I painfully stood up and faced the magic worker.
"You are a tough one. Perhaps you would be interested in helping us with our research?" he was taunting me.
I was struggling to catch my breath and slow down all the angry thoughts and insults flowing through my head.
When you find something that is effective, you use it, right? That how I knew another lightning bolt was coming, and I was prepared for what happened next.
I could feel the air around us, changing as he stole the small electric charges that flow through the open air. At the same time, I pulled some of the excess water from the air into a small orb that rested in my closed hand. Right before he released the lightning bolt, I threw the water at him, making sure some water rested on his hands. The sudden shock of my surprise attack caused him to release the lightning bolt. The water trapped the electric charges preventing the lightning from going anywhere else but back into his body.
The magic worker had just been electrocuted by his own bolt. He wasn't so high on his horse now, was he? I took only a brief second to celebrate in my head as I heard Axel cheer. The shield muffled his sound.
I could see the King trying to inch towards the door. I put up another shield to keep him in the room with us. He was trapped in the corner of the room with nowhere to go.
I needed to get the magic worker to stand closer to the magic blocker so that I could slip it on him without it being noticed. If he even knew it was near him, he would be able to prevent me from putting it in one of his pockets. He might even destroy it.
Think fast, think fast. What else can I do?
Suddenly it felt like someone slammed something against my head. I fell backward and hit the stone floor hard. I saw dark spots clouding my vision, and then I felt a push in my mind. It felt like someone was splitting open my head. Then I recognized the source.
It was the presence of someone else in my head.
"What's wrong, dearie? Are you afraid to let me have a look into your mind? Do you have something to hide?" the magic worker pushed his thoughts into my mind.
I panicked, I tried to shove him out, but it wasn't possible. I couldn't get him to leave. I could see the inside of my mind as the magic worker was looking through it. It appeared to him as a hallway that he could walk through. The first doors that he opened were some of my favorite memories.
They were in the front because they were some of the ones I liked to remember often and was proud of. There were memories of my mother and my grandmother and I. There were also memories of Axel scattered around the room. The memories hung like pictures on the walls, just waiting to be remembered.
The magic worker lingered a little longer in the room, staring at the memories with Axel and me, watching some of our most private moments. He watched us ice skating together and our dip in the pond. He even eavesdropped into our first kiss.
I desperately wanted to shove him out of this room. I didn't want him anywhere close to something so precious to me, even if it wasn't tangible.
Then suddenly, I felt another sharp pain as the edges of the memory turned dark.
He was ruining it! He was ruining my precious memories. How was he doing this?
It was breaking my heart. I felt so angry at having something as fragile as a memory being ruined, and yet it saddened me. I wanted to fight back against it and, at the same time, fall down and cry.
When there was thick darkness surrounding most of the memory, he suddenly stopped, leaving it there but forever marred. I didn't think it was something that I could undo. He left the room of my memories and walked to another room further down the hall.
He took his time dragging his hand along the walls. He left a trail of dirt everywhere his fingers touched. It felt so violating that he could do this all in my head.
The new room he walked into held my personality. I didn't know how I knew it, but I just did. The magic worker walked in and pondered what to mess with, even as I continued to try to shove him out of my mind. I felt so dirty with him here.
He reached out and wrote a word on the wall with his finger.
"Darkness," it read.
Instantly my heart felt heavier, and it was harder to find hope of coming out of this. I did my best to smear the word written on the wall, but it barely smudged. Instead, as he turned his back to walk to the next room, I scribbled "Strength" and "Light" onto the wall and looked away before he could notice and wipe them out.
Everything he did to my mind, I was going to try to have to counter. But I could do it, I knew I could. I had to.
I was vaguely aware of my physical body, screaming out when the man put his finger on the next door. It was labeled fears.
He stepped inside the room and saw all kinds of things bouncing around the room. Spiders were crawling up the wall, and snakes were slithering around on the ground. An image of my mother and grandmother lying in caskets was painted on one wall. All of the little things I had come to fear in life were trapped in this room, just asking to be released.
The magic worker didn't do anything, though. He just laughed and closed the door. I felt him walk back up the hallway, and he addressed me in my mind again, "stop screaming, you baby. Wake up."
I woke up with my hands to my throat, screaming. Once I realized what was going on, I stopped. It didn't matter, because a look of terror was etched into Axel's face. He was on his knees with his hands against the shield calling to me. He looked desperate to get to me.
"Violet, it's okay, whatever he did, it's all just in your head," he called.
"Then you honestly have no idea what happened," the magic worker taunted us both.
I knew it was real, I could feel the difference. I felt the pulling effects of the darkness and the haziness that surrounded my happiest memories. That alone terrified me. He liked to play with his prey before the final strike. I don't know who is crueler, he or the king.
It was real every last bit of it.
If that was real, that meant what I wrote on the wall inside of my mind had to be there too. I searched deep and found my strength and my light, and used it to block the dark thoughts scrolling through my head.
I stood up and continued to pull on my newfound strength. I slowly continued to walk towards the left. My body was physically shaking too hard for both the magic worker and me to ignore. My hands were trembling. This made any physical attack that much harder because it became almost impossible to aim.
That was it, though; he took the final step I was waiting on. He was finally standing in front of the magic blocker.
He made one last strong attack at the same time.
While I was concentrating on trying to sneak the magic blocker in his pocket, my opponent applied pressure around my neck. I could feel the grip his magic had around my throat, constricting my airway. Within seconds, I was gasping for breath.
I couldn't breathe.
With the last bit of the oxygen I had left, I was able to maneuver the magic blocker into the magic worker's back pocket. His hold on my neck stopped. I had been lifted off the floor by his magic.
Now that it was cut off, I fell to the floor gasping, but I was able to breathe. The impact I made with the floor was going to leave some bruises.
I smiled at him. I had just won.
"What's going on?" he demanded looking at me.
"What did you do to my magic?" He shouted.
He had an almost constipated look on his face. I'm assuming he is still trying to use it.
"It won't work," I said to him, "but mine does."
Using my magic, I quickly bound his hands and feet together, using some of the rope I had hidden in the cleaning basket. They held well and didn't give in to the magic worker's constant thrashing.
I released my concentration on the wall blocking us from Axel. He came barreling through the wall that shattered around him.
"Are you okay?" he asked me, wrapping me in a hug.
"Yes, I am, but we can't forget the last step that needs to be done. Can yo
u take the magic worker out of here and go inform everyone King Eduard is dead?" I asked him.
I wanted to do this by myself. I didn't want him to see me struggle to end this. Just because I had to kill the king, didn't mean I had to be proud of it, or allow any witnesses.
"I want to watch; you don't understand the pain this man has caused me. All the long nights of torture he caused. He pinned the others against me. I want to watch him die," he said.
Venom was filling his voice. I had to snap him out of it.
"Axel, this isn't healthy; I need you to do as I ask, please. I promise he will suffer. This is something I need to do, though, on my own terms, and I don't feel you should be in here to watch."
I grabbed his shoulders and spun him, so he faced the tied up magic worker. I gave him a gentle shove in that direction.
He turned back to look at the King, who looked terrified.
"You will pay for all of the sins you have committed while wearing that crown. The goddess both in the sky and here in this room will condemn you to your own personal burning fires," his voice was so intense it was scary.
So they have a similar view of hell here, which is interesting. Is that another byproduct of Victoria?
Axel stormed out of the room dragging the magic worker behind him.
"My next issue would be you," I said, looking over at the King.
He was cowering in the corner behind the shield I had created to trap him. I released the wall, shattering it myself. I quickly built another shield at the entrance to the room. I made it black so that no one would be able to witness what was about to happen.
"I'm not going to beg you for my life," he stated simply.
He puffed his chest out and held his head up high.
"That's very noble of you," I said.
"It's a good thing you won't have to."
I created a clear hollow orb in my hand. I threw it at the King's feet. It comically reminded me of a show I used to watch as a kid called Pokémon. I imagined the King being trapped inside of it with no way out.
When I walked over to pick up the ball, there he was inside. He was banging against the inside of the ball, demanding I let him out. I made it soundproof, and I shrank him and the ball some more.
"Tell me everything," I demanded from him.
"You won't be getting anything out of me," he mouthed.
"Then you won't be getting out," I said.
I gave the orb a good shake to remind him of who is in charge. I tucked his orb into my pocket. I would get everything I needed out of him sooner or later. I was sure of it.
I don't know why I couldn't bring myself to kill him. I don't know if it was that I pitied him. I didn't know if I would eventually kill him or trap him inside forever.
It might have been the part of me that belonged to the goddess demanding I give him a chance to redeem himself. Sometimes I felt like she was the angel sitting on my shoulder, always trying to tell me to do the right thing.
Maybe he would be needed in the future, I just don't know. But I had to listen to my gut, which told me it wasn't his time yet.
It felt like I was betraying Axel by letting Eduard live, but I couldn't focus on that now. I had to compartmentalize that to revisit another day.
Now I had to make the King look dead. I found a plant growing in the corner. I used my magic to make the plant grow like crazy. I cut off the results of its massive growth and threw it on the floor. There were pounds of the extra plant. When I was satisfied, there was enough stuff to burn, I stopped.
I created a little ball of fire and shot it at the pile of vines. They lit on fire, and I watched them burn. No one could ask me where his body was. I would just point them in the direction of these ashes. Everyone would automatically assume he had been burnt to a crisp.
This was over.
Finally, there would be no more worrying about being caught. No more worrying about my safety. I could be the Queen the prophesy predicted.
I righted my clothes that had been twisted around during the entire struggle. I combed my fingers through my hair, it remained messy despite my efforts.
I was nervous now, there was no use to hide it. I was nervous and scared. I would now be a Queen, I am responsible for the whole Kingdom. Eduard might not have cared about their wellbeing, but I personally felt responsible.
There was so much stuff to figure out. How was I going to do it all? There was still so much I didn't know about this place.
I removed the shield blocking the exit to the room. I exited and turned down the hall to where everyone was waiting. Axel was the first one to approach me. The wild look in his brown-gold eyes had settled down, and a look of sympathy crossed his face. He knew what it did to me to end a life even if I hadn't actually done it this time. I wasn't going to tell him that, though. It was better if he thought the King was dead. Whether he liked it or not, we may need him in the future.
"It's done," I said to him.
He gave me a solemn look.
"You might want to make some kind of announcement. They are getting restless out there," he told me.
"How am I supposed to tell them I killed the King?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," he responded.
"I've never killed a King before."
Axel led me further down the hallway, where everyone was waiting for the news. All of the knights had their faceplates up. There were servants as well, taking in the scene.
I saw Trin standing on the side quietly, waiting. When she saw me, her face lit up in a brilliant smile. She knew her days of suffering were over. I felt a little proud knowing I was responsible for that.
"Hello," I said.
I made a dramatic pause. No one said anything, so I just kept going.
"King Eduard is dead. This is his magic worker floating behind me. Eduard's charred remains are in the throne room if you would like to see him, to say any goodbyes."
There was a moment of quiet, and then someone asked, "Who are you?"
Deep down, I had this feeling; call it divine thoughts from the goddess I am reincarnated from. I knew this is the moment all of these people would remember for the rest of their lives.
"I am Princess Violet Brown, great Granddaughter of Queen Victoria."
Just then, everyone in the room dropped to their knees. Every single last person, including Trin and Axel, were on their knees.
They didn't require any proof. I looked just like her in the paintings that had been displayed in the halls. Seeing all of these people down on their knees was a sight. It made my heart feel a little lighter; all of these people had no idea how much better I intended to be than their last ruler.
I could feel vibrations from the little orb as a reminder. Don't become power-hungry like him. I don't think I could ever be like him.
"Please stand up, everyone," I said.
My face was red. I still wasn't used to a lot of positive attention. Everyone slowly stood.
An elaborately dressed man approached me, "Your majesty, my name is Abraham. I was Eduard's advisor; I wish to offer you my services."
He bowed in front of me.
"Once I am announced Queen, your services will no longer be needed, Abraham. You are an accomplice to many crimes the King has committed against his people. I will spare your life, but you are to leave the Morthlands and not return," I commanded.
He nodded his head and backed away from me. I dismissed the crowd, except for Axel and Trin. Abraham told me he was going to find Queen Victoria's crown for me, and I thanked him.
Axel and Trin followed me into the Throne room. I closed the door behind us. As soon as it was shut, I started jumping up and down like a little girl, "Axel, we did it! We did it!"
He wrapped me in a hug at the same time I jumped into his arms.
"You did it, my Queen, you did it!" he pulled back and smiled at me.
Then he gave me one of those toe curling kisses that made me feel all warm inside.
When we pulled away, I could see that Tri
n had her back turned, giving us privacy. I cleared my throat, and she turned back around.
"Trin, this is my boyfriend, I mean courter Axel. Axel, this is Trin. She covered for me when the other knights came chasing after me."
Trin and Axel bowed to each other.
"Trin, I asked you to come in here with me because you impressed me. I like you. I want to ask you to be my advisor," I told her.
"You want me to be your advisor?" she asked.
Her face showed exactly what she was feeling, disbelief.
"You don't have to take the position, but I thought I would put it out there. I believe you could be invaluable. You are worth more than just cleaning rooms," I told her.
"That means everything to me. I appreciate your kind words, and I accept your offer," she said.
"First thing is first, we need to plan your coronation ceremony. It is when you are officially announced Queen. We have so much to get started on."
I could tell she was holding back while trying to be formal. I sensed she was like me, all giddy inside. She was now one of the most influential people in the Kingdom, and she was trying to act the part. I barely knew her but was already proud of her.
"Trin?" I said.
"Yes, your Majesty?" she asked.
"You don't have to hold back around me, treat me like you would your best friend, okay? I don't like the royal treatment," I told her.
"Yes, your Majesty," she gave me a big hug and went running off.
We now had a coronation ceremony coming up, and once again, I felt unprepared for something so big.
The only thing I knew for sure was that I already had my coronation gown. It was pale blue and sitting in the attic wardrobe back in Arlington, just waiting to be worn again.
Chapter Thirty One
Today is the day of my coronation. I am super nervous. I have never been good at speaking in front of a large crowd. Most of the time, I freeze up while talking unless I am speaking because I am angry.
Then there is no stopping me.
But this wasn’t one of those occasions. I was supposed to be strong, smart, and show that I am fit for the title of Queen.
Emerald Dreams (The Dream Traveler Series) Page 27