Happily Ever Awkward (The H.E.A. Files, #1)(65)
She could see him coming. Try as she might to twist away, she was at the end of her rope — or, more accurately, her chains.
“Please, don’t—” she sobbed.
Seeboth slowed his descent as he neared her. “I love you, Luscious,” he said, “but honestly, it wouldn’t have worked out. I’m an evil wizard seeking godhood, and you… well… you’re a sacrifice!”
Paul cast about him for something else to do, some other way to attack, when one last, desperate idea struck him. He shook the stub of the Singing Sword and said, “Finish him!”
“Finish him?” said the Sword. “Look at my blade! I couldn’t slice sausage in this condition!”
“I don’t want you to pierce his heart — I want you to break it! Do it! NOW!”
And the Sword understood.
This was its purpose, the very purpose for which it had been forged. Yes, its blade was keen and its steel was strong, but its voice was that of the angels, and its enchanted music could cut through flesh and bone right to the very soul.
It sang.
It sang the most beautiful, heart-rending love song ever heard on this Earth. To repeat it here and now upon these pages would be to kill it, for its magic cannot be captured on the page, but only in the moment, and its words were not meant for us. They were meant for the man hefting the Judgment Blade toward the throat of Princess Luscious, the man looking into her tear-filled eyes.
The man who suddenly froze.
Judgment trembled in his hand. His eyes blurred with hot, inexplicable tears, and he watched the princess’ face go into soft focus. Memories flooded him…
Princess Luscious asleep upon her magnificent bed in Theandrea…
The first time he caressed her cheek…
Their exuberant embrace on the deck of the flying Shadowship…
The moment he transmuted her into manure…
Her beautiful blue eyes as he shackled her to the altar…
While the dark and momentarily conflicted wizard was thus distracted, Paul hoisted Laura back up and positioned her safely upon another chain.
Seeboth wiped his eyes against his sleeve. He glared down at the princess, but his sword wouldn’t move. “I… I can’t do it. I… can’t. But why?! What has happened to me?!”
While he was thus distracted, Paul slid beside him and kicked the sword from his hand.
Judgment traced spirals of green lightning across the night sky in a perfect downward arc before impaling a boulder on the beach far below, and there it stood, majestically glowing and crackling just as a magic sword should.
Seeboth spun on his chain to glare at Paul. “What have you done to me?!” Spittle flew from his lips.
“You did this to yourself when you fell in love with her,” Paul said.
“What are you talking about?!”
“You just learned the meaning of True Love,” Paul said. “Don’t you see? You sacrifice yourself for the one you love, not the other way around. You can’t hurt her now. You’ve lost!”
“What? No, this can’t be! Noooo!” His denial went on for a few moments longer until his fury overwhelmed it. “Well, I may not be able to hurt the one I love, but I can still hurt you!”
He lunged across the gap and threw his hands around Paul’s neck. Paul struggled but couldn’t seem to free himself. Then he simply stopped trying.
“I’ve died enough today,” he choked.
With that, he boxed Seeboth’s ears, grabbed the chain above his head for leverage, and brutally kicked the wizard with both feet.
Seeboth flew from the chains very much like the Judgment Blade had, but without the green lightning to make him look truly awesome.
“Flicker!” Paul yelled.
The warlord Flitterling, who up until that moment had been leading her gang in a battle against more Zombies that had surged onto the roof, swooped downward at the sound of Paul’s voice and caught Seeboth mid-plummet.
“No! Just let me fall, damn you!” cried Seeboth.
“Sorry,” said Flicker. “It’s a hero thing.” She began to lug the wizard back to the sacrifice platform, her wings working double-time to lift the extra weight.
As she did so, a clap of thunder rolled across the sky like a pair of dice.
54
THE PENTAGRAM OF LOVE
Together, Paul and Laura heaved Princess Luscious onto the platform. The planetary conjunction had passed, and with its passing, the princess’ glow had faded. Once her feet were back on a solid surface, she rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision. Although the enchantment had left her, the occasional lightning snap still popped and flashed from her eyes, making it difficult for her to see.
“Are you all right, princess?” Paul asked.
“I… yes, I think so,” she said, turning in the direction of his voice. She tried to fluff her hair, but realized it was pointless and simply said, “Thank you. Thank you for saving me and everything. I appreciate the effort — oh, that sounded stupid. I’m a little nervous, this is my first time being rescued.”
“That’s okay,” Paul chuckled. “It’s my first time rescuing someone.” He caught himself and shot a quick glance at Laura. “Well… second time… ish.”
Laura blushed. She didn’t mean to, and she didn’t like that she did it, but she did it anyway.