MAGE CHRONICLES: The Beginning.

Well, the hits keep on coming but granted, being labelled a demon was loads better than being hound chow.

I try sitting up, which is a feat considering how tightly tied up I was. Once I’m as upright as I’d get, I scan the figures standing around me, squinting in the dimly lit room, to identify them.

The Bright assholes. Great, what did I do now?

“I should have killed you when I first wanted to,” a voice growls; Cain? Figures, the man has been on me like a yeast infection since we met, what surprises me is the equally agreeing faces on his brothers when I turn to scan them one by one.

I didn’t know Jain could look scary, or Dain, for that matter. They looked like they were holding on by a thread not tear me limb from limb.

The thought brings back the words from the man in my dream, causing a shudder to dance its way down my spine.

“Ok, I admit, you guys are freaking scary,” I start my voice sounding strange, “Now before my execution since you seem to have already judged, could someone please explain what it is I did that has me tied up and thrown in this place looking like” … I glance down at myself and the smell finally assaults me and I gag so hard I choke. How had I not smelt it before?

I was soaked; my pyjamas were soaked, my hands… feet… everywhere I touched was wet, I’d bet Blue and his entire plushie collection that it was all blood and it wasn’t mine.

Now that I had noticed it, I could smell it everywhere.

“Oh my God!” I exclaim in horror.

“What the hell happened, why am I covered in blood, I thought it was a dream… I wasn’t hurt this bad… did that psycho butcher me in there?”

“What do you mean dream? You expect us to believe that? I would never… ever forget the sound of your cackles as you brutally murdered my people… never,” Jain says visibly shaking with emotion.

Wait… back up… What?

“What people, and I don’t cackle, I add as an afterthought.”

“Do you want the crown that bad that you had to murder the rest of your competition?”

“Hell, I thought she wanted nothing to do with this place, let alone father,” Dain says disgust saturating his voice.

“Who was murdered? Someone clue me in on what I have done already, accusing me of something I do not know about seems rather useless.”

A sound at the entrance has me turning to scan the newcomer, hoping for a friendlier face, and would you look at that someone is finally answering my prayers?

“Ryder, thank fates! Can you tell these brooding assholes I can’t even swat a fly, why would I kill people, you know me, I can’t even fight for crying out loud!” I end my plea a little hysterically.

Ryder’s previously blank face twists into a sneer and that’s when I recognize the emotion in his eyes; pure unadulterated murderous rage, scratch that, no one was in my corner up there, my prayers were in the spam box.

Taking a deep breath, I ignore how bleak my chances at redemption seemed and turned to the fuming princes, “I really didn’t do whatever it is you all think I did. Please, believe me, I can’t stand the sight of blood—” I add, a tremor in my voice as I remember I was soaked in it, “—let alone go swimming in it because that’s the only way I could be covered in this much, so cut the crap, this isn’t funny.”

With a snarl Dain launches himself at me, slamming my back onto the hard floor hands tight around my throat, “You think this is funny? A prank? He yells in my face the hands strangling me trembling, “You killed all of them and now I’m going to tear out your throat.”

This was becoming a trend, getting strangled was becoming my new lifestyle. Fighting to speak around his strangling hands, I try reasoning with him and his brothers again, “You can’t just kill me, you have no proof to support your claim, hell I at least need a trial before you decide I deserve death, I need to plead my case to people who’d listen to me.”

His hands loosen abruptly and he lets out an evil laugh and I can’t help but think I had just jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

“Thank you for reminding me, this would be too quick and painless, you deserve so, so much more,” he whispers into my ear.

“The lady wants a trial, let’s give her one, shall we?” He says turning back to his brother and Ryder.

A flash of emotion appears on Ryder’s face but it’s gone in a second, making me think I had imagined it, why would he feel sorry?

“Thank you, also can I at least get a shower, I am covered in blood.”

Cain’s answer is to roughly haul me to my feet and I almost face plant because of my tied-up legs before he grabs me by my hair, pulling me upright.

I wince swallowing my scream, these sadistic bastards would definitely get off on causing me pain and I refuse to give them the satisfaction.

Dain crouches down undoing the ties on both feet as Cain works on my hands.

Flexing my limbs to get rid of the soreness I follow them out, not like I had a choice, being hauled by my hair as I was.

We only make it a few steps away from the musty room before Cain stops abruptly and I almost run into his back, not sure that would go over well.

“Alain, what are you doing down here?” this comes from Jain.

No answer comes and I try to peer around Cain at the Princess only for him to disappear from in front of me and the next minute my ass is flying before I slam on the wall and ricochet off it and onto the marble floor.

Blinding pain tears into me and I grit my teeth trying not to scream as I struggle to sit up. Before I could catch my breath, she kicks at my face grinding it onto the floor, thank fates she wasn’t in heels.

She rears up to strike again this time with a sharp Katana in her hands —where the hell did that come from? — before her brothers drag her away from me and she goes feral kicking and screaming.

“Why did you do it?” Alain screams at me, “She was my only friend, she didn’t even want to be queen, she was spoken for, she only did it for protocol, she did nothing to you, why would you do it you fucking monster!” her tirade finishes off with a guttural scream that’s full of emotion.

She then slumps in her brother’s arms and promptly starts jerking and twisting like she was having a seizure.

I watch via swollen eyes still curled up on the floor as the princes’ faces go white, saturated with horror, “Quick Ryder get her to her room before the transformation is complete or we are going to have a bigger problem on our hands,” Cain commands already handing her over.

What change?

Ryder grabs her and sifts out; I didn’t even know he could do that.

If I thought the princes hated me before, it was nothing compared to the looks they shoot me now, my hair is grabbed again and this time they don’t let me stand, dragging me crawling and sliding on the hard marble floor towards the school cafeteria.