Chapter 3: Becoming the Villainess

Ayla slid into the warm water after dropping a fizzing sphere that changed the scent of the water to smell like roses with a luxurious sigh. It soothed her stiff body in a way that she rarely got to enjoy in the past three months. "I have been sleeping on beds of leaves and pine needles during the quest. Mannu is an excellent hunter so we ate rather well. Bantu and I are gifted with elemental magic so we were never wanting a fire, no matter what the weather was. I think the horses enjoyed the journey more than I did."

'That sounds awful! I have always been more of a city girl. My dad owned horses but I was never interested in riding them. That bottle on the edge is soap. The other bottles with the spigots are shampoo and conditioner.'

"Interesting." Ayla grabbed the sponge and applied the soap. "How do you travel if you do not ride a horse?"

'Well, this city is pretty urban so you take a bus, or train to get around but most people drive.' Roxy grinned a bit. 'I actually rode a motorcycle. It's pretty cool, I look forward to your reaction when you see it in person.'

"What's that?" Ayla tilted her head at the mental image of the two wheeled vehicle with a seat and a frame covered with metal and white plastic edged with purple.

'Oh! This will be a treat. I will teach you how to ride. We should have some muscle memory so this will go much faster than when I learned.' Roxy spun in her seat. 'But if you want to be this evil woman, I guess you can just buy a more dangerous looking bike than mine.'

Ayla shook her head. "Richard can not pick up on the danger until it is too late. How will we know that he is actually back?"

'He was really active on social media before he disappeared. He'll probably log back in and post updates that he's actually alive. The paperwork will be a form of hell since they legally declared him dead if that makes you feel any better.'

"You check that on your magic boxes?" Ayla dunked her head under the water for a moment to get her hair wet, reemerging to apply a lather of floral shampoo into it. "That sort of hell is too good for the likes of that man."

'The smart phone and the computer, correct! We'll have to work on the associations before you go see him.' Roxy's expression was thoughtful for a moment. 'You can do magic right? Were you an elf or something?'

"Ah, that was what Richard called my species. In our language, we are simply the people of the burrows since our houses are dome shaped and often built into the landscape. But I was the promised one. My destiny was to seal the demon king and the ring of nightmares." Ayla frowned. "I sealed the ring but Richard murdered me before I could deal with the demon king."

'Why can only the chosen one do this?' Roxy asked with a curious smile. 'It's a popular story hook but I was wondering why that true was for you.'

"It's rare for someone to have elemental mastery among my people. Most specialize in only one or two, I have mastery over them all. The timing for adulthood was also important. It's a cycle that only becomes available during the blood moon."

'Oh! We have one of those red moons every few years. In fact, I think I remember hearing on the news that we're due for our next one in a few months from now.'

Ayla paused as she considered the possibilities of destiny and star alignment. "I do not like the idea that my window is so narrow to kill him."

Roxy leaned forward on her chair. 'What? Do not tell me that you suddenly do not think you can seduce him in that amount of time? You were lovers before.'

Ayla pursed her lips together. "You said that you thought he hated you. If he still harbors that resentment, it would drastically complicate my plan."

'Five years is a long time. I am not 15 anymore.' Roxy rose from her chair and posed, spinning flirtatiously to show off her figure to Ayla. 'I think I filled out nicely. If that fails, I'm also loaded. He's been declared legally dead so he's probably going to be struggling for a while to get on his feet.'

Ayla tapped her chin. "Ah! If that's the case, he has a shorter distance to fall." She pursed her lips together. "That means he won't feel it as keenly when he loses everything. I would have to... d*mn." She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

'You would have to prop him up and build him up to steal it from him,' Roxy agreed, nodding in understanding. 'I've got more than enough money and contacts to make that happen. We can do it in a way that makes it feel like he did it on his own too.'

"If we just give it to him, it won't hurt like we want it to." Ayla smiled. "I'm blessed that it was you I met and not someone else on the other side of the world."

'This would be much harder for you, but let's plan this out. What is your plan of attack?'

Ayla splashed as she turned over the steps for her plan. "I need to cultivate a version of Roxy that Richard will find sexy and alluring. If he's in dire straits then presenting myself as someone willing to sponsor him will be more endearing."

Roxy laughed. 'Sugar momma is the term for it.'

"It makes it sound like I roll in sugar. But yes, I'll lure him out and make him depend on me." Ayla closed her eyes again. "When he feels like he's won the day, I'll knock over his supports and watch him struggle at my feet." Ayla's voice took a harder edge at that. She wanted to see Richard groveling at her feet. Roxy added an image of Ayla grinding him beneath a steep spiked heel.

'Were you a noble woman?' Roxy flashed an image of Ayla in a lavish velvet princess gown with long bell sleeves, elaborate embroidery and her hair pinned up with jeweled flowers. The heels were delicate to match the rich gown.

Ayala chuckled at the image and shook her head. "I grew up among the commoners until my powers were discovered. The elders sequestered me away in a tower with other magic users of all species to learn how to master and control my powers. In a sense, I was raised up to be a leader. It angers me I was used and thrown away."

'What did he promise you?' Roxy rested her head on her hand as she watched Ayla.

"Richard swore that he would help me stop the demon king and that he would love me forever and always. Cross his heart and hope to die.... unfortunately, he meant for me to die instead." Ayla stifled a sniff as she sank further into the water.

'Did you notice some sort of change before this?' Roxy leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest.

Ayla's thoughts went to events leading up to the blood moon. The sudden jealousy when Mannu and Bantu smiled at her or talked to her privately. Richard had taken Mannu's sword. Mannu was handsome, broad shouldered and kind hearted. His dusky skin, golden eyes, and dark hair caught many ladies' eyes in their journey. He turned them all down for some reason focusing only on their mission. Her chest hurt at the thought that Richard, who they had to teach how to hold a sword, of all people had bested one of the greatest warriors of her generation. When had he become so powerful?

An image of an unholy shrine in the Scaith swamp came unbidden. Within the eerie roots of the ancient mangroves that hollowed out into a cave was a lonely totem of a barren deer skull atop a carved stone pillar, tied with rotting vines. It radiated an unclean, holy aura that set all of them on edge. She had seen the skull one other time... It was the same as the skeletal face of the the demon at the mausoleum! Richard said he'd made a deal with the demon when? The only time that might have happened would have been when Richard snuck off several times to relieve himself when they discovered the shrine. He destroyed it alone which was confirmed between Ayla and Bantu.

Afterwards, Richard had less trouble with the lesser devils and swamp creatures they encountered. They had all assumed it was the rigorous training they'd provided Richard yielding success. Demons offered much to those that swore a pact with them. Ayla wondered if the demon's offered power and strength would persist if Richard returned home. She idly hoped that Bantu was able to recover fast enough to defend himself from Richard after she slipped away. She had not attempted using her magic — such feats were bound to one's soul and not the shell.

'Why don't you try a small spell to test it?' Roxy politely interjected into Ayla's train of thought.

Ayla sat up and gestured with her hand. "Deigh," she intoned, mentally gathering the warmth of the water to her hands. A small sheet of ice formed over the water as her ice spell stole all the heat from it. She shivered and released the spell with a soft laugh, breaking the ice with her hand. "This is great. I can definitely use this."

'You just need to be careful. We do not use magic here and it will give you away. But does that mean Richard will still reap whatever benefit he received from the demon?' Roxy frowned, her brows furrowed in concern.

"It does not matter if he has." Ayla gritted her teeth at the notion. She rose from the tub and straightened in indignation. "He might be Richard Clayton, the traveler from the other world but I am not some foolish nobody from a backwater farm. I am Ayla Gaylia Orinelis, the child of promise that sealed the ring of nightmares from the clutches of the demon king for all time. I could have married any man that I desired but I chose him. I believed in him and he betrayed me by murdering my dearest companions. As it goes, the gloves are off and does not have a chance. I will rip him apart and everything he values. "

Roxy applauded. 'Go Ayla! I will support you. Come on, let's go find my best villainess outfit and get you on the motorcycle. There is nothing sexier than a bad *ss babe on a motorcycle.'

Ayla wrapped a towel around herself as she stalked from the bathroom to the large walk-in closet in the bedroom. The lights turned on at her approach and her eyes widened at the meticulously organized rows of clothing, bags, and shoes. She had never seen such a treasure trove of fabric and leather, not even in the finest dress shops in the human capital cities. "Roxy, are you a noblewoman? I have not seen princesses with this much fine apparel!"

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