the two. If he didn’t…well, he didn’t know what would happen, but he knew it would be bad.
Queen Nessa wasn’t looking at him, so she didn’t notice when he sent a spell hurtling toward her.
When the bolt of energy connected with her willowy form, she didn’t have time to protect herself.
She slammed backward, her head connecting with the sharp edge of the mantlepiece.
Then she dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Kit didn’t bother to check on his mother. Instead, he turned to King Edward, who blinked blearily, as if confused. “Kit? What’s going on?”
“Father, are you alright?” the small boy asked without answering his father’s question. “I saw Mother?—”
“Oh, Maker,” the king murmured, his voice weak and trembling.
“I remember…she said she wanted to taste my energy. But she wouldn’t stop.
She wouldn’t…” He closed his eyes. “I told her after the first time, never again. But she wouldn’t listen.
” When he opened his eyes again, they were brimming with tears.
“You’re so big now. The last time I saw you…
really saw you, without her controlling me, you’d just started walking. ”
Kit’s blood ran cold as he remembered his mother’s words. “She was controlling you?”
King Edward seemed to realize what he’d said, and he shook his head.
“Never mind that, son. Ring for the castle guards. We’ll have to have them lock your mother—” His voice faded as he glanced behind Kit, and the young boy followed his glance.
The queen’s eyes stared, unseeing, as blood pooled from the gash where her head had met the mantle.
Kit raced to his mother’s side. “Mother? Mother, wake?—”
“Enough, Kit,” King Edward said, his voice so low that it was barely audible. “Your mother’s gone.”
Kit looked back and forth from his father to his mother’s prone form. “No. I didn’t mean…I mean, I didn’t…”
The king gathered his son into his arms. “It’s okay, Kit. I promise, it’s okay. It was an accident. You were protecting your father. It wasn’t your fault.”
Kit blinked back tears, not believing his father’s words. It was his fault. He was a murderer now. He’d killed his own mother.
Bile rose in Kit’s stomach and he jolted to his feet, stumbling to the bathroom off of his bedroom just in time to empty his stomach into the toilet.
He leaned against the cold porcelain for a moment, not sure what to do next.
He couldn’t leave Nelle in the clutches of…
whatever had taken over her body, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure that he could break the spirit’s hold on her.
Not without hurting her badly in the process…
maybe even killing her. He couldn’t do that again. Not even she deserved that fate. But?—
Suddenly, somewhere below him, a door banged shut. Chills swept through his body. She wouldn’t…would she? Kit staggered to his feet and lurched to the window just in time to see Nelle disappear into the forest.