Beauty of the Beast #3 Rise Of The Serviatrixes: Part E: Hearts At War

By Kristie Lynn Higgins

Pluck is taken back to the Shadow Encampment.

Type: novella, about 31,700 words
An action-adventure retelling of the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast with a twist. What if the woman was the one turned into the creature?

Pluck's adventure started in Beauty of the Beast #1 The Mystic Rose: Part A: The Flower, The Sword, And The Kiss and continues as Pluck must face losing all she holds dear as the Shadow close in on her.

A realm of adventure and peril mingled with romance, friendship, magic, and sword and sorcery. Join Pluck in this novella series as she travels through a strange land of danger and intrigue as she finds allies and foes alike in her search to lift her monstrous curse. A story like Beauty and the Beast but with more action-adventure and menacing darkness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristie Lynn Higgins
• Release date: Apr 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005430535

Kristie Lynn Higgins

You can also check out my author page on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/author/kristielynnhiggins

Book preview

Beauty of the Beast

#3

Rise Of The Serviatrixes

Part E

Hearts At War

© 2022

Kristie Lynn Higgins

Text Copyright © 2022 by Kristie Lynn Higgins

Smashwords Ebook Edition

Cover Art Copyright © 2022

www.KristieLynnHiggins.com

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Chapter One

Let The Heart Lead And Speak What Must Be Spoken

Part Two

Moments earlier...

The BloodGlacier Alcazar…

An outside garden surrounding a hot spring…

Votar wanted to tell Pluck everything that was in his heart.  How he felt about her… what Bella meant to him… and where they both stood with the appearance of his long-lost love.  He wanted to tell her all of these things…

Pluck…  I…

…but he never got the chance.  Malus appeared and roared a declaration of his intent to take back what Duke Votar was holding and that Pluck was his.  The Shadow Necrom was about to take Pluck away from him forever.  Malus’ dreadful flying beast was standing behind the Shadow Necrom.  Votar wanted to shout for his guards, but they were so far away.  Votar did have his sword with him.

Malus snapped, Come, Pluck…  It is time to go.

Pluck peered at Votar, and he saw anguish spread across her face.  He wanted to draw his sword and kill Malus.  He wanted to free her from the Shadow.  He wanted to free her from Malus.  Votar moved his hand to the hilt of his sword.

Pluck told him, I’m sorry.  I took too long in finding you.  You won’t get your say.

She started to turn and go to the Shadow Necrom, so Votar gently grabbed her wrist with his free hand.  He would find a way to free her.  Pluck turned back and faced him.  Votar couldn’t let her go, and he needed to explain to her...

There is still time.  I can tell you–

Don’t give the Shadow any more weapons against me, she warned him.  They already have so many that I don’t know if I’ll survive a war of the heart and soul.  He felt the desperation within her as Pluck pleaded, Please… let what I said be enough for both of us.  Let what I said be what’s in your heart.  Even if what you feel towards me be any different… please… let me believe that what I said is what’s in your heart.

Pluck pulled from his grasp and walked on.  Votar went after her and this time, he seized her wrist with his free hand.  His other hand still grasped the hilt.  He would fight for her.  He wouldn’t let the Shadow have the Serviatrix.  He would give up his life to save Pluck.

She turned to Votar and noticed his hand on his sword.  Pluck wanted to put her hand to the side of his face, but she dared not even risk such love and affection in front of Malus.  The Gold Choker of Fettering slightly squeezed her neck.  She had run out of time.  She had to leave Votar.  She had to save Votar.

Pluck turned as she spoke softly, Mystic Rose, please...  if it is something you can do... hinder Votar from preventing me from leaving.  He might try to stop me, and I’m afraid Malus will kill him this time.

Pluck had turned from him and spoke something under her breath.  She started to pull away from him.  Votar wanted to go after her.  A ball of fluffy light appeared above her back, and the fluffy light moved overtop of him and seemed to dance in the air.  Votar recognized it as a Globe Spore just like the one his sister, Kabal, had named Fulgor.  The Globe Spore continued to dance in the air as sparkling light like fairy dust landed on his head.  Votar tried to stop Pluck from leaving, but he couldn’t move.  Her hand slipped from his grasp as he desperately tried to hold onto it.  He couldn’t move or speak.  She took a few steps away from him as the Globe Spore dove down and hid in her mane.  Pluck turned and stared at him, and he knew she wanted to say so many more things to him.  Her eyes spoke to him… her emerald-green feline eyes conveyed her love to him again, but they also made an unspoken promise to him.  She promised to return to him.

Pluck walked over to Malus just as GuideMa arrived.  Malus mounted his flying beast and then helped Pluck to sit in front of him and GuideMa to sit behind.  He glared at the duke as if warning him to stay away from what was his but there was also an air of gloating in his terrifying gaze.

Malus commanded his flying beast, and it took to the air.  It soared high above the duke and then circled the area above several times, and then the dark beast flew off, taking Pluck and GuideMa.

Votar stood there like a statue, and then a few moments later, whatever magic had held him in place, released him.  He thought he would be angry once he was able to move, but Votar found that he was deeply saddened.

He spoke, I never got to tell her how I feel.  I never got to tell her how much she means to me.  Pluck robbed me…  He snarled as he fisted his hand and said, No… Malus robbed me of the opportunity to speak my heart.

Chapter Two

Returning To The Shadow Encampment

Malus had one arm wrapped around Pluck so that she wouldn’t fall off as the other hand tightly grasped the reins.  GuideMa held onto him from behind with all four of her arms.  She was holding onto him for dear life as she was terrified of falling off.  GuideMa had her head turned and part of Pluck’s mane was flapping in her face, but she dared not move to fix the problem and bore the discomfort.  A bright light appeared from Pluck’s mane, and then who she thought was Fulgur appeared.  The Globe Spore chirped happily and moved over to GuideMa’s face and rubbed up against her cheek.  She wanted to bat the thing away, remembering her own Globe Spore when she and Pluck and Kabal were trapped underground.  GuideMa wanted to bat it away but dared not as she dared not remove Pluck’s mane from her face.  She stared into the face of the Globe Spore and discovered she found comfort with the tiny creature there.  She still feared for her life and a nasty death from falling, but she felt somewhat more at ease with him there.

What are you doing here? she tried to whisper to him.  Shouldn’t you be with Kabal?

GuideMa still couldn’t speak aloud, so she gave up.  The Globe Spore wasn’t done with her and chirped again, and GuideMa could have sworn she heard one single word.  Ray…

Malus held onto Pluck as if she belonged to him as an object, and she did, or at least, her life did.  He still needed to possess her heart to own all of her, though, he had learned while sneaking around the BloodGlacier Alcazar and speaking with a certain duchess that others owned parts of Pluck.

Several times within the BloodGlacier Alcazar, he wanted to kill those who, bits and pieces of Pluck belonged to.  He nearly killed Votar, but Pluck had interfered.  Malus made no effort after that to slay the duke, but he did discover another which Pluck was bound to as a servir, and her name was Tabitha, one of those claiming to be the Serviatrix.  He got nowhere near Tabitha.  She was always guarded by a Roth, but Malus had no problems following the duke at a distance.  He had followed Votar many times as he left his residence.  The fool didn’t even bring his guards even after he had tried to kill him.  The duke also seemed very preoccupied and not aware of his surroundings.  Malus would eventually have to deal with both of them if he wanted to own all of Pluck.

Malus held onto his prize as they neared their destination.  Pluck and GuideMa had been quiet the entire trip.  The Femor had a death grip on him… a very uncomfortable grip, but he bore the discomfort.  Pluck didn’t hold onto him at all as if she didn’t care if she fell to her death.  If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought Pluck trusted him completely to keep her safe.  He knew it wasn’t true.  He was of the Shadow.  Malus held her tighter as she just sat within his arm as if she wasn’t there at all.

Malus’ terrifying mount flew on.  The clouds fled the sky before it as if they feared the blurry twist of feathers would overcome them and devour them.  It wasn’t in the hunting mood.  It was actually bothered.  The flying beast screeched as it felt some sort of sorrow it couldn’t ignore, and the feeling was infecting it with its overwhelming despair-filled power.  Pluck was in her own world and unconsciously reached out her hand and patted the side of the flying beast.  Malus noticed this action for it was the only time she had moved.  He wanted to ask her why she did such a thing, but he