Chapter 2. The Curse (2)

"B-but I am not lying, you gave me the apple," Willow said and repeated her exact words. "Tell them the truth, why are you lying against me, Leona?"

"Willow, where did you get the apple from?" King Henry demanded.

"Father, it was Leona who gave me the apple; you should ask her where she got it from and not me."

"Stop lying against me and tell them the truth," Leona said and started crying.

"Willow, tell me the truth, are you the one who had given Jay the apple?" King Henry demanded.

"No, father, he took it from my hand and ate it before leaving my room," Willow replied. "Leona had given me the apple, she said it was a gift for me."

"You are lying," Leona retorted.

"I am not."

"Willow, I know you are lying," King Harry said to the shock of Willow, his sisters, and his mother. "Leona might be telling the truth, probably you had given Jay the apple to eat out of jealousy since he is a full dragon."

"I did not, father, you have to believe me," Willow said, greatly alarmed. The death penalty awaited anyone who had taken the life of a living soul, it was their rule. He faced his mother in great fear. "Mother, you believe me, right?"

"Yes, I do, my dear," Lucia said and faced her husband. "Henry, how can you say Willow killed his own brother?"

"Anything is possible, Lucia."

"Willow did not kill Jay. Just because he is not a full dragon like his siblings doesn’t mean he is lying. If the reverse was the case, you would have believed Jay immediately. Just because he hasn’t shifted yet to any dragon doesn’t mean he is jealous of his older brother."

"I don’t have time for you, woman," King Henry said angrily and pointed at his two dragon messengers. "Go and call me Oracle immediately," he commanded.

The two messengers quickly left the throne room to do as instructed.

"For your mother’s sake, I hope you’re telling the truth," he said and started pacing around Jay’s dead body.

Five minutes later, the two messengers returned with a lady dressed in a long black dress that flowed in the air. She had long dark hair and eyes. She was holding a staff made with water, and at the top of the staff was a white eagle statue.

"You sent for me, my king."

"Yes, Oracle, my son, Jay, is dead," King Henry said and pointed at Jay’s lifeless body. "Can you do something about it?"

Walking over to where Jay lay, she walked around him in a circle before stopping to face the King, "There is nothing I can do for him, my king. He is dead for real," Oracle announced. "What could kill a dragon?"

"This," King Henry answered, pointing at the rotten golden apple. "He was eating the apple when he started choking and fell down. Before they would bring him here, he was gone. The apple was looking fresh before, but now it is rotten."

"Who had given him the apple?" Oracle asked.

"Willow gave him the apple and said Leona gave it to him. I don’t know who is telling the truth," King Henry replied.

Facing Willow, Oracle stretched forth her right hand, "Place your hands on mine, child." Willow quickly went over to meet her and did that. She closed her eyes, and a third eye opened on her forehead, and the eagle statue’s eyes became white. She removed her hands from him and returned her gaze to King Henry. "Willow was speaking the truth; Leona gave him the apple."

Willow, who didn’t even know he was holding his breath, breathed out a sigh of relief and went into his mother’s open arms. His two sisters smiled in relief.

That was all the King needed to hear.

"Hang that child to her death. Use the dragon claws on her, for death shall beget death," King Henry ordered.

"You could have just said the truth, Leona, nothing is hidden under the sun for long," Willow said with a sad sigh.

"Take her away," King Henry ordered. Two guards came forward and grabbed Leona’s hands.

"Please, leave me alone; I didn’t do anything. They are lying. The Oracle lied," Leona pleaded as they started dragging her out of the throne room. She returned her gaze to Willow, then to King Henry, and finally again to Willow and spoke. "I curse you today, Willow! You shall have a great thirst for blood, and no one can quench it. You will crave for blood, but no blood will satisfy you." She returned her gaze to King Henry as the guards closed the large oak door behind them as they left the throne room with Leona, but her voice was still heard loud and clear. "And you, Henry, for wanting to kill an innocent child, your whole family shall be the first he will start from. It is my curse to your household."

***

The guards hanged Leona to death. They didn’t see a dark shadow leaving the lifeless young body.

***

"She is dead, my king," one of the two guards told King Henry when they returned.

"Good, take my son, Jay, and bury him before he starts decaying. His death shall soon be announced," King Henry ordered.

"Yes, my king," they both said at the same time and carried the dead crown prince with care. Some guards followed them out of the throne room.

"I shall take my leave now, Your Highness," Oracle said and was out of the throne room.

"You all should leave, let me mourn Jay alone," King Henry told his family, and Lucia with her daughters and Willow was out of the throne room.

***

[Unknown Cave]

"I said the curse as you instructed, mistress," the shadow on the cave wall said with a male voice as he appeared. "And the young child has been put to death."

"You cast the curse on the wrong prince," the ugly-looking lady told the shadow.

"But you said I should say the curse to the dragon prince standing once I have seen the dead one, mistress."

"Yes, but the dead one isn’t who I want to use. I needed Willow to eat the apple because of both genes he carries, but his brother did," she told the shadow.

"So, what are we going to do, mistress? Are we still carrying out our plan?"

"Yes, I just have to wait until the curse manifests."

***

None from the royal household took the curse Leona had said seriously until the next night.

Young Willow, who was in his room, seated and drawing, suddenly became bloodthirsty to kill. His green eye and amber eye glowed as his fingers started turning and grew into long claws.

His painting forgotten, he stood up and left his room. By the time he had reached the door of his chamber, he was walking on four large hairy legs.

His large black wolf broke down the door and came out of the room he was in. The wolf roared loudly, shaking the foundation of the whole palace, and the fire came out of his mouth, eyes, and tail. He ran towards his parents’ chambers, the urge to kill them was overwhelming.

The dragon guards that came out when the wolf had roared couldn’t take down the extremely large wolf.

The danger bell rang alerting the whole palace.

Reaching his parents’ chambers, one push on the door sent it flying across the room. Neither his mother nor his father was there, so he headed for the throne room.

The large oak door broke into two interrupting the discussion of the Wolf King, Creek, and his daughter with her husband. King Creek was visiting his son-in-law’s kingdom after hearing about the death of one of his grandchildren.

The dragon and wolf guards in the throne room prevented the wolf from advancing.

"I told you, there is something wrong when we heard the bell," King Henry said to his father-in-law. "What can a large wolf be doing here?"

"Oh, my goodness," Queen Lucia said in shock, not believing her eyes. "That is not just any wolf, Henry, that is our son’s wolf, Willow."

"Willow is just a twelve-year-old boy, and his wolf can’t be this large," King Creek said in surprise.

"I know my son’s wolf," Queen Lucia said.

The urge to taste their blood came to Willow once again. Standing up to his hind legs, he roared and charged towards the guards who stood in his way between him and his parents.

Within fifteen seconds, none of the guards was standing as one fling from the wolf made them lose their consciousness.

More dragon warriors were seen rushing to challenge the wolf from behind him. Willow breathed fire and blocked the door, but the dragons were immune to fire.

He charged at his father who was still in shock at what was happening and could have succeeded in cutting his throat if not for the invention of Oracle.

She appeared in front of Henry, her third eye opened, and a bright light emerged from it and entered his eyes.

In the next few seconds, the wolf dropped down to the floor, weak.

"What was that?" King Henry asked.

"Your son, Willow; the curse of Leona is hovering around him," Oracle answered.