With her strength weakened by the fight, Neala grabbed the necklace that the Hydris had given her and slammed it onto the ground, shattering it into shards of glass. A wave came rushed out of the broken pieces and barreled toward her mother and the fire bear. In one swoop, the wave overtook the bear extinguishing its flames and knocked the Queen to the ground, where she lay unconscious.
Neala crawled to the body of the giant man that was once her father and threw herself on him.
“Please papa, help me. Get up! Gods don’t leave me alone.” Neala said knowing it was in vain. She brushed the bloody hair from his face and kissed his forehead.
The grass swirled and Neala felt gentle arms wrapping around her.
“Shh, it will all be ok.” Samuel whispered in her ear. Her feet left the ground and all she could feel was the sting of cold air on her face. The sounds, sights, and smells of war growing even more faint in the distance. Samuel held her closer as he flew higher into the clouds and out of sight of any of those who would pursue them.
Neala gave this time to herself to process the amount of death she had just witnessed. So many good daemons from both sides were snuffed out by misguided hatred. The death of her friend and unknown sister, by the hands of her father and losing her father at the hands of her grieving mother left a hole she couldn’t imagine ever being filled. Then the ultimate death sentences her mother gave her by being Terra herself, after all she was the one who created her. It made it seem impossible to go on with her life.
Neala watched as the moon retired and the vibrant pastels of the coming day broke across the horizon. The smell of salt air told her where Samuel had brought her to. They descended through the clouds to the sandy beach below. Neala saw shadows approaching from up the beach. The tall stunning Callista stepped into view, with Zera and Gemma. At the sight of her friends, she fell to her knees in the sand, all the emotions from the night spilling over.
Callista wrapped her arms around Neala and shuddered with her own grief, as she stroked Neala’s hair. Gemma nudged her head against Neala’s back and walked around the pair.
“I’m sorry Nia, I’m so sorry.” Callista whispered in her ear. Neala pulled away from her embrace and faced Zera.
“She was our sister? Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Mother said she was not strong enough to be the ruler on her changing day. She told me after that I only had one sister, the one with the red hair.” Zera said with her head hung low.
“Were you there? Did you fight them too?” Neala said, turning her rage to Callista unable to hold her anger back anymore. Callista shook her head.
“I have been waiting here for days. Tyee sent me here to wait for you. The plan was for you, me, and Samuel to flee to the Emlis Isle away from the Pyre and the Terra.”
“Why would you want to flee the Terra, you are their queen?” Neala said.
“They imprisoned me for the crime of letting you go. It wasn’t until Tyee could find the King and explain to the elders what had happened that they released me. Then Tyee and I had different opinions on how to get you back. Kendrick wanted blood and the other elders agreed. They gave the throne back to Kendrick and prepared for war. That’s when we made this plan. Tyee and Samuel would extract you. Now that Kendrick is dead, Tyee is staying to try and negotiate peace with Terra.”
“What about your parents? They betrayed us from the beginning. If the Avians have forged an alliance with the Pyre Queen, it could mean the end of Terra and an age of war.”
Samuel bowed his head in shame.
“They have betrayed me too. I am the only heir to the Avians, I hope that with me siding with you, they will drop this farce. And if not, then we need a bigger plan and a more powerful ally.” Samuel said, as he eyed the seas. Neala turned her attention to the sea too and in the distance a giant shark fin poked up out of the water. A disturbance in the water told her that the Hydris were coming.
First out of the water was the Queen of the sea herself, Keilani. She emerged graceful, radiant and the water retreated from her skin as she made her way to the shore. Behind her were a half dozen other tribesmen. Keilani approached Neala with a sincere smile on her face.
“It is good to see you again Princess. I had hoped it would not be under these circumstances. I am so very sorry to hear of your sister and father.” Keilani said.
“How do you know about them already?” Neala said. The Queen smiled.
“The Terra are not the only ones with the abilities of the animal tongue. There is much you have to learn about the true history of all of our people.” The Queen held out her hand to Neala who took it.
“I cannot go with you. I must go back to my brother. The Pyre Queen will not stop and will tear everything and everyone apart. I need to see her gone from this world or no one can live in peace. The Pyre are good people, they are being imprisoned by her dictatorship. I cannot see any more death because of me.”
“Dear girl, this is not because of you. This is over hate, a hatred of daemons they do not understand. Your brother will retreat to the mountains and they will be safe there for now. You, however, will not be safe. You must come with me until you are ready to face the Queen and lead all your people.” The Queen had a gleam in her eye as the revelation washed over Neala.
“What do you mean, all?” Neala shook her head in disbelief.
“You have the strength of two royal blood lines, and are the only Pyre/Terra Hybrid, even more you have the love and heart of a true leader. It is time that the walls come down and all the daemon in this land live together in harmony. The Hydris believe you can do that. If you come with me, I will show you that all can live together.”
“I cannot be this leader. I don’t have the strength to take on the Queen let alone lead them all.”
“You may not be ready now, but I assure you, you will be. And, you will not be alone. Look around you at who is already loyal to you, together you can do this and bring about a better future for the children of this land.” Neala turned to her friends and saw Samuel, Callista, Zera, and Gemma bowing in the sand. “What do you say now Princess?”
Neala’s heart ached for Ember. She deserved so much better, a better mother, a better family, a better life. If things were going to get better for all daemons, maybe it could come from someone who knew the best of both worlds.
“I will come with you; we must save our people.” Neala said more confidently than she felt. She heard
the familiar cry of the golden eagle who had been her father’s companion. And, watched as a giant ship came into view from the sea.
For the first time in their daemon history, representatives from all four elemental daemons, and now a hybrid daemon had assembled for the same dream. Neala looked back at the land she was leaving behind. She vowed to herself, and to her fellow daemons she was leaving behind, that when she set foot on the mainland again, she would fight to end the ancient oppression and bring together all daemons to live together in harmony and prosper in the new world they would create.
THE END
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About the Author
Latrisha Holmes is an up and coming author. She resides in the states, where she lives with her family. You can follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorlatrisha.holmes/, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authorlatrishaholmes/.
Dedication
To the love of my life, I couldn’t have done this without your constant support and encouragement. To my children,
thank you for your patience when play time was cut short. To my co-workers, for believing in me and supporting me in this new adventure. Last, momma, for teaching me that I can do anything.
The Hybrid Princess Page 14