“No, I've flourished. Thrived. Dear sister, I have always been what you couldn’t be. Father just never saw it. And now, with the years I have spent in the Darklands, I will be unstoppable against those who try to stop me.Including you.”
The steam from Koen’s exhale beats against my back. His low grumble sends chills down my spine.
“What would I try to stop you from doing?” I choke on my words. “I have gone to hell and back to try and find you! Thrown into the battle games where I could have died!”
“Who said I wanted to be found?”
The knot in my throat won’t bulge. I try to swallow, but everything hurts. She’s right. She left. I followed. But she knew I would.
“I’ll make you remember. I’ll make you see it.” Her rosy lips pull into a snarky grin, grabbing the blue flame that dances in her hands, and with a twist of her fingers, it vanishes. The stones I once saw in the Queen’s archives now hover over her palms.
I stumble back, falling against the dragon's nose before he gives me a stern, yet subtle push. The sight of the large claws and thick, onyx scales make my insides twist and turn. With a snap of her fingers, the stones hover around me, circling me in, as a wall of blue fire burns around the stones andme.
The stones beam brightly as the same colors as the stones on my arms, spinning in a slow circle.
“How… How did you…” I stutter, staring at the stones before me as I can see flickers of memories pulsing within.
“Get the stones here?” Tilly cuts me off. “Well, technically it isn’t the exact ones, but our mind is replicating them.”
“I don’t understand.” I zone out, my eyes steadily focusing on them as they swirl around me.
“You will.”
The fire stone slams into my chest, right where my heart sits, dissolving inside me as I frantically claw at my body. “What the hell is this!”
“Be patient, dear sis.” Her lips curve into a sinister smirk.
I don’t even recognize her. Who is this before me?
The vibrant yellow crashes into my chest with a force that takes my breath away, followed closely by the rest of the colors. Each stone disappears into the depths of my being, merging with me. Yet, surprisingly, there is no pain, no discomfort. Only an unsettling confusion that crashes into my mind.
Flashes of a bright light consume my sight. Flickering images run rampant, making my body collapse to the ground, the rocks digging into my knees.I see everything.
Memories of my life, everything in Seattle was nothing but a lie. A place to keep me safe. Away from the darklings, away from… Tilly.Yet she found me.What wicked mind tricks did she play on us while we were there?
Then I see Florian and I, announcing our marriage for the Kingdoms to come together. I see Tilly and I dancing during the night of a ball, hand in hand, our laughter filling the whole room. I see… our parents. The King and Queen of Azure, sitting at the throne. Their hair, white as snow. Their eyes, emerald blue hues. Their smiles, kind and gentle.
Then, I see Koen. All of our moments together. The nights I would run away, heading towards the mountains to meet him under the stars. The notes I would keep, tucked away in the wall hidden behind a loose brick. Even though I was meant to be with Florian, my heart always wanted…him.
Damn it. I have always been in love with him.
The Gods knew it. They heard my cries to never love… but they couldn’t stop it. They knew no matter what,it will always be him.
But the day of the battle, I feel the change in the air. The shift in the breeze. As if I am there right now. I feel it all.
Koen and I planned to leave. To run away. But I…died. I see myself in Koen’s arms. My lifeless body as the guards take him. He is pleading to them, begging them to let him help me. They took me to the Darklands. But why?
I gasp for air, my throat feeling as if hands are around it, strangling me. My eyes are burning as I clench them together. The pain feels as if it's killing me all over again.
“WHAT DID YOU DO!”KING Deskyiara bellows, holding my limp body in his arms. Blood trickles down my fingertips.
Tears pour down from Koen’s emerald eyes as he rushes after us when we enter the Darklands. Lava spits from the ground, singeing it as we walk the raven-black, charred walkway into the castle of the Darklands.
Onyx statues of two towering dragons with lava pouring out from their mouths, stand tall beside the lingering steel, arched door. Thorn-like weapons bulge from around the door, as men with arrows on fire stand at the railings of the castle, waiting to shoot.
“Stand down!”Koen raises his hands, they obey. They listen.
“Of course they listen to you,”my father grunts.“You better be sure this will work.”
