Vicki’s yellow eyes flicked to the blood stained hand that held her chin.
She fearfully trembled, imagining Ambrogio’s terrible death.
“To love was such a dangerous thing to do,” she thought. She was unwillingly under Sebastian’s spell. Although she had spent many hours trying to usurp his power she knew she was the weaker whenever she was in the forest.
Leonantis’ grisly chuckle turned her thinning blood to ice. Within it she recognised Squire Arkright’s spiked tones. Nearby, the doe was lying on its side beside Leonantis, still alive but the whites of its eyes showing its absolute terror.
If only she could reach a nearby post and pierce Sebastian’s heart all would be well. But the only one she could see was beyond reach.
Summoning her very greatest reserves of power she sent a telepathic message to Leonantis. As her plea reached him, he stopped carefully turning the gargoyle in the church wall. He unwound his ancient body as if it was a spiral around his ancient spine and a secret door quietly glided open beside him. The moon's thin light shone on a goblet identical to the one he so reluctantly gave Ambrogio. Vicki gasped. Leonantis evilly chuckled.
With all her power, she drew the tiny smouldering fire in Sebastian's eyes to the front to focus menacingly on her.
“Before you kill me,” she croaked though his strangle hold, “Allow me to bow at your feet and bless you so that I might have a safe passage to the underworld”.
Sebastian suffered from a powerful streak of vanity and the thought of his rival, and lover, bowing to him was overwhelmingly satisfying.
He lowered her so that she could put her lips to his dirt caked feet. As she dropped she caught Leonantis’ eye and he gave an imperceptible nod.
Her ice cold lips rested momentarily on Sebastian’s splayed feet and then she struck, biting through the cold hard flesh and releasing the blood that flowed. She hungrily sucked it up. Sebastian screamed with pain.
Leonantis pounced.
“So you thought you could get away with murdering me,” he shouted angrily, his voice fired by a young man’s energy.
Feeling the life force seeping from him as his blood transferred to Vicki, Sebastian kicked out desperately but in his weakened state he achieved nothing. Having taken her fill, Vicki stood. She was back in her courtroom once again but this time the court was in the forest.
Her talisman swung about her neck and with each swing it sparked fire.
Sebastian lay on the ground, writhing painfully.
“I never ever part with the true goblet,” Leonantis declared haughtily on seeing Vicki’s wide-eyed surprise.
“This is my deadly courtroom!”
As he lifted it into blackening sky a bolt of blindingly bright lightning speared through the sky striking the goblet and setting the vile potion in it bubbling.
Sebastian groaned helplessly.