A Magical Betrayal - arabian (book club reads .TXT) 📗

muttered.
I strapped on my quiver and strung my bow. I mounted Onyx and rode to the edge of the courtyard to join the others in the hunting party. I heard some of the men muttering about how women shouldn’t be allowed to hunt but once I rode near enough the men broke off and stared at me in wonder.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as they continued to stare.
“Princess,” one of them started,” Ally,” I corrected. “Ally, you look enchanting.” He finished, it was Jarrod.
“Thank you,” I said blankly thinking about how plain the dress I was wearing is.
Then I caught sight of a reflection of myself. I was unable to believe I had changed so much in a month. My eyes were bright with awareness and curiosity and I was walking gracefully and confidently and it looked as though I was gliding. Then I noticed two men watching me intently and stifled a gasp. The short dark haired man and the tall blonde man were both watching me with so much intensity I had to look away. They were the creatures I had seen in the woods a couple of days ago.
“Princess,” the tall dark haired one said, “Ally.” I corrected automatically. “Ally,” he said with a dark smile that revealed two rows of snowy milk teeth,” Would you care to walk with me a moment?”
“All right,” I said cautiously. We walked out to the gardens and talked of politics and my duties as crown princess.
“You don’t know what you are.” He said under his breath.
“And what am I?” I said in return even though I wasn’t meant to hear it. He looked at me slightly stunned then said, “You’re changing all ready.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were a wood sprite in another life.”
“And you’re not a human.” This slipped out involuntarily and when I said it he looked at me quizzically and asked, “What am I then?”
“Humans have no name for your kind but, you are amazingly strong and agile, swamp green, with leathery wings, feathered legs, and a human head.”
“Good girl,” he purred, “then you should know that, that is not our true form.”
“Uhhh, no.”
“Hmmm. Well I’ll tell you, that is not my true form. My true form is the one you see here but, the one you saw is the form we take when we fly because that breed is even faster than a dragon in flight. What I am is a wizard with shape-shifting powers which run in my family.”
I weighed his words and decided he was telling the truth then I asked,” What does this have to do with me and why do think I was a wood sprite in another life?”
“Princess, have you not noticed that you seem to glow faintly and you smell of sweet wildflowers and the earth after it rains? Have you not noticed that every man who sees you is ensnared by your beauty?” then his voice became hushed and mysterious,” Have you not noticed that the air around you hums with the energy of magic?”
“Now, you’re talking crazy.” I said a little scared.
“Let me prove it to you,” he said while bending to pick up a bird that had fallen out of its nest and had a large gash through its chest. “Hold this bird.”
I gently took the poor fledgling and cradled it in my arms wishing I could heal it then to my surprise the gash started glowing and knitted itself back together again. Then I don’t know why but, I kissed the top of the fledglings head and threw it into the air. The fledgling didn’t only just start flying but it grew to its full size and flew away.
I looked at the man awestruck and realized I didn’t know his name. “What’s your name?” This question seemed to surprise him.
“My name is Derric.”
“Aleca,” my father called to me,” the hunt is about to begin.” And with that I mounted Onyx, shook the disturbing thoughts from my mind, and started the hunt.
We rode into the forest following the hounds then when they found the scent we were off riding at breakneck speed into the forest after them. Since Onyx and I were in the best of shape we quickly left the others behind then when I caught sight of the boar I took my bow off my shoulder, took an arrow out of my quiver, and shot it. The beast came down with the first shot. I reigned in Onyx and hopped of with bow and arrow ready in case it was still alive. The boar was dead so I continued walking forward and retrieved my arrow from its side.
Then the men caught up, saw the boar and looked at me in awe. I proceeded to skin, gut and clean the beast because I had downed it only a few paces from a stream. The men all just sat and stared and me in amazement. Then one of them asked, “How’d you down it so quickly?”
“I shot it through the heart.” And that was that. I cured and salted some of the meat and then leaving the waste we brought the meat and the pelt back to the castle.
That night at the castle we had flame roasted chicken, with spit roasted boar, and salad as the main course.


“Princess, wake up it’s time for your bath.” I awoke slow and bleary eyed then something startled me, my skin was glowing faintly not just healthy but shining. I got up and walked to the washing basin by the fire and got in. The surface of the water was covered in bubbles and rose petals. I laid back and relaxed for a moment in the hot water. I closed my eyes then I heard the door open. My eyes flew open and I slid farther into the basin to hide my body. Then I looked over to the door and none other than Derric is standing there staring at me with mild interest on his face.
“Get out,” I cried in distress.
“What’s the matter Ally, you don’t want to be seen.” His eyes glinted with amusement and he smiled darkly at me.
“Nadia!” I called even more worried.
“Nadia, help,” This time she heard me and came bustling into the room muttering something about being old enough to wash myself.
“Nadia, please get him to leave.” I said. This caused her to look up and when she saw Derric she hurriedly ran over, shooed him out, then shut and locked the door.
“For Christ’s sake Ally why don’t you have enough sense as to lock the door?” she asked.
“I’ve never had to worry about it before, Nadia. Nobody has ever dared to come in here except for James.”
“Ally, you’re a beautiful and very desirable young woman now, men are going to chase you to ends of the earth.”
“Well now you’re just being silly.” But she just shook her head and went back to her room to sew. I finished washing quickly and dried myself. I went to my wardrobe and tried to figure out what to wear. Today there is going to be a parade and I’m going to ride Onyx in his white tack so I will wear something that is gold and shimmery.
I looked at my riding gowns and picked out one made of satin that fit the description. It had a low neck, white lace, and white accents. I was dressing when I noticed my birth-mark; a green vine with rose buds and tiger lilies. It looked as though somebody had painted it there.
Then I noticed that my dress was a little to loose so just to see if it worked I willed it to be snug to my curves but not too tight or too loose. Within seconds the dress fit me perfectly and the other thing I noticed is that my birthmark glowed and the vines wreathed on my ankle.
“Aleca,” I heard my mother call.
“Coming,” I hollered over my shoulder at her. I slipped on my dressy tan slippers and ran out to see my mother. When she saw me she looked relieved.
“Ally, the parade is about to begin and Onyx is already tacked up.”
“Thank you, mother,” and with that I set off for the stables to retrieve Onyx but when I arrived I did not suspect that Derric would have the nerve to be the one to give me my horse.
“What do you want, Derric?” I asked my voice full of venom.
“To be able to hold you in my arms.” He replied dreamily.
“Maybe when my heart stops beating.” Then I realized something. Derric isn’t a shape-shifting wizard he’s exactly what I saw. He saw the realization dawn on my face and then before I could defend myself he lunged but instead of attacking me he kissed me. I tried to pull away but he was stronger than the dragon’s of the mountains. Then my memories started to rush from my mind through my connection to him and he fed off of them. He started to breathe hard and his face became flushed then…
When the man released me my mind was blank and I was confused.
“Who are you?” I asked puzzled.
“What’s happening?” Then a horrible realization dawned on me.
“Who am I?” I looked at the man but he just smiled darkly.
“You are Aleca Alexandria Freheart my servant.”


Derric, my master helped me mount the horse I was to take but I must say he was pretty grand. He was a midnight black Friesian named Onyx. “Master,” I said, “where are we going?”
“To my home,” he replied sounding a little smug.
We rode for four days and nights with no rest and no slowing down. When he finally ordered me to stop I was hungry and thirsty and above all else exhausted.
“Aleca, you will set up camp,” he said.
“Yes master.” I replied but it came out slurred and garbled.
So then he had me set up his tent and told me to picket the horse on a nearby log. When I finally lay down to sleep the moon was half way through its course.
Then when I was almost asleep someone picked me up and pretending to still be asleep though I wondered why; I watched the route the person took up to the side of the mountain. Higher and higher we climbed until we reached a trench. It was so deep and wide that I couldn’t see the bottom or the other side.
The person holding me jumped off the side of the cliff and glided. After about ten minutes we reached the far wall and then he (I think it was a he.) descended to about a quarter of a mile lower to the bottom of the ravine and entered a small cave (At least I think it was a small cave because it sounded muffled inside and I couldn’t see). He walked to the other side of the cave and set me down then he turned and left.
After I was sure he was gone I sat up and looked around the cave but it was pitch black then for some reason I decided to will a light into being and then suddenly I had a small fire suspended just above my open palm. I didn’t realize it until then that I was freezing. So I decided to will a warm beaver skin coat into being. Then holding my little flame aloft I started to explore.
I looked around and noticed that there were three other women in skimpy summer dresses sleeping on straw pallets under slim blankets. One of the women