Dark Fantasy, Traffic, Dragging a Bag of Parts.

Genre: Dark Fantasy,

Word: Traffic,

Action: Dragging a Bag of Parts

This meeting was not going the way Vicki thought it was going to go. Locked on hers, his eyes sparkled and twinkled as all men’s should. The flowery marks of his race curled on his temple highlighting his unnatural perfection. How could one refuse the prince of the Fae? No vampire had ever been so beautiful. Vicki’s tongue glided over her fangs as she forgot why she’d come to this forest.

The prince’s voice asked her to state her purpose and it took a full 15 seconds for her to remember how to talk.

“We need your help finding a rogue Fairy who stole a vampire relic from the clan’s vault.” She was so proud of herself for getting the words out it took her a moment to realize the prince was speaking again. He’d asked how she knew it was a fairy.

“We saw him. We pursued him, but lost his trail in traffic.” Fairies didn’t have wings, but they were so light they could float, glide, and jump with unnatural grace. Vampire speed was fast, but not elegant enough to catch a determined fairy through rush hour. Fairies were also vailed from mortals where vampires weren’t.

“Tell me.” The prince’s voice came to her mind without his lips moving. “What were his markings?”

“A flower.” She answered, her breath was heavy and difficult to control.

“We all have some kind of flower, dear vampire.” The guards and court members around him snickered. Reminding Vicki that there were others in the world besides her and the beautiful Fae prince. “Do you know the type?”

“Um..” She felt stupid for not knowing the name she could picture it perfectly, but who knows the names of flowers. “Purple, five pedals, like a star. Skinny stems, no thorns.” The prince’s smile faded. He gave a dark look to a soldier who nodded and departed immediately.

“I know him. We will return your relic and hope that nothing in our treaty has been too damaged?”

“Once the relic is returned I’m sure good faith will be also. Thank you.” Vicki didn’t want to leave him. Her job at this meeting was over and it was now up to the Fae to do the rest, but every muscle she had refused to walk away from the beautiful prince.

“Do you want to wait until the rogue is returned?”

“If that’s not insulting.” His eyes gazed so determinedly into her that she was sure he could read her mind not just communicate inside it.

“Not at all.”

Hours. Minutes. Days. Who knows how long Vicki stood in the presence of the prince completely content to do so forever. The reverence was broken when the prince turned her attention to the fairy soldier who held over his shoulder a bag that clanked and twained.

“I’m sorry my dear Vampire, but the rogue has destroyed your relic.” The bag was laid at her feet. “This is all that could be recovered.”

The clock of the elders was strewn out in pieces before her. “No,” Vicki said. “How could you let this happen?”

“I’m sorry. Rest assured he will be punished.”

“I have failed.” She knelt herself down in front of the shattered heirloom. The magic was gone.

“The rogue claimed the clock was cursed and he misguidedly took it upon himself to destroy it before the solstice when he believed it would activate and burn us all.” The prince’s actual voice said this.

“The vampire king won’t care. He gave me a mission to return the clock and the clock is ruined. He will stake me for this.” Vicki started to tear up. She was going to die, forever this time.

“I’ll not let that happen.” A soft and gentle hand raised her face to the prince’s.” I will speak to the Vampire King. The Fae will take responsibility for this lost treasure.”

“That could start a war of our worlds.”

“Only if your King is unreasonable.” Vicki had never thought of the king as being fair or forgiving. But surely he was reasonable - Right?

“Come, little vampire. Let us go together to face your king.”

The prince’s magic gathered the clock pieces and parts back into the bag and in a wash and wave Vicki and the prince were outside the vampire hive. A tall building with stone monsters menacingly warning, all who dared enter, of what was inside.

Vicki slowly dragged the bag of parts behind her as every vampire she passed in the long dark hallways stared. All eyes on her and the beautiful creature who stood by her side.

The gothic and gaudy double doors of the King’s court were opened as she and the fairy prince approached.

She took courage that the prince had not abandoned her as she walked through the doors. Determined to not show weakness to her king, she dropped the bag in front of him. His red eyes glaring at the pair before him.

“Good work, Victoria.” His voice was toneless and unreadable. “The curse has been broken and we are all saved.”

The dark court erupted into loud roars of praise and cheers.

“What is happening?” she whispered to the prince an untrusting quiver in her voice.

“My dear, Vampire. It would seem the mission you were sent on was a success.”

“But I…” Vicki didn’t know how to finish that sentence. Her senses were too overloaded with the noise. Plus the ever present scent of the intoxicating prince.

“As a favor to you, dear Vampire I will not disclose the involvement of my kind in your victory.” He smiled at her and she swore she was alive again as her heart pounded. “But you owe me one.” Vicki nodded. This was not the way she thought this day was going to go.

Model credit Britney Heiner and Ryan Flake. @ryan_flake_art_