Jewel gaped at the shrouded woman who said her piece and then just walked away without even looking in Jewel’s direction. She couldn’t believe it. She had just been scolded like she was a child. It was ludicrous, but one thing the shrouded woman had said had definitely hit home and made her feel just a bit of guilt. The woman said she had almost destroyed several worlds, and she couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of remorse. Yes, she had wanted revenge and yes, she had directed her fury with no regard, but she had thought it was only being directed towards those that hadn’t sided with her and her group. But the more Jewel thought about it, the more she realized that letting the elements loose on any world would have caused a level of destruction that she hadn’t intended.
Feeling confused, heartbroken, and mildly abashed, Jewel decided to try and clean herself off while she waited for the shrouded woman to return. It was obvious at this point that the woman was the same hooded figure that had been present during her last Council meeting, but Jewel had no idea yet if she was friend or foe. Jewel used the shower, and the hot water was just what she needed. Jewel stayed under its spray until she began to prune and then quickly grabbed the available towel, wrapping it around her body as she padded back to the room to see if anyone was available to get her some clothes.
Almost as though reading her mind, a tray of steak and shrimp pasta was laying on the bed along with a robe, leggings, and a shirt. Jewel grabbed the clothes and quickly changed, wondering how they had known her size because the black leggings and shirt fit perfectly, and the emerald colored hooded robe fit as though it was made just for her. It was plush, soft, light and airy, with a little bit of sparkle when she walked. Her heart panged with the realization that all her friends, everyone in her group, was probably worried sick about her. She needed to let them know that she was okay somehow.
“Milan? Oakley? Alex? Chief?” Jewel spoke, wondering if the renuviants were hiding somewhere. “You guys okay?” She asked, searching under the bed, in the two drawers that the room had.
“You won’t find your four insects in there.” The cloaked woman said, her back still turned to Jewel.
“What have you done?” Jewel hissed, her emotions becoming out of control yet again, as fear for her four, winged friends grew.
“Only given them food and allowed them time to recuperate from your stunt.” The cloaked woman said calmly. “They nearly killed themselves trying to hang on to you while you attempted to tear down the very fabric of several worlds.”
Jewel scrunched her face and tried to connect to the cloaked woman’s mind, but there was still nothing, and not like a wall or a barrier to keep her out nothing, but pure nothingness.
“Here.” The cloaked woman said as she turned on a television.
The newscasters were pale as they went through dozens of pictures and several pieces of footage showing what Jewel had caused first-hand in the Human world. Jewel’s gut clenched and her mouth dropped. She hadn’t even been trying to reach the Human world, not to mention that she had no idea she could from Weatheropolis.
“You see what you’ve done. You literally destroyed hundreds of communities with your powers. And this is just the Human world’s news. This doesn’t even show the damage you inflicted on Weatheropolis, the D.E., Mage City, Shiftsburg, Fangsborough, Faeville, Aquatica, Jinnia, and the list goes on and on.” The cloaked woman tsked as she turned off the tv and slammed the remote down. “And for what? You were just spouting off about how you wanted to change the worlds for the better, to unite them, and help get rid of the Darkness when you met with the Council. And now, you’ve only united them further by making them think that you cannot be trusted, that you’re too powerful. And now droves of communities are aligning themselves with Malum, purely out of wanting protection from you or getting revenge on you.” She said, lifting her head higher, her shoulders drooping a bit. “You have no idea what the Prophecy truly entails, do you? You have no idea how big a part you will play in this whole thing. And now, it’s safe to say that winning this war against the Darkness will be like catching a bubble. Malum didn’t even need the Transmuters to pose as you, all he needed was for you to lose yourself, which you did and in a very public way that only works to serve him more.” She paused for a few moments. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” She asked, still not turning around which had Jewel intrigued and agitated.
“You’re not wrong about what you’re saying, but what you haven’t considered, what no one ever seems to consider is how much I’ve been through. And you know what, I think I’ve held it together pretty good up to this point. Now, I’m sorry that I caused that much devastation because that was never my intention, but I wasn’t throwing a temper tantrum as you so condescendingly put it. I was grieving, I’m still grieving, and the level of loss I have endured within the last few weeks would make anyone snap, not to mention all the other craptastic events I’ve had to deal with.” Jewel said, jutting her chin out, not that the cloaked woman could see though, because she still had her back turned. “And you know who could have stepped in at any time to help make it a little easier to bear. The Council! Your precious Council, half of whom want me dead, if I’m not mistaken. No one wants to help me, aside from my group of friends, and they’re getting picked off one by one.” Her voice began to raise, her temper flaring yet again. “I came to all of you! All of you! And I asked for an alliance. I wanted peace. I still want peace, but not at the cost of my friends. Not at the cost of the only family I have left in the worlds. So, if anyone is to blame for me losing my melon, it’s all those in a position of power that sat idly by while I clawed and fought the Darkness within and the Darkness throughout.” She finished, lungs breathing hard from her rant, and tears pricking the back of her eyes, not from sadness, but from anger.
Jewel waited for the cloaked woman to snap back at her, so she was shocked when that didn’t happen. Instead, the cloaked woman’s head dropped. “You’re right.” She paused. “We failed you. We should have stepped in long before now, but we thought of ourselves and protecting our worlds, and frankly- we never believed that Malum would go this far.” She took another second before continuing. “We didn’t want to get involved. Plain and simple. And that was our mistake, not yours.” She said, pushing her cloak back from her head, revealing a beautiful head of ebony locks that fell in waves down past her shoulders. “But you are wrong about one thing.”
“Oh, yeah. And what’s that?” Jewel inquired, her body bristling.
“You have more family than you think.” The cloaked woman sighed before turning to face Jewel.
Jewel gasped, blinking stupidly as she quite literally couldn’t believe her eyes. The woman’s face was one that Jewel had only seen once before, and that had been during her test in Jinnia. The test that had required the ingestion of the alucinari plant, so she hadn’t seen this woman in person, but it was a face from a memory that had been burned into her own.
Dark green eyes met her own emerald one’s and she sucked in air as she saw the marking underneath the woman’s right eye- a star. A single, solitary star sitting amidst high cheekbones and sharp features that Jewel herself had too.
“You.” Was the only thing that Jewel could say, because her world had been turned upside down, yet again.
“Yes, Niece.” The cloaked woman said softly. “I’m your Aunt Starr.”
Continue Jewel’s journey in book 4 for the conclusion of the series!
Available Spring 2020!
Aura Color Chart
Blue aura- individual is feeling happy, calm, satisfied, serene
Purple aura- individual is feeling cheerful, humorous, goofy
Yellow aura- individual is feeling anxious, worried, irritated, sad, conflicted
Brown aura- individual has evil intentions, or is being dishonest
Black aura- individual is determined, focused, set on something, serious
Silver aura- individual is optimistic, excited, enthusiastic
Red aura- indivi
dual is mad, passionate, or feeling love or desire
Orange aura- individual is feeling inspired, creative, thoughtful
Green aura- Individual is envious, greedy, or dislikes something or someone greatly
White aura- individual is scared or experiencing physical or emotional pain
Beige aura- individual is indifferent, apathetic
Burgundy aura- Individual is infuriated to the point of rage
No Aura: Individual is no longer living
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phoenix Willow loves writing fun and innovative pieces of fantasy fiction. She loves taking what readers think they know about the mythological and supernatural world, and then adding a surprising and unexpected twist.
Born and raised in the Southern United States, she now resides in the Midwest. She is of Honduran, Greek, Spanish, Irish, and Native American descent. She originally went to college for a degree in journalism, but soon realized that she was more interested in writing stories that she created within her own mind. The thrill of creating characters that were relatable with a bit of humor added in, was just too tempting to resist.
Her three goals in life are to love hard, laugh often, and regret nothing.
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