Deception: The Prince's Quest

By Vicki Williams

Come with me and enter into the darkness of the fight between good and evil. The prince of darkness, half-demon and half-human son of Lucifer, and Adriana, a presumed human orphan who is actually a full-blood good witch, journey along a dangerous, twisted path of light and dark magic, each trying to reach their destinies. His is to marry her and become immortal, a supreme power for darkness, which will tilt the balance between good and evil to evils side. Hers is to discover her heritage and regain her powers, joining her cousin, who is also a witch, to be the only ones powerful enough to kill the king of hell, the princes father, setting evil back decades! Who shall conquer? Which way will the balance tilt? Will humans become nothing more but slaves for a new demonic realm? And what of Lucifer? The prince? Adriana? Who shall be left standing in the wake of the final war?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris NZ
• Release date: Aug 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781499097375

Vicki Williams

I turned to novel-writing after writing non-fiction for many years, primarily as a columnist. I wrote a syndicated column (political and social commentary) for King Features Syndicate for 10 years. My work has appeared in Newsweek, McCalls, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and many others. A Newsweek essay won an Indiana Presswomen's award for Social Commentary, then won at the national level. Three of my columns have appeared in textbooks.I currently write a weekly column for the Logansport (IN) Pharos-Tribune. I also write three blogs - one on writing, one on NASCAR and one on politics.During my work years, I was a bartender, a factory worker, a secretary, an insurance underwriter, a real estate salesperson and a plan administrator. I finally retired and am now living my dream as a full-time writer.I live in rural Indiana with my blond Pekinese, Channie, and my two cats, Paisley and Slate.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Vicki Williams.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/01/2015

Xlibris

0-800-443-678

www.Xlibris.co.nz

717425

Contents

Chapter 1     Flicker the Eternal Flame

Chapter 2     Come hither Fair Maiden

Chapter 3     Let the Games Begin

Chapter 4     Double Double Toil and Trouble

Chapter 5     To be or Not to be

Chapter 6     Truth or Lies

Chapter 7     Fire Burn and Caldron Bubble

Chapter 8     For Whom the Bell Tolls

Chapter 9     Fear the Reaper

Chapter 10     Don’t Cry for Me

Chapter 11     The Cards have Fallen and The Day is Done

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my father:

Frederick Roger Williams

19 April 1935 – 18 January 2015

If I only had time …. Only time.

CHAPTER 1

Flicker the Eternal Flame

‘L OGIC WILL GET you from A to B but imagination will take you everywhere’ . Content with her selection Adriana peers into the pictorial view of Albert Einstein’s aged face. Warmly she welcomes him to the fold. It is exactly what she needs to complete her office and provide to her with some much needed inspiration. Handing over the cash at the counter Adriana notices, as she quite often does, the assistant staring at her eyes, but it’s ok, being born with one green eye and one blue is not so common and can be off-putting to some. A memory pings her back to when she was a young girl in one of the many foster homes she lived in to a woman who suggested she believe it to be one each of her parent’s eyes. That’s pretty cool. With a thankful smile she picks up the large carry bag that holds Albert within and wanders quite happily out from the store into the bustling mall. ’ Hmm’ , she hums to herself trying to decide what she needs next but before she could a text message from her new flatmate came through on her phone. ‘Meet me at the park for l unch .’

Appleby Park is the centre point of the city and outlaying suburbs. It is highly protected in just about every way imaginable and sprawls in a large oval shape over several acres of optimum prime real estate. History says that back in the nineteen twenties a local farmer, a quiet feeble little man, who owned all of this land sectioned only this area off with the seven foot twisted iron fence, which is still here today, sealing it because he believed it to be evilly haunted. In his will he left the land to the local council on the proviso that no building and no alterations what so ever would ever interrupt its cursed soil. However, in the fourties sometime, the then sitting council attempted to use the land as the city began to grow and local myth says that all seven of the builders hired to demolish the very sacred water fountain in the epicentre died amid very weird circumstances. And after that, in fact, the city suffered several erratic earthquakes that set back progress well over a decade. The council apparently sold the land to a private investor at some stage and from then on who knows. Someone must own it. Anyway, now it is a beautiful haven of manicured lawns and stunning gardens always in some sort of bloom and over the year’s pathways have seemed to make themselves that lend now to jogging tracks and walk ways. And in the very middle the round three layered concrete water fountain that no one knows who built when or how the water source runs in it still sits pride and prejudice untouched and for some still very feared.

Spotting Gabby’s fiery red curly locks Adriana makes her way across the lawns and sits down upon the tartan blanket. The grin on her normal pale but very pretty face says it all but Adriana spouts the obvious anyway. They have the keys! Both gaze across the park and over the four lane street to the large apartment building where up on the third level their new home awaits. Both can actually see their very own balcony!

I can’t believe it! Gabby squeals. Thank you Aunt Guillamere who ever you were!

Adriana agrees for up until eight weeks ago the two girls had not one idea where they were going to move to from their college dorm and considering they have both graduated the need to move out before the New Year begins was paramount. Out of the blue Gabby received a lawyers letter and low and behold she had an Aunt Guillamere who had died and left Gabby a substantial amount of money! Well in enough for the twenty year old red headed children’s story book writer to buy her apartment with altering the third bedroom into two small offices, decorate it, and still have enough to carry her through for a good few years yet! Amazing! When the hell does that ever happen?! Well it doesn’t very often and Adriana is still looking for some part time work to support her very poor backside. But for now it is all celebrations and back to the dorms to clear out their things.

Stepping into their new home they can still smell the fresh paint but it doesn’t matter. Everything in this apartment has been catered to them right down to the bed covers, the wall mounted TV’s, the coffee mugs and couch cushions. Both ladies love soothing warm colours. The lounge is a varying splash of purples with relaxing lilac walls, purple curtains and a purple lounge suite. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, Adriana’s with a tub to soak in and Gabby’s without preferring the shower option and, of course, the offices. They have come out amazing! Each has a door that opens into the lounge room, Gabby’s a single wooden door and Adriana’s a double half glass panel slider door and inside the offices there is another double opening glass door between them. Adriana cannot believe how generous Gabby has been. Not only has she provided all the assets of a stunning home she has placed Adriana in a world of luxury with a brand new bed and linen, a computer system designed for writers needs with all the trimmings of printers and even a laptop. Never has Adriana had more than a box or two of second hand crap to her name so this is over the top extravagant and very precious to her.

Each takes a moment to step into their own rooms, their own little space of privacy and Adriana’s eyes light up. The room is bigger than she remembers. Big enough to house a king size bed down the end and a spectacular white corner suite with a coffee table up this end. And that’s not all! When you walk into the room on the left hand side wall is the door to her bathroom and beside that her walk in wardrobe! Oh how Adriana feels like a Princess! On cloud nine she glides her fingertips over the vanity unit in the bathroom and her smile widens to the red candles on the bath but the shower, oh my god! She had joked to Gabby when she saw it in the catalogue and had no idea she had ordered it. It is huge and has all sorts of spray heads and water jets everywhere!

Like it? She hears from behind her and Adriana cannot help the tears from flowing down her olive face. Oh sweetie. It’s ok. Gabby giggles. I wouldn’t have done any of this had you not been the best friend ever. Don’t think I have forgotten all those times when you had nothing to your name but you still managed to feed me dinners when I was broke. This is my way of paying you back for only an ounce of what you have done for me.

Today has been a dream and to top it off Adriana has just hung Albert above her desk in her office. She stares into the genius’s eyes and welcomes him to his new home before flapping about with some loose pages of her novel’s research. Never has she had so many places to put things. Sinking down into her posture perfect executive office chair she sighs deeply in disbelief of how far she has come in a life of turmoil and poverty. Brushing the long brunette locks of hair from the side of her face she mulls over the decisions she has made and roads she has travelled to get to where she is. Mopping floors and cleaning toilets to get through high school. Tending bar, waiting tables and still cleaning toilets to scrape through college and now here she is, a graduated writer. Gabby enters interrupting Adriana’s memory wander giggling at the choice of picture but not surprised Adriana had picked it. Gesturing for her flatmate to join her she leads Adriana out onto the balcony where the breeze is miniscule and the air is warm. From the outdoor setting she picks up two champagne glasses and hands one to her treasured friend toasting their new home and their new lives. May it bring health wealth and happiness! And now for their first dinner in their new apartment, and what culinary delight they have, pizza! What a perfect end to a fairytale day and Adriana stood at the railing staring out across the blackness of Appleby Park uncluttered by man and untouched by artificial light.

So life has settled for our two young writers. Gabby has already published one of her two children’s books and Adriana has researched and written her way through eighty percent of her novel now with a title of ‘The Fairies of Ashley Grove’. Four months have passed each as wonderful as the last. Adriana found part time work and is tending bar downstairs three evenings a week which sometimes is more like five nights a week but it is all money in her pocket. So let’s take a closer look. Along with Albert’s quote of imagination there is another old saying. If it looks too good to be true ... then it usually is. Adriana, sometimes shortened to Ree, and Gabby, named Gabriella, are the best of friends, compatible in nearly every way. Never do they argue unless it is in jest or of a small insignificant nature. They like the same things such as foods and wines. They both are writers and the most coincidental is they are both twenty years old and their birthdays are on the same day! How common would that be? Not very. They both were orphaned at birth, both had similar upbringings, both entered the same college drawing the same room number. All those coincidences? If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck…

Yes there has been interference of the two women for their entire lives. But not that they would even suspect for humans are creatures of habit and repetition seldom stepping out from their comfort zones. The two have never looked for any reasons of their similarities. Why would they? To them it is like a silly school girl game and they just are who they are similar and the best of friends. But in reality Gabriella is the daughter of Lucinda, who was sister to Annika who had a baby girl named Adriana. Now neither child knows their mother’s name so how could they ever piece that together? Fact: They are cousins! Now even for cousins it is statistically odd to be born on the same day of the same year but our ladies are of no ordinary family. Fact: Annika, the older sister, and Lucinda were Witches. Not your ordinary garden variety human that follows a pagan lifestyle either but true full blood magical Witches and the births of their daughters was written centuries ago hence their similarities and compatibilities. They have to be to fulfil their written destinies. So why do the girls not know of their unearthly heritage? Upon their first few days of life the two girls were placed side by side on the same blanket and blessed but after the blessing a spell was cast to bind their powers, protecting them, until they both turn of age being twenty one. Until then they will and do believe they are one hundred percent human and nothing else. Ah, what is life without a few twists and turns?

Now let’s look at their upbringing. Why is it that with cosmic mothers they were stricken with such abysmal childhoods? Both Lucinda and Annika did die at their daughter’s births. That much is true. Neither was supposed to have happened but unfortunately some things simply just are and they cannot be undone. It always was their destiny to live on earth and become as human as possible growing up with free will and learning the ways of democracy. But why did the miracles of magic not give them a life of luxury? This is where the tale becomes more twisted. Lucinda and Annika came from a place called Verone, a sanctuary within the realm of the Enchantment. It is a magical world full of magical beings and it sits up between earth and heaven. Think of it like the regional office to heaven being the head. The purpose of the Enchantment is to liaise between heaven and earth delivering souls for either greater spiritual rebirth or for reincarnation and most importantly to protect earth and its occupants. This place had to be created by God, who by the way lends to whichever god you believe in, because of the devastation he caused by having the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse unleashed to bring a re-birth to the struggling and failing earth below. The Horsemen did their dastardly deeds just as predicted but God had not foreseen the alliance the Horsemen would take with his own son Lucifer who he had expelled from heaven to live out his eternity on earth.

Confused? Lucifer, the fallen angel and son of God, was disgraced and fell to earth. For centuries he meddled and muddled in the tiny planet’s growth vowing to destroy his father’s creation harnessing a passionate hatred for all mankind. Now when God sent the Horsemen to earth Death was supposed to claim Lucifer sending him into Hades, Hell, where he could do no more harm. Which the horseman Death did do, but, Lucifer, a very clever and devious angel, struck a deal with Death and the remaining three Horsemen sighting that as soon as their task was done God would re-capture them and bind them into non existence once more. His deal was that they would work for him and be called upon for not just total annihilation but for more pedantic needs. So Death relinquished Hell that had followed him out in exchange for immortality for him and his cohorts. Ok. So as time passed Lucifer became more and more hell-bent, pardon the pun, to destroy earth and its inhabitants and with the discarded evils that the Enchantment on heaven’s call casts down into Hell he had made himself somewhat of a new army. Hearts and souls removed and Demons were born. Now Lucifer needed a way to get back into earth’s realm. Why did God not stop sending the evil down to Lucifer? Everyone knows that for existence to be then a balance is needed between good and evil. Neither can survive without the other. What he didn’t bank on was his reckless son Lucifer being quite so successful.

Now Lucifer, even though expelled from Heaven, still had a contact or two within the heavenly realms and he found out about the two daughters destined to be born and the reasons behind their existence. They would become the most powerful Witches ever known and the only one’s strong enough together to destroy him. This he could not allow to happen. He must form a plan and solidify his footstep on earth within the next century for him to remain safe. The most obvious thing to do would be to try and kill the Witches before pregnancy ever comes to pass but Lucinda and Annika were heavily guarded and behind the doorway to Verone, the entrance to the Enchantment, which is impenetrable by evil. So Lucifer devised his own spawn to come to fruition and with the help of several dark Priests, a Shape Shifter, two Realm Jumpers and a Dream Snatcher he kidnapped a human woman to ensure his son be half human and impregnated her. Kept locked deep in the bowels of Hell the woman was subject to the cruellest of treatment designed to maintain her anger and hatred at the forefront of her brain. Tortured, whipped, beaten and driven to near insanity the woman barely survived to delivery. But the child was born and brutally cut from the mother’s dead warm stomach only to suckle on a bottle of Lucifer’s blood mixed with an evil surrogate mother’s milk.

The Prince of Darkness grew quickly heavily guarded and micro-managed into his young adulthood. His half heart of human was and will be necessary but for now is crushed down under the hefty weight of pure unadulterated evil. He is a master swordsman, a maniacal fighter, an evil presence and a tribute to his father and his upbringing. Now Lucifer could begin stage two of his plan. Just as Heaven created the Enchantment he too must install a middle ground and fortify Hell to be just as impenetrable as Verone. Evil bought forth the darkest of magic and through ways unknown created the Underworld. Now each helm has a subsidiary. The Prince was then sent to this new realm to build it in his father’s design although free to command it as he wished. Now the evil souls were no longer routed by the good guys but stolen by the Prince’s own Soul Catchers and delivered to the Underworld where their fates were decided. Factions were born and evil’s empire began to swell at great speed. And all the time Lucifer was safe in Hell with his henchmen and his armies. The Underworld grew fast under the Prince’s lead. Vampires were created Werewolves, Soul Catchers, and his pride the Seekers among many other varieties of course but access to earth was tricky at best. The years of the nineteen twenties were upon them and ready to have his minions go forth onto the earth’s surface portals were not easy to place. Many were obliviously destroyed by the pathetic human species and so for the first time the Prince himself ventured forward and his first stop was a farm owned by a little frail man named Appleby and his oversized bossy wife who wished a water fountain for her to gaze upon.

Ah, now things are starting to tie in. The Prince although drilled to despise the human world saw potential in it and decided he should secure a location upon it where his demons could enter and exit unaware and of ease. Now an abode in every city of every town of every country would be ridiculous but a house that could move or magically have doorways that open to other areas, now that’s a plan. Approved by Lucifer the Prince set forth in creating the Gatehouse in a small community in an out of the way little back water town un-noticed and underutilized by the rest of the country. And as all had come to pass the time of the two girl’s births was coming up extremely fast. Specific plans had to be made. Now as well as good destinies there are also bad and to disintegrate the two girls partnering together a new destiny was created for just one of them. All other operations halted. All factions and all demons from top to bottom worked solely on the plan. And then the word came. Lucinda and Annika were to be moved to earth to deliver their daughters and live undetected among their population. The leader of the Enchantment, their brother Crandart no less, was unaware of Lucifer’s knowledge and therefore had placed only a few spells to disguise their location to which Lucifer needed to know.

Another angel fell from the Heavens after being found to be leaking information to Lucifer who welcomed his comrade Scordinon with open arms. This Angel was an incredible sorcerer and as fast as Crandart could hide the two women he would find they and Lucifer would instruct his son to send the armies forth. Crandart knew he had to change tact or neither child would have a chance to live and so the sisters were separated but as Annika was being reassigned the Prince’s Seekers discovered her location and swiftly snatched her away. Disgusted and dismayed God walked away from his children’s battles leaving them to resolve their own messes and restore the balance. So Lucinda remained on earth under a barrage of spells and charms while poor unfortunate Annika was chained in captivity in a far heavily guarded and secret partition of Hell. Suffering the same treatment as the Prince’s human mother Annika was force fed evil on a daily basis but unseen by Lucifer her heart remained true and loyal to everything she held good. Annika knew she must play a part or her daughter would be lost to evil forever and so she did but her hopes were still intact held deep down within her raped and bleeding soul. She never gave up that her brother would somehow find her and save her child.

Gabriella was born at exactly the same time as Adriana but in much different circumstances. Gabriella was given love, hope; understanding and warmth where Adriana was cut from her mother’s stomach as she gargled and coughed her last painful breaths, washed in a mixture of evil fluid under a raft of incantations and marked upon a demonic alter. Gabriella was handed to her mother but something was wrong. Lucinda winced and cried in a fateful pain. The colour drained from her face, the pinkness gone from her lips. Gabriella was taken from her swiftly and all was done that could but humans are not of magic and Crandart was too late to save his sister. The baby was handed to her uncle and with sadness for her mother but much hope for his niece he fed her the warm and welcoming milk with the utmost of love. But Adriana was not given that first chance. Bought down from the Underworld the Prince stood over her crib and the soul sucking slithering threads of that black cloak’s sleeve raised and reached in picking her up in its cloth. Her one eye of green and one of blue innocently stared upward into the void of the cloak’s hood only seeing the blood red eyes that so few have seen. His free boned hand came out from its threads and with all there to witness he silently called upon his weaker restricted human side and flesh muscle and blood crawled over the skeletal bone until it was humanized.

Stepping forward the darkest of Priests Humdartist took his dagger and pricked the tiny palm of the new born baby and as she bled for the first time her sweet little hand disappeared into the cloaks hood. Feeling the power the Prince sucked on the child’s blood caring not for her tearful cry and once he had finished Humdartist cut the palm of his Prince respectfully and watched on as the blood dripped from him into the held open mouth of the babe. Amid the crying he then joined her tiny soft hand with the hand of the Prince blood to blood and performed a bonding ritual which none would ever break. Celebrations were now upon the demonic realms as the child was merely handed to a human slave to feed the milk formula concocted by the sorcerer Scordinon in the name of evil. Adriana suckled the bottle as her mother lay burning on the floor amid cheers of success. But back on earth Crandart felt the birth of his other niece and knew his time was short. Lucifer will not get away with what he has done! Annika deserves her child to be raised in goodness and love. She deserves to have her daughter grow up strong and healthy to fulfil her true destiny.

Alone the leader prepares his attack but as he stood at the doorway of Verone shadows caught his eye. He turned to see many all bearing weapons and all at his side. No words could change the minds of his followers, his guardians, his friends. For all feel his pain, his loss, and all believe in the future of the Witches to become. Like a meteor shower the masses descended through earth’s skies using the portals of the demonic Underworld to access the eternal pit of fire. Many fought the Underworld’s demons as many more flew down the fiery pit with no idea if they could ever return and as the celebrations in Hell were raucous and unruly the heavens rained out from the pit in search of the child. A great battle ensued with bloodshed a plenty from both sides. But the babe was found and surrounded by so many that Lucifer’s soldiers could not penetrate the mass and who remained flew after them with everything they had back up through the pit of fire. Many lives were lost that day and many great spirits torn but as dusk fell a tall elderly sorcerer draped in his robe of white with his long whiskery grey hair and his long whiskery moustache and belly length beard laid his two most precious nieces side by side on a blanket of the softest silk in the warmth of heaven’s glow. He together with his oldest friend and Guardian Alden slipped the teat of the warm bottles into the baby’s mouths and singing a beautiful lullaby, binding their powers, until their little eyes closed and they rested peacefully in comfort and love.

Caught up? Obviously Adriana and Gabby could not remain in the confines of the Enchantment, it would not lend its hand to their destinies, but neither could the girls be kept together on earth as the word spread of Lucifer’s vow to find the child he had stolen. For now as Gabriella has one destiny Adriana has two. So they were placed under incredible secrecy each on the steps of an orphanage thousands of miles apart protected amid a raft of complicated spells to live their lives and grow unhindered and undetectable by meddling magic and undiscoverable by evil. Crandart knew that when the time was right they would again find each other and they did exactly that. Which brings us to the two destinies? We know that the girls are supposed to be almighty powerful and together it is said they will destroy Lucifer but the details are rather sketchy. No one really knows when this battle will be or where only that it will come to pass within the girl’s lifetimes. But Adriana’s flip side destiny is a whole lot more laid out. Perhaps this is because Lucifer is a fanatical planner. His design was and still is to keep the cousins apart forever and what better way to do that than to have one marry into the evil. It is written that the moon of Oxtavia will rise on the eve of the turning to the two thousand and thirteenth year. That by the way is the birthdays of the two girls. On this eve Adriana is now destined to wed the Prince and lead the Underworld at his side.

But even in Hell there are twists and turns. For the Prince to even stand under the moonlight of that night he must prove his worth and by that he has certain quests he must conquer. There is the dagger that Humdartist used at the birth. That must be found for it is crucial at the demonic wedding. Also he must harness the human half of his identity bringing him whole into one. Merely squashing it is not enough for his human half has a large part to play in securing his bride. Thirdly it is written that Adriana must wed the Prince of her own free will. No magical interference nor trickery, blackmail, threat nor