The spell

The doors opened for Alorea who was dorned the darkest of cloaks, hiding from the exposure of the light rays. She moved like an angel in the shadows and made her way through the palace halls, unnoticed.

At the last end of the hall, there was a door. She knocked.

The door opened and Nathan stares around but there was no one.

"That is weird..." He muttered. He could not find anyone at the door.

When he closed it again and turned around, he found Alorea on his bed, waiting.

Shocked, he gasped for breathe.

"What the hell? How did you get in here?"

But she did not answer his questions. She only advanced forward.

"Did you think I would just leave like that? After everything you did to me?"

The closer she came, the further he retreated. But he had the door close behind him, there was nowhere else to retreat to.

"You told me that you loved me. Only to betray me..."

His eyes were coloured in anxiousness and his face subdued in suprise.

"What did she do to you, Nathan... How did you become this...?"

She held his face to look in his eyes.

"Let go of me!" He grabbed himself away from her grasp and made for the door. But it was locked, it was not going to open.

"Whatever she did, I am here to break it."

Alorea's dress split apart, exposing her glorious body before his naked eyes.

*********************

A few hours earlier.

Alorea and Frey were working on their plan together. How they would invade the palace and expose the plans of Shereena and Nathan to kill the king.

"When I held the boy, he had powers. He had powers to shoot strikes of lightening. I am sure he has a claw too. Whatever they presented to his majesty in that box, it was only one or two of the five claws."

Frey explained his encounter with Nathan to Alorea. Alorea knew one more thing that he did not know, and that was that she was the one in possession of one of those five claws.

The remaining four however, Alorea had no idea. From all indications, at least one of the remaining four was with Daemon. That was why he was able to use the powers. The box of five claws presented to him was a fake, but at least one of the five claws he took was real.

Out of the remaining three, one was with Nathan. This was proven by Frey's encounter with him. The remaining two however were unaccounted for and there was only one person in Alorea's mind - Shereena.

The princess was probably in possession of two of the five claws of power. That would make her the most powerful person at the moment, even if she was trying to hide it.

"We have to find those other claws." Frey said, "And we have to take it from them. If we can succeed at doing that, the life of the alpha will not be in danger anymore. And if I present the claws to him, he will find his trust in me again and he shall allow me to bring you to him."

Alorea nodded at his plans, even though she had something different in mind. She had no wish to deliver those claws to Daemon for any reason, she just needed it out of Shereena's hands. She needed to turn the tables.

"I will sneak into the palace and get the claws." She announced with confidence.

Frey was suprised at first. He did not understand how she could be so brave. Alorea could not explain it too, she had changed a lot ever since she embarked on this mission all in an effort to prevent her tragic future. Now, that she knew whom Nathan was and how he was able to gain his insurmountable power, she was ready to do whatever she could to change the future.

"It is a dangerous feat..." Frey tried to explain.

"Trust me. I can do it."

"Very well, then. I shall help you to get in the palace. But once you are in, there is nothing I can do to help you anymore."

Alorea nodded in agreement. It was exactly what she wanted. She would enter the palace under Frey's watch and help. Then she would use the claw of invisibility to get her self through the halls where the soldiers are lined until she had found Nathan's room. She planned to start off by taking the claw of lightening which he possessed.

The night soon came around and the plan was set to unfold.

As Alorea dressed herself in dark cloaks for the mission at hand, a knock came on her window. It was the old vampire who had visited her before.

"The slaves which Daemon wants to use for the ritual of power are almost here." He told her. "With the blood of those humans, the sages shall help him to harness the power of the five claws. You have to do something before then."

Alorea sent Cloris to get something. It was a trick for her to meet the old man without her eyes or ears spying on her.

Alorea met him outside and acknowledged his news. They made a decision in whispers and murmurs, then the old man left into the night.

Cloris returned as soon as the old man had gone. She had suspicions and Alorea could tell, but there was no way she could make a good guess.

"Princess Alorea..." She stopped Alorea the moment she was about to leave.

"What is it...?"

"About the princess Shereena. I used to work in the palace as her maid. I know the things she can do..."

"What are you talking about?"

"The princess has always been in love with black sorcery. She uses it to control men..."

"Continue..." Alorea returned closer, interested in what she had to say now more than ever.

"She has a potion. Whenever Shereena tortures a man, she uses the potion on them. Then she has sex with them. That way they only listen to her. If it is a criminal, he will tell her all his sins, whatever she asks of him. And they will live the rest of their lives serving her. I have seen her use it on several men, including your friend..."

Alorea could not believe what she was listening to, but there was no reason to doubt it from truth. Cloris had no reasons to tell lies to her. She could see it in her eyes, the fear and the tremble. She was telling the truth.

"Do you know how to break it...?" Alorea asked, hoping there would be a positive answer in store for her.

"Yes... Yes I do... But it is hard..."

"Tell me..." She leaned closer, hoping to find a most suitable answer.

"They must have sex with another woman. That is the only way to break the spell. And it is not possible. Because the men under her spell would never dare to betray her."

Those words sank in Alorea's soul, and as she disappeared into the night, heading towards tje palace, she plotted in her heart how she would get Nathan to lay with her that very night. He used to come every night to have his time with her back in the future, and she always hated it. But now she was the one who wanted to get down with him, she shook her head in wonder of how the narrative had completely changed.

She took off on her way to the palace where she met Frey and some of his very loyal men. They made a plan for her to get in and get out when the time is right without the knowledge of anyone else.

As he accompanied her past the gates into the hallway of the palace, disguised in black, Alorea proceeded into the palace with a determined mind. When Frey left back, leaving her to continue on her own, she took out the claw of invisibility and wore on her neck.

Then she went straight to Nathan's room and knocked on his door. When he opened, he could not see her as she entered the room and sat on his bed. Then she hid the claw again.

When he closed the door, she was right there, waiting for him.

"Did you think I would just leave like that? After everything you did to me?"

"What the hell? How did you get in here?"

"You told me that you loved me. Only to betray me..."

"What are you saying?"

"What did she do to you, Nathan... How did you become this...?"

"Let go of me!"

"Whatever she did, I am here to break it".