by CY Jones
Winter
The crowd’s reaction to my entrance is explosive, and going by Hera’s and Raven’s twin looks of fury, I’ve achieved what I wanted.
“Nice of you to show up,” Raven sneers, and I just shrug, dismissing her completely. I am not on her time or Hera’s.
Taking my attention off Raven, I turn to Hera and Kaiden seated in some ostentatious marble thrones in front of us. It seems the royal family has front row seats to all the blood and gore this arena brings. This is the first time I’ve seen Kaiden since the dungeon incident. I can’t tell what’s going on in his head. His face is blank, and he’s long since shielded his emotions from me. We’re like two strangers again, instead of the loving couple who are supposed to get married tomorrow. Hera rises from her seat, and I follow her movements like a hawk as she addresses the crowd.
“My people. We are here today to witness history in the making. This is the first Queen’s Trial in the last millennium. We have before us, Princess Winter of House Storm, a house that was believed to be lost to us. The daughter of Prince Lucas, our most cherished warrior, and protector of our people, granddaughter of Elana, our most revered Queen, and my son Prince Kaiden of House Dracon betrothed. A legacy of storm and lightning has come back to our people with the blessing of the old Gods above.”
The crowd goes wild, stomping their feet, and causing a thunderous boom throughout the stands. I’m surprised the False Queen would so casually recognize me, but I know it’s all for show. Another move in her dangerous game, and another way to poke the beast in front of me. The opponent I will soon have to face off with who is looking straight at me with a look of pure hate in her eyes. I do not miss Hera has pointed out that I am the one betrothed to Kaiden, and regardless of who wins this fight. It will still be me who marries Kaiden. Something Raven didn’t miss it either.
“Her opponent, Raven of House Avon, has issued a challenge which has been granted by The Fates, and here we are today to witness this historic occasion. May your powers burn bright, and your aim stay true,” she shouts, and again the crowds grows wild at her passionate speech. Rising from his seat, Kaiden stands tall and raises one of his hands high in the air. A ball of fire appears in his hand burning bright, and he releases it above our heads where it explodes like a firecracker lighting the night sky. Before the ball of fire totally extinguishes itself, Raven is pulling an arrow from the sheath from behind her back and after loading her bow, she sends the arrow straight for my heart.
I was not ready for her attack, and luckily for me, the arrow bounces harmlessly off the dragon scales of my corset. I need to thank Chaos for his foresight. Without it, I would probably be seriously injured, or dead right now. Not wasting any time she comes at me again, and I unsheath my sword, Queen Maker, from behind my back. I meet her half way, and our weapons clash together with a mighty boom. I don’t know what kind of wood her bow is made of, but it’s not any regular old wood I’ve run across. With that hit, it should be in splinters right now. Growling, she pushes me back, and releases another arrow that harmlessly bounces off my thigh.
“Dragon scales, very clever, but it won’t be enough to save you,” she growls.
With her super speed she rushes me again, but I’m ready for her this time. Wielding my sword, she barely ducks as it sails above her, cutting the air where her head just was. I do not feel bad for going for a death blow. This is a fight to the death. The fucking Hunger Games, and that bitch thinks she’s Katniss Everdeen. I can practically feel her need to kill me vibrating off her in waves, polluting the air. When she kicks out at me, I grab her by the ankle, spin her around using her momentum, and toss her clear across the arena. When she recovers this time, I’m the one to rush her, and my sword slices across her forearm. Flipping backwards from me in an effort to put distance between us, I run at her again, closing the space and raining down a fury of punches and kicks. With her super speed, she’s quick as hell, but I’m no slouch in close combat. I match her blow for blow, putting all my vampire strength behind each hit.
I can tell by the look on her face that me being able to fight and fight well, shocks the shit out of her. She thought she was going to fight some pampered princess clueless to who she is and what she’s capable of. Too cocky in her own abilities to ever think that I could be better than her. She underestimated me, and it’s a mistake she’s paying dearly for. When my fist hits her nose, I smile in satisfaction at the sound of her bones crunching against my knuckles as her nose breaks. Pulling away, I stare coldly at the stream of blood flowing freely from her nose and her chest rising and falling from her heavy breathing.
“Give up, Raven. This is a fight you will not be able to win,” I shout over to her.
“Fuck you,” she replies before holding her hands out, and I go flying into one of the stone pillars.
“Winter,” I hear Chaos cry out through the ringing of my ears and I groan in pain. A trail of wetness drips down the side of my face, and I know without checking, it’s blood.
Shaking off the pain, I rise on shaky feet.
“Now, what were you saying?" The bitch taunts.
Chaos did say she has wind powers, and now I know just what those powers entail. Not giving in to her taunt, I focus on my own powers swirling deep inside me. Using Chaos’s power an infinity spear shoots out my hand and sends her hard to the ground. Another spear leaves my hand, but she’s somehow able to deflect it by using a strong gust of wind to send it exploding in another pillar.
The arena must be spelled not to break, as well as to not harm any of the spectators, which I guess is smart with all the destruction going on around us. A tornado of wind comes straight for me, and I can barely see through the dirt and bits of stone that flies around me. Lifting my sword I hold it out against the tornado like a shield, and I’m able to temporarily keep the wind from touching me, but it’s an effort to keep this up, and quickly I can feel my power draining. Gritting my teeth, I dig my feet into the ground as the wind slowly pushes me back. The hilt of my sword grows warm in my hands and my sweat starts to build on my brow. I’m not going to be able to keep this up. Already my arms are shaking from the strain. Not able to hold on any longer, the tornado hits me and sends my sword flying one way, and me the other.
My body lands hard on the ground and Raven doesn’t waste time straddling my body, raining down punches on me. Using my forearms, I block most of them, but the effort is painful with the unleashed fury that’s giving her hits extra power. Reaching out, she grabs my throat and squeezes tight. Her dark eyes start to glow and an overwhelming feeling of the loss of air takes over. This was the same feeling I had when Chaos used the vines to choke me, but Raven isn’t gripping my throat tight enough to have that effect. In horror, I realize she’s using her power to pull the air straight from my lungs, and I start to panic. That is why Chaos did what he did. Why he wouldn’t go easy on me. He knew she could do this, and he wanted me to be prepared.
Closing my eyes, I try to focus, and feel for the power deep inside me. Already I was feeling light headed and black spots were dancing across my eyes. I can’t do it. I’m going to fail, and Raven will not stop until she pulls all the air from my lungs, killing me. The nefarious look on her face tells me I am not wrong. Faintly, I can hear both Hera and Kaiden shouting, but I can no longer make out their words. Once again, I try to feel for my magic, but coldness is the only thing that greets me, a power I know I cannot use. When only a wisp of air is left in my body, I hear a voice in my head I can never forget or mistake for anyone else.
“Be the storm,” my father whispers.
Love fills my body with an overwhelming feeling of strength takes over. Power like I never felt before strengthens me, and I open my eyes wide, and turn my gaze to the skies above. Too caught up in her bloodlust, Raven doesn’t notice the shift in the air, or the loud boom of thunder sounding off like a cannon. A flash of lightning runs across my eyes, and a matching bolt of pure white lightning lined with electric blue shoots down from the s
ky, and right on top of us. At the last second Raven looks up, and barely shifts away from me when the bolt hits me square in the chest, and sends her flying across the arena into one of the stone pillars.
Kaiden
I’m not surprised to see that Winter has the upper hand. I knew Raven would underestimate her, and her foolishness is biting her in the ass, but soon the tables start to turn when Raven uses her wind powers. She must be desperate, because she never uses them unless it’s necessary. It’s a power she’s not suppose to have, and it reminds us all just how deluded her bloodline really is. She likes to keep them hidden, but Winter has pushed her to the point where that is not an option. Winter counters with Chaos’ power and I grit my teeth in annoyance. Why choose his? Why not mine? Everyone knows she’s my soul bound mate, so it’s only natural that she would develop some of my power, but I already know the answer to my question. She’s so pissed at me, that she will not have anything to do with me. When I first saw her in her warrior outfit, I should have already known that. The scales on her reflect the colors of white, silver, and blue, her makeup thickly applied in black swirls around her eyes. She’s wearing all her mate’s colors boldly, all but mine. It’s all a mighty blow to the heart. I want to beg for forgiveness, but I also want to crush her into submission. Demand she forgives me, and fuck all her defiance out her body. This is all my mother’s fault, and I still don’t know why I chose to stand by her side instead of Winter’s. It’s like everytime I try to defy my mother, something comes over me, and I’m right back up under her thumb. Maybe it’s because I’m all she has left since dad is gone, and I don’t want to leave her to rule the kingdom alone. Whatever it is, I need to figure it out before I have no one left. Mother’s shouting drags my attention back to the fight in time to see Raven straddling Winter, and I know why mother is so upset. Raven is pulling all the air from Winter’s body with the intent to kill her.
“What the hell is that stupid cunt doing?” Mother shrieks.
“What did you expect? You antagonized Raven at every turn, pinning her against Winter. You should have known she would try to kill her the first chance she got no matter what the Council said,” I reply angrily.
Standing, I start to shout, hoping my voice can cut through Raven’s bloodlust, but even from here I can see that she’s too far gone. I want to help Winter, but the shield around the arena will not permit anyone to go in or out until the fight is over. It’s one of the precautions taken to make sure the damage in the arena doesn’t harm the spectators, and keeps anyone else from jumping in on the fight. Raven knew this. She knew I would try to help Winter, and she wants me to watch Winter die as punishment for the way I’ve been treating her.
I cry out again, but this time my shouts are silenced by a loud boom of thunder in the sky. Looking up, I stare in awe as the sky above lights from the strikes of lightning flashing through it. A violent storm starts to gather, swirling above Winter and Raven’s bodies. Too lost in her rage, Raven doesn’t notice the bolt of lightning heading straight for her until the last second when she rolls away, and it strikes where she was just sitting and gets absorbed into Winter’s chest. The impact sends Raven flying into one of the stone pillars much the same way she did to Winter.
The crowd is silent. Shocked over what they just saw. No one since Lucas has been able to control the skies, no one until Winter. Rising slowly to her feet she stands, looking like an avenging angel. Every cut and injury she bestowed in the fight is gone. Her hair is now out of it’s braided confines, and floating around her body in every direction. Her body and eyes are glowing an ungodly violet with all traces of Winter gone. With a hit like the one she took from the bolt of lightning, anyone else would be dead, but not her. She is lightning, she is the storm.
Winter
Rising to my feet, I hold out my hand and Queen Maker flies straight into my palm. Sheathing it on my back, I marvel at the power I feel running through my veins. It’s like the lightning itself is running through my body instead of blood, igniting my whole system. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I should be dead. That bolt of lightning hit me square in the chest, but instead, I feel better than I’ve ever felt before, more powerful, and I am very, very angry. That bitch tried to kill me. Granted, I knew she would try, but did she have to do it so mercilessly? Furious, I turn my attention to her groaning body on the other side of the arena as she tries to stand.
A series of dark jagged lines cover half of her body from when she was hit by lightning as well and she’s missing large chunks of her hair. Fear shines in her eyes, and I’m fucking delighted. Good, she should be scared. I stalk her on light steady feet. Each footprint leaving sparks of lightning in its wake. Trembling, she moves backwards with every step I move forward, holding a shaking arm in the air.
“I surrender, you win, please have mercy,” she pleads.
“Mercy,” I laugh wickedly. "The same mercy you showed me when you were stripping the air from my lungs. Do you know what that feels like to not be able to breath? If the tables were turned would you have showed me the same mercy you’re now begging for?" I growl.
“I,I...” She stutters.
“Exactly. You would have killed me with a sick smile plastered on your face. No, you don’t deserve mercy. You deserve to suffer,” I tell her menacingly as I call on my lightning.
It’s all too easy to call upon now. At my command, it gathers around me until I’m nothing but a walking, talking electrical field. A bolt leaves my hand, hitting her already scorched skin, and she cries out in pain. Foolishly, the idiot tries to run, and I strike with clawed fingers at the ground and lightning rips through the earth in three electric jagged lines clawing its way to her feet. Screaming, she falls to the ground, and I run to her, straddling her body.
“Now this looks familiar,” I taunt.
This is the same way she had me when she was pulling the air from my body. I don’t have her wind abilities, but I do have water. Covering her mouth with my palm, I release a wave of water into her mouth, filling her lungs and drowning her on dry land. Just like how she was, I’m lost in the bloodlust. I want her dead, but first I want her to suffer. I’ve completely thrown myself over to the dark side, letting my beast take over. There's no coming back from this. The beast is in full control until the same voice from before breaks through my rage.
“No, Winter. You are better than this. You are the storm. You are the good in a broken world. A warrior who can show mercy is the strongest of them all.”
Snapping out my bloodlust, I pull my hand off Raven like it's on fire and crab walk backwards away from her body. Her lips are blue and she’s unresponsive, and immediately grief overtakes me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy she’s dead, but not like that. Not like the way she tried to do to me. I am better than her, and should have never stooped to her level. Crawling back over to her, I pull the excess water from her lungs, and she coughs, sputtering the rest.
Rising from her throne, Hera silents the crowd and yells, “the winner of the Queen Trials is Princess Winter of House Storm. May her powers forever blaze, and her aim stay true.”
The crowd repeats her words, and chants Princess Winter over and over for all to hear, but I find no enjoyment in it. Pissed, I stalk over to the False Queen with a spear of lightning in my hands. Just like with Raven, true fear lights her eyes. Letting the spear go, it hits the space between her arm and side, very close to her chest. I could have killed her if I wanted, but I missed on purpose to prove a point. Just like my father, I could have struck her down, but like him, I decided to show her mercy.
“You will release Tristan immediately,” I growl through clenched teeth.
“I could have your head for what you just did, you insolent brat.”
Laughing, I looked her straight in the eyes. “Look around,” I say, raising my hands and turning my body from side to side. "The people love me. I have proven that I am the lost heir of House Storm, and I am stronger than you, just like my father. Keep pushing me
, and you’ll find yourself in a worse situation than Raven. Now let Tristan go or I will,” I order, before disappearing in a flash of lightning.
When I reappear I’m in my room, I notice I have done the impossible, and broke through the castle wards preventing anyone from blinking inside, or maybe they let me through, recognizing the blood of the true ruler just like it chose me for this room. I did it. I beat Raven, and diminished any doubt in everyone’s eyes about who I am, but in doing so, I almost lost my soul in the process. Who was that girl? The one with bloodlust running through her veins, the one who is no better than Raven. Without a doubt, I know my father is alive. He helped me today, and not just by making sure I didn’t give up. He’s the reason why my soul is still intact, guilt free.
“Are you ok?” Chaos asks as soon as he enters my room with my familiars close on his heels.
“I’m fine,” I answer as I pet Orian on his head when he jumps on the bed to greet me. His massive weight almost knocks me down, and I laugh at his enthusiasm. “I see you were not the only one worried,” I tell Chaos between laughs.
“Yes, he was very anxious the whole time you were in the arena.”
“And Nala wasn’t," I ask, raising my brow.
“I wouldn’t say that, she was just more reserved,” he answers.
“They've always been like that, even when they were pups. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been closer to Orian than Nala.” Before I can say anything else, there's a knock at the door, and Chaos calls for whoever it is to enter. Lucifer steps into the room with a worried look on his face, and I immediately sit up.
“What’s wrong? Did Hera let Tristan go? Is he ok?” I ask, bombarding him with questions before he’s even two feet inside.
“He’s fine. As soon as Hera released him from his cell, I took him to Zephyrus who snuck him past the castle wards where he could blink away,” Lucifer replies.