Vida
Kingdom of Howard
Vida could not believe her eyes.
It was Colter. But it was not him.
"Colter!"
Tessa pulled her back down. "Don't! We must not draw attention to ourselves. It's already bad enough that the guards are keeping the monsters at bay. Their energies are depleted. I doubt they can still protect us." The pair was hiding inside a secret niche, one of the many secret passages in the Palace. Gian had instructed them to hide and not to come out unless told.
"But Colter --"
Her friend slapped her hand over Vida's mouth and whispered harshly. "Be reasonable, Vida! If the enemy knows we're here, they're going for us. Let them handle it for now." Only a thin wall was separating them from danger. It was crucial for them not to be discovered. They may not make it out of Howard alive.
Vida nodded as tears fell down her face, fear and desperation enveloping her mind. Tessa was right. They were merely pawns in this horrid chess match.
When Tessa was sure that Vida had calmed down enough to be quiet, she dropped her hand from her mouth and they both continued to watch the horror unfold in front of them.
It was disturbing how Colter looked completely inhuman. He had a glow that emanates pure evil. His eyes were not emerald green anymore, they were completely black. His mouth was curled in a sinister smile.
Colter was on a warpath.
Seeing Colter in a completely different form hurts her. She longed to see him again, to caress him, but not like this. This was not her Colter, it was a monster. It frustrated Vida that she could not do anything, not even the slightest help for him. She's just a lowly human trapped in a magical war. Right now, she hated herself for being human.
"Colter, what happened to you?" Vida struggled to muffle her sobs. "Tessa, I don't understand. Why would he choose this? Why would he willingly hurt his family?"
Tessa hugged her friend. "Vida, please. I currently don't have the answers to your questions, but please, we have to keep quiet."
"Colter!" King Malik called out to his son. "Why are you doing this to us? To your beloved Kingdom?"
Vida feared that the man-vultures could easily snap the King and Queen's throats. She could see their sharp talons piercing through their armors and clothes. The Queen had already drawn blood and it was slowly trickling down her arm. Meanwhile, King Malik was white as a sheet, his chest rising rapidly, unsure of what to do.
"Colter, please! You don't have to do this!" The Queen cried out.
Tessa shifted in her position. She leaned forward and squinted her eyes for a clearer look. "Hold on, there seems to be a problem."
"What is it?" Vida asked, wiping her tears away.
"The King and Queen, being the ruler of this Kingdom, possesses immense powers. They could easily defeat those birdmen. But it seems like something is blocking their abilities." Tessa looked at Vida. "Can you feel that?"
Vida paused. "What are you talking about, Tess?" She feared her friend may have gone crazy for real now.
"You don't feel it?" Tessa held her hand up. "There's this strange humming in the air. Sort of like a vibration. It's faint but I can feel it. I smell foul play here."
"Fools!" Colter bellowed. "I will kill each and everyone of you! A slow and painful death just like you did my mother."
"Say what now?" Tessa whispered. Vida was confused as well. Colter would never say those words and, most importantly, his mother is well alive.
"What are you saying, my son?" Queen Regina asked. "I am here! Stop this nonsense."
"You're not my mother." Colter snarled. "I will make you pay for what you all did to my family, to the people of Havocc, for what you did to me."
"What is happening, Tessa?" Vida turned to her friend.
"This is even better than Prime Time television. All we're missing now is popcorn."
"Tessa!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Tessa said. "It seems like Colter is under some sort of spell making him believe that he's not Ecanus. The classic switcheroo."
Colter continued his harangue. "You stole me from my family. You and your army stormed into Havocc and killed my mother, brutally and mercilessly." He stalked toward the King and Queen. "The impudence to steal me from my home and treat me like a good-for-nothing vermin. You never gave me the attention, you gave it all to your real son. You never treated me like a prince, you treated me like I'm a nobody."
"You!" Colter pointing his finger at the Queen. "How dare you rob me of a life I truly deserve? And you call yourself a mother? What a disgrace."
The Queen wept, his son's words cutting through her like a knife.
"Was it not enough that you razed our home to the ground? That you cursed our people to become monsters? That you forced my father to live a desolate life?" Colter slashed the air with his sword. "No! You went ahead and stole me, the only thing he had left, and made me live a miserable life!"
"And you!" Colter now turned his attention to Gian, who regarded him warily. "You wanted me dead. I guess being a murderer runs in the family."
"Oh no, he did not just say that!" Tessa whisper-yelled.
Queen Regina interfered. "My child, what you're saying is not true! We never killed anyone! We're your family! We love you dearly and we have been waiting for you to come home."
"Enough!" The man named Dyron cuts the Queen off. "That's enough chit-chat. It's time for them to die, Colter. Take everything away from them just like they did us many years ago. Avenge me, my son." Dyron sneered as he waited for Colter to make the move.
Colter drew his sword once more and snapped his fingers, conjuring a ball of fire in his hand.
"My dear Colter, fight it! Whatever he's doing, I know you can fight it." Queen Regina pleaded.
"Wait a second," Tessa said. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Vida?"
Vida could only nod. She could see it. Colter's eyes wavered for a second, making him lower his sword for a millimeter.
"That's it, Colter. Fight it, come on!" Vida urged, wishing that he could hear her right now.
"Come on now, Colter. End their miserable lives. Remember your purpose. Revenge our land." Dyron snarled.
Colter blinked and he was back to his evil self. Vida knew deep down inside that Colter was struggling to take over his body again. Otherwise, he would not have hesitated for a moment back there.
As Colter moved closer to the King and Queen, Vida could see that Dyron was smiling eerily while fumbling with his fingers. Tessa was again right: Dyron was controlling Colter like a puppet.
Vida nudged Tessa and pointed it out to her. Tessa gave out a silent, "I knew it."
They had to find a way to help somehow. Vida could not bear to just watch the love of her life, wrecking his beloved Kingdom.
"Your time is up." Colter said as he raised his sword to slash the King and Queen to shreds.
In flash of silver, Gian was there to parry Colter's sword away from their parents.
"Is this your last act of heroics, Gian?" Colter said harshly.
"No," Gian. "It's my chance to make things right."
Colter laughed manically. "Then you must be a bigger fool than your father!"
"Let's have a duel." Gian said as he drew his sword in front of him. "Just like old times."
"Well, you are indeed a halfwit if you think you can beat me again." Colter said.
Gian was evidently scared. It was the first time that Vida had seen the eldest prince fear for his life.
"Word of advice: Don't hold back." Colter said.