“I was proud of you the moment I laid eyes on you. I knew just how special you were, and I hope that you remember everything I have done, has been for you. You are special Nia.” He said. They finished watching the sunset over the horizon and the moon replaced it as the next source of light.
From the mountain, the moon was as bright and breathtaking as she had ever seen. It had a tinge of blue in it and the face of the gods seemed so real that she expected it to talk to her. She stared up at it with a chilling anticipation, not knowing what to expect to happen or if maybe something had gone wrong. There was not a cloud in the sky, no way for a lightning bolt to appear from.
“Papa, what are we looking for? Am I supposed to do something?” Neala said. She turned to her father, but he was still facing the sky with his eyes closed. She heard an eagle cry from up above but couldn’t see him. Her father’s face scrunched up looking at the bird’s direction, he must be talking to his eagle, she thought. Gemma growled and paced the rim of the rock.
In the distance, she heard the rumble. She snapped her head back up but saw nothing, no clouds, just stars and moon. Her leg shook, but she couldn’t control herself. She heard the sound again but saw nothing. Gemma hissed and snarled at the sky as Neala’s anxiety rose. Once again, a rumble, then nothing. Then another, they seemed to come faster and louder. Then the moon and stars disappeared.
Neala squeezed her father’s arm and turned her face away from the sky as she began shaking too much to support herself any longer. Then the ground moved underneath her and pulled her away from her father. She fell to her knees trying to grab for him, but the stone moved to the middle of the peak and then raised her into the air. She lay flat on the rock as tears formed in her eyes; she screamed into the ground waiting for the blackness to swallow her up.
A deafening crack and then a white blinding light surrounded her. She felt a sharp pain in the middle of her back that made her scream in agony. Then silence once more. She laid flat on the stone, afraid to open her eyes and trying to still her breath. She could hear her father yelling something. Was it over? She just got to her knees when ‘Crack’. The light, the pain, the screaming all echoed again.
This time the pain had been unbearable, and she let herself fall into blackness as her consciousness left her. She became unaware that it had brought her body back down to her father. She heard him before she saw him. He was yelling in the distance and then the rough kiss of her cat on her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw her father’s face almost nose to nose with hers. He was as pale as the moon and shaking as if the lightning had struck him.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” She choked out. He just stood there staring at her. He was waiting for something. She turned to get up and when she pushed off the rock, it shot her up back to her feet. She heard her father shout glee behind her. She smiled too; she was Terra. Then she reached for her father. That is when the fire shot out.
Chapter 10
The Prison
Kendrick dodged the fireball that shot towards him, grabbed Neala and pinned her arms to her sides. He then dragged her to the other side of the mountaintop, Neala could feel his heart beating against her cheek as he ran. He then ran down the mountain in the opposite way they came up, stones meeting their every step. Once they hit the ground, he let go of her body and grabbed her hand, running off in the direction of the Peaks gate.
“We have to get out of here, Gemma is behind us, don’t worry she has your pack. Just run, try to keep your hands closed. We will figure this out, it’ll be ok.” His father said, trying to convince himself as much as anyone.
She was silent and just focused on gaining ground and keeping her palms tucked in. She heard something behind her, thinking it was Gemma she turned and was face to face with a large stone. Tyee was running toward them with many other warriors in tow. He hurled another at her, but this time she stuck her hand out to protect her face. A stream of fire shot out again and dropped the boulder. The men ducked to the ground, dodging the fire. The grass catching on fire as they ran.
“I have got your back Nia.” An unfamiliar voice purred into her ear. She turned again to find Gemma on their flank. Hope flitted in her mind.
“Papa it's Gemma, I can hear her! Papa stop I am Terra; they have to believe me.” She said, ripping her hand out of his. She turned to him and pleaded.
“You don’t understand they will only see Pyre. Nia, it doesn’t matter why, you are mixed blood, that is punishable by death. Now run, take Gemma and run! Your Uncle will open the gate for you and have a horse ready.” He said and then turned to face his own son and warriors.
Neala didn’t argue again as she saw spears hurtling towards her. Gemma ran at her flank and ran off towards anyone that came close. She could see the tunnel now as her lungs were burning. She gasped for air and stumbled on the ground. Turning she could see her father on the defense trying to block any strikes from reaching her. He wasn’t hurting anyone but protecting her.
She used a moment get back to her feet and take off again, and just as she was almost at the entrance; she felt a violent gust of wind pull her back down. She hit the ground hard, pain searing the side of her head. Her vision blurry, she tried again to get up, but the wind pulled again. She could see more warriors gaining ground now, and Gemma retreated to her. Neala reached up again and shot fire from her hand at the wind holding her down. The fire intertwined with the wind tunnel, and it lit up the sky.
Deanna was hovering above her, her eyes wild and fixated on Neala. She tried to move the wind tunnel again but had lost control of it as the fire took over. Neala put her hands towards the tunnel and found that she now could control it. She moved it towards Deanna. Just before fire consumed the Queen, a deluge of water erupted from the sky, knocking out the fire and knocking Neala to the ground.
Trying to get up, she was tackled to the ground by a large mass and hogged tied on the ground. Silver metal bands around her hands that felt flexible enough that she could move but not get free. Worse, she could no longer use her ever-strengthening powers. She lay on the ground huffing, trying to catch her breath.
“Gem, are you there? Are you ok?” She thought, trying to find her friend.
“Yes. They caught me. I am in a box. I can’t see anything. I am unhurt.” Gemma called; her voice so clear it was as if she was right next to her.
“Sister I knew that you were not of my blood from the day father brought you home, those bands only work on the Pyre.” Tyee was over her now with a wild look in his eye, an almost clouded appearance. “I told them all you were not who he said you were, I told them you were Pyre, but who would challenge the mighty King Kendrick? Now here he is trying to smuggle you out like the little rat that you are!” He cackled, looking mad.
Neala didn’t know this man. He was not the brother she looked up to and admired. Not the brother who always looked after her and protected her. This was a monster.
“I am of your blood, look in my eyes. I am Terra, but also Pyre. There must’ve been mixed blood from long ago, but I am your sister. Please untie me and I will show you I am Terra too.” She pleaded to him to listen and could sense a dark cloud emitting from his shadow. She tried to reach for him, begging him to untie her. For a second his entire expression changed, and he looked like he might, but then he broke eye contact and the clouded expression returned.
“Stop it with your mind tricks! Raven put a bag over her face. Load her up on the trailer we are taking them all to the dungeon.”
She screamed out, but they shoved the bag over her face. Was she manipulating him? She hadn’t known of any power other than fire manipulation from the Pyre, but maybe they had more. Neala felt herself being picked up, she tried to kick, but it was useless, and she had no more energy. They threw her onto a wooden cart, and she felt herself hit a crate to her left side. Gemma let out a growl.
“Shh it’s me, I am here.” She said out loud and Gemma started
purring.
“Nia?” She heard the familiar rasp of her father behind her. He sounded dazed though, and he was quiet.
“I am here papa. Are you ok?” She asked.
“I have been better. I took a boulder to the head. Looks like all the training I put them boys through has paid off.” He chuckled to himself. Neala felt the throbbing of her own head now, too. She decided that she had better try to rest before whatever happened next.
She felt the night air blowing past her face, but she was not cold anymore. She felt an odd sensation, as if she was out sunbathing instead of the chilly mountain air. She had much to learn about these new abilities the Gods had given her. She felt childish and ashamed that she had thought her people would understand. She needed to make them understand.
The cart came to a stop and she could feel the cart shudder as the driver dismounted from his horse. She felt herself being lifted off the cart and carried. She did not know where the dungeons were. She never had felt the need to explore the castle cellars or chambers. She had always been too scared of being caught or disappointing her father. She tried to remember the turns her captive made and how many stairs he was going down, but lost track. The man carrying her stopped and she heard the creaking of bars open. They set Neala down on the ground and her captive untied her ankle ties.
“Do you think you could take this hood off too; I can’t breathe.” Neala said before her captive could leave her.
“Yes, miss.” The man removed her hood. She blinked, trying to adjust to the dark room. The walls were cold and wet stone with metal bars that faced the hallway. She looked up at the man, who couldn’t have been much older than her, but he was tall and heavyset.
“What about these cuffs, they are ever so tight?” She looked up at his green eyes and smiled. She noticed a glazed overlook took hold of him and he let out a goofy grin and started reaching for her cuffs.
“Thomas, what on earth do you think you’re doing?” Tyee had just rounded the corner and stopped the man from freeing her. Neala saw Thomas’s eyes come back into focus when he jumped back and took his hands off her.
“I am so sorry Tyee, I, I don’t know what happened.” Thomas looked frightened as he backed away, not looking at Neala again.
“Oh, I know what happened. You fell for the Pyres tricks. Isn’t that right, you little witch?”
“That will be enough of that!” She heard her father yell from a neighboring cell. “As soon as my strength returns and the council hears what you have done to me, I will strip you from your titles and banish you myself. Mark my words, boy.”
“You always favored her. Everyone saw it, I was just an obligation. She, she was your true pride and joy. Well guess what Father, everyone has seen her for what she is. A Monster, just like the ones that killed mother, their beloved queen.” Her brother’s words had weight behind them, and Neala could feel his anger with her new powers. It was almost as if an aura of red was radiating from him.
“We are going to council now to determine your fate, and to denounce the old King and ring in a new one. By daybreak you will face trial, and I will rid this place of you both.” Tyee said as he turned and strode out. He barked orders for Thomas and the others to guard the cell.
Neala shrunk against the wall and hung her head down. Life had changed in the blink of an eye. She was a princess; she had a family, a best friend, and now she is locked up in a dungeon she didn’t even know existed. She felt a pressure on her chest, like a serpent was trying to squeeze the life out of her. She let the tears fall before the serpent won.
“You still have friends here. You still have family here. You must have faith and know that you have done nothing wrong.” Gemma whispered in her ear. “You dry your eyes and hold your head up, you are a lion, not some crying little girl.” The big cat was growling in the cell across from hers.
Neala stood up and walked to the bars and peered out, looking around for the first time. She saw that they were in the first cells of the dungeon and could see the stairs to her left. To her right was a corridor so long that she couldn’t see the end. Why did they need these many cells? Who were they keeping here? She couldn’t see her father, but she could see the outline of the cage they were keeping Gemma in.
“Papa, what are they going to do with us? Will they kill us or banish us?” Neala asked, holding her breath for the answer. Her father didn’t answer for a long time, and she thought maybe he had passed out before he spoke.
“I don’t know Nia. My fear is that they will see you as a threat, or worse, as a product of the law, they won’t be able to banish you. They know that I will be a threat if they hurt you. We must not focus on that now; only surviving. We can pick up the pieces then.” Her father said, sounding more confident at the end.
The Terra council would execute them. Her own brother would execute her. What kind of world had she grown up in? There was no love here, there was only prejudice and hate. She had done nothing wrong tonight but go through her changing. She didn’t ask for this and didn’t want to hurt anyone. They attacked her; she had the right to defend herself.
For the first time in her life, a fury washed over Neala. The unfairness of it all had caught up to her. They treated her like an outcast her whole life and now that she had turned into what they expected, they could kill her. She would not stand for it any longer. She let the anger absorb her. She drew up one leg and slammed it to the ground, causing a tremor to shake their cells. She did it again with the other leg and then made a dance as she let out a battle cry. The entire dungeon was rattling now, and bits of rock and dust were coming from the ceiling. It looked as though it would all cave in.
“Nia, what the three hells are you doing? Stop before you kill us all.” Her father pleaded.
“They cannot deny now that I am Terra, and I will let them know that I will not die without a fight!” Neala yelled the anger in her belly growing.
Just then, she heard the cell door creak open, and she stilled, letting the dust settle. She saw a figure hurry down the stairs and then stop just shy of her cage.
“Who is there? Have you come to kill me? Show your face!” Neala screamed, ready to pounce on the figure. Out stepped the beautiful black-haired figure of her friend. The anger dissipated, and she fell to her knees. “Calli, help me.”
Callista ran to her bars, grabbing through them to hug her.
“Oh, Nia, what have they done. Your eyes! They are different colors. I cannot believe that Tyee has done this, you are his sister, and my sister.” Callista was crying now, which made her green eyes shine brighter. “We have to get you out of here before the meeting ends. Tyee is taking the throne, and he is talking crazy. I don’t know what’s come over him. Here get up, get up.” Callista grabbed the bars and pulled causing the lock to break off. The cells are not strong enough to keep Terra in. Then she grabbed the band and pulled until it broke.”
“What are those cuffs? How do they stop my powers? Never mind, get my father, he’s too weak to get up. I have to get Gemma.” Neala said as she fled to her friend. She grabbed the corner of the wooden crate they kept her in, and it splintered in pieces. Gemma jumped to her hind legs and wrapped her massive paws around her shoulders, and showered her in rough kisses.
“Stop that we have to go.” She said turning out of the cell and into the hallway.
“Follow me, I know a back way out.” Callista said as she grabbed a torch and headed down the long dark hallway. It made twists and turns. The dampness in the air and trickling of water made Neala think they must be underground. After what seemed like an eternity, they came to a dead end with a wooden ladder leading to a manhole above.
“You head for the exit. Della has opened the gate for you. I will go back and act as if nothing happened and you should be clear until they adjourn the meeting. Take care of yourself. I will do whatever I can to change Tyee’s mind. We will see each other again.” Callista said a
nd then wrapped her arms around her friend. “I love you Nia.” She let go, before hurrying the other way.
“You go ahead, I will carry Gemma up. Don’t bite me.” He smiled down at the cat.
Neala pushed a wooden cover off the hole, hurrying out into the night. She crouched down to get a hold of her bearings. She saw they were only a few hundred feet from the back of the common hall. Too close to where the council meeting was. Her father came up behind her and set Gemma down.
“This way, make haste.” He said, making his way toward the back of the castle and towards the gate. Neala stumbled, trying to keep up and keep her hands tucked in so she didn’t accidently light the world on fire again. Her father motioned for her to slow down, and she watched him as he closed his eyes and raised up one arm. Up in the dark sky she heard his eagle call out. The eagle swooped down, landing on his outstretched arm and stretching out his massive wingspan.
“So, it is true. I was right. She is Pyre.” She heard the eagle say.
“I am also Terra!” She said a little irritated at the bird. Her father stopped and spun around causing her to run into his chest.
“You can hear him?” Her father looked both terrified and impressed at the same time.
“Well yeah, not when he was up in the air but here I can. Can’t you hear Gemma?” She said a little startled.
“No, I can’t. Most Terra can’t hear animals at all, but if they do, it is animals that have bonded to them, not every animal. Griffin has been telling me what she says. You are full of surprises, my sweet girl.” He said.
They reached the end of the tunnel that led to the outside. She looked back at the fortress that was once her home and wondered if it would be the last time; she laid eyes on it.
Chapter 11
The Retreat
How they survived that first night was a mixture of pure luck and her father’s eagle sending the warriors in various directions. When Neala woke up on the hard ground, the night before just seemed like a distant dream that she would wake from. Instead, she was a fugitive on the run, terrified for her life.
The Hybrid Princess Page 8