• Chapter Eleven - Horses are maniacs. Just ask my mare. She lost her mind.


    You know, I'd never thought of how it could be so hard to get a simple explanation from a horse. It made me so frustrated.
    "Goddess help me Lunar, if you don't tell me what in the seven gates you're doing I'm going to hurt you." I hissed at her, while she ran under me, on the dirt path. Shadow and Kilunar were following.
    "I'd listen to her, Lunar. She's almost cursing. In her terms, she is." Even his mare, Shadow, was not being obedient as to telling us where the heck we were going.
    Leading you to the next Power. Now shut up. Both of you.
    I stared her down, my eyes narrowing into small slits. I opened my mouth to speak,
    and something covered my mouth. I glanced to my side.
    He'd somehow managed to get Shadow to run up beside Lunar, and he'd covered my mouth so I couldn't say what I'd for sure regret later. He removed his hand.
    "Thank you." I sighed, looking at my mare.
    Sure, she knew best, yada yada, my life story. But it didn't mean she had to be so subtle about it. Goddess help me she made me mad.
    I just hoped my Goddess wasn't going to be mad at me. I'd just been about to blame my mare for something that was an instinct to her. Sigh.
    "Lunar says we should be there tonight. At first it was in three days, but thanks to their oh so nice help we should be there soon." He rolled his eyes and set himself comfortably on Shadows' saddle. I sat back too on Lunars' saddle, sighing to myself.
    Life sucked.


    "Why can't we use the front gate?" I hissed. We were walking stelthily on the side of the gate, for who-knows-what to just pop out and scare the living crap out of me. I was on a thin edge already. Didn't need the resulting heart attack and hospital trip on top of all this crap.
    "Lunar said they'd be here..."
    "Wait wait wait. They?" I choked.
    He nodded. Only the moon lit up our path, shining bright in the dark night. It was a small crescent in the sky, smiling. The stars blinked, dancing in the sky.
    I heard a rustle of leaves. Oh boy.
    Time to scream. I was sure it was going to pop out when I had my back turned.


    (Unknown P.O.V.)

    "Look, I don't know why we have to be here." She explained, her peircing stare looking at the thin crescent moon in the sky. Her straight blonde hair framed her delicate face, her orange eyes sighing unseen emotions. She could scarcely hear over the gate, even with her animal skills.
    "They?" A voice choked, and the beating of a frantic immortal heart was heard. She stepped out of the little hole in the gate, and stepped up to the concealed figures.
    The girl was about to scream. The scream seemed to bubble up and travel up her throat. Her braided brown hair had golden vines in it, her violet eyes were in instant fear. Every piece of her was radiating beauty. Every aspect only screamed Princess.
    Her outfit alone was one of great delicacy and time.
    The top had two very thin straps on her shoulders, and met with the main part of the top. There were two deep purple straps that wrapped around her slender forearms, and the top split after a few inches from the v neck, exposing her entire stomach. It had purple trimmings on the edge at the bottom, a deep shade of purple. It had white intricate designs, as on the light purple of the top. It left her bellybutton to her waistline exposed.
    As for the skirt, well… there were no words. It had a slouching waistline as a deep purple, and following that same line was a deep purple silk see through skirt. It split down the middle of her front, yet she had a white undergarment. It flowed to her leg. On her arms were see through silk gloves, yet they left her entire hand exposed. It trailed down to her ankles in light purple splendor. All her silk see through fabric had intricate designs on them. Her light tattoo’s extended to her ankles, where she had two golden bangles on each ankle. She was barefoot.
    There was a silver vine circlet on her head, a sapphire in the center that was shaped like a six pointed star. The silver stopped at a tip under it, and then vine like light blue tattoo’s framed around her face and went down her neck. It went down her back, and down her arms that were exposed.
    She was radiating with beauty and marvel.
    "Greetings, Lost Princess." The girl bowed. "I am Teruko Asami, first member of the Asami curse. This here is my loyal follower, Mosoma Emitayo. It's an honor."
    Nereza only stared at the newcomer in surprise, her scream was stuck in her throat.
    "Hello Teruko. I am Kilunar Julien Keiko. This here is my sister, Yumi Nereza Keiko. She get's into shock at times. Give it three more seconds." Kilunar bowed, and straightened out, counting the seconds on his fingers.
    After three seconds Nereza fumbled with her skirts and curtsied.
    "Merry met." She said in her soft voice. "What do these guys have to do with why Lunar and Shadow brought us here...?" She whispered in her twin brothers' ear.
    "Teruko here can control Wind. She is a member of the Asami curse, she can turn into a cat. Seems like Mosoma will follow her everywhere she will go." He explained aloud, looking to the two newcomers for the confirmation. They both nodded.
    "Oh. Well she could've told me!" She threw up her slender hands in the air, exasperated.
    "No one's going anywhere."
    The four of them turned, Teruko yelping in fear. She hid behind Mosoma.
    The man held a gun in his hands. But he wasn't aiming at Teruko.
    He was aiming at Nereza. Her eyes narrowed into small slits.
    "Don't you dare-"
    "Kilunar, stay out of this. Don't do something stupid, got it? You two, move to the side. This'll get ugly." Nereza commanded, her voice no longer polite. It was sharp and filled with darkness.
    "But-"
    "Now." She threw some Power out to her command, and they willingly stepped aside.
    "My, my. Trying to spare them?" The man chuckled. "I'll kill your brother after I kill you."
    If her eyes were small before, now they shrank even more, filling with anger and hatred.
    "Go ahead and shoot." She commanded. Her lips started to move, forming words into threats that no one could hear or understand. She spoke an unfamiliar language to them, her eyes so steemed up they could be on fire.
    The man lifted the gun up and aimed at her head.
    "Teruko, I told you to stay. The curse cannot be broken." He laughed a dark laugh.
    "You're wrong. She can." Her eyes were small as well, but she did nothing to stop him. If the Lost Princess thought this was safe - a gun pointed at her, of all things. She was officially crazy - then god damn her she believed her (Author's Note: Notice how the two girls have different beliefs? The distinction comes in handy. Keep it in mind.) and she would stick by her commands.
    The man sighted, and shot.
    "And may all Power come to me and lash out. Revenge boiling it all up into rage!" She lashed her arm up in front of her, her palm towards the oncoming bullet.