Without Joy

by Calista Brace

  I closed my eyes and shoved it in my pocket, I had used it to open the door of the training center, and the gates were already open. I only had to kill two guards to leave because I had the key. I had run through the forest and never slept for two days.

  I could feel the adrenaline wear off and the exhaustion catch up to me. I closed my eyes relaxing into the pile of blankets, and I fell into a deep sleep.

  . . . . .

  I awoke in the secret room, it was pitch black, I walked around clumsily bumping into things from time to time. I found the small door after tracing the walls, I pulled it open and crawled into the closet, and I parted the soft fabrics out of the way and pushed open the closet door. A soft light of candles illuminated the room.

  My hunger started to overtake me, I looked around the large bedroom but not an inch of food lay out in the open that I could sneak a bite of.

  I could see Amaryllis lying on the huge bed; she looked small underneath all the blankets and cushions. More sculptures were here but not as many as the secret room, But the sculpted wooden walls made my heart ache from the memory of Joy doing the same thing.

  Another door led to a Sitting Room, It had a couch with tons of colorful cushions and a small fireplace. A bowl of fruit lay on a small wooden table. I grabbed some quickly. The Caspberries were my favorite, they had a light orange skin and was shaped like a teardrop, They were as small as strawberries, and they gushed their dark red juice that looked a lot like blood.

  I crammed a bunch of them in my mouth along with an apple and a couple of strawberries.

  I heard a noise in the other room. I hope I didn't wake Amaryllis with chewing. I got up and walked into the chamber ready to sneak back into the closet room when I saw her still asleep.

  I heard a noise again, and I watched in surprise as the window opened. I hid in the shadows where the candle light didn't touch me. I watched as two slim legs slipped through the window. It was a woman dressed in a tight black uniform with her hair cut short like a man's hair. She had a knife in between her teeth and she glided towards the bed pulling the knife in her hand.

  As she got closer, I pulled out of the shadows grabbing a vase ready to throw it. She turned around with no surprise in her eyes.

  “Hello Lumine 424, I knew I would find you somewhere.” She said with a small smile. She twirled the knife in her hand.

  “My, the Queen, will be happy with me knowing that I have killed you both so soon,” she smirked.

  “You're here to kill her and me?” I asked stalling, searching the room for a better weapon so not to wake Amaryllis.

  “No, just her, she knows too much, I just happened to you. The Queen has been looking for you. Why not get the job done now? She will be quite proud of me, I will be able to be her favorite assassin, and I will be destructable after I kill you both for her. Then she will succeed in her master plan and take over ALL the kingdoms.”

  “What Queen is this?” I asked anger filling me at her selfishness.

  “Yours of course.” She said then laughed. “No more stalling 424, It's already too late, any last words?” she said.

  I pretended I was going to throw the vase, but instead charged forward. She was too fast she did two backflips and ended up on the other side of the room.

  “What was that? You're kind of good at running away.” I growled.

  “It's called agility, it’s something you don't have, what did they train you to do? Charge like an idiot, and all the other stupid moves.” She said. It was evident that she sucked at the back talking.

  I could tell how her body was positioned she wanted to throw the knife but didn't want to give up her best weapon. She hesitated more than needed.

  I inched my way closer so I could hit her in the head with the vase. I had an idea. I threw the vase at her.

  I watched her eyes light up in surprise. She accidentally dropped the knife and cartwheeled out of the way. I dove for the knife. I grabbed it. She had a shard of glass in her hand. I threw and then so did she. I heard the crack of bones as my target was hit. Her eyes widened, and she collapsed on the floor coughing up blood.

  “She will get you for this” Her voice rasped. Then she stopped breathing.

  I was breathing hard, and I saw that Amaryllis had sat up in her bed, probably because of the vase.

  “Come on we have to go,” I said.

  “Wait what happened?” She asked.

  “The Queen of Lumine had an assassin come here to kill you, I guess she thinks you know too much of her plan,” I said.

  She looked slightly confused, “What plan?”

  I clamped my mouth shut, I opened it and let the words flow from my tongue, “The project to take over all of the kingdoms, she wants to get rid of the system and rule us all like Lumine.” I said.

  Her eyes were wide, and a small sound escaped her mouth, “I just met you, how do I know if I can fully trust you,” She said.

  I shrugged, “I guess you don't, but there is one thing I know for sure, that will not be the only assassin she sends, it would be best for her to think you are dead before we leave. It will give us more time, she won’t let you live no matter what. You can trust me on that, so it's really your choice.” I said with a shrug.

  “Okay, I'm going then. I am a princess, after all, I should be able to save the continent we all love,”

  She jumped out of bed quickly; she went inside the closet and then came out wearing black pants and a brown shirt with a belt and the thinnest sword I have ever seen. Her hair was pulled back into a messy braid as always, and she was wearing a dark green cloak that matched her eyes. She walked around the room grabbing knives from secretive places that would have been useful in my fight against the assassin. I explained what happened while she moved around the room.

  She looked at me expectantly. “Now what?” She said tilting her head to the side.

  “Now we must warn the other kingdoms about the Queen,” I told her.

  I watched as a small smile formed on her face. “Of course,” She said with the biggest grin I had ever seen.

  IV Sundown Forest

  Amaryllis

  I rode Zinnia through the forest, With Nate the Lumine by my side; I still didn't fully trust him. He had saved me from an assassin, but it just made him seem more dangerous.

  We had thrown the body out the window and burned it. Nate said it would look like it was me and someone had stabbed me and threw my burning body out the window, that way the Queen of Lumine wouldn't go looking for me.

  It seemed a little far-fetched to me, but it was the best we got, we had to burn her because otherwise people would see her face and realize it wasn't me.

  It took us hours to get through all the farming fields, but it was easier in the dark because there was nobody to say they had seen me alive.

  When we finally got to the start of Sundown Forest, the lights of the day finally came. Most people of the kingdom of Beral Traveled through Tamer's forest picking berries. Every student in our classes learned about how to survive in the wilderness and what plants are edible and what part of the plants taste best.

  We also found out how to grow them. The Kingdom of Beral was the Kingdom of Plants and farming after all.

  We were headed to The Kingdom of Animals; Its name is The Kingdom of Animaux. Animaux is a weird domain. Most people lived in the trees or underground. When they are born there they get a type of animal where can talk to through thoughts, they give part of themselves to that animal and then act more like it and look more like that animal. While the animal lives a human lifetime if it's attached to you.

  It was a really confusing concept, but you get used to it.

  I had always wondered what it would be like to live there. It was a good 5-day trip to get through Sundown forest and to the borders of the kingdom of Animaux. Then It was a good 3 day trip through the Savanna part of Animaux. Finally, we get to the Castle which is in the middle of the jungle. King Daryn is a friendly man and I know would take the threat ser
iously. Queen Daya would be worried.

  The Kingdoms were huge and always had more land than needed, the country of Animaux is split up into several sections that Animals can live in, for example a desert or a jungle.

  The trip through sundown forest will be the hardest, The people of Beral hang out in Tamer's forest, but none dare to go through Sundown forest other than me. Sundown forest was not just dangerous because of the Lumine Training Center but because the amount of dangerous creatures that are here.

  There was also quicksand and tons of poisonous fruit.

  I wasn't scared; I knew everything about the edges of this forest. I was excited. The only thing I was scared of was the man standing next to me.

  I rode upon the back of my horse Zinnia, Nate rode on a good old stable horse named Mint. As the forests got deeper, it was harder to recognize things. Nothing seemed familiar which was scary for a Plant Worker of Beral.

  We walked in silence most of the day when the sun started coming down the horses were dragging their feet, and the mud was slowing them, We stopped in a small dry spot. I laid down in the blankets I had beside Nate and the horses, so far he hadn't said a single word like he knew stuff I didn't.

  I sat in the dark thinking about how my mother and father would react thinking I was dead, not too badly, after my sister Magnolia had disappeared when she was six they had shut themselves off from my brother and me.

  My twin brother Elm would be devastated now. I was the only thing he had left. Once I got back from this journey realizing I was still alive, I would tell him all about it. I couldn’t wait.

  The quiet sound of the owls and crickets were comforting. I lay in silence for a while until the hair on my back rose with the feeling of being watched. I sat up and looked around, I could see nothing in the darkness and Nate, and the horses were already asleep. I heard a rustle of leaves and my senses perked.

  I could feel eyes on my back. Fear crawled up my spine, and I started to panic. I swung around and looked through the darkness. I grabbed Nate's shoulder to shake him awake, but he just pulled away.

  “Nate, Nate, there is something out there,” I whispered my eyes wide.

  I heard a snarl. I grabbed Nate's shoulder and shook him hard. “Nate there is something out there I swear” I whispered panicking.

  He sat up, “What are you doing, go back to bed there is nothing ou-” he was cut off by a deep snarl.

  He grabbed my arm, “Pack up the blankets quickly, but don't draw attention, I'll feed the horses and then we can go as fast as we can.” He said so quietly I could barely hear him.

  I stuffed the blankets in a bag and hopped on while he fed the horses some Caspberries we had packed. Then we made the horses run, we ran till the sun came up in fear that the thing following us would come back.

  For the next day, we walked most the time trading turns to sleep on the horse's back, only stopping to rest the horses. It grew dark again. I looked around warily for the thing that had snarled at us, but we hadn't happened upon it again. I was relieved, but the forest was eerily silent, a little too quiet. We rode in silence.

  “Let's take a stop in a few minutes,” I said when the mud started to get thick. My hair was a tangled mess, but that wasn't the only problem. We were running out of fresh water, and all the streams were full of undrinkable muddy water.

  I hopped off Zinnia giving her rest to walk on her own. I pet her soft mane gently. The mud grew thicker and thicker, and it pulled at my boots. It now went up to my ankles. The sun started coming up. I walked down a small hill and then my foot slipped, my entire leg was stuck in the grainy, muddy substance. I grumbled a complaint and looked back to see Nate staring wide-eyed at his stable horse next to me. His horse was halfway stuck in the muck I was in, and slowly sinking deeper.

  The horse flailed about but the more it flailed, the more it got stuck. I tried to pull my leg away using my other one as help, but the mud was active like 10 hands pulling my leg at once. Finally, I realized what it was, it was quicksand.

  My other foot slipped, and I knew I would be stuck. My eyes widened, and I didn't know what to feel. I had to get out. I had to get Nate’s attention to getting out.

  “Nate” I screamed.

  He didn't even look in my direction. He stared at the horse in shock, and something dark was flickering in his eyes. I needed to catch his attention, he was my only hope.

  The muck pulled at me until I was in waist deep. I grabbed at the ground and tried to pull myself free. I clawed at the dirt, but it did not help.

  “Please help Nate” I screamed with fear. Zinnia had reared back from fright. Tears fell down my eyes, Nate wouldn't help he couldn't even look away from the horse.

  Nate's horse had disappeared from sight, after all of its flailing and trying to escape. My tears fell down into the sinking muck; It instantly dissipated into the substance. Nate had finally snapped out of his trance.

  “Nate,” I screamed.

  He looked at me and shock passed through his face. He ran far into the trees, and I thought he wasn't going to come back, that he was going to leave me to drown in the mud. But he did come back, with a giant stick, he pushed it towards me, and I grabbed at it. He tried to pull, but my struggling only made me sink deeper. It was up to my shoulders now, My arms were feeling tired and worn out. I clawed at the large stick; I could feel the mud go up my neck. I pulled in a deep breath, and my head was submerged. My arms still were out in the air, I let go of the stick and tried reaching out for ground. I had to hold my breath just a little bit longer. I heard Nate yelling. What was he trying to say?

  I felt pain rip through my hand and down my arm. I opened my mouth to gasp in pain and mud rushed into my throat. The only reason I knew I was alive was because of the pain ripping down my arm and the sharp stinging that went down my throat when I sucked in mud instead of air.

  I felt light headed, and my lungs were choked from lack of air.

  Then…

  The pain was suddenly gone, everything was, the feeling of mud pushing against my skin and all.

  Only the sense of swimming in darkness remained. I felt lost. Like I did not exist anymore, I waited, it felt like forever and never in between but the feeling did not leave me.

  V The Hunt

  Petunia

  I stood high in the top tower of my kingdom. I stared down at the city below me. People practiced with their unique weapons in the streets, and blacksmith workers built the finest of weapons.

  The floor of the town was concrete and stained with blood. A smile spread across my face, this was how the world was supposed to be, full of fighters. No more cowards. There was no need of nature or animals or art or building or being one with the sea, that was all child's play.

  I heard a hard knock on my door.

  “Come in, come in,” I said not turning away from the window.

  I heard light footsteps cross towards me. “I have some news, my Queen,” Said a man's deep voice.

  I ignored him. “Isn't it the most beautiful Kingdom you have ever seen?”

  “Yes, my Queen it is one of the most beautiful ones that I have been to” He spoke.

  “One? What would be the others?” I said my eyes traveling across the city grounds.

  “Well I have guarded at the kingdom of Ozeana, I believe it is one of the most beautiful also, I love how its castle is underwater and that most the walls are glass so that you could see all the fish and the deep ocean reefs.” He spoke with a smile in his voice.

  I turned around to face him. “Land with signs of fighting is beautiful; wouldn't that castle be much more beautiful if the water shone red with blood?” A small smile was on my face.

  The guard looked astonished. “Why my Queen…” His voice drifted off, He cleared his throat his face becoming hard and unreadable. My smile widened. “I am not here for small talk my Queen; I am here to tell you imperative news.” He said, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

  I sat in my throne, throwing my legs up on the a
rm of it. “Tell me about this important news, will you? and hurry up with it I have no time.” I said.

  His face broke out into one of frustration. “Princess of Beral is dead my Queen. Her body was found dead burned outside her sleeping chambers window.” He said.

  My eyebrows lifted in surprise and then a thought came to my mind, and I wiped my face from feelings. “And how come the agility soldier I sent to kill her was not the one to tell me that?” I asked staring at him with dead, emotionless eyes.

  “She hasn't been seen since the incident, the delivery cart that was supposed to pick her up waited an hour before leaving. She finished the job but then set off somewhere else, we are sure of that.” He spoke as if there was no doubt.

  “Liar,” I said.

  The guard scoffed. “Those are facts my Queen, I am not lying to you.” He said.

  “Wrong” I yelled jumping out of my chair. I pulled out my sword and put the tip against the guard's chest. “The Lumine I had sent wanted to be my personal guard, she would have never just disappeared, and burning people has never been her style, She liked torture. Plus I'm sure of it that she would have taken valuable items while in there. Who would burn a body and leave cooked bones? Maybe a princess trying to pretend she's dead so she could escape? But who could kill a trained assassin? Perhaps a missing Lumine who has teamed up with a princess? But there is one thing for sure guard” I spit in his face with a dark look on my face “ I know the princess is out there with one of my Lumine’s help, and They Killed my assassin and burned her body after throwing it out the window.” I Looked deep into his eyes “I should just kill you now” I spat.

  I pulled my sword away. “This is a warning, Next time you doubt me your head will be on a stick for all to see,” I said with a sweet emotionless smile.

  “Yes my Queen,” He said his voice hoarse. I could see him shaking slightly. My smile brightened.